LED headlamps for my 110 (2011) are they legal
- Thread starter George25
- Start date
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That depends. It should if you fit the correct LED replacement bulbs, as the new MOT regs only state HIDs aren’t allowed. You could replace the full headlight assembly for an LED headlight assembly, also legal.
A full head light replacement would be my first choice so start saving the pennies then Thankx
George25, the thread title is LED headlamps for my 110 (2011) are they legal.
LED headlamps are legal IF they have the correct approval markings on then they are legal. To be sure that they are legal then it will be reputable well known manufacturers. Nolden BiLed were the LED headlights fitted by JLR to last editions of Defenders, Truck-Lite, Vision X, J W Speaker and Wipac all have the correct approval markings on and are road legal.
The cheap LED headlights offered on sites such as ebay are mainly illegal as they are not approved for road use. Have a close look at the markings. IF the only markings are DOT, SAE and E + number in a circle they are illegal to use on the UK roads.
Fitting a LED bulb instead of a halogen filament bulb is illegal as the original approval marks are void. Part of the approval mark is a light function code and that defines the light source.
The UK MOT only checks the aim/beam pattern of a headlight it does not check for the headlights being legal.
HTH
Brendan
LED headlamps are legal IF they have the correct approval markings on then they are legal. To be sure that they are legal then it will be reputable well known manufacturers. Nolden BiLed were the LED headlights fitted by JLR to last editions of Defenders, Truck-Lite, Vision X, J W Speaker and Wipac all have the correct approval markings on and are road legal.
The cheap LED headlights offered on sites such as ebay are mainly illegal as they are not approved for road use. Have a close look at the markings. IF the only markings are DOT, SAE and E + number in a circle they are illegal to use on the UK roads.
Fitting a LED bulb instead of a halogen filament bulb is illegal as the original approval marks are void. Part of the approval mark is a light function code and that defines the light source.
The UK MOT only checks the aim/beam pattern of a headlight it does not check for the headlights being legal.
HTH
Brendan
Ebay, I guess you pays your money, My main moan is the poor dipped beam. I have fitted 150% exnon bulbs, the main beam is good but dipped not. I was going to fit lights above the wind screen but told that would be illegal if used on the road. It was starting to look like a bit of a mine field. Decent reputable LEDs seems the way to go. THANKS
The regs are pretty clear on this unless they have been changed.
https://www.landyzone.co.uk/land-rover/headlight-problems.322607/#post-4113107
https://www.landyzone.co.uk/land-rover/headlight-problems.322607/#post-4113107
If your dipped beam is poor and you have new bulbs in you have other issues, swapping out the lamps won't fix it.
Litch
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As someone who has had Noldon's fitted for a few years now (bought when they cost real money) I would say that you can get a lot of performance out of standard lighting before going to the expense of LED replacement headlamps and there is absolutely no need to go fitting aux lights for use with Lo-beam.
This has been covered soooooo many times that a quick search will cover all the options but essentially they are:-
Are the headlamps in good condition? If they reflector is corroded and / or the inside of the glass discoloured then nothing will make a worthwhile difference.
Is the wiring in good condition and allowing full voltage to reach the lamps? Corroded conductors & terminals will be loosing you valuable power so the best solution is to go for a loom upgrade (DIY or off the shelf) which will ensure you have good quality / correctly sized conductors, good connections and as a bonus will have bypassed the switch (via relay) which can only be a good thing. *Edit. (Just seen that yours is 2011 so poor conductor condition should not be an issue).
Finally bulbs. Good quality standard power bulbs (I love Osram Nightbreakers) make a difference while remaining perfectly legal.
This has been covered soooooo many times that a quick search will cover all the options but essentially they are:-
Are the headlamps in good condition? If they reflector is corroded and / or the inside of the glass discoloured then nothing will make a worthwhile difference.
Is the wiring in good condition and allowing full voltage to reach the lamps? Corroded conductors & terminals will be loosing you valuable power so the best solution is to go for a loom upgrade (DIY or off the shelf) which will ensure you have good quality / correctly sized conductors, good connections and as a bonus will have bypassed the switch (via relay) which can only be a good thing. *Edit. (Just seen that yours is 2011 so poor conductor condition should not be an issue).
Finally bulbs. Good quality standard power bulbs (I love Osram Nightbreakers) make a difference while remaining perfectly legal.
I use standard lighting in mine, my electrical system is in very good order, a few niggles to sort but nothing major, my lights are far brighter and much more friendly than my family taxi xenons, I find anything with white/ blue headlamps, hid, led, xenon to be pants in comparison, the color of the light these things emit seems washed out, may as well be driving by moon light.
New to this forum and fair play I should have looked back through previous postings. I have gone through the wiring and chopped / replaced anything accessible that was looking a bit tired. Perhaps I am just expecting too much However whilst this is nothing to do with the dipped beam one of the front side lights is not a bright as the other (just a bit) so perhaps a more detailed look at the wiring, relays, fuses, and that bulb is a better place to start. I'll post how I get on
I would start with battery terminals, then the earth from battery to chassis, engine to chassis earth then live to starter, main harness to starter, clean all the terminals on these and you have a decent base to begin with. Also make sure your battery is in good order. Then go through each individual components live feed ,earth and fuse , clean any switches with contact cleaner then go for the bulb holders, and dont forget bulbs wear out just as any mechanical item will, new ones dont cost the earth and you would be surprised what difference this will all make. I know its a bit of a faff and usually better left until the summer in preparation for the winter ahead, also make sure the alternator is putting out decent voltage.
It is 2011 and very low mileage regularly serviced and looks like new BUT BUT BUT it has had quite a hard life probably in a quarry so dust which sets like concrete is an issue. So starting at the beginning I have just just fitted 2 new batteries with new terminals and cable and a monitoring system and supplimentary fuse box. NOT cheap and some readers will be realing with the question WHY. Well I had to start somewhere and life is to short to keep going round in circles. Where I have replaced wiring I have used silicon covered SO please all reader keep the advice coming it why I joined this forum. I'll take responsibility for sorting good advice
