[Mortis]

Originally Posted by lemedico

Wouldn't heat make both go kaput? I've only noticed one or the other which has discoloured on nearly all cars with this problem.

By both do you mean the main beam and the DRL or DRLs on either side ?

For the former - The high power headlight LEDs have a heatsink to keep them cool, they are recessed so no direct sun light exposure, more space in front for heat to dissipate and if indeed it is the light diffuser that is yellowing, the main beams usually have lenses or reflector and no diffuser.

The opposite is true of DRLs. While they are low power, they still produce heat. They do not have heatsinks, they are fitted in a smaller chamber, they are flush with the front glass and they often have a frosted white plastic diffuser which can degrade, again due to heat or sunlight exposure.

If you mean DRL on the left and right having different colour then :
The LEDs could be from different "bins". Bins pertain to quality and also colour temp range. If you are aiming to make 4300k LEDs, then the range is from 4000k (warmer) to 4500K (cooler) LEDs from a higher bin will have a colour temp closer to 4300k and will be better quality whereas with a lower bin, the colour can vary quite a bit. This is for new LEDs and in this case is unlikely.
Other than that, there might be manufacturing defects that might cause one side to heat up more or draw out higher/lower current or voltage.
Or it could just be driving and environmental differences. On your morning commute you might drive such that one headlight is in the direct sun while the other is shaded by trees growing on the divider and so on. Lots of variables.

[ASP007]

I've noticed this on Carens, VAG cars and the current gen Brezza. Looks cool if the car has a darker shade and both the DRLs have a pale greenish yellow tint to it

This isue is not just confined to India made cars. If you look around, especially in VAG and BMW forums, you'll find ample amount of threads and videos.

[navin_v8]

This DRL yellowing quality defect has been around since a decade. I noticed BMW's and Audi's having one side front headlight DRL yellowing in the past. Sometimes both the DRL's turned yellow, I thought this must be by design only to realize this is a defect. Offlately, this has also started happening on Hyundai and Kia cars.

Like fellow TeamBHP member @ppy.tbhp identified, the problem is with the vendor "LUMAX India". But we cannot absolve car manufacturers from this as they are equally and more responsible for this mess. Given the fact that modern full LED headlight assemblies are prohibitively expensive, this prevents the users from switching to new headlights once the warranty period is over. Poor souls have to live with these sub-par lights thereby compromising aesthetics and moreover safety. If this was the case in any of the Western countries, the customers would've sued the living daylights out of the vendor as well as the car manufacturer.

I am not sure if the heat build up affects the LED DRL's, if that was the case then the DRL on my 11 years old RE Tbird500 would've also turned yellow. I stay in Bombay and feel the tropical heat year round. Given the fact that my TBird500 DRL still works like a champ, I am not sure if this is a design defect or poor quality control by LUMAX as well as the Car manufacturers.

Off Topic: Planned Obsolescence in new cars, appliances, furniture, etc. seems real when one comes across threads like these. Case in point: My 20 year old Samsung Double Door refrigerator is still going strong, 56 years old RE CI Bullet is chugging along well (parts are affordable and readily available atleast in Bombay), 28 years old Sumeet Mixie (750 watts equal to 1 HP) works flawlessly, 17 years old Samsung Microwave Convection Oven works like it was bought just yesterday, 16 years old Samsung Washing Machine (dryer motor changed only once) works well, 21 years old Woodland D TAN Leather ankle boots which is tough as nails, last but not the least my 21 years old Mitsubishi Lancer (Limited Edition based on JDM specs) brings a smile to my face every time I look at the parts (Headlight and Tail light assy says Stanley Japan, Throttle Body Assy says Mikuni Japan, Clutch assy says Daikin Japan, Fuel Pump says Denso Japan, ECM says Mitsubishi Japan. Mind you most manufacturers buy ECM/ECU from Bosch, Delphi, etc.) . Once my Mitsubishi Lancer retires, I will have a tough time choosing another car of that same build quality and parts.

[@ppy.tbhp]

Originally Posted by navin_v8

This DRL yellowing quality defect has been around since a decade. I noticed BMW's and Audi's having one side front headlight DRL yellowing in the past. Sometimes both the DRL's turned yellow, I thought this must be by design only to realize this is a defect. Offlately, this has also started happening on Hyundai and Kia cars.

Like fellow TeamBHP member @ppy.tbhp identified, the problem is with the vendor "LUMAX India". But we cannot absolve car manufacturers from this as they are equally and more responsible for this mess. Given the fact that modern full LED headlight assemblies are prohibitively expensive, this prevents the users from switching to new headlights once the warranty period is over. Poor souls have to live with these sub-par lights thereby compromising aesthetics and moreover safety. If this was the case in any of the Western countries, the customers would've sued the living daylights out of the vendor as well as the car manufacturer.

I am not sure if the heat build up affects the LED DRL's, if that was the case then the DRL on my 11 years old RE Tbird500 would've also turned yellow. I stay in Bombay and feel the tropical heat year round. Given the fact that my TBird500 DRL still works like a champ, I am not sure if this is a design defect or poor quality control by LUMAX as well as the Car manufacturers.

Off Topic: Planned Obsolescence in new cars, appliances, furniture, etc. seems real when one comes across threads like these. Case in point: My 20 year old Samsung Double Door refrigerator is still going strong, 56 years old RE CI Bullet is chugging along well (parts are affordable and readily available atleast in Bombay), 28 years old Sumeet Mixie (750 watts equal to 1 HP) works flawlessly, 17 years old Samsung Microwave Convection Oven works like it was bought just yesterday, 16 years old Samsung Washing Machine (dryer motor changed only once) works well, 21 years old Woodland D TAN Leather ankle boots which is tough as nails, last but not the least my 21 years old Mitsubishi Lancer (Limited Edition based on JDM specs) brings a smile to my face every time I look at the parts (Headlight and Tail light assy says Stanley Japan, Throttle Body Assy says Mikuni Japan, Clutch assy says Daikin Japan, Fuel Pump says Denso Japan, ECM says Mitsubishi Japan. Mind you most manufacturers buy ECM/ECU from Bosch, Delphi, etc.) . Once my Mitsubishi Lancer retires, I will have a tough time choosing another car of that same build quality and parts.

Hello navin_v8, I totally get what you're saying! It’s honestly ridiculous how long this DRL yellowing issue has been around, and yet manufacturers are still not fixing it. Feels like they’re just cutting corners and hoping no one makes a big deal out of it. And yeah, planned obsolescence is real—older cars and appliances were built to last, but now everything seems designed with systemic defects to fail just after the warranty expires.

The heat buildup is a consequential effect of high humidity, this is what's causing LED's to fail in certain make and models. So this is clearly more about poor quality control than just environmental factors. The Car manufacturer and vendor did not test these components sufficiently to manufacture them defect free. Now they are trying low cost band-aid fixes, completely ignoring commitment to safety of vehicle owners and other road users.

And about Kia—what’s crazy is that their light assemblies have E13 stamps, which means they’re supposed to meet certain quality standards globally. The E13 certification even defines what qualifies as a defect, and everything is supposed to be manufactured within a proper regulatory framework in India as well. E13 has clear guidelines for manufacturers on things like light intensity, color, beam pattern, proper headlight sealing to keep dust away, and moisture ingress prevention. They’ve even specifically outlined that issues like fogging inside lamp assemblies are defects that must not happen. E13 guidelines ensure that products meet certain quality benchmarks that manufacturers must adhere to globally, all to keep vehicles and other road users safe. So why are we still seeing this issue? It just proves that either these standards aren’t being enforced properly or manufacturers are finding ways to cut costs at the expense of the customers in India. Indian buyers must not be taken for granted like this! At the end of the day, it’s on both the carmakers and the vendors to take responsibility and fix these design and manufacturing defects permanently at once as specified within the regulations, instead of leaving us owners to deal with them.

[samyakmodi]

and here I thought only last gen Skoda Octavia had this issue.

Now makes me wonder - do the BMWs and Mercedes also face similar issues? My 6gt's headlamp has already been replaced once under warranty because of the dry simply conking off (no yellowing or shade difference) and nowadays I feel that the headlamp's light through is not adequate as well. (maybe I am comparing it with the GLS now) but I am pretty sure that is not the case. earlier it would be brilliant during the night time - nowadays it seems barely sufficient only.