Review of plug and play LED upgrades: low beam (LasFit H7 G2 Pro) and High Beam (LasFit VW-01)

[eugene89us]

I wanted to share my experience with LasFit H7 G2 Pro Series. I saw a video on YouTube about a year ago about LasFit G2 H7 low beam light bulb that fits plug and play for our NMS Passat. The same reviewer then also reviewed the prototype of V2 of the same bulb with improvements over V1. I contacted the company a year ago, asking when V2 will become available as I decided to wait for it instead of settling on V1 version that didn't have improvements the new version had. Finally, as of August 2020, they finally released production V2. The price of $99 is mighty steep, but for ease of installation and promise of improved lighting, I decided to try it.

Plug and Play H7 LED Bulb w/Retainer Adapter for VW Golf Passat GTI Tiguan Mercedes-Benz Metris Pro G2 | 2 Bulbs

LASFIT Pro Series G2 H7 LED bulb is exclusively designed for Volkswagen Passat B7, Golf, GTI MK7, Tiguan and Mercedes-Benz Metris, just for plug and play installation. Install within 10 minutes, needn't any retainer or extra part, no error code, no flickering, easily upgrade and change, click to...

www.lasfit.com

Now, I would suggest getting it from Amazon, since it is Prime shipped and includes a $5 discount. Anyhow, wanted to share my experience.

I received the shipment yesterday. The original halogen bulbs are like driving at night with a candle. Terrible. Changing entire housing runs north of $500 for a decent Chinese upgrade. I felt an LED bulb specifically designed to plug and play without adapters would be least invasive if it works well.

I am happy to report I installed it today and the difference is literally night and day. The cut off lines for low beam are almost identical to the halogens, but the brightness far surpasses halogens. White light is also very good looking. I drove a bit this evening, did not get flashed at all. When turning on high beams, you can barely tell halogen high beams are on, since LED low beams are so bright. I am hopeful this company produces high beam replacement also, they say on their Q&A that they are working on one. See photos below and make your own judgment. I have 45 days for free returns and a year of warranty, so I will update this thread with additional information if something new comes up.

The bulbs basically screw in without any extra adapters. They contain a small fan to provide active cooling in addition to passive fins it already has. It was a hard decision between these and deautokey ones that many suggested here, but most of my online research suggested having additional active cooling is a sign of better LED replacement instead of relying on passive only. At someone's recommendation for our cars I read online, I purchased a 75mm dome shaped headlight cover. Although OE cover will fit back with these new bulbs, it will probably leave a 1/8 inch space betwen itself and the fan. Domed covers give a few extra inches of space for cooling behind the fan while completely sealing the unit to prevent dust. As much dust as the outside of the OE cover accumulated over last 6 years, I would not run the headlight without dust cover, even if it means these lights will not last as long. But with domed extensions, I think it will be a good upgrade without compromises. Keeps the housing clear of dust while giving more space for circulation. Here is the link to the covers, I got them on Amazon.

(2pcs/set) 75mm Universal Car light Seal Cap Dust Cover

Rubber housing seal cap, which is used for changing the original headlight bulb seal cap. It is made from durable rubber material, would not harden or crack over time through from hot or cold temperature changes.

www.auxbeam.com

 

[eugene89us]

Comparison between LED on the left and Halogen on the right. Camera auto adjusting brightness.

 

[eugene89us]

This is without camera auto adjusting, this is almost how the eyes perceive it. I love how clean the cut off is to avoid blinding others. I hate to be "that guy."

 

[eugene89us]

Lastly, both LED lights installed.

 

[thundershorts]

Why wouldn't another pair work for your high beams as well? They do come on instantly don't they?

 

[eugene89us]

They come on instantly, absolutely. For some reason, my understanding is that the high beam will require a slightly different design so that everything fits in perfectly. Since they themselves mentioned about working on high beam design, I will wait to see.

 

[06bluebeetletdi]

Have you tested it with another car? Just curious to know if they are annoying to the person in front of you?

 

[red4kcsq]

Have you tested it with another car? Just curious to know if they are annoying to the person in front of you?

I’ve been running the deauto option for a year now and haven’t been flashed once. I’ve also driven another car with my car being driven behind me at night and didn’t have any complaints. The led drop in bulbs have come a long way in the last 5-10 years.

https://flic.kr/p/2i3MUAx

 

[red4kcsq]

Why wouldn't another pair work for your high beams as well? They do come on instantly don't they?

This is the only led drop in’s for the high beams that I have found. They are about as bright as the halogen high beams but match the color temp of the low beam and fog light led’s. I think they were about $25 on Amazon.

https://flic.kr/p/2i3RokP
Low beam, high beam and fogs all on.

https://flic.kr/p/2i3Ro7x

 

[thundershorts]

otherwise , osram nightbreaker lazers work well.

 

[eugene89us]

I tested it with my car. My daily driver is a 2018 BMW 328d. I didn't find these headlights on Passat to be blinding when approaching with my 3 series, which is pretty low to the ground. When compared my factory non adaptive self leveling LEDs on a BMW with the aftermarket LED in Passat, the LasFit option seems to be about as bright but had a slightly further reach. The IIHS rates BMW LEDs as poor when aimed from factory, so I think these LEDs on Passat would probably pass as fair to good. IIHS is pretty cutthroat on light ratings. I will try to take some more pics tomorrow. Passat is being driven by a family member, I gave it up when I got my 328d. And every time I do Passat maintenance and take it for a test drive at night, I am amazed how used I have become to my factory BMW LEDs and how insufficient halogens are on Passat. Now with these, I think the playing fields have equilibrated a bit.

 

[06bluebeetletdi]

Thanks, i drive mostly on 70 mph highways with big medians, so i'm not super concerned about oncoming traffic, my concern is with traffic in the same direction. I hate being blinded in my mirrors by people who have the wrong bulbs in their older vehicle's headlights.

 

[Smashed Ixnay]

This is the only led drop in’s for the high beams that I have found. They are about as bright as the halogen high beams but match the color temp of the low beam and fog light led’s. I think they were about $25 on Amazon.

https://flic.kr/p/2i3RokP
Low beam, high beam and fogs all on.

https://flic.kr/p/2i3Ro7x

Hmm, I might give them a try. I just bought everything in the headlights and taillights from DeAuto. I still need to put in the fogs, DRL's, and side markers. I wanted something for the high beams, but haven't had any luck.

 

[eugene89us]

Here are Extra photos I promised.

First, comparison between OEM F30 BMW LEDs and the LasFit ones for Passat.

Then, the way that both cars project lights onto the garage door. The F30 is a little lower than the Passat itself.

And the same photo with wide angle lens that does not automatically adjust for brightness. You can see the Passat lights are a little bit higher but the cut off lines are really defined, comparable to F30. Also note as mentioned before F30 from factory has poor light aiming that does not reach IIHS minimums, so Passat likely provides safer reach without blinding others.

 

[ejm4]

Thanks for the review. I am going to give them a try.

 

[eugene89us]

Thanks for the review. I am going to give them a try.

Please let me know what you think. I absolutely love these. Driving is actually much more enjoyable at night when you can see where you're going. Haha.

 

[14TDiMan]

I am thinking about installing these in my '14 Passat. Have you had any issues with the lamp out light?

 

[BRIAN427COBRA]

I got V1's in my 15 Passat, I did aim them down the hot spot of the beam was higher than my stock bulbs, I did not have to use a aftermarket dust cover in the rear, and have had zero issues in the two years I had them.

 

[eugene89us]

I am thinking about installing these in my '14 Passat. Have you had any issues with the lamp out light?

No issues at all with bulb out warning, didn't have to do any coding either. Pure plug and play.

The bulbs come with 2 gaskets - a thinner one pre installed and the extra thicker one. The thicker one I tried first did not make a good fit, the bulb did not make a contact and bulb out warning came on. But the light was out also. Tried thinner gasket - great fit and immediate contact. No light bulb warning on dash. So in my case, thinner gasket worked the best. You may have to test both out to see which makes better sense. You will feel the difference - one will go in smoothly and the other will fight you.

 

[ApriliaNut]

So how are they installed? My 06 Jetta bulb access is from the rear!

 

[eugene89us]

I have been running the low beam LEDs for 8 months now. From the beginning, one of the lights had a noisier fan sound, which was even noisier when weather got cold in the winter. Contacted LasFit with a video of the fan sound and they sent me a new pair free of charge as a part of warranty. So far, so good, and that leaves me with 1 spare for the future. Cannot complain overall. They remain just as bright as they were on day 1.

Received an email yesterday that they now have high beam version available for sale. They are running for $119 (even more expensive than low beams) but are currently running Fathers' Day sale for 15% off, which makes them the same price as low beams. Got the high beams ordered, will share the results here with both high and low beams installed. They called high beams for our model year "Pro-VW1 LED bright lights" - aka the high beam version. I can see why they needed to design a different light for high beam - whereas the low beam is a twist in place, the high beam has a click-in bracket type. Not sure what Germans were thinking designing these. Here is the link:

2012-2019 Volkswagen Passat Custom LED Bulbs | Custom H7 LED Bulbs, Fog Lights, Interior Lights (lasfit.com)

Went ahead and ordered a dome shaped cover, since it provides more space for cooling than flat OEM. That is what I have been running for low beams. I will say this, with low beam LEDs on, turning on OEM halogen high beams almost makes no difference, they are so dim. And these days with deer standing next to road, I cannot wait to get the LED high beams. I expect them to be much brighter, just like the low beams. Will share once I get them installed.

 

[eugene89us]

The high beam lights finally came in after USPS delay. Overall, I like the high beam LED lights. They fit easily plug and play, they are extremely bright compared to OE halogens. I used the dome shaped dust cap to provide it more space, like it did with low beam LafFit.

Compared to OE Halogens, this light is *literally* day and night. When activating high beams, it adds so much more visibility.

However, there are 2 major caveats. Compared to low beams, which I think is a "jackpot", the high beams are overall a mixed bag of exceptional ease of installation and light performance with unfortunate two major drawbacks:

First, the light throws a Dashboard error every time I turn on the car. I will look at VCDS today to see if there is a way to disable cold light monitoring for high beams. But it is an annoyance to see the warning every time you start the car. I emailed LASFIT to see if they have a solution. Overall, this is the biggest issue I have.

Second, unlike the low beam PRO-G2, the high beam has a connector wire/pigtail. The connection is secure and fully plug and play without modifications, you connect a plug with a socket. However, since the fan is not protected by a shroud, I worry that a connector will find a way to interfere with the fan. I bought a 75mm dome cover to give it more space. And there is plenty of space in there for the connector. But imagine yourself braking hard and causing the wire or connector itself or those little metal pins of the socket to touch the fan blades. I see the fan burning out in the future due to this and causing the assembly to later overheat. Some redesign of the fan to protect the blades from interference would be a must. The low beam does not use wires and is not a problem for this design. High beam does create this problem. And there is nowhere to tuck the connector. It is bulky enough to not fit into the housing, therefore requires you to leave it in the dome cover. I don't want to compromise the light assembly by leaving off the cover, since dirt and moisture will easily get inside. Other option for me would be to somehow attach the connector to the back of the dome, maybe with some silicone adhesive or somehow add a string in there like a pocket so that there is no chance the connector will move forward and touch the fan blades. For now, I attached it by the light and created a tight seal where the cover actually holds it in place. Time will tell if it will get loose and touch the fans. Or it may never do it. Who knows?

Overall, low beam gets 5 stars, high beam gets 3 stars. Will update this thread once I hear from manufacturer.

Photo of both LasFit G2 Low beam and VW-01 High Beam installed:

Photos of the way the lights look and the way they look installed. Pay particular attention to where I worry the connector-socket and those metal brackets can come in contact with the fan itself:

And now comparative photos at night. Let me know if you want me to repost them at larger resolution or email them to you:

Another one:

And another one:

 

[eugene89us]

Wanted to update this thread of LasFit high beams. The manufacturer is extremely receptive and they truly stand by their product. Since my biggest complaint was the bulb out warning, they first sent me a Canbus adapter that you can mount that eliminated the error. Unfortunately, the biggest drawback of this was that I could no longer use any dome covers or dust covers, and there is always a possibility of water and dirt ingress. I tested the canbus, which was a solution, but decided that protecting the light would be more important even despite the error than going error free but having all that stuff enter the light housing.

Yesterday, I received another email from LasFit. They reported that they redesigned the high beam light with an built-in resistor that should prevent the light out warning. They are sending it to me to test the light out and to provide them with feedback. I offered to pay for shipping or to send the old version back once I received new version, but they declined and wish to keep the replacement free of charge. That is just way more than I expected, these folks really want to have top product. If the bulb out warning is eliminated with the update, it will be another 5 star product. The light itself is super bright and makes it so easy to drive at night.

I will again update this thread as soon as I receive and test out the revised version. On average, it takes 7 to 10 days to arrive from California.

 

[VernK]

If the the new ones do fix the bulb out error then all I have to do is figure out how to get a complete set in my hands here in Canada. Excited to hear the results.

Yours
Vern

 

[eugene89us]

If the the new ones do fix the bulb out error then all I have to do is figure out how to get a complete set in my hands here in Canada. Excited to hear the results.

Yours
Vern

Oh yeah, for sure. I am quite excited to try the new ones out. If they fixed the issue and you decide to get those, let me know. I am sure we can order delivery to my address and I can snail mail it to Canada. However, I am in Mississippi (not the farthest place from California and West Canada, but almost!). I am sure someone closer to the border may be more cost effective and a lot faster - especially the West Coast, but I could be your backup. Interestingly, the place these lights ship from is Ontario, CA. First thing that rings the bell is Ontario, Canada - before you quickly realize this is departing Ontario, California (I believe a suburb of LA).

I will stay in touch!

 

[x1800MODMY360x]

Let me know about the new High beams, I got LED Low and want to get rid of the OEM High to replace with LEDs.

 

[eugene89us]

Unfortunately, the new high beams did not resolve the error. Company states they will continue to work on enhancing then design to eliminate the error. Will keep everyone posted if anything changes.

 

[eugene89us]

Received another email from Lasfit regarding new prototype version with updated resistor. As with prototype 2, will test prototype 3 out and post here. Hoping this will fix the bulb out warning. These high beams are absolutely marvelous, though - I was able to spot a deer on the road in enough distance to avoid a collision. Even with nagging bulb out warning, these lights are a lifesaver and may have easily saved this car from being totaled. I will, however, update this thread again once I test the new prototype out. I know some of you are waiting for a perfect plug and play, especially at this price point.

 

[x1800MODMY360x]

Received another email from Lasfit regarding new prototype version with updated resistor. As with prototype 2, will test prototype 3 out and post here. Hoping this will fix the bulb out warning. These high beams are absolutely marvelous, though - I was able to spot a deer on the road in enough distance to avoid a collision. Even with nagging bulb out warning, these lights are a lifesaver and may have easily saved this car from being totaled. I will, however, update this thread again once I test the new prototype out. I know some of you are waiting for a perfect plug and play, especially at this price point.

Let us know on V3, still itching on LED High Beams.

 

[eugene89us]

Thanks, everyone, for your patience. I have just received the prototype #3 and plan to plug it in this evening to test. I will report either later this evening or tomorrow morning with my findings. One thing I will say is the new design is not going to be as "easy" for plug and play since it comes with a separate in-line adapter (see picture). I believe this will solve the issue, as external CANBUS adapters eliminate these LED errors. However, I also believe that this will likely be the safest way to eliminate error. Since the only way to do it is though increase of resistance, you would either have to have a resistor separated from the light like LasFit is trying here or including it "on the light". However, these resistors get hot since they impede current flow and purposefully heating up the light as well as the housing may cause issues, such as shortened LED light life or (even worse) potential melting of the housing depending on how hot these get. Although this method is not perfect in any way, I think this may be the trick to solve the issue. Or dealing with light out warning. I think OCD in me would rather not have to deal with the warning, I will see how to modify the dust cap to allow a couple of wires through while providing dust protection. Will likely cut small slits to let wires through and put a dab of silicone to seal, but that is my next project once I verify these lights fix the error. Will post back soon.