Team-BHP - Auto Lighting thread : Post all queries about automobile lighting here

Quote:

Originally Posted by Myth_sx (Post 4572425)

That custom duty just sucks. Could have invoiced the item at a lower value.

I am not sure if this is the same item or not.
CNLight ilens on Aliexpress

15k is still reasonable for the components used.
No sealant was required to seal the headlight unit back?

This is the ilens 1.0, ,mine are the 2.0 ones (https://www.theretrofitsource.com/co...-lens-led.html). However these are also just as good actually.

There was enough sealant to seal the headlight back. Just have to heat it enough to soften.

Quote:

Originally Posted by aniyo (Post 4572762)

Hi guys, I had a question for Headlamp upgrade. Nexon comes with projector headlamps but the bulbs are Halogen 55W, H7.
If I use a HID light with same 55W spec, so I need to use a relay or it's a simple plug and play. Any brand suggestion will also help.

Or should I move to 90W with relay and maintain halogen bulbs, only concern is warranty void. The car is just 500Km old

If I am not wrong, the Nexon comes with dedicated bulbs for low beam and high beam.

Projectors with halogen bulb for low-beam.
Reflectors with halogen bulb for high-beam.

Before you decide on the type of bulb to put in (HID or 90W Halogen or LED) you need to decide what would be the purpose for the change. As per me the OEM set-up is an ideal one, unless you feel illumination is insufficient.

Now to answer your questions:
a. For HID bulbs you will not need a relay but you will need a ballast. The start-up of HIDs is also a bit on the slower side when compared to Halogens/LEDs. Ideally, a 35W HID bulb is more than enough for projectors. HIDs also give you the flexibility of choosing the colour output you want without compromising on light output.
b. For a 90W halogen bulb you will definitely need a relay so as not to put additional continuous load on the electrical system.

For both the scenarios a hole in the dust cap will have to be made to accommodate the wiring and the ballast/relay. After the setup it is important to seal this hole properly so that dust does not get inside the projectors.

LEDs in projectors are pretty useless at this point of time. They enhance the aesthetics but compromise on illumination.

My recommendation. Since you have just done 500km, drive the car for a couple thousand kms to get an understanding of whether you really need to upgrade.

The HID ballast and bulb will set you back by about 10K to 12K
The 90W halogen and relay will set you back by about 3K to 5K
An upgrade to Osram Night-breakers 60W halogens will cost you about 2K. (No relay needed for this)

Quote:

Originally Posted by aniyo (Post 4572762)

In my EcoSport, I had 65W H18 (similar base to H7) in my low beam. I moved to 35w HID kit and am very happy with the result. The lux, at ~10 feet, at the hot spot has gone up from ~650 lux with halogens to ~950 lux with HID.

Do not go with a 55W HID kit. The chances of the reflector inside the HID kit getting damaged increases, as the 55W emits more UV. Stick to a 35W H7 HID kit in the projector.

The installation should be plug and play with no wires being cut. You will be able to revert to halogen easily. There should not be any impact on warranty.

I wouldn't suggest going with 90W halogen upgrade for any headlight. It causes a lot of heat and impacts the lens.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Myth_sx (Post 4572250)

Personally, i think a bi xenon can outperform most led projectors at this point. Maybe once the led projector market evolves a bit, they might be comparable or even better than xenons.
As each have their own pros and cons, the choice is really upto to the customer.

I’ve used both and modern LED Projectors (especially the ilens 1.0 & 2.0) will put the bixenons to shame. They have instant startup, solid intensity to penetrate long distances, draw way less current and will last longer. :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by drhoneycake (Post 4573437)

This is good to know. I guess then affordable automotive led lighting has finally come of age.
Can not argue with any of the points you mentioned above.

I believe the unit on AliExpress is the ilens 1.0. Can you post a link of the upgraded 2.0 if you have, which is not from TRS?

Hello Bhpians, i have been using Osram night breaker lasers(h7) for the last 1 and a half years in my Vw Ameo for both high beam and low beam. Now 2-3 days back, one of the low beam bulbs went kaput just after my East Sikkim trip. I'm not too satisfied with the night breaker lasers, as i don't find its throw sufficient in low beam for high speed night driving.
Now the options i'm considering are
1) Changing to 100 watt halogen setup in both high and low beams with relay. Possible Danger- Reflectors may get destroyed.
2) Changing to 55 watt hids(4300k) in low beam and keeping the high beam bulbs as it is. Possible danger- not enough knowledge in this.
3) Changing the low beams to hids and the high beams to halogens, but with something better than Osram NBL, either 100 watt bulbs or better bulb in 55watt setup. Possible danger- damage of reflectors in 100 watt bulb configuration.
Requirements- longer throw of light for confident high speed driving and Reliability.
Not considering projector setup as the cost will go beyond 20k and i'm not ready for it presently.
Thanks in advance.

I planned to change my Fiesta Classic low beam bulb over the weekend, I did not realise how difficult of a task it was gonna be. The bulb is unreachable, I could not even grab the rubber shroud. Went online and started looking for possible guides, saw videos of Fiesta MK models and foud a blog, I needed to remove the front grill and was unable to remove it, as the plastic screw holding on the grill got stripped:Frustrati.

Plan now is to go to a FNG and get it changed.

Quote:

Originally Posted by motorpsycho (Post 4578742)

, I needed to remove the front grill and was unable to remove it, as the plastic screw holding on the grill got stripped

Usually combination of star screw driver with flat screw driver (flat SD to put pressure on screw head) would do the job. You don't need to completely remove the grill. Just remove first two plastic screws and a nut (holding the grill), you can lift the all plastic panel, grill blocking the headlight.
In addition to these screws, its usually indicator bulb which is difficult to remove! I usually rotate and remove the indicator bulb along with connector. Once headlight removed its easier for changing bulb.

What is the simplest way to upgrade the lights of the present gen Honda City which has dual barrel halogen headlamps (referring to the V model, i.e. without LED lights). Can members/ owners of the Honda City please advise?

I am not looking at anything fancy or too expensive (HID/ LED etc.), just need better illumination than the stock headlamps provide. No interested in installing some fancy equipment, the simpler the change, the better for me.

I had been using 100/90 Philips Rally bulbs with relays on my earlier car, and was satisfied with the decent output that it provided. Can something similar be done on the City?

Quote:

Originally Posted by arindambasu13 (Post 4578884)

What is the simplest way to upgrade the lights of the present gen Honda City which has dual barrel halogen headlamps (referring to the V model, i.e. without LED lights). Can members/ owners of the Honda City please advise?
I had been using 100/90 Philips Rally bulbs with relays on my earlier car, and was satisfied with the decent output that it provided. Can something similar be done on the City?

100/90 philips or 100/80 Osram are the most common headlamp upgrade options we have come across. This works very well in single barrel headlamps and with two barrels in place, the complexity increases significantly. Everything doubles, the number of wires running, the relays etc. and the chances of sparks and malfunction also increases significantly.

I recently upgraded the headlamps of my Civic'12 with Auxbeam 8000 lumen LEDs and I am pretty impressed with the performance. They are a direct fit into the headlamp assembly works very well. Also the power consumption is only 35W and hence there is no requirement of relays as well. I paid Rs. 8000 for a pair, 16000 in all inclusive of labour.

These are not the regular white light LEDs and the focus is very good with regular halogen reflector. The lights do not get scattered and does not blind the oncoming traffic as well. The lights have a slight yellowish touch and works well for both the city and highway use.

Quote:

Originally Posted by arindambasu13 (Post 4578884)

I'm looking to change from the stock headlamps as well (Honda City Diesel V). What are the best options over the stock high beam: HB3/60W and low beam: H11/55W?

Don't want to add relays or any extra wiring or run into heating issues etc.

If its Phillips Xtreme Vision: Then does 65W work instead of 60W?

So its been a while since i did a DIY on installing Bi Led projectors and i am quite satisfied with their performance till now. Here are a few output pics and a driving video taken from my dashcam. This setup costed me around 15k due to my newbie mistakes although it could have been 14k. If anyone needs help in a DIY feel free to PM me. I'l ensure my mistakes aren't repeated. The projector model is Pjx /iLens 2.0 that i got from alibaba. Morimoto also sells the same item with their branding.

The cutoff is slightly sloped and not perfect but not much can be done for it as headlight doesn't allow rotational adjustment.

I would also love to have a comparison with a factory fitted Led headlight setup from midrange cars like baleno and city which come with led lights as well. So if anyone game to do a comparo do let me know, i stay in central gurgaon.

https://youtu.be/FnMm5tVCuvo

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr. Nobody (Post 4592540)

So its been a while since i did a DIY on installing Bi Led projectors and i am quite satisfied with their performance till now. Here are a few output pics and a driving video taken from my dashcam.

The cutoff is slightly sloped and not perfect but not much can be done for it as headlight doesn't allow rotational adjustment.

I would also love to have a comparison with a factory fitted Led headlight setup from midrange cars like baleno and city which come with led lights as well. So if anyone game to do a comparo do let me know, i stay in central gurgaon.

https://youtu.be/FnMm5tVCuvo

Your setup is quite bright and looks good. The cutoff lines are fine and this is how they should be. Only one observation is that your hot spots (bright spots in the beam) are too bright and the light distribution could have been more spread out and even. With this distribution it is possible you may miss objects in the peripheral areas due to too much light on the bright spots. But that is difficult to judge from camera shots as our eyes behave quite differently from cameras. If there is any adjustment of forward/backward setting in the projector to change the focus, try changing it a bit reduce the hot spots.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Behemoth (Post 4592659)

The hot spots aren't that noticeable in actual use and actually make driving better on highways where beam needs to go far down the road. Cameras somehow really brighten it up.