Unusual Headlight LEDs ?
 

I am considering LEDs for headlights on my 75’s and have become aware of a fan assisted type – as may be seen on the EBay site below

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/153713188...0AAOSw5G9dwp7a

The compatibility check says

This item fits 1 version(s) of the Rover 75 2002 Diesel Saloon 2.0 CDT FWD

and rest of the spec for these seems ok . In fairness to the seller , their photos seem to be the only ones showing you how to fit the bulbs but I have at least one query related to reinstating the cover for the lights unit as a whole . Will the base , bulb fan section:–

• get in the way of the cover
• overheat when the cover is on

Could , of course , not refit the rubber lights unit cover but then damp gets in ?
R75 headlights are actively ‘monitored’ so I am looking for a ‘Canbus ready’ variety. Whilst this is not mentioned in the spec they are of COB design (should be extra reliable) and , presumably , have built in resistors ie I take it they are Canbus ready.

Any observations / experience of these anyone?

Also welcome detail / refs to specific alternatives people have fitted and pleased with eg EBay site or other.

All the best and thanks. :}

Being a 2002 your car will be a MK1. What kind of headlights do you have? If you have reflectors then you can only fit standard halogen bulbs or you will blind everyone on the road. If you have projectors, and if it were my car, I would fit a decent HID kit and make sure the headlights are properly aligned. And then if some xenons came up cheap I would swap them out :}

Useful
 

Thanks for that Jamie and I'll do some checking up. Appreciate observations.

Think you will need a quick release set-up so that the LED rig can be removed for the next MOT as I understand that retro fitted LED headlights is an immediate 'fail'

Correctamundo:bowdown: Also, not as good as halogen or HiD's, which are also mot fail:o Had some in my main beams though, and those were good.:cool:

Not done much looking into these and won't be looking into them any further now with them being a MOT failure since January this year. However I have used this brand once before (Katur) and they were very good: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/392995951...Cclp%3A2334524

Tried some cheaper ones a couple years ago and they were absolutely useless.


Also when fitting them to dipped beams they should only be fitted to halogen projector dipped beam lamps. DO NOT fit them to halogen reflector style lamps as you will be blinding oncoming cars.

Fitting LED dipped beam or main beam bulbs to a halogen housing is now a MOT failure though. However, in practice if you've installed them to halogen projector units and have fitted the bulb access caps then there's no way the MOT tester can really check for sure if you have LED bulbs fitted and therefore can't fail. The MOT tester is not allowed to remove any caps or panels etc to check.

Same principle as decat's/dummy cats on diesels. The MOT tester can only do a visual check to ensure these items are fitted. If you've gutted your cat but the shell is still there then the MOT tester can't fail it.

If you'd like brighter better performing headlights I recommend going for factory xenons and ensure the lenses are clean/refurbished to get the best out of them.

Summary note pre hols
 

A big thanks for input to this thread – the knowledge and experience of contributors is much appreciated . Overall it seems the legal framework / MOT has me boxed in , unable to use LEDs on my Headlights but able to use them on Sidelights , Rear and Interior . I list below various aspects / things I have learnt / found in hope that may be of use to others. It’s all a bit of a mine field ! One particular thing that does annoy me is the large number of sellers on Amazon and EBay ( especially) that either do NOT issue advice/warnings about potential illegality of fitting what they sell or , even, declare their product as being ‘compatible’ with a rover 75 when it is illegal! Trading Standards issue here?
Anyway , here are some things that may be of interest to club members
1 - My car is a MK1 and has Reflector Headlights with Halogen bulbs– see very useful thread at
https://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/for...d.php?t=172172
2 - MOT
I read that:-
since January 2021, the MOT Inspection manual has been updated to include LED bulbs.
Section 4.1.4 now states the following:
“Existing halogen headlamp units should not be converted to be used with high intensity discharge (HID) or light emitting diode (LED) bulbs. If such a conversion has been done, you must fail the headlamp.”
This is a brand new update that seems to only focus on headlights.
There are no mentions to fail other LED bulbs such as brake lights, tail lights or reversing lights.
Ref https://www.autobulbsdirect.co.uk/bl...gal-in-the-uk/
3 – regarding HID’s , I also read on
https://www.gov.uk/government/public...-hid-headlamps

that :-
General legislative guidance on after-market HID Headlamps
In the Department for Transport’s view it is not legal to sell or use after-market HID lighting kits, for converting conventional Halogen headlamps to HID Xenon. If you want to convert your vehicle to Xenon HID you must purchase completely new Xenon HID headlamps.

Off now for a few days holiday - without LED Headlights !!!!
All the best