LED to HALOGEN headlight conversion

[tlinet]

Hello all,

So new to the forum as I am looking to purchase a 2016 pre-facelift Mk3 FR with LED headlights, that is no longer under warranty.

Beautiful car, very tidy, well kept, low mileage, everything as it should be............then I read this forum about the LED headlights, the autolevelling problems, the condensation and dust issues and the ****£1000**** replacment costs if the unit fails, and I get cold feet.

QUESTION: has anyone converted from the LED to the lower spec HALAGON headlight units? Physically I'm sure the units fit, however it will be the rewiring and reprogramming, and I assume the blanking of the auto-levelling sensor that will take the time. Would appritiate any suggestions on how feasible it is to do this.

I know the LED are far superior in performance to the Halagons, but I have decent nightime vision and the potential £1000 or £2000 in several years time really puts me off. It's sad to think that many of these cars that have plenty of life left in them will be scrapped because a highlight has blown.

Thanks,

Trev.

 

[RUM4MO]

Sorry not an answer to your question but, the dust and moisture issues will also affect filament bulb type headlight assemblies, also I'm sure that I've read that there are places that can repair high value LED car lighting assemblies - unless someone can put you right on that.

My wife's August 2015 VW Polo has LED headlights and I really aimed to get her a car with these types of headlights as it looked like the HID option was not available on the SEL model, at the moment I'm not too worried about potential future problems with that car's lights, though I'd rather avoid needing to sort out any failed light assembles - or send them out to get repaired by a proper fixer.

 

[Stefan147]

Please don't take this personally but converting LEDs to halogen would the most stupid thing you can do on a car. Lights are key security equipment and the difference between LEDs and halogen is just massive. If you think you can't afford the possibility of a broken LED headlight then just go for another, cheaper car.

Plus a headlight can have a very reasonable price, almost equal to that of a halogen --> https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Front-Le...332804?hash=item287d353cc4:g:Ax0AAOSw1LJd-8t6

 

[ZK_FR150]

As above I wouldn't bother with this as it's not a straight forward swap.

Look for a FR with factory fitted halogens instead.

Pre facelift lights can be had for around £400 from Autodoc.

Please also remember this is a forum and most of the time stuff only gets posted when there is an issue, there will be hundreds of people driving around with no issues at all with their lights.

If you like the car just inspect it properly along with the lights and buy it.

Majority of led headlights have slight condensation issues as the light output isn't hot enough to clear it.

My car's 2013 over 150k and the auto levelling works perfectly.

 

[tlinet]

Hi Stefan,

Thanks for that link, for £523 it is cheaper, but still quite a difference to the Halogen equivalent at £102 (plus bulbs) from the same supplier (https://www.autodoc.co.uk/valeo/7304170).

I knew the I was going to stir up some strong opinions when I started the thread, but to determine the feasiabilty is the aim......not whether I should or not.

I quite like the Leons, particularly the FR, and I thought my question was reasonable for this forum......I hope that 'go buy a cheaper car' is not the only answer.

Trev.

 

[tlinet]

Cheers ZK_FR150,

Yes its difficult to guage from forums whether a problem is common or not.....as it amplifys the issues without consider of the cars in circulation. Buts its good to know you've had 150K with no problems.

The lights on the car are fully funtioning currently.......and the whole point of LED is their long life/reliability, which I fully appritiate.

Just been down my local AvaliableCar......of the 25 Leons in stock, only 2 had Halogens. Similar sort of ratio on Autotrader, so slim pickings if you are specific on other options/mileage etc.

Autodoc are only showing the left hand side at the moment......does anyone know whether this is typical and fluctuates regularly as they replensih stock......

https://www.autodoc.co.uk/car-parts/headlight-insert-10533/seat/leon/leon-5f1/106386-1-4-tsi?supplier%5B0%5D=21

Trev.

 

[BillyCool]

Do I think it's feasible? I don't know but it sounds like a lot of effort and cost for a `possible/maybe` scenario.

Do I think it's a good idea? Possibly not - as above comments - can't see the value add and I'd view it as a downgrade.

*Strong opinion warning*

If you're that worried about the LED lights possibly/maybe having future issues and associated costs, then I'd also want to add to the list:

• Blocked heater matrix (£1200)
• Failed electronic water pump (£350)
• Cracked thermostat housing (£700)
• Knackered rear shocks (£320)

Those are quoted dealer prices and not what I paid but I've had all of those done and most, if not all, are known issues.

I'm currently working on the failed folding mirror motor/servo that is causing a parasitic battery drain.

I think the other comments above are valid, even if you don't like the delivery. You might not like the `go buy a cheaper car` but you want to buy cheaper, sub-standard lights. There are some non-LED versions out there but most FR's have the tech pack and I'm glad they do.

Personally, I wouldn't worry about it. ANY car can have issues and the LED light situation is not a majority thing.

You'll be pleased to know that I've had no issues with my LED lights after 105,000 miles.

 

[ZK_FR150]

Cheers ZK_FR150,

Yes its difficult to guage from forums whether a problem is common or not.....as it amplifys the issues without consider of the cars in circulation. Buts its good to know you've had 150K with no problems.

The lights on the car are fully funtioning currently.......and the whole point of LED is their long life/reliability, which I fully appritiate.

Just been down my local AvaliableCar......of the 25 Leons in stock, only 2 had Halogens. Similar sort of ratio on Autotrader, so slim pickings if you are specific on other options/mileage etc.

Autodoc are only showing the left hand side at the moment......does anyone know whether this is typical and fluctuates regularly as they replensih stock......

https://www.autodoc.co.uk/car-parts/headlight-insert-10533/seat/leon/leon-5f1/106386-1-4-tsi?supplier%5B0%5D=21

Trev.

The right hand sides are there it's the light above the left hand side it just doesn't have a picture next to it, same price though £422.
I've bought a few things from here which have been fine the only issue is delivery times can vary to over a week as they are based in Germany.

Overall my car has been generally pretty reliable and someone else has listed a bunch of more common stuff to go wrong which touch wood I haven't had to go through even with my age and mileage.

The lights are supposed to last the lifetime of the car and if they are working fine can't see no reason why they won't without any external interference like water and dust.

 

[tlinet]

The right hand sides are there it's the light above the left hand side it just doesn't have a picture next to it, same price though £422.
I've bought a few things from here which have been fine the only issue is delivery times can vary to over a week as they are based in Germany.

Overall my car has been generally pretty reliable and someone else has listed a bunch of more common stuff to go wrong which touch wood I haven't had to go through even with my age and mileage.

The lights are supposed to last the lifetime of the car and if they are working fine can't see no reason why they won't without any external interference like water and dust.

Ah yes, was going by the picture.....straight there in front of me!

A week isn't too bad to wait if its a rare occurance.

I'm comming from a Renault Clio GT, which with the exception of the standard consumables and the obligatory cam belt at 96k has lasted 146k mileage over 11 years with no problems..............the exception being the headlight bulbs (standard halogens) which go pretty regularly and require the whole bumper to be dropped of to remove the cluster and replace the bulb........a problem I wouldn't suffer with LED's. But then 5 sets of H1's/7's at £20/£30 is still a fraction of the cost.

 

[tlinet]

Do I think it's feasible? I don't know but it sounds like a lot of effort and cost for a `possible/maybe` scenario.

Do I think it's a good idea? Possibly not - as above comments - can't see the value add and I'd view it as a downgrade.

*Strong opinion warning*

If you're that worried about the LED lights possibly/maybe having future issues and associated costs, then I'd also want to add to the list:

• Blocked heater matrix (£1200)
• Failed electronic water pump (£350)
• Cracked thermostat housing (£700)
• Knackered rear shocks (£320)

Those are quoted dealer prices and not what I paid but I've had all of those done and most, if not all, are known issues.

I'm currently working on the failed folding mirror motor/servo that is causing a parasitic battery drain.

I think the other comments above are valid, even if you don't like the delivery. You might not like the `go buy a cheaper car` but you want to buy cheaper, sub-standard lights. There are some non-LED versions out there but most FR's have the tech pack and I'm glad they do.

Personally, I wouldn't worry about it. ANY car can have issues and the LED light situation is not a majority thing.

You'll be pleased to know that I've had no issues with my LED lights after 105,000 miles.

Thanks Brian,

To be honest, every car on the road, can have expensive problems. I know you can't avoid these things if you make an unlucky purchase.

The difference in perspective is that I don't see Halagons as sub-standard. I've always driven on halogens, as have a lot of people. Although LED's are, I agree, superior in performance, I don't feel unsafe driving on halogens, and after all they are still perfectly road legal and being fitted to modern cars of the same performance as Leon FR's. I may not be able to see as far on Halogens, but can adjust my speed to suit the conditions..

But the main purpose of the thread was to understand the technical challenges and costs in making the swap from people with the knowledge. It was not meant to start an argument on which are superior, because there is no argument.

Thanks for reassurances, a friend of mine had a pre-facelift Leon with LED's and she had no problems for the 60k she drove it.......

 

[BillyCool]

Thanks Brian,

To be honest, every car on the road, can have expensive problems. I know you can't avoid these things if you make an unlucky purchase.

The difference in perspective is that I don't see Halagons as sub-standard. I've always driven on halogens, as have a lot of people. Although LED's are, I agree, superior in performance, I don't feel unsafe driving on halogens, and after all they are still perfectly road legal and being fitted to modern cars of the same performance as Leon FR's. I may not be able to see as far on Halogens, but can adjust my speed to suit the conditions..

But the main purpose of the thread was to understand the technical challenges and costs in making the swap from people with the knowledge. It was not meant to start an argument on which are superior, because there is no argument.

Thanks for reassurances, a friend of mine had a pre-facelift Leon with LED's and she had no problems for the 60k she drove it.......

That's cool. Not trying to give you a hard time!

My Mk1 Leon TDi did 220,000 miles and had so few issues. My Mk3 certainly has more things to fix.

I think the main challenge would be the move away from LED lights as the cars wiring and CANBUS are set for LED. I don't know enough about it but that would be enough to make me swerve the subject!

Let us know how you get on. We do like to learn new tricks every once in a while.

 

[tlinet]

That's cool. Not trying to give you a hard time!

My Mk1 Leon TDi did 220,000 miles and had so few issues. My Mk3 certainly has more things to fix.

I think the main challenge would be the move away from LED lights as the cars wiring and CANBUS are set for LED. I don't know enough about it but that would be enough to make me swerve the subject!

Let us know how you get on. We do like to learn new tricks every once in a while.

Oh I know, I do like a good debate sometimes as well though......

Have been trying to get my head around the wiring diagrams, but not being a pro, I will likely just buy and hope for the best.....instead of causing myself an even more expensive problem.

To be fair, those workshop manuals that somebody has posted, are a huge selling point for the Leon. I tried for years to find ones for my Renault and even managed to get a login for the Renault dealer network, but they were not upto the same standard, and Haynes manuals always take too long to come out......I notice there isn't one for the Mk3 as yet.

 

[black_sheep]

Sorry to arrive late to the discussion:

It clearly states in the owners manual that LED lights are expected to exceed the life of the vehicle; if they fail, take it to an authorised dealer for a replacement.

Furthermore, in the UK you can still challenge under the consumer rights act beyond and manufacturers warranty period too (up to 6 years); if your car is maintained in accordance with the manufacturers schedule using original parts you will be in a strong position to win your case.

 

[tlinet]

Sorry to arrive late to the discussion:

It clearly states in the owners manual that LED lights are expected to exceed the life of the vehicle; if they fail, take it to an authorised dealer for a replacement.

Furthermore, in the UK you can still challenge under the consumer rights act beyond and manufacturers warranty period too (up to 6 years); if your car is maintained in accordance with the manufacturers schedule using original parts you will be in a strong position to win your case.

Thanks black-sheep, I had seen the owners manual content, but wasn't awre of the consumer rights act protection, would be interesting to here from anyone has successfully argued this with Seat.

Just to clarify, by 'up to 6 years' do you mean the warrenties extend upto 6 years, or the consumer rights act protects you for upto 6 years? Sorry, no trying to be pedantic.

 

[black_sheep]

Thanks black-sheep, I had seen the owners manual content, but wasn't awre of the consumer rights act protection, would be interesting to here from anyone has successfully argued this with Seat.

Just to clarify, by 'up to 6 years' do you mean the warrenties extend upto 6 years, or the consumer rights act protects you for upto 6 years? Sorry, no trying to be pedantic.

I was referring to the consumer rights act up to 6 years.

In terms of the LED lights, I would argue that as the vehicle is supplied with a 12 year corrosion perforation warranty, then the lights must also be replaced up to the 12 year period, if the owner’s manual states that they will exceed the life of the vehicle.

Obviously, if there is a stone chip on the lens or the covers on the rear of the units have not been correctly fitted/seal has been broken allowing water ingress, then the owner will be liable for the cost of replacement.

 

[Mr Pig]

When we bought our first Leon it was back in the days when the LED lights were an option! There were a lot of cars for sale without them and I seriously thought about avoiding the LED lights for similar reasons to you. I changed my mind when I considered how hard the car might be to sell if it didn't have those trademark LED lights.

Ok, you might have problems with your headlights but why give yourself definite problems today, trying to change the lights, to avoid problems that may not effect you tomorrow?