[alphrex]

"Upgraded to LED lights and the difference is incredible! The intensity is so much better than the old halogen and it really enhances the overall look of the module."

Hey everyone,

So, I was feeling the urge to upgrade the halogen bulbs in my Santro Xing and Scorpio-N, and I decided to tackle both vehicles at the same time. I ordered some LED bulbs from LED Beam, and also got a reverse brake light switch for the Santro Xing from Boodmo.


RED LED FOR SANTRO



WHITE LED FOR SCORPIO


The items I ordered were:
1) 1 1156 LED bulb with built-in heat dissipation for my Scorpio-N
2) 2 1157 red LED bulbs for the Santro Xing
3) Reverse brake light switch for the Santro Xing

The tools required for the job were just a screwdriver, a 14mm open spanner wrench, and of course, some of your time. Oh, and a yoga mat or something to sit on while working on the cars.


I started with the Santro Xing, thinking it would take some time, but it turned out to be quite straightforward. It was just a matter of unscrewing and screwing in the new bulbs, and popping out the light unit. It hardly took me ten minutes on one side to get the job done. Since my brake light switch wasn't working, I decided to change that as well. It was as simple as unscrewing the old switch and popping in the new one with the help of a 14mm spanner. I always enjoy working on my Santro because it's so DIY friendly and just works all the time. It's not always the case with modern cars, as I'll explain during the work on the Scorpio-N.


HALOGEN STEUP



LED SETUP



WORKING LEDs



BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH SEAN





Now, coming to the Scorpio-N, you didn't need any special tools to change the bulbs, but it took me 30 minutes to do one side. Why? Because it's so hard and congested there. There's literally no space to put your hand in, and guess what? You have to wear a working glove because it's like sharp sheared metal and plastic, especially on the edges. Also, there's not enough length of wire to take the socket out for bulb replacement, so you have to put both hands inside. I even had to crawl under the vehicle to get enough leverage. I mean, why does it have to become harder and harder to work on new vehicles? On the other hand, my 14-year-old Santro is a bliss to work on.







After struggling for nearly 45 minutes, I managed to change the bulbs on both vehicles. The difference is very noticeable, especially in the case of the Scorpio-N at night. Thanks to the LEDs, it's so much easier to see in the dark with my reverse parking camera. The throw is excellent, and it illuminates a large space behind the vehicle. As for the Santro, the intensity of light has improved, and it looks lovely when I hit the brake.

SANTRO:-





SCORPIO:-






I'm glad I took on this project and I'm very happy with the outcome. That's it for this post. See you in the next one! Till next time, happy driving!

[Rehaan]

Nice job on the upgrade!

Originally Posted by alphrex

As for the Santro, the intensity of light has improved, and it looks lovely when I hit the brake.

One thing you have to be careful about when using after-market lights, especially 'cheap' LEDs is that they might not meet specification.

This means that the brake lights can be blindingly bright for the motorists behind you, and this can be unsafe, frustrating or painful in situations like rain or stuck in traffic.

In fact, we have a 4-page thread on it (that too, for OEM tail-lights): Complaint! The LED tail-lights of some Indian cars are way too bright

[saket77]

Agree that reverse lights should be at least as much bright that the reverse camera picks up some useful feed for the driver. Though the primary purpose of the same remains to alert the people around that the car is reversing but the white light in dark is helpful for driver as well.

Rear lights- Please make sure they aren't blinding or too bright for others. You would yourself hate trailing a car with exceptionally bright brake & tail lamps.

Regards.

[wooka]

Did the same with my Scorpio N and the reversing lights are impressive now. They only work when reversing, which is a boon for both the driver of the Scorpio N and the general public. The Scorpio N is a massive car and one really must see that it's backing up.



I got my set from Karol Bagh for some 500 rupees a pair.
They've lasted a year.

[sarathlal]

Originally Posted by alphrex

WHITE LED FOR SCORPIO

Attachment 2620807

From the photo it appears like the Scorpio LED light is having light scatter. Did you check if the alignment is inline with the reflectors?
If not, please check and re-align, that will reduce the scatter and will be more efficient.

[Venkat_Figo]

Originally Posted by Rehaan

One thing you have to be careful about when using after-market lights, especially 'cheap' LEDs is that they might not meet [/url]

I installed aftermarket taillight LEDs on my Figo, they seemed so good in the day, bright & highly visible. Few days after installation, I was following the Figo (being driven by my brother) at night and it was too bright. Reverted to the stock halogen bulbs (which were sufficiently visible at all times) the next day.

[greenhorn]

I've used the tail light bulbs in a friend's scooter and they didn't seem too bright to me. I'm using Autobahn led and they are also not excessively bright.
However i drew the line at the Autobahn 24w indicator bulbs. They were too bright.
Also annoying are those led brake lights that strobe by design, or because of a faulty brake switch or someone resting their foot on the brake.

[alphrex]

Originally Posted by Rehaan

Nice job on the upgrade!
This means that the brake lights can be blindingly bright for the motorists behind you, and this can be unsafe, frustrating or painful in situations like rain or stuck in traffic.

In fact, we have a 4-page thread on it (that too, for OEM tail-lights): Complaint! The LED tail-lights of some Indian cars are way too bright

Thank you for sharing your insights on the post. I can assure you that the images I posted do not accurately represent the intensity of the light, and it does not cause irritation to others behind the car. I also discussed this with the seller, and while I initially wanted a brighter pair (of course), but they explained the same concerns you mentioned. They also mentioned something about the LUX, which is around 160, and assured me that it is suitable for others on the road. However, I must admit that I am not very knowledgeable about the technical aspects of this. Additionally, I don't consider ₹1500 for a pair to be cheap for some small LEDs. Thank you for your input!

Originally Posted by sarathlal

From the photo, it appears like the Scorpio LED light is having light scatter. Did you check if the alignment is in line with the reflectors?
If not, please check and re-align; that will reduce the scatter and make it more efficient.

It's possible that the light scatter in the photo is due to a camera issue, as my photography skills are not the best. I also suspect that there may have been something on my phone's camera lens. However, I did try to re-align the LED light with the reflectors after reading your suggestion. If you have any guidance on how to properly re-align the reflectors, I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you for your input!

[sarathlal]

Originally Posted by alphrex

However, I did try to re-align the LED light with the reflectors after reading your suggestion. If you have any guidance on how to properly re-align the reflectors, I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you for your input!

I think the instruction would be there in the manual that came with the box.
For Osram LED's, the instruction to align was included and the difference before and after alignment was very evident.

Here is a video that might help with the process. Each manufacturer might have different ways to adjust though, but since this video covers multiple types, I hope yours is one amongst these types. Else please recheck the instruction manual.
(The Osram is the first type mentioned in the video - one with the allen key adjustment)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbfAyqVgVdM

[DRIV3R]

I did a similar DIY for a brand new car, and all was well for couple weeks. (Reverse Lamp LED bulbs)

The bulbs were from Durvient. They are available from Amazon and their own website too.

Few days ago, the car started malfunctioning starting with the AC panel not getting power, reverse parking sensors, camera and light not working, and then became a Christmas tree fest as seen below on the instrument cluster. This caused significant downtime for a brand new car and we had to use alternate transport until this was traced and fixed. This blew up couple of fuses, and malfunctioned all electronics. I would strongly advise folks to avoid buying this "DURVIENT" brand of bulbs.

Tried reaching to them and simply put they said they cannot do anything about it, which is the worst part of this ordeal.

[greenhorn]

In my experience these Chinese resellers are all the same. You get cheap stuff but no customer service. I'm using the same reverse bulbs in a friend's Swift and they have been doing fine till now touch wood.
If you want quality products, good customer service and a solid replacement warranty, try https://autobahntechnologies.com/

[prasanth DIYer]

I would recommend to try these for high quality ones if you have budget from UGALRE

[rroy92]

Originally Posted by DRIV3R

I did a similar DIY for a brand new car, and all was well for couple weeks. (Reverse Lamp LED bulbs)

The bulbs were from Durvient. They are available from Amazon and their own website too.

Few days ago, the car started malfunctioning starting with the AC panel not getting power, reverse parking sensors, camera and light not working, and then became a Christmas tree fest as seen below on the instrument cluster. This caused significant downtime for a brand new car and we had to use alternate transport until this was traced and fixed. This blew up couple of fuses, and malfunctioned all electronics. I would strongly advise folks to avoid buying this "DURVIENT" brand of bulbs.

Tried reaching to them and simply put they said they cannot do anything about it, which is the worst part of this ordeal.

Thanks for sharing this. DURVIENT was a member here in team-bhp till a few days back. Check in the Scorpio / Thar Auto-Dimming IRVM thread.

[rroy92]

Originally Posted by DRIV3R

Few days ago, the car started malfunctioning starting with the AC panel not getting power, reverse parking sensors, camera and light not working, and then became a Christmas tree fest as seen below on the instrument cluster. This caused significant downtime for a brand new car and we had to use alternate transport until this was traced and fixed. This blew up couple of fuses, and malfunctioned all electronics. I would strongly advise folks to avoid buying this "DURVIENT" brand of bulbs.

Tried reaching to them and simply put they said they cannot do anything about it, which is the worst part of this ordeal.

Thanks for sharing this ordeal.
What was the solution? Associated costs? What failed?

After going through your post now I am skeptical about replacing the reversing lights.
Though I bought from AUTOBAHN and they seem to have good customer support and warranty backed product.

https://autobahntechnologies.com/aut...-size=t15-w16w

The product felt good in quality too.
Here are a few pictures.

[saket77]

Basically these are not just plain and simple LEDs which @DRIV3R (or @RROY92) has used. These have resistance/ electronics to compensate for the change in electrical consumption and these go by popular names like CAN-Bus (Controller Area Network) correction.
Any change in consumption would otherwise be measured by the ECU and some cars may throw up an error stating that the associated bulb in a particular circuit has gone kaput. What I see in the post is fried electronics which is certain recipe for most modern cars to throw up errors because it would mostly result in blown fuses as well.

If you are keen to keep this kind of upgrade, you may try using simple LEDs without CANbus correction electronics and see if your car throws any error. If it works, then such a set up will be more reliable.