I thought LED headlights were good for 10+ years?

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Patman

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Back in October 2014 one of the HID lights on my Honda burned out. The previous owner had installed this kit, so I went to a local shop that specializes in imports and they ended up talking me into yanking out that entire system and going with a new LED kit. At the time they told me that the bulbs would last at least 10 years. Imagine how angry I was tonight when I noticed one of the bulbs has already burned out!! That's insane, I paid $400 for the kit and installation!!

Was I naive in believing their claim of more than 10 years for these bulbs?
 
I don't think there was any warranty on them (at least not beyond a year or two anyhow) and the bulb is so incredibly difficult to get at on the Civic that I can't change it myself (or take it out to see the brand name)
 
The LED may last, but it's likely more dependent upon the power electronics.

I wouldn't count on 10 years. The good news is there's no reason to pay $400, you can get correct base led bulbs from Amazon for like $40-100.
 
Definitely check for warranty info. Could be a defect, or a problem with the installation.

Technically the LED chips and driver circuitry could last for 10,000+ hours, but automotive service is very harsh on electronics and I would be skeptical of such long advertised life.

BEWARE the cheapo Amazon bulbs! Specs can be grossly inflated and reliability can be hit or miss. They are usually glare monsters that send more light into oncoming drivers faces than on the road where it's useful to you. Here's a video comparing a bunch of different brands for beam pattern and output.
 
Won't waste my money of aftermarket LED kits....most end up being junk anyway-regardless of price.

Watched many fail for the tuner crowd....
frown.gif
 
The only LED lights I want on my vehicle are OEM LED lights. I've dealt with after-market automotive LEDs in a recent career, and they were nothing but headaches. Low energy yes, but man are they installation and maintenance headaches. So net savings were not there. My 2 cents.
 
The actual LED is unlikely to fail - their behavior is that they get dimmer and dimmer with age. The lifetime of these is generally defined by when they get to 70% of their original brightness, which can be for a very long time in lab conditions.

When a complete lamp will fail is a whole 'nother matter. As JHRZ2 noted it's much more likely that the electronics behind it will fail. This is what happens when a lamp dies after a short amount of time. The distinction is irrelevant to the end user but useful for the advertiser.
 
Years is a hard thing to rate because it's not 24/7 operation. Many designs cannot stay cool enough and bright enough both, without a fan, and that fan alone is unlikely to last 10 years in an outdoor environment.

Once the fan fails or otherwise it's operated in a hot environment, particularly at lower speeds so less airflow from movement, LED dies can overheat and rapidly degrade to a point of failure. This isn't a lab, this is a real world poor design shoehorned into the space it had no business being in.

You're best off running the headlights the manufacturer meant to be in the vehicle. If you can't see at night with standard halogen, probably either need the haze cleaned off the lenses or are suffering from poor vision and shouldn't drive at night.
 
Originally Posted By: Dave9


You're best off running the headlights the manufacturer meant to be in the vehicle. If you can't see at night with standard halogen, probably either need the haze cleaned off the lenses or are suffering from poor vision and shouldn't drive at night.


My problem was that the car already had an aftermarket HID kit in it when I bought it, so I'm not sure that going back to the original lights was even possible, I thought that the shop mentioned my only option was HID or LED at that point. Even if I can go back to original, it's still going to be costly as there will be a lot of labor involved. Changing the bulbs involves removing the front bumper! No matter how you slice it, this repair is not going to be a DIY operation, nor is it going to be cheap
frown.gif
 
Originally Posted By: Mr Nice
I wouldn't have bought the car unless it was 100% stock.




It's too late for that now.

Besides, the car has been amazing and was a great deal. Having HIDs on it was not even close to being a deal breaker for me. It was a bonus at the time if anything.
 
Unfortunately, you just have to learn how to DIY unless you want to pay somebody everytime you need to change the headlight bulb. All bulbs will fail eventually.
 
Apparently you CAN get to the bulbs without the bumper coming off. First thing I would check in there would be loose or corroded wires or connections. There may be a silly/simple reason for your failed headlight after all. Even if not, you can now access the system for future repair or replacement without having to take it to a shop. One issue I have with this video is he did not emphasize to avoid touching the glass of a halogen bulb, but LED will care less about this.
 
After getting over the iritation, I have found that bumpers are a lot easier to remove than you'd think. I've spent more time replacing bulbs while intentionally attempting with the bumper on, than to just give in and take it off. An electric screwdriver / drill with the 8mm or 10mm socket and a philips bit makes this happen quickly. Don't fear it.

NONE of this aftermarket stuff is highly credible, though I've been fortunate enough to have some long-lasting parts from The Retrofit Source. They are about the only outfit I'd buy from.

Unless the LED/HID kit in your civic is projector-based, I'd quickly replace the housings with stock housings and halogen bulbs. It will be more reliable, less blinding to others, and in all likelihood will put better light on the road with less aggravation than what you have now.

-m
 
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