Freelander 1Headlights

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DWH52

DWH52

Well-Known Member
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Location
Dorset
Doubtless this has been asked before (a few hundred times) but what's the best option for improving the headlights on a 2005 Freelander 1?

I'm thinking of bulb upgrades rather than replacement lights or updating wiring looms.

Also slightly confused, does it take H4 or H7 bulbs?
 
Hi,

You can put new head lights, H7. Head lights can last 1 or 2 years, after they provides less and less light.
Put you car in a front of a wall, old lights provides a blurry yellow patern, they are good to change.
You will certaintly need to adjust light after replacing them.
 
A 2005 is a facelift, so uses H7 bulbs in both dip and main beams. The H7 bulbs are generally pretty good for light output, so I'd first be checking that the headlamps are aimed correctly. If they're pointing at the floor, the light output will appear rubbish. If they are aimed correctly, then it's possible to get improved bulbs, which although legal, provide a bit more light than standard bulbs. However be aware that the brighter the bulbs burn, the shorter the life is.
I use Philips Racing Vision GT200 in my Freelander 2 as they are a good improvement to normal H7 bulbs, but also last well. I'm on 18 months on a set so far (they'll fail now I've said that), which is much longer that Osram Night Breakers for a similar light output.
 
DWH52 said:
Doubtless this has been asked before (a few hundred times) but what's the best option for improving the headlights on a 2005 Freelander 1?

I'm thinking of bulb upgrades rather than replacement lights or updating wiring looms.

Also slightly confused, does it take H4 or H7 bulbs?
Click to expand...
What age vehicle is it? Early Freelanders with the square headlights use H4 bulbs, the facelift uses the H7.

Easy upgrade is just fit some higher output bulbs like the Osram or Halfords range. Check the lenses are clean too. The lights aren't brilliant, but they should be ok.

Normal bulbs in our early H4 equipped Freelander:
kM9AKeLh.jpg


The camera slightly flatters, but they really are quite ok, even comparing to my vehicles with LED or upgraded headlights.
 
Many thanks for the replies. Going to start with new bulbs and see where to go from there.
 
DWH52 said:
Many thanks for the replies. Going to start with new bulbs and see where to go from there.
Click to expand...
If you're buying new bulbs, you might as well get some decent ones. Philips mentioned above are a good improvement over standard bulbs. Don't buy bulbs from Halfords, as you'll be paying twice as much for inferior light output.
 
On mine, I found giving the lenses themselves a bit of a restoration worked really well. Over the years the UV protection wanes and they cloud up/yellow etc.
You can buy kits online fairly cheaply, or you can do it yourself with some 1500 and 3000 sanding on a drill followed by some clear coat.
 
Freddie17 said:
On mine, I found giving the lenses themselves a bit of a restoration worked really well. Over the years the UV protection wanes and they cloud up/yellow etc.
You can buy kits online fairly cheaply, or you can do it yourself with some 1500 and 3000 sanding on a drill followed by some clear coat.
Click to expand...
I had to do the headlamps on my facelift before every MOT, and yes it makes a big difference if the lenses are fogging over. I didn't bother with the UV protection spray though, just bluffed them every year.
I've noticed a small patch of yellowing on the side of my FL2 headlamp too, so it looks like the UV protection coating is beginning to fail.
 
At first I didn’t bother with the coating either, just polishd, but noticed they need doing more often. I’ve put the coating on this time and they are clearer (fills the imperfections as well as UV protect), so hoping they stay clear for longer now
 
So I've fitted Lunex Supreme Vision bulbs and cleaned the lenses with toothpaste.
What sort of sealant do you good people spray on?
 
DWH52 said:
So I've fitted Lunex Supreme Vision bulbs and cleaned the lenses with toothpaste.
What sort of sealant do you good people spray on?
Click to expand...
I've heard this one is good.
e-tech.uk.com

E-TECH Restored Headlight Clear Coat

The E-TECH Restored Headlight Clear Coat is a unique clear coat lacquer is specially formulated to be the final stage for any plastic/ polycarbonate headlight lens restoration. It replaces the original discoloured cloudy top layer that will have been removed during the reconditioning/restoration...
e-tech.uk.com e-tech.uk.com

I wasn't impressed with those bulbs though, nothing like as bright as Osram Night Breakers or Philips Racing Vision GT200. If you buy cheap, you'll be disappointed.

I had a xenon Lunex explode in the wife's Audi A5 headlamp, which I wasn't happy about. I fitted Osram xenon as replacements and they have been perfect, but at £175 a pair, I'd not expect anything other than perfection.
 
I actually used a 3M kit - was around £10 if I remember, from Amazon.
It‘s basically a 3000 grit disc for a drill and 2 clear coat wipes, but for a tenner I really wasnt fussed.
Worked well, and to be fair, the wipes dI’d keep the mess down (well, my mess!)
 
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