LED headlight/fog-light accents on a 2004 Ford F-150

[The_Police]

So, why in the world do Autozone and Jc Penney, etc. sell tons of illegal stuff and nobody cares about it?

I agree with that statement ---^

Speaking of that, I was in a well-known discount store the other day, and I saw that they are selling several different types of "accent" lights, I read the package and it said "For off road use only." I find that strange they can get away with selling them.


-Not intended as law-breaking discussion, only stating an experience.

 

[-Virgil-]

So, why in the world do Autozone and Jc Penney, etc. sell tons of illegal stuff and nobody cares about it?

Because there's money to be made.

 

[bluetoes591]

Here is a great example. What makes mine any less legal than these?

In addition to the usual discussion of the illegality of modifying your lighting, it should be pointed out that the LED DRLs on all the new Audi's turn off when you use the turn signal. If say you're turning left, the left LED DRL turns off for the duration of time that your blinker is in use before turning back on. Personally I find it slightly distracting when they turn off and on, but it sure helps with the legibility of the turn signals.

 

[dave_b]

Hey The_Police,

The reason the ones on the Audi are legal is because the OEM has designed them to meet the various requirements of DRLs (Scheinwerfermann would know what they actually are), such as brightness on and off axis as well as being designed to not interfere with the signals as mentioned above (which, given how eye catching the Audi DRL strip is is probably important.) Any LED strip from an auto parts store would have no such care in its design.

With regards to them disabling with the signal, Dodge started wiring their headlight based DRL in the mid 00's to do the same thing. I agree, I personally find it distracting. My brother's 08 Avenger does that.

 

[The_Police]

I understand why Audi's are considered legal, It was pointed out on the first page.

 

[dave_b]

Haha, sorry, it was quoted recently and I did not go back and see if it had been discussed.

 

[The_Police]

Haha, sorry, it was quoted recently and I did not go back and see if it had been discussed.

No worries! It happens.

 

[The_Police]

I came across these on Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0015PTXAW/?tag=cpf0b6-20
I see it says "SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) and D.O.T. (Department of Transportation) compliant with FMVSS (Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standarts) No. 108." Are they just pulling that out of their ***, or are these legal headlight upgrades?
It sounds legit to me, (minus the spelling error with the word "Standards") but I want to hear what someone with more experience thinks about them.

 

[-Virgil-]

Utter garbage. Almost certainly not actually compliant, or at best maybe just barely. Durability very poor. Don't buy this junk.

 

[dave_b]

Hey Scheinwerfermann,

I am guessing that these:
http://store.concept1.ca/store/product/54033/Jetta-4-Devil-Headlights-BLK/
are also utter garbage? They are being sold by a local peddler of VW parts and my brother bought a pair so his Jetta will "look like an Audi." (cause of the LED strips, natch)

Dave

 

[-Virgil-]

Yes, also garbage. All these off-brand aftermarket lamps are junk. Really, it is wise to assume as trash any headlamps that are not made by either an OEM (Koito, Stanley, Ichikoh, Valeo/Cibie/Marchal, Hella, HMC/Mobis, Samlip/SL, AL/Automotive Lighting/Bosch/Carello, Guide, Visteon, Magna, and probably a few I'm leaving out) or a reputable general lighting company (JW Speaker, Truck-Lite, Peterson, SeaLink, Grote), or branded with the automaker's name and logo.

 

[dave_b]

That is about what I thought. If he absolutely refuses to remove them, will using a quality H1 from a reputable manufacturer help him at all? Or is it pretty much a lost cause?

Thanks
Dave

 

[The_Police]

Utter garbage. Almost certainly not actually compliant, or at best maybe just barely. Durability very poor. Don't buy this junk.

At that price I bet the buyer is getting screwed then.

 

[-Virgil-]

That is about what I thought. If he absolutely refuses to remove them, will using a quality H1 from a reputable manufacturer help him at all?

No, he'll still be a fool.

Or is it pretty much a lost cause?

No "pretty much" about it. Putting a pile of dog poop in a high-quality, very well made bag doesn't make it anything but a pile of dog poop, and putting a really good bulb in a pathetic imitation of a headlamp doesn't make it anything but a pathetic imitation of a headlamp.

 

[dave_b]

Ten Four

 

[dave_b]

Scheinwerfermann, for those of us who haven't been around as long, can you in a few sentences summarize what makes these after market headlight assemblies so inadequate? I know there is a PDF of test results, but in layman's terms?

Thanks

 

[-Virgil-]

Poor quality materials and construction, no actual optical engineering (just a cheap scan-and-repro copycat job). Result is inability to attain or retain correct aim, inadequate and poorly-focused distribution of light, and no durability to speak of.

 

[AnAppleSnail]

Scheinwerfermann, for those of us who haven't been around as long, can you in a few sentences summarize what makes these after market headlight assemblies so inadequate? I know there is a PDF of test results, but in layman's terms?

Thanks

I'm pretty alarmed at the reports of users unable to use turn signals. So, the electrical connections don't work. The beam pattern will be crap, so the light isn't very much help for real driving. The durability is suspect just because of the other lies told by the maker, so the housing is crap. What's left? A light isn't much more than electronics, correct optical design, and a housing. They're all crap, so why pay $230 for a steaming pile?

nut on Amazon wrote:
Something about the projectors in these spread the light very far out, it's a pretty dim light. I tried my very best to put HID lights in the but the problem is that they fit...you just have to use glue or tape. Just fair warning, if you do decide to attempt to put HIDs in this unit, you have to open it up...unscrew a few things....take the glass projector out...and behid that is a thin piece of metal....think of it as an eyebrow which cuts off the high beam from shinning. You need to take that off in order to have a brighter light

*HORF*

That's right, take a critical seeing device to use in the rain, stick it together with hot glue and tape. And take off the optical shutters that in a proper light help to reduce glare to other drivers. Eugh.

 

[ssvqwnp]

I removed the LEDs from my truck, but now are there any ideas what to do with those LED strips now? :shrug:

I don't know how bright those strips are in person, but how about under the bed rails as cargo lights? That's assuming you don't have one of those plastic bed liners in the way...

 

[hokiefyd]

*HORF*

That's right, take a critical seeing device to use in the rain, stick it together with hot glue and tape. And take off the optical shutters that in a proper light help to reduce glare to other drivers. Eugh.

That "eyebrow which cuts off the high beam from shining"? Yeah, "you need to take that off in order to have a brighter light"!

This stuff would be genuinely funny if it weren't so dangerous for others. I'd say it's unbelievable, but then I'd be lying about that, too. What a hot mess!