Light replacements with LED's

[Hugopta]

I am looking to replace my tail lights with some LED ones, as well as replace the rear number plate side lights with LED's.

Also looking at HID lights for the front headlights.

It's a 2007 D40 Navara, anyone have any leads? I do believe there are some Chinese ones on Ebay but didnt hear great things about the quality.

 

[Old.Tony]

Indicator bulbs don't work well as LED replacements unless they have the same power loading (which doesn't offer you an advantage over normal bulbs other than reliability). Brake, reverse and plate bulbs will be fine.


As for the headlights, I am incredibly annoyed by HID bulbs put in headlights designed for halogen bulbs. The light emission point is different in HID, so halogen reflectors scatter the light badly and make it very difficult for oncoming drivers to see. You might think you've got a ton of light out front, but if you have a head-on because you've blinded the oncoming driver, what was the point?


It's particularly bad when I'm on my motorcycle and I've got a windscreen, helmet visor and glasses to look through. The tiniest bit of dust/bug guts/water/etc catches the glaring light and whites out the road.


Some LED headlight replacements are the same.


For LED, you need something that emits the light in the exact same place as a halogen globe. For HID, you need lensed headlight enclosures.


LED is probably the way to go anyway, HID is slow to react and by its very nature can cause radio interference, especially with a cheap ballast. That's not to say that all LED driver circuits are quiet - especially the higher driven ones that oscillate the output to provide extra light in bursts so quick you can't see the strobe effect.

 

[Tms40]

I’m a Qld police officer. Changing the headlights to HID is illegal here and will earn you a defect ticket. I see many tickets issued in relation to this. I can’t see why you would upgrade, have you not had a car drive directly at you with hid lights. It’s like getting blasted with high beam

 

[ShortyNavros]

You can buy retrofit projectors for HIDs which make them much better, however it is still illegal as far as I'm aware as you aren't allowed to modify lights. People do do it with HIDs though and they seem to work well, I haven't done it myself but have looked into it. The company is called micks retrofits, this is the only way possible to get decent HID light from a standard headlight, however the cost and legalities surrounding it out me off. I'd just get a pair of Led spotlights.

 

[bods]

I’m a Qld police officer. Changing the headlights to HID is illegal here and will earn you a defect ticket. I see many tickets issued in relation to this. I can’t see why you would upgrade, have you not had a car drive directly at you with hid lights. It’s like getting blasted with high beam

Pity more don't get canaried in Perth. It is ridiculous the amount of them getting around. You can't see anything coming towards them at night, especially in a truck...

You can buy retrofit projectors for HIDs which make them much better, however it is still illegal as far as I'm aware as you aren't allowed to modify lights. People do do it with HIDs though and they seem to work well, I haven't done it myself but have looked into it. The company is called micks retrofits, this is the only way possible to get decent HID light from a standard headlight, however the cost and legalities surrounding it out me off. I'd just get a pair of Led spotlights.

This is true. They have to have factory fitted headlight washers and I believe a self levelling system now to tilt them down when going uphill. Even though they are not legal, they are a lot better than factory halogen globes, let alone the cheap nasty hids...

You can get the from a place in the states called "the retrofit source" which I believe Mick used to at least get his from, not sure if he still does or not, but they do right hand drive versions too.

Sent from my moto g(6) plus using Tapatalk

 

[Old.Tony]

^ One VERY important point from bods' message:

they do right hand drive versions too.

In Australia, the driver sits on the right hand side of the car and oncoming drivers are on the right hand side. Look at an Australian headlight patten on LOW beam and you'll notice that it rises higher on the left hand side in front of the car than it does on the right. This is so that the driver sees more without shining extra light at the oncoming driver, and since you're supposed to keep your eyes on the left side of the road when a car is coming towards you, the extra light helps you.



Reverse that - put in an American headlight. Now, on low beam, you'll have extra light shining towards the oncoming driver and none where it's needed to help you.


If you DO choose to buy headlights from overseas, you're doing everyone - including yourself - a favour by ensuring you get the correct reflector pattern.

 

[GunMentalGrey]

Some of the later Ti model pathfinders have xenon headlights, that might be a legal upgrade if the headlights still fit between the self and later series.

If you do get replacement brake/tail lights make sure there is sufficient brightness difference between tail and brakes. I bought some cheap ones off eBay, but ended up not using them because they were no good. I’ve switched out the reverse and plate lights with eBay leds with good results - unfortunately no links it’s been a while since I bought them.

 

[johnl56]

I have a weird one. I replaced the tail/Brake light with LED 2012 D22. Anyway I was in the car early this morning and turned on the lights. No power what so ever. Turned off the lights and away it goes, lights on and no power. I swapped out the LED and put back in the normal bulbs and no problems. I am in the process of swapping out all my lights to LED's. Just waiting for the remainders to arrive. Could the issue be that LED's in the back and normal bulbs in the front is causing the issue or is it something else.

 

[Old.Tony]

I swear there's something odd happening with LED bulbs in circuits designed for incandescent bulbs. I tried adding LED bulbs to the trailer I haul behind my motorcycle (so it's REAL simple electrics there) and the bloody things started smoking on me! I checked polarity, all good. I checked the bulbs worked when directly connected to a battery, all good. Put them on the trailer and they smoke again. Incandescents have no problem.

So I don't know the answer, I just know that LEDs are weird. My bike still runs the old filament globes, I was going to put a whole new circuit in with a relay to activate lights and the relay draws power direct from the battery (so there's no other "things" that might impact on it) but I haven't gotten around to it - just too many other things to play with!