Hi,

The start of fitting LED's!!!

First Delivery. Side lights, reverse lights and Front Spot Lamps. Oh and an XF style Leaper


Reverse Lamp Before


Reverse Lamp After


Front Side lamps and spot lamps. I deliberately went for a lower output bulb for the spot lamps so that the give a subtle glow especially at night.


Leaper on the back below registration plate. Magnet mount aerial is for the DAB radio unit.


I have another couple of sets of LEDs on there way to me. One set for the Registration Plate lights, the rest for the interior lighting.

All the LED's fitted are canbus compatible so have no issue with them staying slightly illuminated after they have been turned off, nor do i get any dash errors.

Regards

 

Look good thumbs up

 

Are those at the front fogs, as they appear to be? If so, hopefully you are aware of the very specific laws regarding them. Can be expensive to ignore....

 

I would like to go blue on the interior lights, footwell and rear dome and door.

Has anyone figured out the proper LED to bulb conversion part numbers?
Ones that fit without having to mod anything?

Also, it appears there is a trick to removing these covers without damaging the darn thing. Any hints there>?

 

do they all stay on for a half hour after you turn the car off? I did my lights in the top right part of the headlight and they stay on for a bit but I dont mind, just curious if they all do.

 

The ones in the front fogs are specific low light output leds, still controlled by the fog light switch inside the car. From what i have read on line and in the VOSA guidelines, I have come to the conclusion myself that they are now the intensity of aditional driving lights as the dazzle intensity is less than standard 55w output bulbs. I may be wrong, so i'm going to get an MOT tester mate to verify for me. After all, the police use the same written guidelines as VOSA.

The sidelight bulbs (top corner of the headlight) are 'canbus' compatible, so they won't stay dim for a while after they have been turned off. I have tried non 'canbus' bulbs that have stayed on like you described Rasputin. The one's i got are from Amazon and were very reasonably priced. All of the LED's i have are 'canbus' compatible. You can get the same effect by wiring a resister in-line a normal LED. But, unfortunatley you would have to seek help and guidance from someone that knows about resisters because i haven't got a clue - thats why i went for the easy option

Rocam, I'm thinking of going for green LED's to match the dash and my newly fitted Kenwood (multi-illumination compatible) stereo display. Still 100% undecided. I have some plain white ones (like used on the outside of the car) that i will temp fit until i have decided. Personally i think Blue has been over done by the "Fast and Furious" crowds and have made them too common. Here in the UK, you woun't have to look too hard to find a s**t box of a car full of Blue LED's inside and out!

I'm hoping and guessing that the interior bulbs are standard 501 fitment as that's what i've got without looking at the car too closely!!! In terms of getting the covers off. When i have a go at doing them i'll start a new 'how to' thread.

 

The car looks great Adam, super clean for a DD.

It is good that you are taking the anti-dazzle aspect seriously, if your MOT mate tests them, please post up the result.

Don't know the S Type, but how is it that the fogs look to be on, when the headlamps are not, if they are still controlled by the switch? (the lights in the bumper).

Agree about blue, hardly original.

Look forward to the rest of your pics.

 

To state the obvious, the police do not use the VOSA stuff - they use the LAWS. Not decided by VOSA.

MoT is not about those laws. It does what it does, which is limited and does not check compliance with all manner of things which are nevertheless legally required.

Commonly people "get away" with breaking the laws. Until something happens.

 

According to the VOSA handbook the police follow the same guidelines and visa versa as MOT test center.

If the front fogs are not switched, then according to the handbook, the car will fail due to incorrect lighting. As will the vehicle fail if there is no illuminated lamp on the dash to notify you that the fog lamps are on.

Take tyre limits for example. Both the police and authorised test centres use exactly the same script. Thats why if a defect notice is served any authorised test centre can sign and stamp the form and confirm that the defect has been sorted. Then upon taking the said form to a police station, they have no choice but to accept the result.

If a vehicle passes an MOT, they police can only request a retest should they feel that a) the certifcate was gained fraudulantly or b) the vehicle is felt to be in an unroadworthy condition. But if you watch when th police pull cars in (there was a big hit last year locally to me on the M3 motorway where HMRC, the Police and VOSA were pulling cars) It was the VOSA bods that were doing the vehicle inspections, not the Police.

If my MOT tester friend deems them as acceptable, then i will accept his word.

Now, as for daytime running lights, handbook is very vague. They have to start withing 400mm of the edge of the bumper, be no higher than 750cm from the bottom of the bumper and be non-dazzling. I could in therory, wire my front fogs up to the ignition and use them as drl's, as could anyone. All i would have to do is blank off the fog lamp switch (a simple piece of black tape). Take the current Merc E-Class for example without Zenons. That has a pod per side that houses 2 "spot lamps". One is for DRL, the next one is a switched fog. That has passed type approval so is 100% legal.

I have worked in the motor trade for many years now. I'm a self employed trader, buying, selling and preping cars for sale. I have been using the same test centre for 9 or so years and trust their word, no question. I have a copy of the VOSA handbook sat on the shelf behind me (all be it a couple of years old) but get regular updates from the test center i use. I use the handbook to ensure that the cars that i send for MOT before i sell them are 100% as they should be, as are my private vehicles (my jag, wifes car and my pick up).

I'm not trying to get into an argument or debate. At the end of the day, i have respect for the law of our land. If i am proven wrong then i will take the comments on board and find alternatives. It all comes down to our own interpitation of the law.

Translator - Thanks bud. I will do. The front fog lamps are factory wired to be allowed to come on when the headlight switch is set to side lights (as with most cars - certainly all the ones i've traded so far with front fogs). So even when you have the lights on side light or dipped. Rear fogs are wired so they only come on when dipped beam is on. (have had some stuff - mainly jap and french that allow the rears to come on with the side lights but the are few and far between).

 

I'm also not trying to start an argument but the plain fact is that it is not VOSA or the police but Acts of Parliament that set the law. Those others try to follow the Acts. Typically they precis the Acts and usually that is good enough but not always and as I have said the Acts are the final word. Or, to be more accurate, the EU laws are, since ours are subservient to the EU ones.

edit: I expect many know this, but an MoT does NOT test whether a vehicle is roadworthy (but should fail any that a tester notices is not); a vehicle can be a death trap yet pass an MoT

 

Completely agree. The issue resolves around the fact that loop holes exist. I wouldn't drive around day and night with standard front fogs on as I find them irritating. I also find certains makes of cars with DRL's annoying - some of inglostats finest for example.

I have been to see my tester friend who has made some sound suggestions for my fog lamp replacement. Basically he has suggested that I lower the beam patterned further and ensure that I only use them with side lights and turn them off with dipped beam. Simply putting it, using them as if they were DRLs.

I am well within my rights to give them an ignition switched 12v with a dipped beam overide. You could do the same and use the same bulbs. But the switch would need to be blanked off.

 

Adam, you may be right. As I have the seafoam exterior color, the green LED interior should look good.
Please let me know when you or anyone has a vendor for parts and pics if you pull the trigger on the project.
TY

 

Well, I had to go outside and check their operation.

Shows just how much I use F/R fog lights, read NEVER.

Correct, Front operate with side lights on.
Correct, Rear operate with head lights on.

Rear show warning light on Dash.
Front illuminates switch.

At least we've got a super dense sea fog, so if anyone saw me, I didn't look like a total Plonker.

(NB guys, we've got whole threads on the hot topic of using fog lights, let's not start another debate in this one, which is essentially about LED conversions)

We also have many threads about LED conversions, but we like to see how individuals are modding their cars.

I'll be interested to note if there are any battery drain issues over a prolonged period of unuse. Yes I have noted that you are using canbus compatible LEDs.

Back in 2010, Oubadah in the land of the Kiwi made a very detailed thread about changing his dashboard illumination on his X300, you might find it of interest.

What, LED Backlights?

 

Thanks Translator! Oh and glad to have helped with the action of your fogs, lol .

I'm happy with the green dash illumination. As said before, there are too many 'fast and furious' wannabes with intense blue interior and exterior lights. I prefer a clean look. That's why I'm thinking of going green for the interior LED's.

Rocam, I ordered my last load of LEDs off of Amazon. The vendors on there were the cheap could find + you had the reasurance of Amazon.