LEDs, Halogens, HIDS, Canbus

[saveoursouls]

I’ve entered this world of misinformation, bad marketing and compatibility issues. I ordered some Canbus 501 LEDs as to use as sidelights on a PF MK2 Leon only they don’t work! They work fine as interior lights so the Canbus system obviously doesn’t like them.

I’m after a solution, one that’s legal and improves the lighting to be as close to modern as possible (the less yellow the better). I understand that headlight LEDS are difficult to get right so...would HID be a better option? If mixing LED sidelights with the whitest headlight bulbs in the market be a close match?

Does anyone have any suggestions on solutions that have worked for them on their pre FL MK2 Leon’s?


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[SpiderWelsh]

Bump, I'm looking for exactly the same advice and it looks like we have a similar/the same car. Haha.

Mine has a wonky headlight, the passenger side one points quite high and seems significantly brighter than the driver's side, I always get old people whining that I'm full beaming them.

 

[saveoursouls]

Bump, I'm looking for exactly the same advice and it looks like we have a similar/the same car. Haha.

Mine has a wonky headlight, the passenger side one points quite high and seems significantly brighter than the driver's side, I always get old people whining that I'm full beaming them.

Seems to be a minefield of information with much of it not being accurate. What I do know so far is that headlamp LED bulbs need to be designed in such a way to replicate halogen at which point...is it really worth throwing money at a punt. If there’s no good solution and at reasonable cost..I’d rather stick to halogen.


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[SpiderWelsh]

It does indeed, I foubd this article on here that looks useful to our cause...

Hopefully it links properly...

https://forums.seatcupra.net/index....n-closer-policing-of-aftermarket-hids.442800/

 

[saveoursouls]

It does indeed, I foubd this article on here that looks useful to our cause...

Hopefully it links properly...

https://forums.seatcupra.net/index....n-closer-policing-of-aftermarket-hids.442800/

Reading this has pushed me further towards sticking with some decent halogen bulbs.


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[Gokiwi64]

For my 2 pennies worth.

Retro fitting HID's/LED's are not legal , Aftermarket units are often of poor design, reliability and not type approved, Some cars require you to code in Led's and so will not work even if canbus compliant, some cars do not implement true canbus but use a variation (The early Audi A3's used something called serial canbus for example).
Of course you are free to fit whatever you want as long as you understand the implications. The interesting bit is that for an MOT test , the tester cannot remove or touch an item on the car therefore could not know if something was not "E" marked for example.

I have led sidelights (OSRAM) and they work fine, I have tried HIDs fantastic but not legal in the end I fitted "GE Megalight Ultra +130" as they got some very good reviews recently . I might still have HID's fitted in place of the foglights though ;-)