Headlight Bulb Change Questions

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matt_3051
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Headlight Bulb Change Questions

Post by matt_3051 »

My 9n3's left sidelight has stopped working and this gives me an opportunity to upgrade my headlight bulbs.

My questions is, I presume the original lights are halogen bulbs because they're yellow and grim. Can I just change the bulbs to LEDs or Xenon lights or do I have to replace the whole headlight unit?

Also what's the legality behind the other two bulbs ect. Thank you.
RUM4MO
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Re: Headlight Bulb Change Questions

Post by RUM4MO »

I'd just buy premium versions of Osram or Phillips quoting +150% etc extra output.

You can buy matching side light bulbs, they will probably look blue but when switched on match the upgraded main and dipped beam bulbs.

I don't think that any LED bulb assemblies are legal for main beam or dipped beam and I've never bothered buying them for sidelights.

Edit:- sorry I forgot HID, Xenon units are not legal either unless same as factory fit which means self levelling and washer sprays included in the mod.
matt_3051
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Re: Headlight Bulb Change Questions

Post by matt_3051 »

RUM4MO wrote: Wed Aug 18, 2021 1:19 pm I'd just buy premium versions of Osram or Phillips quoting +150% etc extra output.

You can buy matching side light bulbs, they will probably look blue but when switched on match the upgraded main and dipped beam bulbs.

I don't think that any LED bulb assemblies are legal for main beam or dipped beam and I've never bothered buying them for sidelights.

Edit:- sorry I forgot HID, Xenon units are not legal either unless same as factory fit which means self levelling and washer sprays included in the mod.
So if I were to replace all the bulbs for LEDs would that be legal and fine to do with this car? Its a 9N3 match 1.2L
RUM4MO
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Re: Headlight Bulb Change Questions

Post by RUM4MO »

matt_3051 wrote: Thu Aug 19, 2021 4:31 pm So if I were to replace all the bulbs for LEDs would that be legal and fine to do with this car? Its a 9N3 match 1.2L
I thought I made it clear that the headlight bulbs can not currently be replaced by LEDs if you use the car on public roads.

Fitting LEDs to some other bulbs would probably not cause any problems with the law or MOT, but cheap LED bulb replacements do have their own issues, ie they fail probably sooner than premium filament bulbs of the brands that VW Group fit at the factory, and most of them need a ballast resistor to satisfy bulb failure devices where included in the car, and that means they use the same power as the old filament bulbs, so no real gain, though they might look better, maybe.
ValleyForge
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Re: Headlight Bulb Change Questions

Post by ValleyForge »

Replaced all of our lamps with LED from LEDPerf. Very happy with exceptional brightness on the road and indicators too.
Interior lights - you can actually see inside the car at night!
Fog lights were a little tricky as they needed external load resistors which were weatherproof.
And no CANBUS errors.

And BTW they are not strictly road legal as they are not OEM.
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