H7 LED Light Bulbs???

PatrickPresti

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 26, 2009
Location
West Islip
TDI
2002 VW Golf TDI
Hello,

Does anyone make H7 Led light bulbs? I'm getting tired of replacing the light bulbs which seems almost once a year.

Thanks,

Pat
 

tongsli

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jan 31, 2000
Location
Baltimore, MD
TDI
2000 Jetta TDI, 2004, Jetta Wagon TDI PD
I gave up on the H7 LED, COB. Haven't found anything that can match the Halogen H7 throw and performance in the OEM reflector. I don't think they will ever match it.

We'll all just need to buy new cars with LED headlights!
 

JB05

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Oct 20, 2005
Location
Il.USA
TDI
Golf,2005,anthracite blue
I tried the H7 LED's on my OEM head lights, but they were no where near as bright as the halogen's. Found them on e-bay, IIRC.
 

VeeDubTDI

Wanderluster, Traveler, TDIClub Enthusiast
Joined
Jul 2, 2000
Location
La Conner, WA
TDI
2018 Tesla Model 3: 217,000 miles
Retrofit LED projectors. They're only about $1800 each. The current LED retrofits flooding eBay are nothing more than a poor-performing money grab.

Time to start trolling junk yards for new Corollas (they have LED projectors that could be used for retrofit projects).
 
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CourierGuy

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 24, 2014
Location
Canada
TDI
2002 Golf(Summer) 2003 Golf(Winter)
You want these: http://store.candlepower.com/osraulhiouh7.html

And if you have DRLs, disable them.. if you're ok with that. Some are, some aren't. First thing I do with a newly acquired car. And just make sure you have a proper headlight beam alignment... there's nothing worse than crossing a driver with one pointing up a bit too high..
 

JB05

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Oct 20, 2005
Location
Il.USA
TDI
Golf,2005,anthracite blue
tongsli, can you elaborate? Do you still have them, and how do they mount?
 

tongsli

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jan 31, 2000
Location
Baltimore, MD
TDI
2000 Jetta TDI, 2004, Jetta Wagon TDI PD
tongsli, can you elaborate? Do you still have them, and how do they mount?
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=396634&highlight=H7+Led+light+bulb

bottom line:

They do not simulate what a Halogen bulb does in the reflector housing of our lights. The LED's are mounted too high or forward in the housing so the forward throw is not as good.

The H7 Halogens still throw a ton more light forward, a ton. They mount like a typical H7 with the spring clip on the back
 
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TDI_G

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 16, 2011
Location
Sugar Hill, Georgia
TDI
None Currently- 2008 BMW 335I
You want these: http://store.candlepower.com/osraulhiouh7.html

And if you have DRLs, disable them.. if you're ok with that. Some are, some aren't. First thing I do with a newly acquired car. And just make sure you have a proper headlight beam alignment... there's nothing worse than crossing a driver with one pointing up a bit too high..
This is exactly what I am running in mine with the DRL's disabled. I have had them over two years now where I was replacing them annually before. Light output is good too.
 

PeterV

TDIClub Enthusiast, HO5G Doyen & Zen Master
Joined
Aug 17, 2000
Location
So, NH.
TDI
2000 Jetta 5 sp.
Interesting that you are going through so many bulbe. Perhaps there is another problem.

Voltage too high, vibration bad connector...

Perhaps a quality bulb would be better.
 

SilverGhost

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 25, 2005
Location
Back in So Flo - St Lucie
TDI
'05 Golf - totaled :(, wife's '13 Beetle - buy back, TDIless
huh, I was thinking the same thing as PeterV. I still have the factory bulbs for my 10 year car. They have been in and out several times as I experimented with other options, but I still have them. I may even put them back in if I even get around to pulling the headlamps to replace the fog lamp bulbs.

I have been down the LED road - the LED "bulb" does not line up with the focal point of the halogen reflector. Looks cool at a car show or cruising, but doesn't throw much usable light down the road.

Jason
 

danny miller

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 20, 2014
Location
Austin
TDI
2003 Jetta 1.9 ALH
Hello,
Does anyone make H7 Led light bulbs? I'm getting tired of replacing the light bulbs which seems almost once a year.
Thanks,
Pat
Shouldn't be eating bulbs that frequently. Is your voltage regulator correct?

Yeah, as people note... this is a lot to ask from LED tech. A halogen is 1200 lumens on high beam. There's a lot of problems getting the projection to work- it's not just that you need the throw to match.

If you look close, headlight projectors don't ever let the filament itself be visible to oncoming traffic- it's blindingly bright. Instead the light is spread across a reflector so even if the beam hits you, you see like a 6"x4" glowing rectangle not a totally blinding point.

But the real bummer is LEDs don't like heat at all. They degrade a lot quicker in higher temp operation, the power levels for headlights are real high, and the whole retrofit under-the-hood situation is tough. The ambient temps can be high, and that can include afternoon sun in the summer in the south if you've got "daytime running lamp" mode.

There may also be legal problems with a retrofit. This isn't DOT-approved lighting and DOT-approved lighting is legally required. You might get pulled over if the officer thinks the spread is blinding people. If you get into an accident, there's a remote chance that you'll be considered liable for altering this safety gear and causing the accident somehow.

This guy seems to have found an impressive product:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ja_zDBehMk

But he could be a scammer. And even getting it to look impressive may not guarantee the installation's actually gonna get long-life due to high temp operation. Cree DOES make the best LED products, though, but people can just as easily make products that aren't well-engineered with Cree's quality dies too.
 
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SD26

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 7, 2010
Location
WI
TDI
1998 Jetta TDI 5sp, 2002 Jetta TDI 5sp

TDI_G

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 16, 2011
Location
Sugar Hill, Georgia
TDI
None Currently- 2008 BMW 335I
This is exactly what I am running in mine with the DRL's disabled. I have had them over two years now where I was replacing them annually before. Light output is good too.
I just looked up my invoice and actually bought mine 2.5 years ago. Coming home from work today I realized one burned out. Guess it is time to order another set.
 

smee907

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 4, 2014
Location
Alaska
TDI
09 Jetta Sedan
I'd go with some Depo projector housings and throw in some HIDs. It might not be a problem for you guys in warmer climates, but LED's can get snow buildup in colder climates.
 

CourierGuy

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 24, 2014
Location
Canada
TDI
2002 Golf(Summer) 2003 Golf(Winter)
A guy at work had issues with ice/sleet buildup on his Subaru with HIDs.

I've been noticing truckers switching to LEDs around here too... You'd think they'd avoid them for this reason....
 
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