8 replies to this topic

[alrat]

Hi Folks,

 

Having taken delivery of my nice new MK4 Focus 1.5 Ecoboost ST-Line X 182, I thought I's share some pics of the headlights to help others make an informed choice when choosing Halogen or LED.  I was wanting to keep costs down, so decided not to fork out £750 for LED headlights thinking how bad can the halogens be, if I need to I can change them to an upgraded whiter bulb.

 

Hmmm, lets just say I was pretty unimpressed with the stock bulbs provided on a car with a list price of £25,300.  That said I can understand Ford want to make the bulb last as long as possible rather than worry about aesthetics, but they really should consider how naff it makes the car look.

 

I've attached 3 photos so you can see for yourself.

 

Stock bulb - the horrible yellow bulbs Ford provided.

Philips White Vision Ultra - The whiter bulbs I bought and installed.  The best compromise between whiteness and brightness I could find.

Direct front on - The Philips bulbs as others will see them when driving, direct front on rather than looking down on them next to the car.

 

I think the Philips bulbs make enough difference to live with the halogen bulbs, but they only have a very short lifespan.  I'm happy to change them every year or so, if it means no driving around with those horrible yellow bulbs.  The biggest problem for those with halogens is that the Day Running Lights don't fully turn off when the headlights are on and they're a very white light, more blue than white, so the contrast to the yellow, or any halogen bulb for that matter is always going to look a bit off.

 

I guess in summary, if you can afford LED, then that's got to be the way to go.

 

Anyway, I hope that helps if you are looking to decided for yourself.

 

Al.

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[TreborB]

Good info. A great help when deciding which type. Thank you.
Just recently been having same/similar discussion in Mk5 Mondeo section.
I don't think current ford halogen are any worse than other manufacturers new vehs but, times have moved on and we have choices, at a cost!
As you can see I have had both.
If cost was no problem I would deffo go adaptive LEDs.
A decent halogen like you suggest should be ok though and cheaper way to go.
However on new Mondeo you do have to drop bumper off, not as bad as it sounds!
Re maintenance costs, a complete led light unit is almost £1,000 each so need to rember that in long term

Edited by TreborB, 06 January 2019 - 01:57 PM.

[ST56]

Hi

The £750 you saved will buy an awful lot of Philips. Bulbs, I believe filament in high output bulbs is of slightly thinner wire thus lights brighter with same voltage applied. This reducing life expectancy slightly, I am surprised you suggest they only have a short lifetime.

Perhaps buyers are let down with eBay purchases where bulbs are copies originating from Far East.

Peter

[TreborB]

Peter, Al is correct about shorter life on "improved lighting" bulbs.

 

I agree about most e bay is rubbish and I don't touch it now but you have "Osram Approved Sellers" on e bay and even their Osram Night Breakers are what I would regard as short lived (approx 12 mnths)

[alrat]

Peter,

You are right I'll save a lot over the time I have the car. The Philips Whitevision Ultra bulbs state they last "up to 200 hours", something even Philips state on the box is a "Limited Lifespan". So I'll be lucky to get a year out of them, it will be interesting to see how long they really last under real life use.

It's generally accepted the most common stock bulb is the Philips Long life which has a lifespan of up to 1500 hours.

Trebor, thanks for your input. I must check out your discussion on the Mondeo forum.

Al.

[jamei3908]

Would love to hear if anyone has the adaptive LEDs and what they think of them

[TreborB]

On what vehicle?
What veh have you got now?
There is loads of info in the Mk5 Mondeo section, and other info sites on how they actually work.
As you can see from my profile I have had them.
They are brilliant, and make driving so much easier
Once you have had them it is a serious backward step to go back to anything else.
BUT, they cost money, and if they need replacement after warranty expires are approx £1,000 each.
High tech motoring don't come cheap in vehs later years

Edited by TreborB, 07 January 2019 - 12:07 PM.

[Sneds]

I'm trying to replace my halogen headlights with led's but I am having trouble getting the headlight itself out after removing the two screws and the plastic fixing. Can anyone help? Is there a certain way to lift the headlight out?

[Sneds]

I'm trying to replace my halogen headlights with led's but I am having trouble getting the headlight itself out after removing the two screws and the plastic fixing. Can anyone help? Is there a certain way to lift the headlight out?