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Are the LED headlight bulbs safe

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by Traindriver88, Sep 30, 2016.

  1. Traindriver88

    Traindriver88 Junior Member

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    Hello everyone I'm new to the forum just bought a 2010 today and would like to get a couple of things for it I saw on eBay where they have Samsung led replacement headlight bulbs and wanted to know if they are safe to use on the car also no ballast just plug and play thanks
     
  2. kenmce

    kenmce High Voltage Member

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    LEDs are very sensitive to variations in current. Over voltage can kill them quickly. Does it come with some kind of LED driver or protective circuitry? What kind of warranty do they have? Are there a lot of conditions in the warranty?

    The existing housing and reflector are tightly designed to the exact kind of bulb that came with the car. Would the new bulb emit light in the exact same spot as the filament of the old bulb? If not, you could get really bad lighting. Test the new bulbs the night you put them in. See if they put light down the road as well as the old ones. Also check if they throw light at oncoming drivers. If they do, you'll have to pull the new bulbs. The parking, running, and fog lights are easy to swap out because they don't need a precise beam shape.

    If there are other cars of your model year that came with LED lights you may be able to swap out your current headlight housings for the other type. By bringing in the entire housing with reflector and bulb you get a factory spec beam and excellent viewing.
     
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  3. Bluegrassman

    Bluegrassman Active Member

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    Don't the factory LEDs also have auto leveling? Wouldn't this be lacking in a retrofit even if you ordered the factory housings? I'm thinking I read somewhere on here about a leveling switch/sensor in the rear of the car?
    Following this because I'm interested in swapping mine to LEDs as well and I want to do it right.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
    #3 Bluegrassman, Oct 1, 2016
    Last edited: Oct 2, 2016
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  4. alekska

    alekska Active Member

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    Any modification of the headlight would be illegal in most states. For a reason. Improper modification, like replacing the incandescent bulb with aftermarket LED, will create improper beam distribution ( and brightness) and likely blind incoming drivers at night.

    Alex
     
  5. Traindriver88

    Traindriver88 Junior Member

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    Thanks guys for the responses I'm going to play it safe and stay with the original bulbs

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
  6. kenmce

    kenmce High Voltage Member

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    Yes

    Yes.

    Yes. I don't believe it is possible to install a leveling switch on a Prius that didn't come with one. You need to be very particular about getting them level.
     
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