30 replies to this topic

[Paul_S]

After nearly 2 years of service one of my Halfords LED side lights has gone to the great scrap heap in the sky. Thanks for spotting it on Saturday Dave, I am normally quite good at spotting bulbs that are out but that one escaped me. However, I went back to some pics I took 5 days before and it was working then - so I might just forgive myself

So this is what I have currently...



...and I am now in the market for some new ones. I want to change the reverse and rear number plate bulbs at the same time (so my reversing camera works better in the dark!)

I got these for Sarah's Juke and I have to say they are really bright.



Also, the light is spread out at a wide angle rather than being a spot. This would be better for the number plate I reckon as the bulbs are at an angle rather than pointing at the plate itself. The only issue I have with them is (as you can see) that they have quite a rounded base and they don't sit very well in the bulb holder so I wonder if they might work lose over time.

I know this has been covered before (MaDMaXX had some advice in another thread) but I'm hoping we can have an 'LED light 101' moment here!

So please post up links and suggestions

[Paul_S]

Me again!

I just found an email from when I asked about this before. They recommended these for the number plate:



Here is a pic of some fitted:



OK, stupid question time.... What exactly do they mean by 'Canbus Error Free', and do I really need to worry about that? My current sidelight bulb(!) never caused a problem...

[JimmyM]

Hi Paul, i bought most of my led bulbs (number plate and interior lights) from www.ultimatemods.co.uk they have quite a few different types to look at.

[Paul_S]

Cheers for the link mate - which bulbs did you buy and where did you fit them?

[JimmyM]

I bought 2 different coloured festoon type interior bulbs ( white pair-fitted and a red pair ) you may have to measure the length of these so that you get the correct size for your car. The number plate ones, if i remember rightly were T10 / 501 / W5W type. I'll confirm that if i can find the paperwork

[G5 VAR]

No worries Paul, mine only lasted since the last mod day, so not at all impressed. Now have these fitted, as seem to have worked well on one of the bikes:

http://www.ebay.co.u...984.m1423.l2649

[JimmyM]

Canbus is the name given to the wires that send messages around certain cars to the ECU's, if a bulb fails on these particular vehicles then the canbus will see this and give you a warning for it. If you fit non "canbus type" bulbs to these vehicles then you will have a bulb failure warning on constantly. I think the bulbs have a built in resistor for canbus systems. After all that i think you may be ok anyway and can fit normal bulbs.

Sorry to bore you with all that technical jargon.

[Paul_S]

Yeh, I fitted the non-Canbus ones with no warning lights. I don't think there is a warning light for sidelights - or if there is, it hasn't noticed my LED is out!

[G5 VAR]

 Paul_S, on 30 January 2012 - 09:37 PM, said:

Yeh, I fitted the non-Canbus ones with no warning lights. I don't think there is a warning light for sidelights - or if there is, it hasn't noticed my LED is out!

That's a good point, one went then both and I didn't get any warning light.

[JimmyM]

Yeah i fitted that type aswell mate,i've not had any issues. If you've had no warning lights then you will be ok with those.

[JimmyM]

If the lights were on a canbus system you would get an error message come up along with a warnig light possibly, hence the name " canbus error free "

[Paul_S]

So, I think I'm right here, we don't need the canbus error free ones - but it won't hurt. Am I right?

[JimmyM]

Yeah just go with the standard ones mate,that way you can't go wrong,thats all i did, i ignored the canbus error free type.

[Paul_S]

[G5 VAR]

 JimmyM, on 30 January 2012 - 10:00 PM, said:

Yeah just go with the standard ones mate,that way you can't go wrong,thats all i did, i ignored the canbus error free type.

Me too, two different types and no issues

[andy.j]

 Paul_S, on 30 January 2012 - 07:53 PM, said:

Me again!

I just found an email from when I asked about this before. They recommended these for the number plate:



Here is a pic of some fitted:



OK, stupid question time.... What exactly do they mean by 'Canbus Error Free', and do I really need to worry about that? My current sidelight bulb(!) never caused a problem...

I have these, this was the one sided LEDs I did have:


This is the 5-way LEDs like above:


Not as good as I'd hoped for, but bedder than the single sided ones.

[Greg Warnes]

I have bought some led's from ultraleds.co.uk, there not cheap but are still working after 2 years.

[Paul_S]

Despite it being dark and 1^oC outside I couldn't help trying out the CREE LED. I had a spare one in the garage and I couldn't wait to see how it would look compared to the Prism one.

Here is the CREE illuminated:


Here is the CREE fitted:


And the old Prism fitted:


And here they are side by side (the new CREE in the left of the picture and the Prism on the right):






It's obviously very difficult to photo the lights in the dark to get a true comparison but I think the pictures show that the CREE is a bit brighter and whiter than the Prism LED.


I was pleasantly surprised that the CREE fitted in the bulb holder a lot more snug that in the Juke. I wonder if I was imagining it before (something I will have to check).

I am now seriously considering getting some more CREE for the reverse and number plate lights.

[JimmyM]

Yeah i agree mate, the CREE is definately the brighter of the two, looks good.

I've recently added a photo in my garage showing what my led number plate bulbs are like.

[Paul_S]

I've just checked the pics in your Garage mate - looks good doesn't it?