Are the LED option headlights worth £1750?

[EpicT6]

I use my Beach as a daily driver plus a 100 mile commute 2-3 days a week. I ordered the LEDs mainly for added safety during the colder months and have to say they are well worth the investment from that point of view. However if you do buy them purely for looks then 1700 seems rather steep.

 

[Volkywagen]

By the time your lights fail and need replacing they will have been out a long time and will be cheaper to replace. No doubt technology will have thought of a new upgrade by then also at a fraction of the cost

 

[Jay20cali]

By the time your lights fail and need replacing they will have been out a long time and will be cheaper to replace. No doubt technology will have thought of a new upgrade by then also at a fraction of the cost

Then even us the poor relations with h7s can buy some at a fraction of the £1700. In all honesty my defender had standard lights and I just bought kitemarked led headlights for £100.strait swap. how long before u can buy t5/6 ones on a standard loom ...but how long they last is another issue

 

[B J G]

I would doubt that LED headlights will be a residual price bonus as when second hand vehicle buyers become aware that approx £600 plus fitting and aligning would be the cost of a replacement single light unit they will treat it as a high risk. Possibly not worth the potential cost.

Normally all extra cost options aren't taken into account on second hand vehicle trade pricing. May help sell quicker but no more cash.

 

[MarkVw2017]

I would doubt that LED headlights will be a residual price bonus as when second hand vehicle buyers become aware that approx £600 plus fitting and aligning would be the cost of a replacement single light unit they will treat it as a high risk. Possibly not worth the potential cost.

Normally all extra cost options aren't taken into account on second hand vehicle trade pricing. May help sell quicker but no more cash.

You make some very valid and good points! Thank you

 

[Volkywagen]

go for the aftermarket ones - you get the cool LED DRLs, and the halogen bulb in a projector lens. They might not be as bright for night driving but if the bulb blows....£10 max and you can replace them yourself.
Having the added bonus of uber bright LED headlights comes with an ultimate risk of replacement further down the line. By the time they blow we all might be driving fully electric T9s

 

[Victor]

These threads make me laugh, all the people who are against the LED lights are the people who have not got them. Haha If the LEDs fail its NOT the whole unit that needs to be replaced, the LED lights are made up of several parts and the LED module which houses the actual LEDs is less than £125

I love my LEDs they make driving at night safe, easy to change over when on the continent and best of all they look really cool

 

[larrylamb]

These threads make me laugh, all the people who are against the LED lights are the people who have not got them.

Ha yes and all the people who are for them are the ones who shelled out £1750. 'Tis always the case whether LED's, 4Motion, DSG, Ocean, Beach etc.

 

[calimera]

Not sure I agree Victor . We haven’t got LED. So wished we did.

If we had known how bad the lights were,we would have ordered LED.
Live on Dartmoor.

 

[WelshGas]

At night drive slower.

 

[T6 CFO]

These threads make me laugh, all the people who are against the LED lights are the people who have not got them. Haha If the LEDs fail its NOT the whole unit that needs to be replaced, the LED lights are made up of several parts and the LED module which houses the actual LEDs is less than £125

I love my LEDs they make driving at night safe, easy to change over when on the continent and best of all they look really cool

Agreed. Suffice it to say I would order them again.


Mike

 

[T6 CFO]

These threads make me laugh, all the people who are against the LED lights are the people who have not got them. Haha If the LEDs fail its NOT the whole unit that needs to be replaced, the LED lights are made up of several parts and the LED module which houses the actual LEDs is less than £125

I love my LEDs they make driving at night safe, easy to change over when on the continent and best of all they look really cool

Suffice it to say I would order them again.


Mike

 

[westfalia]

I was selling my T5 and already had my new T6, so why not spend a few minutes of my evening to try and help people on this forum. Better than not contributing, right?

The shots were screen grabs from some video I shot...

Ahhh that´s how you did it.
I actually thought that you had done a really quick headlight conversion
and that was the before and after pic.

 

[Ocean Spirit]

If we had known how bad the lights were,we would have ordered LED.
Live on Dartmoor.

I'm a little shocked....
Honestly my H7's are pretty good under all circumstances I have been in so far.
Maybe it's all relative to individual eye sight and driving conditions but from twilight to totally unlit roads I see all the detail on the road and beyond the verges or pavements.

 

[Jay20cali]

These threads make me laugh, all the people who are against the LED lights are the people who have not got them. Haha If the LEDs fail its NOT the whole unit that needs to be replaced, the LED lights are made up of several parts and the LED module which houses the actual LEDs is less than £125

I love my LEDs they make driving at night safe, easy to change over when on the continent and best of all they look really cool

Maybe the people that are against them have not got them because they didn’t want then! Or they thought there not worth the money and they don’t want the hassle of paying extra money when a h7 bulb is a tenner...opinions allowed to vent on a poll post like this...

 

[calimera]

I'm a little shocked....
Honestly my H7's are pretty good under all circumstances I have been in so far.
Maybe it's all relative to individual eye sight and driving conditions but from twilight to totally unlit roads I see all the detail on the road and beyond the verges or pavements.

May be true for you but not for us. On the narrow country lanes. Better headlights on C3.
Maybe our eyesight isn’t so good at night . It’s an age thing

 

[Volkywagen]

Philips do great 150% brighter bulbs. I put them in the missus golf.

Looking at other forums, the voltage is apparently lower to what it used to be in the T4. If enough people complain Vw will have to do something about it (yeah right o)

 

[Gary&Heather]

I have LED's and would definitely have them again I might even add some of these.....Lazer Triple R750 LED spot Light's


I am only joking but they do look rather cool

 

[calimera]

At night drive slower.

We do

 

[motacyclist]

I have the Leds. Getting back to the poll title, they are not worth £1750, so I voted no; but if you want them that’s what you have to pay. It’s just a way of transferring money out of your pocket into VW’s account!

 

[MarkVw2017]

OP here. It really is good to hear so much wisdom and advice so thank you to all you wonderful Cali Guris!!!.

I have a Skoda with H7 bulbs, so know H7 bulbs are absolutely fine from personal experience hence i was worried about H4 bulbs and from what you have said, the exterior pack is a needed and really an essential option (for a Beach, standard on ocean!)

I travel all hours throughout thr UK on motor ways and country lanes, and although not amazing, there fine and do there job adequately, however it is quite clear the LED lights look very modern in line with most modern day cars and make night driving much more pleasurable and safer for drivers.

Also to note, when you add the LED headlighrs for £1750 option, you get the headlight heated washer thrown in 'free' which is a £250 option, but dont get fog lights like the exterior pack so would had to add £360 for fog lights (if you wanted them of course). It also seems daft they put LEDs in the back lights as standard, and can imagine a LED pack for £1750 for both the front and back would seem a more just worthy option, but in reality, its costing £875 PER front light.

So to conclude from all your thoughts and opinions is, if you can afford them and money is no object, get them, its simple, they look good, much brighter, more energy efficient and have a long shelf life but the exterior pack with cornering fog lights and H7 headlights for £450 seems a better deal. LED headlights will be standard in a few years so will wait till the makret is flooded and then replace the H7s.

Thank you everyone

 

[Annik]

We went for LEDs as we did not see the £1700 that much in grand scheme of things when buying a vehicle for £60k plus, also you can't put a price on safety the same as I don't skimp on tyres.

 

[WelshGas]

We went for LEDs as we did not see the £1700 that much in grand scheme of things when buying a vehicle for £60k plus, also you can't put a price on safety the same as I don't skimp on tyres.

Your safety or others. As some have mentioned the “ supposed “ Self Levelling does nothing but dazzle on coming motorists on bumpy roads.

 

[Ocean Spirit]

Picking out from your post

OP here. It really is good to hear so much wisdom and advice so thank you to all you wonderful Cali Guris!!!.

This subject certainly divides the pack and will continue to do so as new members will raise the subject again (I did it myself).

I have a Skoda with H7 bulbs, so know H7 bulbs are absolutely fine from personal experience hence i was worried about H4 bulbs and from what you have said, the exterior pack is a needed and really an essential option (for a Beach, standard on ocean!)

A contributory factor will also be the reflector design in the headlamp housing. Again for me they work well enough.

it is quite clear the LED lights look very modern in line with most modern day cars and make night driving much more pleasurable and safer for drivers.

Can't deny they look smart on the Cali. It may depend on ones taste though, because I see them on some cars and they look pants. So they certainly don't set apart the class of vehicle and many after market ones on older BMW's for example really turn me off.

Also to note, when you add the LED headlighrs for £1750 option, you get the headlight heated washer thrown in 'free' which is a £250 option,

A legal requirement. Something else to go wrong perhaps and absolutely no noticeable benefit what so ever. I can count on no fingers the times I thought, I need my headlight washers to kick in.

So to conclude from all your thoughts and opinions is, if you can afford them and money is no object, get them, its simple, they look good, much brighter, more energy efficient and have a long shelf life but the exterior pack with cornering fog lights and H7 headlights for £450 seems a better deal. LED headlights will be standard in a few years so will wait till the makret is flooded and then replace the H7s.

Thank you everyone

Enjoy your exterior pack ...
Good choice

 

[MarkVw2017]

Thank you for that! How come washers are a legal requirement? Seems a daft law if you dont need them with standard headlihhts.

It also seems to be a re occuring comment that the LEDs can sometimes blind oncomers, so like you said, is it actually making it safer if the oncoming driver is blinded?

Yes ,true, some car LEDs look awful and feel companies are putting them on for the sake of it but fortunately thats not the case with thr cali

You can buy a lovely 2nd hard car for £1750 so spending that on lights will of course always divide opinion.

So the questions and answers i have been educated reading these forums

1.) Are the essential? - No
2.) Are they overpriced - Yes
3.) Will they make the overall Cali family experience a better one - No
4.) Will they make it safer driving - Hmm, not if they sometimes blind drivers so no, but yes when its pitch black
5.) Do they look modern and cool - Yes
6.) Will they increase residuals - No, but a identical van next to each other, one with and one without LED, the LED cali will sell first
7.) Are they expensive to maintain? Well in theory, they should last as long as the van so No, but a £5 h7 bulb vs £125 led means one led i the same price of 25 x h7 bulbs
8.) Are there more useful options to have that will make the Cali experience better? Yes

As with all things in life. Each to their own and of course, there is no correct answer so carry on camping and most of all, have fun!!!!!!!!