The Surprising Truth About BRIGHTER HEADLIGHTS Nobody Tells You

[@eddchina]

Thanks for all of the great comments about car lighting. Really interesting! We have a Christmas treat for you on the 27th of December! John buys the cheapest Ferrari in Europe (perhaps the World)!! Wishing you all a great Christmas break! Merry Christmas! Feliz Navidad! Mele Kalikimaka!...

[@BigBudzGaming]

Can’t wait. That will be worth watching

[@dB_944]

@@eddchina everybody and his brother is finding the cheapest Ferrari in the world. Not fair! 😂🧐

[@G58]

Looking forward to watching this Edd because: My low mileage 1999 SAAB 93SE Auto Cabriolet (with full service history) has what appear to be two flickering candles for headlights, and an original 25 year old windscreen that just scatters the exponentially brighter headlights of oncoming cars into a blinding frosty glare that makes it impossible for me to see the road, and therefore dangerous to drive on dark roads at night! My consolations include the knowledge that it cost less than £1,000, and to buy an equivalent car today would cost around £50,000! Peace 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

[@Chappomusic]

@@G58 turn off the flickering candles hazard switch and turn on switch the headlights .

[@G58]

Nice one. Very useful research. Remember to keep it to yourself if you do nod some random feral game on a dark and windy. It’s really only ‘legal’ to find game hit by someone else. Sill rules 👀🙄 Peace 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

[@cybersheep]

all the vehicles that dazzle me are typically less than five years old, so the dazzling issue doesn't come from people with older cars fitting illegal LED bulbs, rather from the somehow legal factory fitted units in modern vehicles

[@benholroyd5221]

How can you tell? All I can see is two orbs searing my retinas. When I drove in Spain in the summer, I didn't have any issues, so I don't think its purely a new car thing. The problem with new cars is the automatic beam dipping that doesn't

[@G-ra-ha-m]

The problem is often the blue light, you can buy yellow slip overs for glasses, or yellow sunglasses to alleviate this.

[@CheapBastard1988]

Yes the ones from company car spec Peugeots are the worst. I'm so glad my car has auto dimming side mirrors.

[@LeitoAE]

Agree. There is nothing more blinding me on the road that new cars with fancy, new factory LED lights.

[@blow0me]

Often the so called dazzling is from incorrect bulbs etc. New cars aligned correctly are not really a problem unless you look into the lights. But nobody would be silly enough to do that

[@kingbertie]

Now that all 'modern' vehicles seem to come as standard with brighter lights, including the 'daytime' driving lights, it begs the question as to why the designers have been allowed to position the front indicators so close to them, especially the ones that are in the same 'main' unit, as it can make it very difficult to actually see the indicator in use. Depending on the position of the indicators the driving and 'daytime' lights can sometimes easily overwhelm them to the point that they can hardly be seen.

Wasn't that a particular issue on the newer Qashquis? At least the likes of VW and Audi got onto that early on and would dim the DRLs significantly the side using the indicator.

[@simsnqta]

It's a lot cheaper and seems like no regulatory organisation cares about it.

[@slashnburndotcodotuk]

How many vehicles do you see driving around at night with no lights on, because the running lights are so bright they don`t even notice...?

[@MrPhillipgraham]

Completely agree with you! I was behind the new vauxhall astra the other day and I could only just make out it's indicator flashing! It was tiny, I reckon only about 2 inch by 1 inch and right up against the brake lights!

[@MrPhillipgraham]

Actually regarding the front lights a lot of new cars dim the drl and dipped beam for this reason but yes some are still very hard to make out.

[@KingBarnaDuke]

Blinding headlights and invisible indicators. And if you drive a normal car (not a "tall" car) , you're basically blinded driving at night.

[@malcolmabram2957]

I am struggling. Live in Norfolk. A lot of country lane driving. EVs are worst. Even dazzling tailgates. Hate winter now. For some reason the industry seem to think brightness is correlated with safety (B..l--cks). I can see perfectly well at night until....

[@jasonhipkiss1379]

And add the useless LED street lights and it's chaos!

[@quadders9198]

Totally agree and what I don't understand is when I first got my licence back in 1995 the police would pull you over if you used your full beams in urban areas, now nothing done about these LED beams!!!????

[@kungfutroosers]

I’m an optometrist and driving at night/modern headlights are a major complaint. Whiter light found in led lights and certain other bulbs contains more blue (shorter) wavelength light which has more energy and will cause more light scatter or glare. This can happen even in someone with no vision problems otherwise. The trend to higher vehicles certainly doesn’t help either. It just feels that normal dipped lights just aren’t dipped correctly and are really noticeable when someone is behind you and there’s massive glare from your side mirrors. I’m amazed that there isn’t tighter legislation around vehicle lighting to be honest. If all roads had reflective studs even halogen bulbs would be fine.

[@HowardLeVert]

I think it's been mentioned elsewhere in the replies that many "white" LEDs are in fact blue LEDs to which a phosphor has been applied to create white light at a particular colour temperature. A friend in the broadcast industry has shown me spectrographic displays from a light meter that clearly shows a spike in the blue region of a white LED studio light.

[@kungfutroosers]

@ Any type of light source or combination of sources/filters that produce a higher kelvin or ‘whiter’ light will be perceived as bluer by the human eye. Higher kelvin light sources (eg 6000k) are inherently more blue as the power density of light at that colour temperature is higher in the blue end of the spectrum. Likewise at around 5000k the highest power density is in the yellow area of the spectrum. 4000k more red. It’s more than just the colour temperature though as pupil dilation and possible myopic shifts in dark conditions influence glare problems. I’m not sure if there is a specific reason they use blue LED’s as the source then filter it unless it’s just the easiest (and cheapest) way to get the light output they want.

[@ethanlamoureux5306]

@@kungfutroosers The reason blue LEDs are used is because blue light is capable of efficiently activating the broad spectrum yellow phosphors used to produce the rest of the spectrum. LEDs are inherently monochromatic: choose your color, that’s all you get. The only other way you can get white light is by combining multiple LEDs such as red, green and blue. But then besides being less efficient, you don’t get a broad spectrum of light, you only get three narrow bands, and the result is a poor quality light which you can see from most multi-color electronic signs while they are displaying white light. Now you can get a more yellow tinted light by using different phosphors with a more orange tint, and a lot of street lighting is going to that, but the higher color temperature LEDs are more efficient than the lower color temperature, so they get used whenever efficiency is desired.

[@m1mbz]

​@@kungfutroosersblue is used as the short wavelength is required to excite the phosphors in the LED. If they used a green or red source LED it would not work.

[@JustSomeVideos0]

Thankfully my optometrist recommends special snake oil coatings to my lenses which make glare disappear ;) They also recommend special coatings for computer use. I've tried explaining that I'm a technophobic solar-powered person that can only go out during the day and has allergic reactions to technology but they're pretty insistent. :D

[@oojimmyflip]

Bang on Edd, I'm glad someone is addressing this, some fail the Mot test because they lack definition. I've noticed the extra glare since my midd 40s and nearly 60 now. Headlamps have been getting to bright the ring 200% brighter old style halogen bulbs are sufficient and have come a very long way but Leds are positively dangerous if you are blinded by them, why do manufacturers not align headlamps on new cars they drive around for 3 years before the first Mot with lamps out of alignment.

[@mps6dave]

The only time they are correctly aligned is when they leave the factory

[@Travis_22]

Am I getting old or are oncoming headlights at night brighter?

[@mediocreman2]

It's not just you. They are legitimately getting brighter and now they are on trucks and taller vehicles that they weren't on before. So they are even more blinding because of the height. Combine that with LEDs that have a high concentration of light for a small amount of surface area, and your eyes don't stand a chance.

[@martynbarrow2745]

Getting brighter

[@speedyreidy575]

There needs to be regulation on led headlights, I've had spots burnt into my retina for minutes after an oncoming car has past.

[@BigBadLoneWolf]

They are a lot brighter, and unnecessarily so. they ruin the night vison of oncoming drivers, which is a potential safety hazzard. There are also a lot of headlights aimed too high. when they light up the head lining of the car in front, they are blinding when you look in your mirrors

[@PixelVogue]

Yep, all them LED ones, Mercs are the worst as they all have that crap blue tinge to them!

[@AndrewPoole01]

Here’s the dangerous thing about very bright headlights. The contrast ratio between the dark area outside of the headlights is perceptually darker with much brighter lit areas. These areas are much more defined with new lamps as well. With the brighter lights our iris closed down and the contrast ratio means especially in poorly lit or unlit road areas means if an animal child or object is in the unlit zone you will not see it until it moves into the lit zone and depending on your beam spread and contrast ratio and speed you are actually much more likely to hit that object. Seems counter intuitive but that’s how it works. Lights now are actually really badly designed. Bright is not necessarily best depending on bream design spread and distance.

[@lewlewis6511]

Exactly, you need a bit of light scatter (if thats the right term). The trouble with all these super bright bulbs is that whatever remains of a persons night vision is destroyed in the light wars. Interestingly i was issued with a new Scania truck in April, it has LED headlights which are the best lights i've ever experienced, even illuminate the offside kerb which is a first and they don't have those awful sharp cut off beam you describe, yet they don't dazzle oncoming drivers because i've yet to have a warning flash.

[@JamesSmith-kr9zw]

I could be wrong but I'm sure I could see better with the Halogen headlight lights on my old Astra G, than I can with the LED headlights on my Leon. Which backs up what you are saying. The LED's are brighter, but the light doesn't seem to travel as far.

[@akceller8]

This was perfectly demonstrated when Ed did the side by side comparison of the headlights. The new one on the righthand side had a very sharp edge with virtually no scatter. The older lefthand light, although dimmer, lit up beyond the beam pattern slightly, enough to illuminate a reflective surface.

[@TABRO284]

Exactly Andrew, well said.

[@khalidacosta7133]

Correct, what you also need to add in, is that people prefer headlights which are relatively small... leaving little to no space for optics. This causes more glare in unlit areas, causing dazzle. Adding to that point, due to the optics, what you'll find, the first 30 meters or so are blindingly bright (contrast ratio) to reduce glare and bring it into compliance. Problem is, you don't actually NEED to see 30 meters ahead of you. You need to see 100+ meters ahead of you, on a fast road, by the time you see it in the blinding bright lights, you've already hit it. SUV's just make this problem worse.

[@gtm_1131]

At the moment I own three old VWs from the late 80s till late 90s. All with glass headlight lenses and regular H4 halogen bulbs. Compared to previous cars with plastic lenses which tend to get foggy, the glass lenses make a massive difference in the clarity of the light. I feel like the halogen light itself is perfectly adequate for any situation, combined with good clear lenses. Main beam is plenty of light when there's no other traffic. Dipped beam is much nicer for the oncoming traffic. Less harsh light with a lower brightness. Also the colour is much nicer to the eyes. With white LED light I feel like I can't see beyond the dipped beam. The contrast between the bright white light and the darkness beyond becomes to large. With the more natural coloured light of the halogen bulbs, I can still kinda see beyond the light, look more into the distance.

[@konradc12]

Great description! This is the issue you replicate with cameras - exposure set for the brighter or darker parts of the image. Basically the contrast is too strong. You have set a happy medium where your eyes high dynamic range works better.

[@tinyrodent2821]

I strongly disagree. I drove modern cars since passing my test and my last car was a 2019 megane rs280, the LED headlights had a fenominal throw distance and i made sure to always have them pointed down so as to not blind others. In july i bought a 2005 Porsche 987, and even with perfectly clear lenses, the halogens are dangerously crap, other cars don't even see me coming around corners anymore, and on the motorway I have no hope on a prayer to be able to react to an object when travelling at 70mph. I want to convert them to LEDs but legally can't

[@beautgrainger147]

I've found some older cars have excellent headlights and the rest don't.. E36 headlights were great, E38 are decent when clean.. MK4 golf, ok, same for Passat. Old Merc, terrible. Volvo with factory xenon was only very slightly better than the E36.

[@Gazer75]

I miss the old days with H4 bulbs. Most cars these days use H7 or similar which means the low beam is always on. Terrible for dark driving as there is to much light just in front of the car. The you have those idiots that turn on the fog lights as well and think it will help them see better driving at highway speeds. A light designed to work maybe 5-10m in front of the car.

[@DC3Refom]

​while your blinding otherdrs ​@@tinyrodent2821

[@Sausage1958]

I loathe driving at night now.

[@breseler]

I drove many thousands of miles at night previously and used to enjoy driving at that time - not had to of late, as I'm now retired. Recently drove to Bakewell for a family gathering and it involved a drive home to Cambridge in the dark. The satnav took me 'cross country' to the M1 just south of Chesterfield and it was a nightmare drive in my MX-5 RF. Everything coming towards me seemed to have blindingly bright lights and even worse every other car was an SUV or pickup or 4x4 who seemed determined to put me into a ditch or wall. The experience has now resulted in thinking twice now about using the MX-5 for driving at night - either take my other car (a Volvo estate) or fit a LED lightbar to the Mazda!!!! ☀☀☀☀☀

[@EazyDuz18]

@@breseler Just fit LED bulbs to it

[@breseler]

@@EazyDuz18 It has LED headlights as standard - it's just worse because my eye line is only about 3 feet off the ground!!!😎

[@EazyDuz18]

@@breseler Yea sadly there's literally nothing you can do about that. Yellow tinted lenses can help but all they do is reduce the total light input to the retina so you ultimately have worse overall night vision by wearing them, but they do reduce dazzle.

[@Jeff.55649]

Karen stop

[@brianoconnor3171]

Here in the states the big auto manufacturers are using some of the brightest LED headlamps right from the factory floor. If you're in a small car And one of the monstrous trucks or SUVs goes by, or worse pulls up behind. You are liable to go blind, it's like staring into the sun.

[@RunsOnRust]

Wrong.

[@elesjuan]

The bigger problem is all the old junkers people "upgrade" with a garbage Chinese led or hid bulb in their stock reflector housings. Those housings aren't designed for those types of bulbs.

[@UmmYeahOk]

It’s not just small cars. It’s ANY car. If you’re in a full sized family sedan… …a modern one, since those are much larger than vintage… …those trucks and SUVs BLIND you. It horrible at drive in restaurants, drive up pick ups, and at stop lights. If you’re not blinded by the guy in front of you, your blinded by the guy behind, and have to mask your side mirrors at stop lights, and if you managed not to order at the restaurant or alert them if your parking space at drive up locations, you have to move your car to another spot… …which is sometimes difficult since your vision is still suffering from that initial burn.

[@peterbaruxis2511]

Avert your mirrors. It's not difficult to aim them back at the driver behind you.

[@JxH]

10:02 *Thank you for using the word 'plethora', it means a lot to me.*

"Tell me, do I have a _plethora_ ?"

[@habsom1406]

😂😂😂😂

[@cronocide]

Jefe what is a plethora?

[@z00h]

@@cronocide it comes from Spanish "plet hora". Plet means "a lot", hora means "a prostitute".

[@petesmitt]

El Guapo : Would you say I have a plethora of pinatas? Three Amigos.

[@ganz7ful]

I'm glad someone has made a video about this. 12 years ago I got stopped by the police - rightly so as was just on fogs as both of my bulbs had blown. After the preliminaries were sorted I could not help but ask the question: You know the cars these days have light bulbs that are blinding - I am sure that they must be using 100 Watt bulbs which are illegal. The copper's best reply was: well, the manufacturers put in what they want and so it is difficult for us to regulate".. Of course this was over 10 years ago but today this problem has become a pandemic and downright dangerous for other road users.

[@TSVStriFe]

Edd and Crew I want to wish you amazing people merry christmas and a happy new year!

[@eddchina]

Thanks very much, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you too. We do have a treat for you on the 27th - the cheapest Ferrari in Europe!

[@chrissmith2114]

I fitted some LED bulbs to my Honda Civic 7 years ago ( dipped beam only ) and for the first 3 years they passed the MOT beam pattern no problem.. Then blanket ban on retrofit LED bulbs was brought in in UK, so they just get taken out for MOT and incandescent bulbs fitted. I paid £80 for the pair pf bulbs fitted with Philips Luxeon LED chips that are same size and exact same position in the reflector as a filament and the beam pattern is actually tighter than with filament bulbs fitted and a lot of the extra light actually goes onto nearside for illuminating verge / kerb / road signs and pedestrians. The good news is that those bulbs are still working ---- I would have burned through at least 4 sets of high output filament bulbs in the time the LED have been working as they rarely last 2 years

[@IanKnowles-oe6dg]

Some interesting comments regarding headlight brightness. I think the government should introduce standardised brightness of headlights and standardised size and position of indicators, not that many people use them these days. Cars such as Tesla, modern VW/Audi models have such small indicators that they cannot be seen in bright sunlight, also many are too close to other lights that they are hard to distinguish.

[@paul8161]

@Edd China , great to see you on here doing a great job of explaining automotive issues really well, the catch 22 issue with modern headlights is modern technology produces highlight bulbs that are too bright they effectively create blindspots as two vehicles drive at each other in different directions they are that bright they are creating a blind spot, that and dazzling you, i notice that led lights even on dip beams dazzle, look at older lights and they don't dazzle as much and they aren't as harsh on the eye, alot of people night driving now are dazzled when vehicles approach them they have to constantly brake because they are getting dazzled , another point is to actually see where you are going now you need to upgrade to led because older lights can't compete with led, so a catch 22 situation. Go figure.

[@jasoneldridge4738]

You can change the wiring on T5 headlamps with H4 bulbs to H7 operation ,where the dipped beam remains on when main beam is selected as they do on Caravells. It involves adding an extra wire from a spare terminal on the light switch to the dipped beam wire after the dip/main switch

[@mcjjordan]

Find them coming up to steering column

[@Torchedini]

​@@mcjjordanyou have to add wire to the lamp because h4 wiring isn't designed to carry that much current. It'll work but you could be overloading the circuit

[@scottishscrutineer]

You can code the headlights so that the dipped beam light remains on with main beam. Carista, OBDEleven or VCDS can be used to do this. It’s the standard setup for Caravelles and Shuttle T5.

[@mcjjordan]

@@scottishscrutineer how?

[@georgeliquor2931]

One of the most dangerous things on the road, super bright white headlights, totally obscure the road to the point one has to stop as the road ahead is not visible, totally unnecessary

[@jwvandegronden]

Finally, that ending was what I had gotten used to, great camera work and the music timed to perfection on the accompanying vid! I was about to ask, without alienating the current camera man if that is still the same guy or girl as previously you had some gorgeous angles giving us the fly on the wall feeling under the most impossible circumstances. This ending reminds me of that, including the track to go with it, lovely and a great treat for my soul who jumps for joy as soon as artistry comes into play! Thanks to you all! Enjoyed it to bits and just as an FYI I truly don't mind the tea time bits you guys used to have, but I follow your decisions in that process and hope you are enjoying it just the same, indifferent of how it is shared with the outside world!

[@trickyfocus]

Its worse when the car parks on the wrong side with headlights on and half on pavement

[@Zeem4]

Twice in the last 10 years or so I've cautiously approached a car parked like that, due to being blinded by it, then had to suddenly swerve around someone dressed all in black standing in the middle of the road talking to the driver of the offending car. They were completely invisible until I passed the car's headlights. These people are all morons.

[@user-hf7jp2lt5x]

Which is illegal in the UK for this very reason, although no one seems to know.

[@ThePsiclone]

irony is I saw a police car do this the other night outside the railway station. I'd already cursed "turn your f'ing lights off you c**t!" to myself before, to my surprise, seeing it was the police. Should know better, I bet they'd know better if I did it...

[@tinyrodent2821]

​@user-hf7jp2lt5x pavement parking isnt illegal other than in London and very few other councils. There is no UK wide law which bans pavement parking, because for most of us its a requirement to not block the narrow roads. Although it's a grey area as it is illegal to drive on the pavement, which clearly happened, but you have to be caught in the act.

[@user-hf7jp2lt5x]

@@tinyrodent2821 It's the use of headlights while facing against the flow of traffic that is illegal. Not pavement parking.

[@willdatsun]

not only are modern LEDs more intense but there is no warm up time, so when a car coming towards you flashes you , like you just pulled in to let them past, instant full power lasering your eyeballs, on a halogen bulb you get a few milliseconds to blink, or at least for your eye to adjust. I now have to pre-empt this by squinting before they flash. not always possible. I Much prefer the light colour of halogens too. I swear there are portions of the colour spectrum missing on the LEDs.

[@Colorado-Tinkering]

With some spare time, I geeked out about the subject several years ago. To my surprise, I found out that the lamps’ reflector is specifically designed for a certain type of lightbulb. And I don’t mean just LED or incandescent, etc. It seems that the position of the light source (filament or other), either on the x,y, or z axis, the distance from the light emitter, and other inputs, dictate the designed shape of the reflector. So, if a lamp’s reflector was specifically designed for a horizontally mounted incandescent filament at 20 mm away, using a xenon bulb in the same lamp may reflect the light into completely unintended directions. The resulting lighting may be great for the driver, but of great nuisance to oncoming traffic. I believe I read that this sort of modification is illegal in at least some United States states.

[@GTAristeu]

There is a large industry that researches, develops and produces quality LEDs that create a spotlight with a perfect cutting line.

[@GTAristeu]

@ with halogen lamps can do it...😂

[@tollerdogz]

@@GTAristeu But those LEDs are expensive and many drivers opt for cheaper chinese ones.

[@GTAristeu]

@ i use chineses and are perfect. K5c

[@FailedExpert6330]

This is why the original brand and type of light should only be fitted but don't try to tell any one or you will only get into a fight.

[@johnhintermaier7651]

Edd, I used to drive a 1956 VW Microbus Panel truck. The headlights were so faint that I hoped that any car following me would illuminate the road ahead. Fast fwd to the era of ultra bright LED headlamps which when mounted on modern pick-up trucks blind those of us driving modern sedans. The NHSTB needs to address this risk as I see even more candlepower emerging in the newest models of SUVs and Trucks.

[@GusTheMonkey]

Thanks for covering this topic. It really doesn't get enough attention. In the U.S. it's common to lift trucks and they never adjust the lights after the lift and the lights are always way brighter, especially if they have fog lamps, they will shine directly into your face. I wear sunglasses while driving at night now, that's how much of a problem bright headlights are, even on new vehicles.

[@paulchandler5004]

One thing to remember Ed is if replacing standard headlight units with newer units, unless you have side indicator repeaters, you may fail an MOT if the indicators are not visible from the side. This why I haven't changed the units on my VW T4 van The T4 indicators which are seperate from the headlight have a little tab on the edge which is 'visible' from the side and rear, to alert a car passing either side. I did upgrade the wiring harness as the original factory harness is a known issue for poor lights. Bulb upgrades as per your suggestion are the way to go as a cheaper option than buying new stylish units.

[@garyyule1949]

I'm sick of getting blinded at night with these bright lights approaching you it's almost like they are driving around with their main beam on all the time they should be banned it's not like we needed them before.

[@asdreww]

The worse are the adaptive 'matrix' style lights that are supposed to detect a car coming the other way and block out the portion of the beam facing that car only...They don't seem to work on dual carriageways (sensor blocked by the barrier or something?) so you will notice yourself getting full beam blinded by Audi's etc quite regularly now.

[@miff227]

An easier argument is, we all can tell where cars are and how far away they are from thier 5w red tail-lights, so where there are street lamps or where a car is following others, the headlights only really need to show other drivers where the car is, it's not really lighting the road much. I always drive with my angle adjusters pointed down where there are streetlamps. Not sure if newer cars have done away with this control (as they require auto-levelling by law I think)

[@oojimmyflip]

Need to go back to proper yellow street lights and halogen bulbs in cars.

[@G-ra-ha-m]

@@oojimmyflip Yellow filters can slip over glasses, to achieve the same effect.

[@Jon-Truscott]

I've 'intelligent' leds on my Mazda. They're quite stressful to drive with as I'm flashed virtual every journey I make in the dark. Like a lot of modern car systems (eg lane departure systems) they're a good idea in theory but, in reality they're not practical, especially on the twisty rural roads I mostly drive on. I don't mean to blind other drivers. I'd no idea just how bright the lights were until after buying the car (test driven in daylight). btw I often go 'manual' on twisty roads or dual carriageway with a central barrier.

[@randomcustomer2806]

Nice one, Edd. Lights on cars are now so expensive to repair; BMW wanted £1900 for a whole new headlamp unit because it was leaking and the ECU sits in a position where it can get a nice bath and fry easily. Needles to say, my ex-BMW mechanic was able to dismantle and reseal the unit and replace the ECU for only £700 (half of that cost being the ECU direct and only available from BMW of course. He does this a lot, he had a fairly new 4 series in with the same issue. The real bugbear for me with modern car lights is the huge arrays of brake LEDs, sometimes it's like following Las Vegas.

[@jaffajedi4911]

If councils used cats eye's and painted the sides of the roads it would help, but they seem to get rid of them when any resurfacing takes place on A roads

Cat's eyes. One of the best, clearest road marking systems ever devised! The modern equivalents, even the actively lit ones are rubbish in comparison.

[@philgee7249]

They did paint the edges of a road they resurfaced around here about a year back. Good idea.

[@ddnsconsulting]

Excellent point. Here in Dorset, many roads have had the cats eye removed. Given zero street lighting (I know no bad thing if you are into stargazing), things can get very dangerous😮.

[@CrusaderSports250]

Our road just had a white line down the middle, lost for five years after resurfacing, it was then put back only to be lost again two weeks later when they resurfaced again, since then it has never returned. Cats eyes would have been great but the white line was fine, if only we could have it back, after they resurface that is.

[@_Area-51]

Exactly, the roads around where I stay are basically all black, no lines, lights or cats eyes, combine that with the LED retina burners and it's a real danger

[@dubber36ish]

Edd, you need to code the lights so that dipped stays on with main beam. It's programmed in the BCM as the Caravelle has separated dipped and main beam chambers in the headlights, so just needs activating. You still have yours coded for the H4s which cant have both filaments in the same bulb lit at the same time.

[@MostBever]

The already legal LED lights on modern cars are so bright anyway and blinding.

[@eddchina]

True, that does seem to be a problem that needs o be dealt with by legislation asap.

[@chucky2316]

​@eddchina suv cars are right in youre line of eye sight

[@jewllake]

@@eddchina The Teslas are the worst here in the United States.

[@dobromirbakal1542]

​@@eddchina I'm afraid nobody will be bothered to do that

[@AndyfromSurrey]

@@jewllakeand in UK, I swear Tesla lights are worst ones for light scatter

[@ScratchyBaws]

Even with my drivers seat jacked up to the highest and an anti glare coating on my specs i'm still blinded by these annoying Range Rovers that sit so high up on our British roads, even when they come up behind you in traffic it's like a Search Rescue team pointing huge bright torches in through the rear window. I've always dreamt of fitting to huge headlamps on the rear of my car and switching them on to blind the Range Rover driver behind me as to say 'See how you like it mate'. Used to love driving, now i rarely ever take the car out.

[@eddchina]

I’m sorry to hear that, perhaps just a mirror under a retractable rear spoiler (like my bullet proof tea tray on my Top Gear James Bond car on a budget (from a long time ago))? Or join them rather than trying to beat them by finding yourself your own Range Rover? Then again, perhaps not with either! Good luck!

[@be5952]

*Video topic actually starts at ~**10:05**.* Not that this will help anyone, since apparently hoardes of people comment on Mr. China's videos and my tip will be buried somewhere about a thousand comments down the list😕.

[@julianlord2697]

I drive much older cars and the first thing I check is the voltage at the bulb. Relays are often needed to be added due to old switchgear and dodgy grounds. Increasing lumens by 50% is achievable. Then the refelctor needs to be in good condition. If 7” round I buy Hella H4 housings. Finally a good quality brand halogen bulb. If you up the power check the connector can take the heat. 50 years ago we could drive fine at night. All I do is make sure it works as well as 50 years ago. Auxilary driving lights with a long distance focus can be useful. I have bought cars with HID bulbs fitted and they are a menace, whilst the cut off may be correct as soon as you hit a bump the beam shoots up into the oncoming vehicles

[@system11yt]

Honestly the older lights were in many cases better, the new ones are very small and VERY BRIGHT in most cases (some I'm amazed are even legal - Audi and Mercedes) causing extreme difficulty for many drivers whether the car is in front or behind. My rear view mirror has been left in the dipped position permanently as a result, and the light throw of the LED units is simply too specific to the point where my 2014 Fiat 500 with plain bulbs had in my opinion better headlamps than my 2018 XJR with the fancy matrix LED ones. The older units are also more maintainable in that you actually can replace bulbs instead of having to pay hundreds (even thousands) for a replacement of a mass of electronics that ends up in landfill, and with insurance cases that can write off the entire car.

[@gwengo4167]

Thankyou Edd, really interesting video. I think car manufacturers need to have tighter testing for all these new car LED headlights. The LEDs seem to be 100 times brighter than standard incandescent bulbs which is great for the driver, just not everyone else on the road.

[@Xxxxxx.5303]

Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to all of you! 🎄🎅🎉

[@sta6o86]

I watched you many years on Discovery and never thought i will write you :) So i see the tape and the 1% measure, but on the road test this seems to blind cars (could be the road idk). Just the projection type headlights cut light too harsh. And this van is tall, not like normal car. On every bump they shoot concentrated bursts of light. I have old car with reflectors and led bulbs. I moved them manually lower than 0 position to the point i never had someone check me with high beams ... And i still can see better than with the halogen standard bulbs. And 150% halogen Nightbraker's burn twice as fast so no thanks. I wish here in Bulgaria the laws were much strict. Last year i saw one Golf 2 with almost blue leds 180 degrees in all directions :)

[@TheThepeter56]

Hi Edd, it was nice to meet you at the bosch training centre, a pitty about the fire alarm going off and having to stand in the rain while they sorted it

[@eddchina]

Great to meet you too. It was a bit damp that day! Hope you enjoyed the two episodes we filmed at Bosch in Denham?

[@volvofreak86]

This was a very good and informal video, i myself had a 2008 Volco XC70 with the halogen lighting system so they didn't light up well, i tried some aftermarket CE branded bulbs but they weren't good so i converted to Xenon bulbs and the difference was insane, it was illegal ofc so it wouldn't pass an MoT so i just changed before i went for the inspection, The adjustment motors didn't work either and they were set as low as they could get, and there aren't any after market headlights either, I also changed out the marker lights to LED's and it looked nice and were bright enough

[@scotisland]

LED madness, its not just the headlights its brake lights as well. Most drivers seem to sit in a que with their foot on the brakes, blinding the driver behind. Even the LED traffic lights are too bright!

That annoys me too! I always stick the handbrake on personally. It's worth noting that some modern cars have an auto hold function in traffic and will illuminate the brake lights automatically though!

[@tok1964]

Mines illuminate when I stop, it’s quite annoying as yes it does blind someone behind you

[@lewlewis6511]

Quite agree, and yes some traffic lights are actually dangerous especially when in a truck because the light is right in your sight line.

[@tollerdogz]

My Volvo V90 has an auto parking brake for traffic stops and when this is on the brake lights don't illuminate even if I press the pedal.

[@johntouw3153]

I believe new legislation in the highway code tells you to not keep your foot on the brake but drivers with automatic's are lazy! And just to stay alive I've fitted a third light flashing module that cant be ignored.

[@sarcastixx74]

After picking up a facelift C7 RS6 in march I was against using the auto high beam function built in to the newer matrix LED setup it has as I was concerned about blinding oncoming traffic in pitch dark areas. A few weeks ago in thick fog I tried it for the first time and was so surprised to see how good it was, I could actually see it instantly responding to built up areas and oncoming headlights and it didn't take long for me to take my hand away from hovering over the stalk to deactivate it. Apparently these automatically adjust the high beam to "wrap around" other light sources by adjusting the matrix strip dynamically which stops them blinding other traffic. I'm still very wary about using it though I've still yet to receive a warning flash from any oncoming traffic about them being too bright. It does seem that other manufacturers are fitting LED/laser style lights as standard now and some of them are still far too bright for my liking. Need to ask my wife to drive at me in the opposite direction to see if mine are as good as they appear to be though and if not I'll only ever be using them in heavy rain/fog.

[@jamesdecross1035]

Well, I didn't know some bulbs are not E-marked. It explains a lot!

[@eddchina]

Es are good!

[@13thdukeofwybourne69]

@@eddchina I see what you did there ;)

[@philtowle4683]

​@@eddchinaHe's Ebenezer good

@@eddchina naughty naughty haha

[@EngineEarring]

@@eddchinaThat’s what Brian Harvey of East 17 fame said…. And look what happened to him! 🤣

[@stevesmith7530]

Not just illegal bulbs, but pretty sure construction and use regs require all lighting (including lenses and reflectors) to be type approved as appropriate for the age of the vehicle. Pretty sure projector type lamps also require self-levelling and/or cleaning system when of a Xenon/HID type. Of course your insurer needs to be notified too :) The higher brightness small bulbs could be intended for use in DRLs, which are brighter than sidelights, and should cut/dim when lights are turned on

[@modermonkula]

Ive have LED low beams for over 4 years, passes every mot. They have a single led in the same position as the old filament, adjusted correctly they don't blind anyone.

[@davidhepp1903]

We're enjoying a more regular "fix" of Edd's wizardry these daze. Thank you, sir! The last time I spent any time dealing with automotive lighting, it involved trying to adapt halogen lights to my 1972 Datsun 510. Now, you're fiddling with the color temp. of the bulbs you choose😁¡Felíz Navidad, Eduardo!

[@PatRyan-c7z]

I have serious sensitivity to light and I had to stop driving at night because of the new style of headlight and aftermarket stuff here in the US. The blue light absolutely blinds me.

[@ry491]

Same here in the UK . They are far too bright and scatter the light in all directions . I hate driving at night now. The situation needs to change . It is so very dangerous .

[@PatRyan-c7z]

@ry491 It really is dangerous at times. Catch glare from the wrong angle and the yellow lines disappear.

[@oldschoolman1444]

A lot of LEDs being used here in the states are for off-road use and say so on the package. I hate when people do that! 😡

[@PatRyan-c7z]

@oldschoolman1444 That is absolutely correct.

[@peterbaruxis2511]

@@oldschoolman1444 I'm trying to develop a device that responds to those bulbs by aiming the light back to where it comes from & focuses it to the point where the heat makes the bulb explode.

[@alejandrogaut]

Thank you Edd for that _brilliant_ video!!! I have a brazilian Toyota Etios and it has very poor headlight, so I would like to change the original lamps (incandecent H4) to led equivalent, but without disturb another drivers, work in progress....

[@TheSaabClinicUK]

Historically i have always used Osram Nightbreaker Laser bulbs. Technically the brightest legal Halogens. But they do only typically last 12 months. And, something to be VERY aware off. They run much hotter and after a good few years will eventually destroy the reflectors. Then you need to get them re-silvered which costs nearly £200.

[@968Mr]

Three good reasons not to use them...!

[@mbak7801]

The 1970s 7in headlight bulbs had the light and integral reflectors. Not amasingly bright but at just over £2.00 for the entire thing quite affordable.

[@Klojum]

I'm about to fit a set of Osram Nightbreaker 'Smart' LED bulbs on my car (which are on the Osram's "Legal Okay" list for my car in my country), so I'm eager to find out how they'll perform. I've been spoiled a bit over the years by using xenon lamps in the past, so keeping the simple halogen light bulbs on my today's car is not an option.

[@JPEight]

I’ve had candles brighter than 1970’s headlights… to call ‘not amazingly bright’ an understatement, would be itself, a massive understatement.

[@TassieLorenzo]

@@968Mr Yep! The Nightbreakers are OK bulbs, but the difference in life to long-life Osram bulbs as originally fitted by most car manufacturers at the factory (Nightbreakers 150 hours, Long-Life 1500 hours -- a factor of 10 difference) is just crazy. 1500 hours works out to about 60,000 miles for most people, while 150 hours is only 6,000 miles. To be fair, Philips up front about this and the difference in life between standard (400 horus), long-life (1500 hours) and various other options (150-400 hours) is written on the package. Surprisingly long-life bulbs are not really *that* dim, else everyone would complain about their factory halogen bulbs (though some do). There's a big contrast to factory HIDs, factory LED, and factor laser headlights that are sometimes very, very bright though.

[@IchwurdeHierzugenotigt]

I changed the H4 light bulbs on my T5 to road legal LEDs made by osram. the light is really great. here in germany every year many garages and automobile clubs offer free light checks. i always recommend such light checks, because over the year the headlights might change their adjustments because of vibrations. and those illegal light bulbs with more power than regular ones might also damage the coating of the reflector because they are emitting more heat, that melts or burns the coating away.

[@ShorrockPeter]

Edd China great mechanic never forgot ❤

[@michaeljohnson1006]

Do you have to fit the self dipping sensors connected to the suspension and servos when you convert to led like the manufacturers have to?

[@Stevo59-f4s]

Ed, unsure if you are aware, but white LED bulbs are generally blue ones with a yellow filter applied. If you understand light colouration, this will make sense. Equally so, incandescent lighting tends to be yellow coloured ( excluding Halogen of course), therefore the blue tinge applied to the bulb will result in a light colour ( temperature) that is closer to white light.

[@Njazmo]

It's not a filter, it's a phosphor layer to convert monochromatic light from a blue or UV LED to broad-spectrum white light. You can also produce white light with RGB LED.

[@AR1G3]

Hey Waldo nice video! Just for the record, in general lug bolts are a dry fit and you should never use anti seize or grease or whatever on them. Unless the Merc manual specifically calls for it. If you do the torque specs for tightening aren't valid anymore. I found this info a couple years back on Febi Bilstein's site, they manufacture lug bolts amongst others.

[@eddchina]

That’s a great top tip, we should do a piece about that sometime.

[@AR1G3]

@@eddchina Oops I see my comment was posted under the wrong video, this was meant for the previous video in my queue at that time. But anyway, glad to have provided a useful insight! :) Maybe do a collaboration with a manufacturer? Or some diy lab tests to see what the different clamping forces are with the same torque spec with anti-seize vs without? Would love to see that!

[@davidfincham5181]

I agree with the comments but what makes it worse is the amount of drivers using their fog lights as well as their headlights. Iam sure some drivers think the little blue light on the dashboard is for telling them the lights are on. They don’t know it’s for high beam

[@user-co8by5sl4c]

The fog lights enable you to see the verge/kerb …it’s all you can see when blinded by oncoming LEDs

[@davidfincham5181]

@ using fog lights in good weather is illegal. If you get flashed then take hint and switch them off

[@DC-wt2vi]

I'm fed up with oncoming vehicles lit up like Blackpool Towers of overbright lights. Then there's ones that do dip when they see me, but flash their bleddy high beams to 'thank' me for me getting forced to stop by _them_ on rural roads! Needs police transport compliance/speeding/mobile phone user/no seatbelt units to add sensors that detect overbright lights and start warning and prosecuting.

[@CrusaderSports250]

​@@DC-wt2vithe same with all the flashing orange lights you see today, a rotating beacon used to be enough and we all knew what it meant, today it's an orange Blackpool nightmare, to the point if the truck has a wide load you can't see it despite it having marker boards.

[@Fang4G63T]

Real fog lights have a set beam, that is just very wide but short in height, barely having any light going higher than your knees. Like the big round fog lights in my PFP, they aren't blinding anyone because its beam is just wide and short

[@WagnerGimenes]

Excellent tutorial there, Edd. Thanks for that. Lights are so important, specially this time of the year.

[@thegreycat2260]

Most people don't care that these bulbs are illegal, and they don't care about having better lighting either, they just think it looks "cool"...

[@13thdukeofwybourne69]

Ed makes a good point with these retro fits being illegal, but it's not the main cause. It's the NEW cars with "legal" LED headlights, fitted by the carmakers themselves, that's the main problem with driving at night in the UK right now.

[@_Area-51]

We were all young once I suppose 😅

[@Olliinn]

ban lifted truck drivers

[@andrewhaines3259]

Unfortunately Ed, there are lots of vehicles that have modifications that would fail an MOT or are illegal, but either the testing stations don't give a crap, or are dodgy themselves, and the police don't seem to do anything about it either!

[@bigbadtree]

The things my local test station who I have known for over 30 years have found are bulbs not fitted correctly, including being upside down, no retaining clip ect. The other main one is a huge number of new cars of various makes failing their first mot's on headlight adjustment, suggesting somehow they have not being set up correctly at the factory

[@zippypilot]

Great vid Edd, you do well making these for understanding what's legal and what's needed to do this work at home.

[@eddchina]

Thanks. Glad you enjoyed it. We have a treat for you on the 27th - cheapest Ferrari in Europe!

[@zippypilot]

@@eddchina I will definitely be watching that!

[@sterlingodeaghaidh5086]

So I don't know about the U.K but in the U.S a lot of aftermarket headlamps are not DOT approved, which can pose issues. However the biggest issue is just people buying bulbs for housings that are not designed for them. The amount of people I know who put LED or even Xenon bulbs in halogen housings is ludacrus. For those who aren't aware, LED replacement bulbs do NOT fit the requirements for a halogen housing. LED housings have a specific design and lenses for the requirements of LEDs and often don't even use the drop-in replacement bulbs sold online. This is because Halogen housings are designed to amplify and focus a beam with a central and bright source, where as a LED is uniform as they use multiple diodes to match the light output needed for headlights. Do your research, you can easily find DOT numbers and the U.S DOT has a site to check if a specific car part is approved. I assume the U.K has similar measures for this reason.

[@JamesMcCreadie71]

Those are epic!! My motorcycle lights are pathetic! Clearly we're not supposed to ride at night. I'll need to get spots but first I need to get crash bars to mount them. It's a mission to get proper lights on a motorcycle, older ones anyway. Newer bikes are pretty well sorted out but not all of us can afford new bikes or want one.

[@eddchina]

That is an interesting problem, I guess classic bikes might have a pretty standard bowl but 80's bikes must be a bit of a nightmare. Time for a bit of custom work perhaps? Maybe look at a modern bike with a 'classic look' you could rob parts from?...

[@battlebbot]

Try an LED bulb. Get a name-brand one, and there won't be any problem with the beam pattern.

[@destructionnl8165]

I have put a Philips WhiteVision Ultra bulb in my 2001 Yamaha XJ900S. It's not perfect but it has improved a lot from the original. What i did do and would recommend is to point the bike at a door or a wall or something (like Edd did in the video using his garage door) and mark te beam height with tape, because after i had changed the bulb for the WhiteVision ultra bulb i had to adjust it slightly downwards. (and yes i checked but the WhiteVision set is legal for road use here in the Netherlands).

[@eekee6034]

I recall a rider in the 90s saying his 125cc actually slowed down when he turned the headlight on. The engine was that weak, and it was lower-wattage than car headlights. He had a bicycle light taped to the front as it was better! lol These days, LEDs would definitely be the way to go on a bike like that.

[@PolioHamchild]

There's definitely a fine line there. A toss up between having adequate light to see and being hideously blinded by oncoming traffic. I started off driving 70s cars and wishing i could see anything ( remember spot lights?), now i can see just fine and oncoming motorists can see the back of my skull😬

[@todddowney45]

I HAVE BEEN COMPLAINING ABOUT THIS FOR YEARS ' DRIVING AT NIGHT NOW IS VERY HARD BECAUSE OF THE BRIGHT HEADLIGHTS IN CARS NOW ARE VERY BLINDING AND DANGEROUS . YOU COULD DRIVE OFF THE ROAD OR HEAD ON INTO AN ONCOMING CAR WITH BRIGHT LIGHTS . BEWARE IF YOU HAVE REAL BRIGHT LIGHTS ' YOU ARE IN THE MOST DANGER OF GETTING RUN INTO CAUSE YOU ARE THE ONE BLINDING THE CAR COMING TOWARDS YOU . WISE UP .

[@TheFlow2006]

I´m from germany so i`m not 100% sure if it is true for the uk but our TÜV is very strict here when it comes and you won´t pass with that led bulbs, only if you use legal ones and there are more and more old cars that are approved and there are as far as i know only 2 manufacturers that have them approved that are Philips and Osram and the first one has H4 for the VW T5 as soon as they did come out i got them for mine and the diffence is mindblowing considering it has still the original headlights in it which look still perfectly fine, i use the T5 as a Camper/hauling van so it is not my daily my other car is an ioniq 5 and i was a little shoked at how good the LED lamps in the T5 working compared to the "newer" LED-headlights from a modern car, either the ioniq5 has very bad light but from my viewpoint the ledlight of the T5 is now at least equal if not better than that of the ioniq5 which really had me question why i paid the extra 1k for the "better" headlight in the ioniq... So anyone out there with a T5 and headlights which are still in good condition i really can advice to get the legal LED replacement bulbs mine are from Philips of course you should check if they fit for right hand drive too but i would guess since the build the leds to make light like a h4 would do.

[@eddchina]

OEM spec is always the way forward, particularly with headlights. Big fan of Philips, their quartz bulb glass is so much better than cheap imitations. I’ll try them out in the new T5 units and make special note of any change in beam pattern! Thanks for watching.

[@drvansteiner967]

I retrofitted some Philips LEDs into my Seat Mii and they failed the MOT due to the beam pattern? The exact model is apparently TUV-approved in Germany.

[@andylaauk]

The worse lights are factory lights on new cars, especially EV's.

[@eddchina]

I think modern car lights are all much brighter but one would hope they are still legal, maybe we just need to re-look at the regulations?

seems to be a selling point of having insanely bright lights.

[@mp51998]

Just found this channel. I loved Ed on Wheeler dealers. I’ll be binge watching this weekend.

[@fliplmb]

Why is John dressing like Baldrick? 1:49 😂

[@eddchina]

It's all part of his cunning plan!!

[@fliplmb]

You’ll be getting a turnip for Christmas!

"So if I have FOUR beans how many do I have?" "Three" "What?" "And that one..."

[@sarahlivingstone8367]

Back in 1998 (ish), I bought a Yamaha FJ1200 and the lights were appalling. Went into the local motorcycle dealer and bought a 130/90 bulb, thoroughly illegal, but slightly better. Also added a pair of 55w spots to help! Did you get venison, or badger 😁

[@eddchina]

Blinding (probably in a good way)!

[@simonnicholls3650]

That last check driving down the road looks like your dipped beam will be dazzling oncoming traffic. Apart from that, excellent content.

[@MrAdopado]

Agreed. Ultimately it doesn't matter how carefully you have followed the technical procedure if the lights don't strike the road in the right place! I have always been prepared to vary the lights settings according to real-life requirements and have never had an MOT failure on light settings.

[@hairymarmite6419]

just what I wanted to say. Dipped are too high, maybe not if you are in a tall vehicle but certainly for a normal saloon, on the receiving end. BLINDING. I've heard that in Japan if your lights are dazzling others the police make you sit in front and look into them for ten minutes.

[@RodLittle]

Nice informative video - should there be 'E'? marking on the replacement light unit lens, for the replacement units to be legal and pass a UK MOT?

[@eddchina]

Yes, not having an E-mark should be an MoT failure!

[@Barry101er]

It the wild west out here in California; prepper-pickups with full racks of lights, add some tail-gaiting, and the Yaris and I are missing WFH

[@lisab3396]

Well I was certainly impressed with that video on Headlights. Amazed and love the bright clarity of those bulbs. However, in my opinion @ 24:08, those low beams are still WAY too high and would definitely blind someone coming your way. On that country road most likely putting them into the hedgerow or ditch. 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬

[@perkulant4629]

All car LED bulbs need to be warm white. It’s much less vicious on the eye.

[@HamburgerAmy]

never in my life have i been in the city and thought "wow i need these headlights to be 400% brighter to overpower all these streetlights already lighting up the road for me"

[@eddchina]

I guess that is the joy of city street lighting, perhaps their should be a city/country mode for headlights. Bound to make them more complicated and expensive though!

[@HamburgerAmy]

@@eddchina yeah, i think they figured that out sometime in the 1940's and called it "high or low beam"

[@GTAristeu]

Because not every place in the world has efficient and sufficient public lighting to avoid the need for a good LED kit for the car's headlights.

[@RaenYrtham]

Actually, in my area, street lights that were fitted with LEDs to save on electricity, are weaker than the old regular bulbs. Way harder to see at night, even if you're just walking.

[@jackbelk8527]

I have 18 miles of remote dirt road to get to the first stop sign and 38 miles to the first street light. I just put in LEDs and love them.

[@davetdowell]

On my bikes I level the light beam at 25' to be the same hight as the vertical hight from the ground to the centre of the light (obviously different bikes mount the light higher or lower depending on design). It means I can measure the height (ground to centre of light, vertically), use masking tape to mark that on a wall, then distance the bike so the front of the light is 25' from the wall, directly face on to it. Then I can turn the adjuster screw to set the horizontal beam to the tape on the wall. Seems to work well for adjusting the beam. I guess the same series of measurements would work for car lights.

[@encodersofia]

Actually, brighter bulbs don't dazzle in a projector lens, but the headlight must be clean. That's why cars with factory fitted xenon have washer jets. In this particular retrofit the heat from the incadescent H7 bulb may burn the reflector after few years. There are LEDs from Philips and Osram with the same lumen output as incadescent H7, but around 17-20W instead of 55W. Thus the heat is much lower and the projector lens' reflector will be protected

[@eddchina]

Philips are my go to but not always available in local stores (when you haven't planned a job properly). OEM spec is always the answer and we did do a piece on Wheeler Dealers some time ago where we went through the differences. Quartz glass and super accurate hot spot being the main ones.

[@casemodder89]

they also dazzle in projector headlights. exept you drive on airport surface exclusively. 99.9% people DON'T. and fuvkin potholes add salt to the injury. same for railway crossings and simply hills. led and xenon is f-ing garbage. nobody needed them 10 years ago and nobody needs them now. the brighter the spill in the nearfield is the tighter the iris draws the hole in your eyes. the result is: you can see LESS in the distance ! because the eyes adjusted for bright lights - not for darkness. hence more servere accidents over dazzeled drivers landing in the ditch or wrapping semselfs around trees in corners nobody could see.

[@davidriley9194]

@@casemodder89that’s only because the headlamps are not adjusted properly. That’s why they dazzle with projectors if they’re aiming too high

[@casemodder89]

@@davidriley9194 how do you adjust for potholes, hills, railway crossings ? 🤦‍♂️

[@Steve-GM0HUU]

After reading all the comments, about modern headlights being too bright, remembered this article in The Times 2/4/24, "Official figures shared by the RAC show that since 2013, an average of 280 collisions occur on Britain’s roads every year in which headlight dazzle was a contributory factor. Of these, six a year involve someone being killed." Personally, for sometime, I have been concerned that modern vehicle light design and LED streetlight design in the UK, presents a number of hazards which have increased the risk of accidents and injury.

[@SuperVitz]

The bulbs being E marked is important , but did you check that those headlight units are also road legal? Some of those aftermarket style ones say "for off road use only".

[@philtowle4683]

They are e marked but can you believe it's pukka on something that probably came out of China.

[@FunTravel-jm9ss]

The most important things are the condition and quality of both the reflector and the lense. My car and bikes have great lighting using oe headlights and bulbs. I’ve used rubbing compound on a car with faded / oxidised polycarbonate lenses that helped a lot but the reflector was average, also tried upgrading with led bulbs, the best result was from new oe headlights

[@Shady-Shane]

how many candles? four perhaps.

[@eddchina]

nice!

[@_Area-51]

No, fork 'andles! 'Andles for forks

[@mageprometheus]

Interesting. In the early 80s, the tungsten bulbs on our motorbikes were less than useless. Luckily, you could get 100/120-watt bulbs from the BMW rally shop 😀 With the addition of a power diode you could use the high beam without cutting the low beam which gave 210 Watts. The new reflector to take the heat cost more than the bulbs but it was a lifesaver. The alternator also needed swapping out on a few bikes to handle the extra power. Illegal but no one I knew got done for it. (We also had air horns, better than a tiny beep). Those were the days, no potholes or speed cameras.

[@destructionnl8165]

Thanks for this Edd! One thing though, i see you're using your garage door to check the beam hight. What i do when i change light units is to use some tape to mark the beam the old lights put up against the door. After changing the units i can simply set the beam to what it was originally using the tape marks. No room for mistakes and no need for someone behind the wheel and a minimum amount of fuel in the tank etc. Also no need to figure out of there's any indication on the headlight unit itself.

[@eddchina]

Thanks. Great tip, as long as your current lights are set up properly, with working height servos, or even if they are attached correctly with all the bracketry!! Not sure I would have got away with that on the old T5!!!

[@destructionnl8165]

@wanderer397 It gives you a benchmark. Best thing to do is obviously to drive to an MOT station after changing the units and ask them to check the lights.

[@michele8039]

There are a few road legal E-marked LED conversion bulbs for sale on the continent, though they do have to be approved on a per-vehicle basis as they need to match the E-code that's stamped onto the headlights. Not sure how that would work in the UK...

[@MikeB_UK]

I never understood why LED bulbs for sale in the UK not required to say in big letters on the packet "If your car did not have LED bulbs as standard then it is an MOT fail and illegal to fit them." It would educate so many people and save many road users from being blinded at night. Good on you Edd for having a shout out on this one.

[@user-h4d2i]

Is that an accurate statement though? I believe some LEDs are designed to be a drop in replacement while staying within specs of the old bulbs. Some LED also giving certificates that state as much, when installed in xyz model headlight, which can be homologated. Not sure if that's once per headlight/led combination, or each individual vehicle

[@trickyfocus]

My neighbour got them off Temu and was bragging how he changed all the bulbs to LED's for £2

[@KeithJewell]

LEDs really can't have the same filament shape for a general drop in. You could certify a retrofit for a specific vehicle but I would expect that to be very uncommon.

[@FunTravel-jm9ss]

I’ve noticed the same thing here in Australia, as more and more people upgrade to LED, forever feeling blinded by oncoming cars

[@AnarchyEngineer]

It's probably worth clarifying (as I've read conflicting statements elsewhere) - that only applies if you try and bodge an LED/HID bulb into a housing it was never designed for. If it's a "complete replacement headlamp unit" (taken from the updated 2023 MOT guidelines) which was purposefully designed for LED/HID bulbs then they're tested as such and you won't fail unless it's for another reason (i.e misalignment, colour mis-match). I had to look into this for a classic car as the bulbs are like double-A torches strapped to the front. I couldn't (legally) bodge in LED bulbs into the halogen housing but I can replace the headlamp unit for a period-looking but more modern LED powered set just fine.

[@КоляСкляров-ш1е]

Ed, your videos are great as always, it's nice to watch

[@stevesmith1764]

I hate the headlights in new cars way too bright

[@eddchina]

They are definitely a problem.

[@PorscheSpeedster-kz6nc]

A great summary of light options and how to replace and install. Thanks Edd!

[@ro63rto]

Funny you've done a rant on illegal lighting when many moons ago you installed an illegal HID conversion kit into a halogen headlight 😂

[@eddchina]

To be fair, at the time the HID conversion on the Lexus wasn't illegal but then the law was changed, caused a right old kerfuffle at Discovery towers!

[@_Area-51]

At least HID isn't as bad as LED

[@kylekaye9147]

There not nearly as bad as factory fitted LEDs though

[@jeffreylines1535]

I wish they would bring safety inspections (US version of MOT) back in the US. I also wish our law enforcement would do more to enforce what should be considered courtesy and safety issues. People here use high beams even with oncoming traffic and add supplemental lighting such as off road lights as well making it even harder to safely see the road ahead or if they are crossing the centerline which also seems to be more common than you would think

[@mjc0961]

Video starts at 5:00

[@antonmealy168]

An old fashioned complant is the fittment of higher output/power lamps melting supply wires, connectors & even housings due to their high power consumption (needing relays) & heat. Thankfully LED significantly reduces these problems, though introduces new ones with light source positioning & dispersion with reflectors not designed for them. Small LED lamps including their own tiny projector lenses for low-beam cut-off seem particularly interesting for older reflectors, though do look a little odd with such a small light-source in a large housing. Larger Complete LED projector units also look interesting but may be VERY difficult to fit in older Japanese projector lamp housings which did not use Bosch style standardised mountings.

[@eddiehawkins7049]

Apart from dazzling other drivers, I've also seen it claimed that an incorrect beam pattern, due to the use of incorrect bulbs, can (in some circumstances) create such a pool of light in front of the vehicle, that the driver's pupils constrict and lead to poorer distance vision. Whatever, I'm sticking to legal ones.

[@HowardLeVert]

As far as I know, it's illegal to retrofit LEDs into a headlamp that wasn't designed for them on a post-1987? car and can lead to an MoT failure. Yet you try telling the "I want to see and be seen" brigade that, who seem to have an aversion to using their main beam ('brights' for US readers) when there's no lighting around.

[@kylekaye9147]

What about factory fitted LEDs then? Because they are far worse

[@dB_944]

Besides this latest trend to drive with our brights on in my area of the US, these new LEDs are overwhelming to oncoming drivers. I think it’s the higher output combined with the extra glare of the higher temperature light? I absolutely can’t see the road in front of me from these new cars. It’s worse than when the xenon/HIDs came out 25 years ago.

[@brettrogers8482]

Dear Ed, Interesting discussion, thanks for this. You do not seem to read a great deal online about the impact headlight colour temperature, as well as power, has on other road users. One issue I have with LED light installations is how white the output is. Personally I've always preferred decently large light units with quartz halogen bulbs. The slightly yellow output would seem closer to what the human eye is accustomed to seeing in nature. Trust this finds you well and sending my best wishes to you and yours for 2025. Cheers, Brett

[@brettrogers8482]

"Edd", I should say...sorry, Edd!

[@ssnerd583]

I recently replaced the headlight housings in my 2015 Tacoma.....the old ones were not only badly yellowed but they were 'crazed' as well and one of the internal reflector was...somehow...bent and the lighting was TERRIBLE. I bought quality factory replacement housings and put some inexpensive, standard 6k color, LED bulbs in them and they are AWESOME at night. I'm 62yo and better lights are getting more and more necessary. I dont get 'flashed' for using them in the LOW beam because I aimed them properly after installation......they only needed a slight adjustment on one side which was nice

[@HGSuper]

Mate get the lads a couple of IR heater panels.

[@eddchina]

We have a union spec brazier coming form Workers Against Abuse dot Com but I might get round to fitting some insulation and heating one day! We had a few Milwaukee battery heated jackets but Paul may have snaffled them!!

[@richardhunt1384]

22:54 Also possible have to take into account that your suspension isn't shot and the van is sitting at the correct height so that when you are setting up the pattern you aren't setting them too low in the first place. A broken spring could make a huge difference potentially.

[@mickbawn6815]

Head lights nowadays are getting out of hand ! Bring back the yellow head lights Europe used back in the day !

[@Jon-Truscott]

Yes, they are and I've got them on my car (adaptive leds)! I'd rather have more modest lights, and not be flashed so often, but the car came out the factory that way :-(

[@plumcrazyswede]

That was France. Not Europe. And the yellow light is really bad while driving in dark Scandinavian damp November weather. I'd rather have "illegal" LED bulbs and see where I'm going

[@daveyxm]

Good and interesting item on bulbs. I've often wondered how car lights are specified now. "Back in the day" you had 5W incandescent side light bulbs front and rear and 21W brake and indicators so you knew where you were. Modern cars with LED lights must be rated less in Watts, a 5W LED would be blindingly bright, so how are they specified as legal? Must be luminous intensity I guess?

[@jimhaines8370]

It's not hate for BEV's it hate for government mandate's like people making laws that couldn't identify a spark plug

[@davefitzpatrick4841]

As an EV owner I partially agree, to me the market will decide, in another couple of years EVs will be cheaper to buy new than their Ice counterparts as battery prices continue to fall. Once you then take into consideration running costs and maintenance on EVs only a fool would want an Ice car. As for the environment, although I have an EV I'm not convinced driving one will have any effect on global warming which is a natural phenomena, are we speeding things up ? I'm still to be convinced. But what is irifutable is emissions from vehicles harms health, we know in urban areas ( you can physically see the emissions this time of year) respiratory issues, heart disease and cancers are linked to emissions, so should we morally be choosing cleaner vehicles?

[@MrAdopado]

Nobody is mandating having to drive an EV so you're OK. I suppose it's just like the government requiring us to shift to using lead free fuel or to have a minimum amount of tread on tyres.

[@jimhaines8370]

@ you are correct no mandate just make fuel mileage and emission target so high that no EV equals missed target so it is a mandate by proxy which is common knowledge but all the people that tell you there cars are zero emissions are completely liars any way it is just exporting emissions to where they don’t live but the power is made at the coal or gas fired power plant which is normal for righteous people to do.