LED Headlights on B6?

[3C4M Guy]

Has anyone with standard headlights on a B6 Passat upgraded to LED?
If yes, what product did you buy and how much work was involved?

[Hillbilly]

You would need to fit complete headlights to be legal and wont be cheap.. EG Tiguan ones from China can be $800 a side

[3C4M Guy]

Thanks Hillbilly. That kills that idea!

[Old Navman]

Could you not just swap your standard halogen globes for a pair of those?

H4 9003 2000W 1200000LM LED Headlight Globes kit Conversion Bulbs High Low Beam | eBay

[Hillbilly]

Could you not just swap your standard halogen globes for a pair of those?

H4 9003 2000W 1200000LM LED Headlight Globes kit Conversion Bulbs High Low Beam | eBay

Not legally you cant as the reflectors for LED are a lot different to whats fitted to the vehicle and they will flare like the sun , despite what the advertiser says

[Old Navman]

Not legally you cant as the reflectors for LED are a lot different to whats fitted to the vehicle and they will flare like the sun , despite what the advertiser says

That can only mean one thing - that I have been driving with my LED replacement bulbs illegally.

But perhaps it's not a clear cut as RACQ states: "Many (LED's) have mild blue colouring of the glass envelope, are marked as ADR compliant and are legal for road use." Besides many cars companies nowadays offer factory upgrades without the need for a projector/reflector replacement by fitting "ADR approved" globes.

[Hillbilly]

That can only mean one thing - that I have been driving with my LED replacement bulbs illegally.

But perhaps it's not a clear cut as RACQ states: "Many (LED's) have mild blue colouring of the glass envelope, are marked as ADR compliant and are legal for road use." Besides many cars companies nowadays offer factory upgrades without the need for a projector/reflector replacement by fitting "ADR approved" globes.

Quite probably you have been like a lot of others and the idiots who fit 6000K bulbs and think they look pretty when in actual fact they have a lower light output than 4500k-5000k bulbs

Yes they are ADR approved for use in the CORRECT HOUSINGS. Not stuffed in a set of Halogen housings and look like the sun coming towards you

Giving Your Old Car LED Headlights Usually Isn't Worth It

From RACQ



LED headlights
LED headlights

An increasing number of new vehicles are appearing with original equipment Light Emitting Diode (LED) headlights. These are acceptable under Australian Design Rule 46 and their claimed benefits include reduced power consumption that translates into fuel savings and emission reductions.
Aftermarket LED headlights
There are also aftermarket LED conversions available that use an LED bulb in the vehicle's original headlight assembly. We are not aware of these having been tested and certified as meeting the requirements of ADR46, and without this certification they are not acceptable for on-road use.
Compliance issues

LEDs change colour slightly as they warm up, and the ability of such conversions to focus and direct their light output correctly.
LED bulbs are constructed differently and give off light in a different way to conventional filament or gas discharge bulbs, so there is a concern that the headlight's output could be affected, causing glare to other road users.
LED headlights also require a self-levelling system as defined in ADR 13.

Advice received from Queensland's Department of Transport and Main Roads is that due to differences in headlight design, these conversions would need to be certified for the particular application, rather than just as a blanket approval for the LED bulb.

We understand that some Queensland drivers have already been fined for using these unapproved conversions.

[Old Navman]

Quite probably you have been like a lot of others and the idiots who fit 6000K bulbs and think they look pretty when in actual fact they have a lower light output than 4500k-5000k bulbs

Not the case at all - I've measured the output before I fitted them. The thing with LED's is a bit like the speed limits - do you ever ONLY drive at signposted speed? There are literally thousands of drivers who fitted those LED's to their cars and while that fact doesn't make it legal I have never seen anybody pulled over just for "illegal LED's". True, that some idiots fit 100-120W output LED's in place of low beam (50W) halogens and they are the ones that blind you (on low beam) at night. I agree - they should definitely be fined for doing so.

[Hillbilly]

Not the case at all - I've measured the output before I fitted them. The thing with LED's is a bit like the speed limits - do you ever ONLY drive at signposted speed? There are literally thousands of drivers who fitted those LED's to their cars and while that fact doesn't make it legal I have never seen anybody pulled over just for "illegal LED's". True, that some idiots fit 100-120W output LED's in place of low beam (50W) halogens and they are the ones that blind you (on low beam) at night. I agree - they should definitely be fined for doing so.

So in your mind if its only a "little bit illegal" its OK. Get caught for being the cause of another persons accident because of your flaring lights and you may have cause to rethink that.

Also by fitting illegal equipment your vehicle is technically unroadworthy, with associated possible insurance implications.

[Old Navman]

So in your mind if its only a "little bit illegal" its OK. Get caught for being the cause of another persons accident because of your flaring lights and you may have cause to rethink that.

Also by fitting illegal equipment your vehicle is technically unroadworthy, with associated possible insurance implications.

But when you're going 63km in 60km zone you're also breaking the law. I won't be convinced that you have never done that in your driving life.