Like few other had already mentioned, some tweak is needed to install these lights

BHPian snallagatla recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

Installed Stedi Carbon black headlights today. Totally loved the new upgrade. I'm sharing a few details here on how to order these lights directly from Stedi website for benefit of wider community.

Why the lighting upgrade?

'Why not, its a Thar, Most customized car I have seen on the roads. Like GTO mentioned many times on this forum, Every Thar is unique with some customization. Its just a little over a month since I took the delivery of this beast and I never had any issues with default halogen lights. However, I've got the itch of upgrading lights as Thar looked its best with LED DRLs (I know, Looks are subjective). So, I decided to go for this upgrade.

Why Stedi Carbon Black?

When I had almost zeroed on DHC 7" headlights for my Thar, I happened to read this thread and changed my decision to go for Stedi. While I liked GTO's Stedi Homage lights are classy and unique but Nair.V8's Carbon black lights appealed more to me for the modern look with DRL.

How to order these lights?

Stedi doesn't have a reseller in India but There are 2 ways to get these lights.

First option is to order from https://www.facebook.com/offoraderscommunity/, This is how GTO ordered his lights and they charge little margin over the import charges and distribute products to customers.

Second option is to order directly from Stedi(AU) website(stedi.com.au). (Stedi also has a UK website stediuk.com but prices are almost double as AU website), This is how Nair.V8 ordered.

I decided to go with second option as I could save few bucks though I know the risk of package struck in customs sometimes. Adding lights to the cart and payment process was a straight forward process. Stedi has also gave me concession on Delivery pricing(12 AUDs extra over the total price of 400 AUD) when I selected destination as India. However, I got more greedy when I saw the option for Discount Code, I immediately did a google search and applied a random coupon code which reduced the final price further to 393.87 AUD, Sweet. I quickly made the payment and observed value converted in my credit card statement as 22,196 INR.

Issues with Customs and Delivery?

DHL is the delivery partner for international shipments of Stedi. I literally annoyed when DHL didn't pickup the package for first 3 days until I submitted the documentation for address proof matching my name, residential proof etc. However, I realized later that it is only helping customers by giving another chance of correcting the corresponding address to minimize the risk of package struck in custom. Pro tip: Ensure that you have a valid address proof for the address that you share with Stedi for delivery without any typo errors.

Another issue I faced was DHL wanted a clarification letter from me for why the Invoice value and the final payment value differed. So, I had to write a letter to Customs officer that I had applied a discount code which reduced the final amount of this product. It took about 3 days for DHL to clear the package from Customs and deliver. I had to pay 11518.60/- for Customs import duty.

Is Installation hassle free?

Like few other had already mentioned, some tweak is needed to install these lights, Technician need to cut the following frame marked in the red to install the lights. Technician has charged me 1500/- INR for the installation. So, the final bill for installing these lights came as 35214.69/- INR. As I understand, installation is not a DIY project at least for people like me. It took about 2 hours for 2 technicians to replace the lights.

Thank you GTO. Sharing the pictures as promised:

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

The Xenon headlight is a lot brighter and has a stronger throw compared to the puny stock halogen lights.

BHPian fluidicjoy recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

In my previous post, I covered the headlight child parts and put them together, and now it is time to put them in the car to "Let there be light."

Installing the Headlights

Replacing the headlight assemblies is fairly simple and the basic workflow has been covered by me here when I installed retrofit LED bulbs.

For a brief moment before its eye transplant, with both of the stock halogen assemblies taken out, the Polo sure looked lost, blind to be brutally honest, but that is a little harsh, even for a car.

Initial Testing

DRLs and Colour Scare

The Bi-Xenon DRLs I had seen on every other car looked white, and the ones I had looked Yellowish from a particular angle. This seemed quite weird, but we were quick to realise that this was just from particular angles. While Yellow isn't all that bad, it would have been disappointing had they been Yellow DRLs and not White.

These DRLs change intensity depending on the position of the headlight Switch. With a suitable BCM, these can be coded to be OFF with the Hand-brake engaged.

Functionality

With an emulator, most of the features of the Bi-Xenon headlights work like the DRLs dimming, Low-Beam, High-Beam, Cornering Lamps with turn signals etc and this is a huge win for non-BCM Max cars. Other than auto-levelling and some smart OEM-level features like DRL winking etc. this emulator gets most of the things done and most folks would be very happy with it.

Headlight Throw and Beam Pattern

The Xenon headlight is a lot brighter and has a stronger throw compared to the puny stock halogen lights. The cutoff is nice and crisp and can inspire plenty of confidence once aligned correctly. Here is a picture of the car standing a few feet from the wall.

For my initial setup, I tested the beam pattern from a distance of about 18-25 feet and manually levelled the projector beam against references on a wall.

To see which side of the headlight was contributing to what part of the beam, I blocked out one of the lenses with a towel. This experiment helped get an idea of the horizontal spread of the projector bowl.

Low and High Beam

Headlight Videos

Here’s a small video I made to highlight some of the basic functionality of the headlights, but I am not very proud of this video and there are quite a lot of better videos which I’ve left cards to in my video. Those videos have more extensive driving tests with these headlights to give you a feel of how they perform. Here is a link to another recent thread by BHPian Sarfraz which covers the Headlight performance.

Auto-Levelling

The experience with Bi-Xenons is great, but it can be a little disappointing without proper levelling if you keep having a variable load in your car. After wiring these in, the stock headlight leveller in the car stops working and for the few rare folks who use it, this can be an absolute bummer. In my case, I adjusted the beam with respect to the centre of the headlight, and while it never caused a glare, I ended up having a throw which was falling too short from the car.

Eventually, I ended up installing an Auto-Levelling sensor and since then, this issue has been corrected. I will write about my experience installing the AFS system shortly.

Many folks wonder if they're better than the Vento LED lights, and the answer in a few cases is YES, because of the warmer HID bulbs which perform better in many scenarios, especially in foggy and rainy conditions. Do they look as pretty as the OEM GTI LEDs? My personal pick today would anytime be the Red-Striped GTI LED headlights, which look a lot more modern and cutting-edge. Plus, for anyone looking to retrofit them, the LED headlights are simpler to retrofit since most of the basic functionality will work, sure it won't work perfectly, the DRLs might not dim, and you won't be able to achieve headlight levelling, but it'll still be pretty cool to have if you find a great set.

That's pretty much it for my small write-up on these headlights.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

There are lots of LED headlamp options in the after-market, but based on BHPian posts, most of them are all show & no go.

GTO recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

If there is one part about the Thar begging for an upgrade, it's the outdated OEM headlights. Now, there are lots of LED headlamp options in the after-market, but based on BHPian posts, most of them are all show & no go.

I am sure someone is selling LED headlights that are both, good-looking as well as powerful at night? Something with form & function, both? Please share contacts, store links or web links here.

No cheap stuff please, kindly recommend only high quality LED headlights here.

Thank you!

Here's what BHPian shankar.balan had to say on the matter:

As a person with many years of driving under the belt in some extremely harsh non urban conditions and even today being a very frequent visitor to the hilly regions in all seasons, I am placing the following facts here:

• Big powerful white LED lights are useless in mist and rain and fog. All that they do is diffuse the light particles and you get a wall of white which does NOT improve visibility.
• I note the tendency of most modern drivers and car owners to immediately upgrade their headlamps and foglamps to LED’s without having fully thought it through.All that they are seeking is the ‘look’. Honestly this tendency is quite misguided.
• A good pair of powerful warm white Halogens coupled with a set of interchangeable warm white plus yellow amber foglamps are a far better combination to go with. Ideally in modern cars better to replace the bulbs yes, but stay with the recommended wattage and headlamp bulb type instead of trying to splice wires and introduce aftermarket relays etc.
• On another note, I am presently driving around the hills. And I observe that almost no one amongst the fellow road users, understands the concept of ‘dip’. And people are overtaking around curves, not keeping sufficient distance and more irritatingly, repeatedly flashing their strobe-light-like LEDs at every possible opportunity. It is especially disconcerting for anyone who has a solid understanding and experience of hill driving.

Here's what BHPian Safari_Beast had to say on the matter:

Instead of upgrading headlight bulbs, get Aozoom Bi-focal Led Projector foglamps. This is a newly launched product which is very powerful and it would be a direct fit on thar.

Here is the link to the output of foglamps.

Product Code - FLP 2090.

Here's what BHPian Jaggu had to say on the matter:

Keep stock headlight at best upgrade the bulbs. Get HID projectors for the running lights or even small led aux with combo pattern from Rigid or similar reputed brands.

Here's what BHPian dhanushs had to say on the matter:

The 7" round headlights should fill the doom. But, internal fitting would be different. However, 7" round headlights being the most popular size, I guess you should be able to find some good lights.

My personal advise however would be to follow Behram's advice given in an older thread, to have glass covered 7" dooms (TVS?) and have 110/140 bulbs with proper relay and wiring. I still love the way old amby's and jeeps light up the way with 140 bulbs.

If you still want additional lighting, go for driving lights from KC, Lightforce etc.

Here's what BHPian Kosfactor had to say on the matter:

Good suggestion dhanushs. Yes I remember reading this.

Lucas-TVS & Cibie were BD Sir's recommendation as far as I remember, Cibie which needs to be imported - while viewing some YouTube videos of very famous car museums, I have noticed them million dollar cars running Cibie.

Recently a batch of Lucas headlamp had come on sale with Jeep parts dealers in Delhi, it won't be difficult to find them in Mumbai as well.

At the time I wanted them for the CRDe, I could not find them so settled for Hella instead for lens and reflector.

The glass lens is made in Austria or somewhere but the whole thing costs less than 1K per side because the rest of the mechanism from OEM unit including the leveler should work with this.I think it is a common fitment for buses and trucks.

The clarity and beam pattern of Hella setup is so good that I did not upgrade the bulbs, just swapped an original set of Philips 55/60W, focused the beam properly and the Jeep would blitz through the night. I did not believe it would make that much difference but I guess when you deal with BHPian recommend accessories guys, it makes a lot of difference.

For heavy rains it would help to have a set of Halogen driving lights fitted on the bumper, a very well tried and tested setup over the years.

Here's what BHPian Mortis had to say on the matter:

See it's just not the brightness and beam pattern that matter with LEDs. The CRI also has a big impact on visibility so even a bright LED with a good cutoff might be lacking. HIDs on average would have 90+ but the average, even branded LED would be in the 70s or maybe 80s. In the same series though, a 3300k or 4300k led would generally have a slightly better cri than its higher Kelvin counterparts.

What I would suggest would be to find a nice popular mid range LED light with enough power and a good beam pattern and check if anyone has done a DIY upgrade to replace the stock LEDs with new ones. Source the highest CRI 4300k LEDs of the same type you can find and swap them.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

It will give designers the chance to come up with distinctive DRL designs for each model.

According to reports, BMW has invented a new front fascia which integrates the grille and the headlamps behind one seamless panel. The headlights will further come with active lenses, which, when switched on, will become visible through the panel.

Reports state that instead of having the front grille panel & the headlights under separate units, BMW could cover the entire front end in a single smooth panel. The LED DRLs and the headlights will be behind the panel, which can be switched from opaque to transparent whenever required. The new front panel is currently in its patent stage, which, if entered into production, could debut on BMW's next-generation EVs.

With EVs not requiring an air intake, unlike their IC-engine-powered counterparts, the front kidney grille on BMW EVs is purely to retain the brand's identity. Hence, BMW engineers are said to be proposing a multi-layer panel to carry both the signature of an EV while also displaying different interpretations of the kidney grille, based on the model. This will also allow the headlights to be positioned behind a protective screen, reducing the chances of damage to its high-tech laser light emitters.

Also, as seen from the patent sketches, BMW designers will be able to create separately-illuminated grille shapes while incorporating different accents to help differentiate the models and trims. It will also give designers the chance to come up with distinctive DRL designs for each model.

Source: CarBuzz

The new headlamps should be suitable for highway driving as well.

BHPian arnav17 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hey guys,

Looking for a headlight upgrade for our Ritz. With the Safari around, it hasn't seen much of highways, but it may have to soon. Hence looking for a light that's suitable for highways.

Spoke to a person in this field and he said that LED lights would not help on highways, and the stock set-up is adequate for the city. Another option is to change the cutout of the main headlamp and put in stronger halogen bulbs.

I have read in many places that making the foglamp LED could solve the case. Does this hold good?

Please let me know about the best option. Thanks in Advance.

Here's what BHPian audioholic had to say on the matter:

Low budget: Get a wiring kit and 100/90W halogens.

High budget: HID/LED projector retrofit

Ultimate combo: Upgrade fog lights to projectors and keep the main beam as 100/90 halogens. This has been the best setup I have ever used so far.

I would not waste my money on LED lights in reflectors no matter what they promise since they cause unnecessary waste of light due to glare and irritation to oncoming users.

Here's what BHPian silversteed had to say on the matter:

I would go with the above approach, with one additional point:

The "High budget" option is not worth the risks - the difficulties involved in just getting a reliable ballast and HID combo / LED unit (unless the budget is for the big names such as Osram or Philips), getting the sealing right after opening up the headlights, having the projector aligned, getting the burner socket aligned, followed by the risk of water ingress, and finally not having a spare in hand when the unthinkable happens - they're simply too much for a car used regularly.

Adding a relay and changing the halogen bulbs to 100/90 or even 130/110 - that'll sort out most of the problems. Throw in a pair of projector fogs and/or aux lamps (the sky is the limit for that, and so is the budget), and it'll brighten up the prospects.

First and foremost - a clean headlamp lens and windshield help immensely, so it's prudent to keep cleaning them regularly on long drives.

Here's what BHPian n_aditya had to say on the matter:

I have a 2013 Ritz ZDi and have clocked over 92k km.

The stock headlights are terrible and I changed the bulbs initially to Osram Nightbreaker (the same spec as OEM but was advertised and recommended for higher light output and spread). While the light output was much better than the stock bulbs, the life of the bulbs was very poor. I must have changed them at least 2-3 times before switching to Philips Xtreme Vision in the same OEM rating and the Philips ones are way better than Osram in terms of life and light output. I could drive comfortably at night on the highway with these bulbs.

Take a look at these links:

1. Product
2. Comparo

Here's what BHPian naveen.raju had to say on the matter:

If you can spend some money, get good quality projectors installed in your headlights with HIDs and not LEDs. Check out, Morimoto. They were the favourite before these Chinese brands started flooding the market.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

I have to say that I am grinning wildly every time when I switch on the high beams. There's a complete transformation.

BHPian theexperthand recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

One of the main issues I faced with Harrier is the inadequate headlights, especially during my early morning drives. This was highlighted in my initial posts and an upgrade was on the cards. I usually upgrade the headlight bulb to Osram Night breakers and install a pair of auxiliary lights on all my vehicles and initially thought about going the same way and slapping a pair of Hella 3003 or something similar on Harrier too.
While searching for options to upgrade the high beam, saw some light upgrades done by a Tata SOUL member Mr. Preethendra in a couple of Harriers and Safaris. While I was contemplating this, my brother was also looking for a headlight upgrade and he got a similar upgrade done by the Preeth on his Nexon, and after seeing the light output, I was convinced to give it a try.

After a couple of WhatsApp exchanges and calls, we set up a date and I reached the place to start the work. The work was supposed to start by 7.30 PM, but his guy got called to attend to some urgent work and was not back, so it was almost 9.00 PM when we started the work.

The upgrade kit:

• High Beam: Novsight LED, 6000K.
• Foglights: AES hi-low projectors, coupled with AES GS Ballast and AES UPS Canbus 5500K HID, AES relay to enable cornering function.
• Low Beam: Stock – decided to leave it untouched because I use low beams inside the city, and I do not want the light to be too bright inside city limits. Also, Preethendra was of the opinion that upgrading low beams is a costly affair and that the price-light return ratio is not really justifiable.

Work started by removing the front bumpers and first, the high beams were upgraded:

Testing the high beams - LED inside one, Halogen inside the other one. (Preeth is the guy in the yellow shirt and the excited young gentleman is my son, who stayed awake till whole work was finished):

I was given the option of going for either Novosite or Aozoom LEDs for the high beams and we put Novosite in one headlight and Aozoom in another to compare the output and decided to go ahead with Novosite since the light output was far better than Aozoom. Also, visually, Novoite was much better put together and compact.

The Novsight LED which went into the car:

The Aozoom LED which did not make the cut:

The stock fog lights were then removed and a new clamp and projectors were installed, along with the relays to make the cornering function work. Then wires were run from projectors to the battery for power and the high beam was tapped and connected to the fog lights so that if the fog lights are on and if I switch on the high beam, the fog lights also will switch to high beams.

Projectors - a closer look:

Ballast:

The AES UPS Canbus HIDs:

Final testing:

The whole removal and upgrade took around 2.5 to 3 hours and by around 1 AM, we hit the roads to align the lights. I have to say that during the entire time, Preeth was overseeing the work with a hawk’s eye, and both the mechanic (forgot his name) and Preeth did not cut any corners or tried to finish up the work faster. After multiple tries, we aligned High, Low, and Fog lights and the results:

Only fogs:

High beam + fogs:

I have to say that I am grinning wildly every time when I switch on the high beams. Did a night drive to Rasta café, just to check out the headlights, and boy oh boy, what a transformation.

Interesting trivia: After removing the high beam bulbs, we realized that one headlight was having Philips bulb, while the other was having Osram bulb. Preeth was telling that he has observed this in many Harriers.

Anoop.

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