[blackasta]

My car is 8+ years running, and all this time had the factory fit 55/60 Halonix bulbs fitted to the headlights (except for about an year when I used Philips Xtreme vision 55/60, after which the low beams conked off and I went back to the Halonix ones).
The headlights of the i10 2009 pre-facelift model is nothing to write home about, and barely does the job of illuminating the road ahead coupled with the fogs.
So this time I thought of trying out LED headlights, as from reading different articles it seemed that cheap LED lamps have finally reached the point where they may be tried out.
Oslamp is a brand which bhpians recommend.

So went ahead and ordered a pair from Aliexpress, which reached me in about 5 weeks time. (https://www.aliexpress.com/item/H4-H...311.0.0.AFv7eO)
This particular model is fanless, low profile and claims to have 50w consumption with 8000 lm output with 6500K color temperature.





The Kolkata tbhp group is an active one, and I must say that I have learnt much more than I could contribute to the same.
Received a suggestion from the same to check whether there is any chance for the heatsink fins (which get very hot) to touch the battery. Checked out the same and thankfully, the rear end of the headlamps in i10 are over the front wheel wells !



So went ahead with the installation.
In 2009 pre-facelift i10, installing any lamp other than the front indicator lamps necessitates that the entire headlight assembly be taken out.

The passenger side assembly has 3 screws, 2 on top and 1 near the base.



The driver side assembly necessitates taking out 2 screws, plus 1 screw holding the air intake (all on the top side), taking out the clip that holds the air intake pipe to move the air intake pipe out of the way, and finally taking out another clip at the base of the headlight assembly holding a smaller rubber hose.



The headlight assemblies after being taken out:



The new LED bulb + base assembly - the bulb has to be rotated counter clockwise to release it from the base:





The dust cap needs to be taken off the headlight assembly to gain access to the main H4 headlamp and the T10 parking lamps.
Unplugged the H4 socket from the existing halogen bulb:



Then undid the latch to take out the halogen bulb:



Then installed the base of the led headlamp and secured it with the latch:



Then inserted the body of the new LED lamp, and rotated it clockwise for it to snap fit:



Then connected the socket to the new lamp connectors:



Packed the wiring inside the assembly & replaced the dust cap. However, on consultation from the kolkata tbhp group, I took out the dust cap and unpacked the cabling to hang loose , fearing that heat would get trapped inside and wreck havoc





Finally fitted the headlight assemblies back without the dusctcaps for now.

View of the passenger side assembly:



View of the driver side assembly:

[blackasta]

In the evening, I backed up the car a little and checked the beam pattern.
Not left to say, it was weird - the low beam was high and scattered, and the high beam actually illuminated the lower side !

Low Beam:



High Beam:



After consulting the Kolkata tbhp group (again!), I went ahead and swapped the driver and passenger side lamps (bases remained as is), and did some small adjustment to vertical focus aiming.

Result came out much better than the original ones:

Revised Low Beam:



Revised High Beam:



Took the car out for a spin to check the beam throw and cutoff.
It is quite hard (thankfully !) to find a dark alley nowadays in my neighborhood, but finally found a somewhat dimly lit alley and checked out the throw + cutoff.



Waiting for Monday evening (if I manage to get out of office at a sane time) to check out the throw for some final finer tinkering if required.

Till then - queries / comments / suggestions / criticism are welcome !

[Akib Khan]

Originally Posted by blackasta

My car is 8+ years running, and all this time had the factory fit 55/60 Halonix bulbs fitted to the headlights (except for about an year when I used Philips Xtreme vision 55/60, after which the low beams conked off and I went back to the Halonix ones).
The headlights of the i10 2009 pre-facelift model is nothing to write home about, and barely does the job of illuminating the road ahead coupled with the fogs.
So this time I thought of trying out LED headlights, as from reading different articles it seemed that cheap LED lamps have finally reached the point where they may be tried out.
Oslamp is a brand which bhpians recommend.

Hi Blackasta that's a nice DIY but I fear it is not worth the time, money and hardwork. I have 2012 i20 and had put philips led in place of my h4 55/60 halogen. Based on my experience I would suggest you to either go back to your halogen bulbs or install good projectors. These LED lights are all show and no go types. Looks good when you flash and your car gets attention but causes massive glare for incoming traffic as well as blinds the driver in front of your car.
Led or hid lights without projector or in reflectors which are designed for halogen bulbs are a strict no no.
Just my two cents.
Drive safe

[blackasta]

Originally Posted by Akib Khan

Hi Blackasta that's a nice DIY but I fear it is not worth the time, money and hardwork. I have 2012 i20 and had put philips led in place of my h4 55/60 halogen. Based on my experience I would suggest you to either go back to your halogen bulbs or install good projectors. These LED lights are all show and no go types. Looks good when you flash and your car gets attention but causes massive glare for incoming traffic as well as blinds the driver in front of your car.
Led or hid lights without projector or in reflectors which are designed for halogen bulbs are a strict no no.
Just my two cents.
Drive safe

Thanks for the guidance. Let me test these for a few days w.r.t light, scatter. heat etc. , and I shall take corrective action if needed.
I do not drive with my high beams on, and never mean to inconvenience anyone on the roads - that's the sole reason why I held on with the factory setup for so long.

[Akib Khan]

Originally Posted by blackasta

Thanks for the guidance. Let me test these for a few days w.r.t light, scatter. heat etc. , and I shall take corrective action if needed.
I do not drive with my high beams on, and never mean to inconvenience anyone on the roads - that's the sole reason why I held on with the factory setup for so long.

Glad you took my comment in a positive way. The glare which is emitted by led or hid lights is still there even if you drive on low beam but is worse when used on high beam.
You are using 6500k light and these bulbs will work like candle during rain and fog.

[McLaren Roxx]

Originally Posted by blackasta

My car is 8+ years running, and all this time had the factory fit 55/60 Halonix bulbs fitted to the headlights (except for about an year when I used Philips Xtreme vision 55/60, after which the low beams conked off and I went back to the Halonix ones).

A friend who owns a 2010 i20 had the same issue.
I suggested him and would do so to others looking for a cheap alternative, to up the wattage.

Go in for Philips Essential Vision 90/100 bulbs (white light) with a high quality relay (Roots etc.). Total setup would cost about 700 + 900 = 1600 Rs.
You will retain the factory fit & finish (dust caps etc) and will see an immediate improvement in visibility.

Originally Posted by Akib Khan

You are using 6500k light and these bulbs will work like candle during rain and fog.

+1. I find all cheap replacement LEDs a waste of money. Like you said, more of show, less of go.

[naveen.raju]

Thanks for posting the thread. Did you just leave the assembly without the dustcap? I wouldn't recommend doing that. The term "Dustcap" is used for a specific reason . Try drilling a hole to run the wires and the heat sink should be outside the dust cap so that the heat can be dissipated.

I would suggest you to test the lights and see if it improves the vision and doesn't blind the oncoming traffic. For the reflectors, I would recommend higher wattage bulbs rather than HID's and LED's.

Just a suggestion from my end .

[Rshrey22]

One question from my side,

Is installation of blue/white lights in the headlights without projectors legal?

Or will a person be stopped by the traffic police when he does this?

[blackasta]

Originally Posted by naveen.raju

Thanks for posting the thread. Did you just leave the assembly without the dustcap? I wouldn't recommend doing that. The term "Dustcap" is used for a specific reason . Try drilling a hole to run the wires and the heat sink should be outside the dust cap so that the heat can be dissipated.

I would suggest you to test the lights and see if it improves the vision and doesn't blind the oncoming traffic. For the reflectors, I would recommend higher wattage bulbs rather than HID's and LED's.

Just a suggestion from my end .

Currently I am running without dustcaps, and planning to order some non oem dustcaps which has domed instead of flat back to accommodate the additional wiring. Would modify that pair of caps and keep the oems intact.

Lights have been tested last night and there is definite improvement over my stock lamps.

For blinding incoming traffic, I have planned a demo with a colleague of mine for checking front & rear visibility. But if you see the last picture that I have uploaded, there is a sharp cutoff line, so chances of blinding oncoming or preceding traffic are less.

Originally Posted by Rshrey22

One question from my side,

Is installation of blue/white lights in the headlights without projectors legal?

Or will a person be stopped by the traffic police when he does this?

Modifying your car by even adding a nut-bolt over how it came out from the factory / dealership & how it has been homologated by ARAI is illegal in the strict sense, and police may hail you down.

In my opinion - If we can modify for improvement in usability without endangering ourselves or anyone else, I believe it is ok in the spirit of motoring.

[anujmishra]

It is fascinating to have LED / HID headlamps but not on the reflector based headlamps.

Without dust cap your expensive headlamp will deteriorate in no time. Reflective surface will become brownish/blackish These days many Royal Enfield owner putting LED auxiliary lamps on their bike and it is totally blinding for oncoming traffic.

[CrazyToDrive]

I got the same LED's but Auxmart brand from Aliexpress for my Aspire. They do pretty decent job compared to factory fitted halogens. I am using them for last 1 month now and pretty satisfied with them. The issue with LED is fixing the dust cap. Thankfully Aspire has rubber dust cap with hole in the center. But for Hyundai's it is of plastic and you will need to cut it.

[sudeepg]

Originally Posted by Akib Khan

These LED lights are all show and no go types. Looks good when you flash and your car gets attention but causes massive glare for incoming traffic as well as blinds the driver in front of your car.
Led or hid lights without projector or in reflectors which are designed for halogen bulbs are a strict no no.

Agreed 100%. The reflectors with the LEDs cause massive glare. A lot of people thesedays are installing these LEDs and even accessory shops are installing them saying they are very good. Not only will it blind oncoming traffic, it won't give you much advantage.

Originally Posted by blackasta

I do not drive with my high beams on, and never mean to inconvenience anyone on the roads - that's the sole reason why I held on with the factory setup for so long.

Glad to see you took the comment positively. Low beams themselves are enough to cause glare due to the use of reflectors. Try standing in front of your car with the lights on and you will see what I am referring to. One incident which I recently heard was that the oncoming car didn't see the car with the LEDs due to the glare and had a head on collision.

Drive safe!

[S@M@R]

Originally Posted by McLaren Roxx

A friend who owns a 2010 i20 had the same issue.
I suggested him and would do so to others looking for a cheap alternative, to up the wattage.

Go in for Philips Essential Vision 90/100 bulbs (white light) with a high quality relay (Roots etc.). Total setup would cost about 700 + 900 = 1600 Rs.
You will retain the factory fit & finish (dust caps etc) and will see an immediate improvement in visibility.

I agree. I too had replaced the stock headlamps on my Santro (known for it's poor low beam visibility) with Philips Essential Vision 90/100. These bulbs offer whitish light (not pure white) and I could immediately see the difference in terms of the brightness intensity as well as the throw (beam length). I would certainly recommend switching to a higher wattage rather than using LED or HID as these are less of a nuisance and do not blind oncoming vehicles or those in front of you.

Safe driving!

[R2D2]

Let me start off by saying please don't take this the wrong way. I can understand the enthusiasm with which owners mod their cars with aftermarket accessories.

I would strongly recommend going in for high(er) output premium H4 bulbs instead of LEDs. My Honda City Type II had pathetic headlight throw and I had to upgrade to premium bulbs to get effective illumination. I stay away from 100/90s after premium bulbs were made available. Best part? No need to install an aux harness, no additional load on the alternator or the battery when the car at running at low RPMs in the city.

If your car's reflector can stand the heat from a 100/90 set then it's good but one doesn't know till you see the slow deterioration i.e. yellowing of the lens, discoloration of the reflector surface, melting of the bulb holder etc.

The current generation of bulbs are UV cut so they do away or at least slow down the discoloration of the lens to a great extent.

White light is uncomfortable in rain and fog where the light reflects off the rain or fog and partially dazzles the driver. That's why fog lamps are yellow. They also offer better throw in bad weather. Yellow light

Most importantly, please ensure the beam is set in such a manner to ensure an oncoming driver is not dazzled. Blinding an oncoming driver, especially of a large vehicle like a truck, is NOT cool, is irresponsible and could be fatal for both vehicles.

[rosh_aveo1.4]

Totally agree with most of the posts here saying the LED is not good. I felt the same when I installed 4 LED for the Civic and just like what you guys felt, the low beam felt high and the high beam seemed to be spreading lights to the side. And blinding most drivers. Had enough and went back to the normal bulbs. Have plans to go for the 'premium' bulbs (which I believe is Osram or so?). The only issue is the less life span but that is ok since my night drivings is relatively less.