[arjithin]

I installed LED H4 headlamp bulbs in my Nano over the last weekend. This is a pictorial guide of how that was done.

LED bulbs purchased from Aliexpress, I chose fanless as I heard stories of fans not working after few months, but the disadvantage is that we get only upto 40W LEDs in fanless design.



I was using these bulbs in my M800 and now got it transferred to Nano.

Pros : Beautiful and wide low beam ( 2 LEDs or 20W)
: Low beam always stays ON, irrespective of high beam position
: Low battery drain, good for cars of low running like mine
: Low to almost no heating if back cover is open, LED is water proof
: Different colors possible to suite different weather situations ( requires re installation of bulbs)
: Almost same glare as Halogens
: Amount of bullying by big vehicles has come down

Cons : Average high beam. ( 1 LED/10W), not adequate for highway drives


Step 1: remove the headlight assembly




Step 2: install the base plate of H4 lamp. (this step may differ according to the LED bulb you purchase).




Step 3: Install LED bulb by inserting it through the baseplate and twisting it to position. I also installed the rubber cover in reverse way to make room.






I upgraded a LED pilot lamp as well


Step4: Re install the headlight assembly in the reverse order (start with the backside lock, then the botton locks to align with bumper, and finally a gentle push to get into right place)

I made a mistake in step 3 to install the low beam LEDs facing bottom. So the light was going up as seen in the below pictures.



I reinstalled the LEDs with low beam LEDs facing up, and the low beam throw is corrected. But while reinstalling I realized that LEDs are running very very hot due to the rubber cover blocking any air circulation. So I removed the rubber cover (LEDs dont like high temperatures) completely. A bit of water shouldn't cause any problem as LEDs are waterproof.

Low beam correctly aligned



High beam


Some other shots - Be aware that only right light is working in these two pictures. I realized that I forgot to reconnect the electrical connector only after taking the pictures.

Low beam


High beam

[aah78]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the DIY Section. Thanks for sharing!

[ObsessedByFIAT]

Great DIY! A few questions:

1. If I may ask, What is the cost of these lamps?
2. Are these lamps available in stores?
3. Can these be fit to any other car. In my case - Ford Ecosport, as I think even that has got a H4 bulb. I stand corrected though!

[abhishek46]

Superb!

Some questions:
What is the difference in wattage with respect to the halogens?
What is the difference in Lumens with respect to the halogens?

[Mr.Boss]

Originally Posted by ObsessedByFIAT

1. If I may ask, What is the cost of these lamps?
2. Are these lamps available in stores?
3. Can these be fit to any other car. In my case - Ford Ecosport, as I think even that has got a H4 bulb. I stand corrected though!

1. Available as low as 2k INR, but branded ones are bit costlier (Philips retails for 10k for a pair of H4 LEDs)
2. Yes, but normally they are costlier than the online price
3. Yes

Originally Posted by abhishek46

What is the difference in wattage with respect to the halogens?
What is the difference in Lumens with respect to the halogens?

Halogens : 55/60W
LED : 20/30W (the one discussed in this thread)

Lumens depends on the bulb that you choose.

EDIT:
There is a separate thread on this subject
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/modifi...e-end-hid.html

[abhishek46]

Originally Posted by Mr.Boss

Halogens : 55/60W
LED : 20/30W (the one discussed in this thread)

Lumens depends on the bulb that you choose.

[/url]

Correct.
Want to know how much more lumens do these particular 20W LEDs produce when compared with the 55W halogens.

In the end, the Lumens (amount of light) matter the most.

[Maverick1977]

Originally Posted by abhishek46

Correct.
Want to know how much more lumens do these particular 20W LEDs produce when compared with the 55W halogens.

In the end, the Lumens (amount of light) matter the most.

The Lumens for LED's will definitely be much higher for LED's. There is a stark difference that I have observed, however I have seen that the throw of these LED lights isn't that far. So, for city driving these may be good (may be not for on coming traffic which might be blinded) but for highway they will not give you the required throw. This is for LED's which get retrofitted and not for OEM headlights which any way come with more than one!

[arjithin]

Originally Posted by abhishek46

Correct.
Want to know how much more lumens do these particular 20W LEDs produce when compared with the 55W halogens.

In the end, the Lumens (amount of light) matter the most.

Originally Posted by Maverick1977

The Lumens for LED's will definitely be much higher for LED's. There is a stark difference that I have observed, however I have seen that the throw of these LED lights isn't that far. So, for city driving these may be good (may be not for on coming traffic which might be blinded) but for highway they will not give you the required throw. This is for LED's which get retrofitted and not for OEM headlights which any way come with more than one!

For LED bulbs, Lumens in paper looks always good, typically 1000 lumens per 10W, no way to verify if the claims are true or not. But there is a catch..

in a Halogen bulb, all your Lumens are available in Low OR High mode (as there two separate filaments). But in the case of a LED bulb, only the LED designated as high beam LED comes on when you flip to high beam. In the case of above bulb, thats only 10W or 1000 lumen for high beam compared to 1650 lumnes of a halogen. Thats a lower output for highway driving in Indian conditions (but note that low beam stays on always)

So my suggestions are
1. 20/30W bulbs are good for city driving where low beam is more important
2. 20/30W bulbs are better suited for 2 wheelers
3. Higher wattage bulbs 'may' be good for highway, but a friends car I drove with a higher wattage bulb was giving LOT of light in low beam that my eye was having difficulty to see objects far away due to the contrast (hence I chose a lesser wattage one)
4. higher wattage bulbs come with fans and extended cooling fins. Better to go with fan less models, one less part that can fail !

Originally Posted by ObsessedByFIAT

Great DIY! A few questions:

3. Can these be fit to any other car. In my case - Ford Ecosport, as I think even that has got a H4 bulb. I stand corrected though!

Yes, but check the space available behind headlight assembly. These bulbs need more space