So apparently, at least according to my 2016 manual, the fog lights can be removed/replaced via access straight through the cover that's visible. No need to go into the hood or underneath the car or pop out any bumper pieces at all. Just unscrew 3 screws after you pop off the cover and just twist it off. Sweet! Will try tomorrow. Got my Philips Ultinon LEDs (fancy one) ready in the box...
LR4 Halogen Bulb Upgrading - Highly Recommended
- Thread starter Count Laszlo
- Start date
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I went out and bought the Sylvania Silverstar Ultra's from the local O'reillys auto shop. Ther is a significant difference in light output from the stock bulbs. And they were only $45 for the pair.
Changing them was super easy. Pop a couple tabs out, slide the headlamp assembly out, unplug it, and then you can easily change the light out.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Changing them was super easy. Pop a couple tabs out, slide the headlamp assembly out, unplug it, and then you can easily change the light out.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Did this last night. Easy. I installed these (got em last year for another car that I took em off, and for a lesser price than shown here, which is good as they are kinda pricey, but they are tops and the warranty is 3 years):
http://www.xenondepot.com/h11-h8-h16-philips-Ultinon-LED-Bulb-p/12834unix2-h11.htm
Update,
Umberto specifically: So it seems the front puddle lights with LEDs is not perfect after all. Last night with more testing, I discovered that the light doesn't always come on. I'd have to fire up the engine, close the door, and then it's on. Subsequent door closures and openings again show the light to be on always.
However, once I shut off the engine, for some reason, after XX seconds, the light just goes off (just stare at it with the door open). Then I'd try to close and open the door again, no go. Then I try to lock the car, wait, unlock, open door, but nope, still no go. But then I fire up the engine per the above, it works again.
There is definitely something "special" for the circuitry or logic for just the front door puddles.
I guess I will ask my dealer's service dept.
Umberto specifically: So it seems the front puddle lights with LEDs is not perfect after all. Last night with more testing, I discovered that the light doesn't always come on. I'd have to fire up the engine, close the door, and then it's on. Subsequent door closures and openings again show the light to be on always.
However, once I shut off the engine, for some reason, after XX seconds, the light just goes off (just stare at it with the door open). Then I'd try to close and open the door again, no go. Then I try to lock the car, wait, unlock, open door, but nope, still no go. But then I fire up the engine per the above, it works again.
There is definitely something "special" for the circuitry or logic for just the front door puddles.
I guess I will ask my dealer's service dept.
cperez
Full Access Member
This thread is 6+ years old but still very valuable. I had an OEM main headlamp bulb burn out this week. Diving into this old thread helped me find exactly what I needed to replace it (the Phillips Crystal Vision bulbs for mains and foggers-- haven't done the high beams yet) and also a few tricks and things to be careful about. In particular I paid attention to some tips from @Finlayforprez and it was an easy job. (http://www.landroverworld.org/posts/113804/)
For all I know, there have been several even better options that have come up over the intervening years, but I'm happy with the Phillips CVs and will probably do the high beams next. Thanks, folks!
For all I know, there have been several even better options that have come up over the intervening years, but I'm happy with the Phillips CVs and will probably do the high beams next. Thanks, folks!
BaroloBlackLR4
New Member
Which DDM Tuning HID Kit are your running, if you can recall? I know I'm reaching pretty far back. I'm quite pleased with the light output of my H9-H11 halogen conversion. But, non-HIDs in 2017 makes me feel dated.
ryanjl, this is fantastic info, thanks for posting! I had not seen this thread previously. You are 100% correct about the tinted H11's with reduced lumens, and HID/LED used in halogens being a bad idea. Dan Stern's site is really helpful, I may ping him about the H9 options.
Anyway - it seems the current Philips H9 sold by Amazon are now made in China, which concerns me a little (not to mention the issues with counterfeit Philips bulbs on the market). And despite the higher rated lifespan at 400 hours (see specs here), some reviews are mentioning very short lifespan (12-18 months), which sounds more like a 150-200hour bulb, not 400+.
I'm considering the Osram H9 (64213) as a possible alternative, although it is only rated at ~250 hours similar to the Sylvania you found at McParts/FLAPS. What's interesting the spec sheet (link) shows 250 hours as T3, and 500 hours as Tc. Click here for an explanation on the difference. Philips does not state anywhere what spec is used to determine their "400 hour" lifespan. Meaning, we can't tell if Philips 400 hours is comparable to Osram/Sylvania 250 (B3) or 500 (Tc), or something in between?
I'll do some more research and see what I can turn up for H9 offerings current on the market...
Yeah, I get about 6 months out of mine. I always have my headlights on "auto," and think they are on more often than they should be, but oh well.
I normally get a pair, modify them, and have them ready in my glove box. When a bulb burns out I replace them with the ones in my glove box, then order another pair. Repeat.
I normally get a pair, modify them, and have them ready in my glove box. When a bulb burns out I replace them with the ones in my glove box, then order another pair. Repeat.
I got in the habit of turning the parking lights on (one click) and hitting the fog light button, as DRL's... saves the low beams for when I actually need them. Might help a bit vs the "auto" function, although I'm not certain what the logic is on Auto.
Good idea about keeping spares handy, in a couple of my cars with high-output, short-lifespan bulbs I do the same thing - keep at least one in the glovebox. One bulb always dies when I'm hundreds of miles away from home.
After around 2.5 years of driving my LR4 with the H9 conversion, it's time for a long-term review.
The good:
* Much brighter than the stock halogens.
* Light source is the same size, shape, and location as the stock halogens, so it puts the light where it's supposed to go on the road.
* Relatively cheap.
* Doesn't require any modification to the vehicle, and only a slight modification to the bulb.
* Only tool required is a dremel (recommended) or a maybe a small file.
The bad:
* The H9 bulbs only last around 6 months, pretty much requiring you to carry spares at all times. Swapping the bulbs on an LR4 isn't too difficult and doesn't require any tools, but it's still a drag to have a burnt out bulb. Headlight bulbs just never really burn out at convenient times.
* Still not as bright as xenon.
* Still not as "cool" as xenon.
The verdict:
Nothing can really be done to make the halogen housing be as bright as xenon or be as "cool" as xenon, save doing an illegal and not-recommended HID conversion, so the main downside is the short lifespan of the bulbs. The extra light more than makes up for this problem, though.
What now?
Since I bought my LR4 I've been keeping a lookout for a set of xenon housings. New, they'd run close to $2,000. I negotiated a used set on eBay for $500. EDIT: To anyone reading this, make sure you buy housings that are Non-Adaptive.
A stock LR4 comes with Osram 66340 xenon bulbs in the size "D3S;" at least that was what were in the housings I received. Those bulbs are rated at a "Lifespan B3" of 2,000 hours, and a "Lifespan Tc" of 4,000 hours. This means that 97% of these bulbs go at least 2,000 hours, but 63% of these bulbs will have failed by the time they reach 4,000 hours.
I'm not sure what year of LR4 my housings were from, or how long they've been "out of service." Given these housings were used, and could have come from as old as a 2010 model, the xenon bulbs could be nearing the end of their lifespan. Additionally, xenon bulbs, even if they don't fail, get dimmer over time, so I wanted to put some fresh bulbs in to start at peak brightness with my new-to-me xenon housings. Therefore, I ordered some new Phillips D3S bulbs from HIDBulbsRUs.com. From what I gather, it's really easy to get fake, Chinese GE, Osram, or Phillips bulbs online, but HIDBulbsrUs came recommended as a legit source of genuine bulbs by candlepowerforums, which is pretty much the preeminent authority on lighting on the internet. These bulbs were $48 each shipped, which is a price that cannot be beat.
So, after I cleaned up my xenon housings, I put in the Phillips bulbs and hooked it all up to my LR4. To my surprise, the headlights seemed to work correctly even before I used my iiD tool to change my ECU to reflect I that I now had xenon bulbs. Nonetheless, I used the iiD Tool to make the adjustment, then waited until dark to test the lights.
And really, it should go without saying that the xenon headlamps are vastly superior to the halogen headlights, even with the H9 conversion.
So much superior, in fact, that I cannot believe Rover offered both. 3200 lumens (xenon) is obviously much brighter than the 2,000 lumens (H9 bulbs) and much, much brighter than ~1,100 lumens (stock halogen bulbs).
The obvious downside is cost. All told, the parts cost me around $600 ($500 for the used xenon housings and $100 for the new Phillips bulbs). Add to that the cost of the iiD tool, which you will need unless you have a good relationship with your dealer, and it's a pretty pricey way to upgrade your headlights. Still, though, it's clearly the *best* upgrade you can do to the LR4's halogen headlights, and I expect I could sell my old halogen housings on eBay and recoup some of the cost.
I suspect many who have a '10 to '13 LR4 with halogen housings would rather just go ahead and facelift their LR4 to a '14+ look on the front, and I can't really blame them. PowerfulUK sells some good parts to do this upgrade, and even sells a filler piece (sold out right now) that would allow you to do it without changing your bumper (only changing the headlights and the grille).
That said, although the '14+ headlights look cooler, they are functionally not as good as the '10 to '13 headlights, as the low-beam and high-beam cannot be on at the same time in the newer model as they can in the older model.
But really, that's a minor concern.
The good:
* Much brighter than the stock halogens.
* Light source is the same size, shape, and location as the stock halogens, so it puts the light where it's supposed to go on the road.
* Relatively cheap.
* Doesn't require any modification to the vehicle, and only a slight modification to the bulb.
* Only tool required is a dremel (recommended) or a maybe a small file.
The bad:
* The H9 bulbs only last around 6 months, pretty much requiring you to carry spares at all times. Swapping the bulbs on an LR4 isn't too difficult and doesn't require any tools, but it's still a drag to have a burnt out bulb. Headlight bulbs just never really burn out at convenient times.
* Still not as bright as xenon.
* Still not as "cool" as xenon.
The verdict:
Nothing can really be done to make the halogen housing be as bright as xenon or be as "cool" as xenon, save doing an illegal and not-recommended HID conversion, so the main downside is the short lifespan of the bulbs. The extra light more than makes up for this problem, though.
What now?
Since I bought my LR4 I've been keeping a lookout for a set of xenon housings. New, they'd run close to $2,000. I negotiated a used set on eBay for $500. EDIT: To anyone reading this, make sure you buy housings that are Non-Adaptive.
A stock LR4 comes with Osram 66340 xenon bulbs in the size "D3S;" at least that was what were in the housings I received. Those bulbs are rated at a "Lifespan B3" of 2,000 hours, and a "Lifespan Tc" of 4,000 hours. This means that 97% of these bulbs go at least 2,000 hours, but 63% of these bulbs will have failed by the time they reach 4,000 hours.
I'm not sure what year of LR4 my housings were from, or how long they've been "out of service." Given these housings were used, and could have come from as old as a 2010 model, the xenon bulbs could be nearing the end of their lifespan. Additionally, xenon bulbs, even if they don't fail, get dimmer over time, so I wanted to put some fresh bulbs in to start at peak brightness with my new-to-me xenon housings. Therefore, I ordered some new Phillips D3S bulbs from HIDBulbsRUs.com. From what I gather, it's really easy to get fake, Chinese GE, Osram, or Phillips bulbs online, but HIDBulbsrUs came recommended as a legit source of genuine bulbs by candlepowerforums, which is pretty much the preeminent authority on lighting on the internet. These bulbs were $48 each shipped, which is a price that cannot be beat.
So, after I cleaned up my xenon housings, I put in the Phillips bulbs and hooked it all up to my LR4. To my surprise, the headlights seemed to work correctly even before I used my iiD tool to change my ECU to reflect I that I now had xenon bulbs. Nonetheless, I used the iiD Tool to make the adjustment, then waited until dark to test the lights.
And really, it should go without saying that the xenon headlamps are vastly superior to the halogen headlights, even with the H9 conversion.
So much superior, in fact, that I cannot believe Rover offered both. 3200 lumens (xenon) is obviously much brighter than the 2,000 lumens (H9 bulbs) and much, much brighter than ~1,100 lumens (stock halogen bulbs).
The obvious downside is cost. All told, the parts cost me around $600 ($500 for the used xenon housings and $100 for the new Phillips bulbs). Add to that the cost of the iiD tool, which you will need unless you have a good relationship with your dealer, and it's a pretty pricey way to upgrade your headlights. Still, though, it's clearly the *best* upgrade you can do to the LR4's halogen headlights, and I expect I could sell my old halogen housings on eBay and recoup some of the cost.
I suspect many who have a '10 to '13 LR4 with halogen housings would rather just go ahead and facelift their LR4 to a '14+ look on the front, and I can't really blame them. PowerfulUK sells some good parts to do this upgrade, and even sells a filler piece (sold out right now) that would allow you to do it without changing your bumper (only changing the headlights and the grille).
That said, although the '14+ headlights look cooler, they are functionally not as good as the '10 to '13 headlights, as the low-beam and high-beam cannot be on at the same time in the newer model as they can in the older model.
But really, that's a minor concern.
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