Paul Falcon Cars 3 Posted January 20, 2020 (edited) Hi All Can anyone advise me on upgrading my Audi A3 headlight bulbs to LED, which bulbs are a good upgrade, and what retaining clips I need. Head light type is reflector. Paul. Edited January 20, 2020 by Paul Falcon Cars Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dave c 5 Posted January 21, 2020 (edited) Tbh, you won’t get the same effect as a proper factory LED headlamp. I know someone who tried an LED bulb upgrade and he ended up throwing them away. If I were you, I’d avoid eBay, especially anything from overseas as very limited comeback Let us know how you get on. in your shoes, I’d look for a better halogen replacement, Osram do some called night breaker laser. About £22 a pair for H7s from ECP Edited January 21, 2020 by Dave c Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Paul Falcon Cars 3 Posted January 21, 2020 Really appreciate your advice, bought a couple of LED bulbs off eBay a while ago, useless, no beam pattern, bulb failure warning, got my money back. Will keep you posted. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
D&M 66 Posted January 21, 2020 We had LED bulbs years ago... The bulbs had about 70 tiny LEDs and they were rubbish. No brighter than sidelights. Those CREE (I think) type ones are supposed to be pretty good - but can't speak from first hand experiance. +1 for Osram Nightbreakers though. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Paul Falcon Cars 3 Posted January 21, 2020 Thanks for that. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dave c 5 Posted January 21, 2020 2 hours ago, Paul Falcon Cars said: Really appreciate your advice, bought a couple of LED bulbs off eBay a while ago, useless, no beam pattern, bulb failure warning, got my money back. Will keep you posted. You will get the bulb failure warning coz of the lower current drawn by the LED version, this fools the car into thinking a bulb is blown. Another reason to sack them Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Halfpenny 114 Posted January 23, 2020 You might try these: https://www.autobulbsdirect.co.uk/twenty20-compact-led-headlight-bulbs-H7-pair.html They have a built in ballast that should prevent CANBUS error message. Be aware that retrofitting LEDs is technically illegal (there are no E-marked 'conversion' LEDs). However if the beam pattern is OK most MoT testers will pass them. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Paul Falcon Cars 3 Posted January 23, 2020 Hi Appreciate your help, they certainly look interesting, do you know anything about the retaining clips to hold the bulb in?? Paul. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Halfpenny 114 Posted January 24, 2020 13 hours ago, Paul Falcon Cars said: Hi Appreciate your help, they certainly look interesting, do you know anything about the retaining clips to hold the bulb in?? Paul. You should contact Autobulbsdirect to discuss your options. They are usually very helpful. Ask them if they will agree a refund if your beam pattern is no good (reflectors often give too much scatter with a distributed light source - projectors are usually ok). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FlorenceDude 0 Posted November 24, 2020 (edited) I think you can buy upgraded headlights, and avoid wasting time in vain. I mean, recently I bought headlights for my car, that is Rav. 4 and they are perfect. The illumination is wonderful and I convinced myself again that humanity does not stand still. The headlights I bought recently are far better than the headlights I had before. By the way, if you want to check the online store I bought my headlights from, you can click on https://www.ltprtz.co.uk/products/headlights/7-LED-Headlight-Phantom-Black-Reflector-LTPZ-BHL7R-B. Stay safe and have a blessed day! Edited November 24, 2020 by FlorenceDude Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Frank Cannon 812 Posted November 24, 2020 (edited) Bung some Osram Night Breakers in there, welll worth the money. Forget anything LED, waste of money and even the 501s don't last. Also....if like myself you have poor night vision anyway (years of smoking) fit some yellow tinted bulbs in there, the colour contrast really helps at night. Edited November 24, 2020 by Frank Cannon Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dave2302 387 Posted December 1, 2020 Not only but also, any LED Bulbs that put out decent light run so bloody hot they will burn the reflectors and other parts inside the headlamp, how much are new Audi Headlamps ? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BHM 994 Posted December 1, 2020 To generalise I tend to find using the correct item that a particular part was originally designed for works just fine. All these chav upgrades, just the same as the sort of punter who has his windscreen strewn with front & rear cameras, a satnav & any other shit he could buy from Halfords/eBay/Amazon, getting run through a 6 port cigarette lighter multiplug. All this is usually attached to the dashboard of an utter heap of shit with under inflated tyres, filthy windows & driven by a moron who the last time he looked in his mirrors saw a Cortina there. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dave2302 387 Posted December 4, 2020 On 12/1/2020 at 9:22 PM, BHM said: To generalise I tend to find using the correct item that a particular part was originally designed for works just fine. All these chav upgrades, just the same as the sort of punter who has his windscreen strewn with front & rear cameras, a satnav & any other shit he could buy from Halfords/eBay/Amazon, getting run through a 6 port cigarette lighter multiplug. All this is usually attached to the dashboard of an utter heap of shit with under inflated tyres, filthy windows & driven by a moron who the last time he looked in his mirrors saw a Cortina there. Abso fuckin' lutely Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
