Ocean Light Conversion

[Rawly]

I just wanted to tell everyone.
Being the relatively new owner of a magnificent Cali Ocean it has everything I could ask for from a great previous owner. 7,000 miles, on a 2016 fantastic VW16 CAL plate!!!
But........no LED front light spec!

So.... problem sorted. Having been astounded at the cost of conversion by VW.
Found TRAVELIN LITE, in Bishop Stortford Herts. Fantastic customer approach. Great premises. They specialise in T5 and T6 light conversions.
Much cheaper than VW. £620 for complete new units. I am technically stupid so they err fitted by their associates next door for £80.
1hr later.........fantastic front lights and fog lamps as well!!!!
And before you all ask about compliance. The gutters are a renown MOT station. All compliant because of the light system and projectors !!!
I really recommend !

 

[Rawly]

Lol. For Gutters..... read converters

 

[Legin]

Actually still not compliant as the Ultinon bulbs are non ECE approved for road use, no auto leveling or headlamp wash in place. The projector disguises the led and gets the beam in the right place. People do this to lots of projector lights though so Im sure your right it will get through MOT even though it shouldnt.
How do you find the new set up , personally I have no issue with the H7,s on an Ocean but use the main beam a lot.

 

[Rawly]

I find the set up really good. Hence my thread.
I’ve spoken now to 3 MOT garages and all say they have no issue with it.
I’m not sure I understand the last few lines of your post.

 

[Legin]

They certainly look good. I guess the dip beam is the main benefit.

This is the background to my comments. Same deal for LED,s https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/aftermarket-hid-headlamps/aftermarket-hid-headlamps

 

[Ocean Spirit]

@Legin. The T6 ones appear to have everything legal except the wash facility is that correct?

 

[Legin]

Not quite. If you use a H7 bulb then its all compliant and that is what is quoted in your post above, basically Ocean headlights in a revised housing with led drl,s.

Once you introduce an LED burner then three things technically dont comply. Automatic load levelling is not present on a T6 (unless you have air suspension), Headlamp cleaning also not present, non road use approved LED burners. There may well be a fourth which is whether the E marking actually includes HID and LED burner testing. I doubt it as it would be sold as such.

To all intents you could put led,s into the ocean stock housing and have the same level of compliance except for beam focus, the projectors in the aftermarket headlamp work better with LED burners and hence they comply with this element of the MOT test and hence why it passes. The MOT tester doesnt strip your light to check compliance, only looks at the elements required by the test so they effectively are unaware its an LED burner..

Much the same as vehicles often pass MOT,s with missing DPF,s and blanked EGR,s. This doesnt make them compliant or arguably legal.

 

[hirsty]

Good work @Rawly - I too am very interested in these thank you. Any chance you could post some pics of the front of your van / close-ups please?

I just did my annual trip to Italy via Switzerland & came back via Austria / Germany and my Beach lights were shockingly bad - I've upgraded to better Philips H4 bulbs but they're still dire. The last night driving out of of Germany into Luxembourg it was chucking it down on a winding dual-carriageway & I could barely see the edge of the road (no cats-eyes either) so decided Something Must Be Done.

 

[hirsty]

Presumably these at £620:

T6 LED DRL Headlights V3 Black Edition With LED 6000k Dipped / Full Beam Bulbs

Please note: These will fit all models of T6 and work on Euro 5 & Euro 6 engines. These lights perform extremely well compared to the OEM standard headlights please see pictures. Superb quality & design V3 black edition For RHD vehicles only Dynamic indicators Perfect fitment E marked and...

travelinlite-transporters.co.uk

 

[WelshGas]

As has been said, these lights might get pass the MOT, but they are an aftermarket addition and should be mentioned to your Insurance company to ensure they do not breach the terms of your insurance. Failure to do so could invalidate the policy . Likewise, if involved in a claim as Loss Adjusters look for anything to avoid a payout.

 

[Legin]

Good work @Rawly - I too am very interested in these thank you. Any chance you could post some pics of the front of your van / close-ups please?

I just did my annual trip to Italy via Switzerland & came back via Austria / Germany and my Beach lights were shockingly bad - I've upgraded to better Philips H4 bulbs but they're still dire. The last night driving out of of Germany into Luxembourg it was chucking it down on a winding dual-carriageway & I could barely see the edge of the road (no cats-eyes either) so decided Something Must Be Done.

Fit the OP,s H7 units . A deal to be struck

 

[hirsty]

I'd never thought of that, ta

No-one has a good word to say about OEM H7s, but they're sure as Hell a lot better than the poverty-spec H4s!

 

[Legin]

I have the H7,s and good enough for me. My other vehicles have all the fancy stuff

 

[Ocean Spirit]

I have the H7,s and good enough for me. My other vehicles have all the fancy stuff

I agree with this...
At the same time I just like factory upgrade but wouldn't pay the money. Now the dust has settled on all the sensible choices at original purchase possibilities shoot through my brain.

 

[hirsty]

I think I've worked this out now (through the power of reading ...) There seem to be two options, which are basically the same unit, but with different bulbs fitted.

I didn't know that it's now possible to buy LED bulbs and retrofit them into 'standard' headlamp units - it's not strictly legal, and can produce dash warning lights (which can be overcome), but seems to get through MOT. I'm assuming that it's the cost of the bulbs themselves - which seem to start at about £85 upwards - which accounts for the difference between the two options at £425 or £620:

T6 LED DRL Headlights V3 Black Edition With LED 6000k Dipped / Full Beam Bulbs

Please note: These will fit all models of T6 and work on Euro 5 & Euro 6 engines. These lights perform extremely well compared to the OEM standard headlights please see pictures. Superb quality & design V3 black edition For RHD vehicles only Dynamic indicators Perfect fitment E marked and...

travelinlite-transporters.co.uk

T6 LED DRL Headlights V3 Black Edition (Osram Blue intense bulbs H7 & H1)

Our T6 drl headlights are a great upgrade from your standard factory headlights. Not only do they look very smart with the stylish drl the light performance is noticeably increased. Fits all T6 2015 onwards V3 black edition Dynamic indicators For RHD vehicles only E Marked & road legal...

travelinlite-transporters.co.uk

Clearly there's little point going for the £425 option if you have an Ocean with H7 bulbs as standard, but there's reasonable upside if you have an H4 Beach or Transporter etc ... I don't want to get into retrofit LEDs, so I'm giving the H7s a go after reading this extremely helpful thread on a.n.other forum:

H4 --> H7 journey

Replaced my standard H4 headlights on my 17 plate kombi highline with genuine H7 headlights from a 17 plate Caravelle. It's literally just plug and play, no warning lights, no VCDS, just swap and go. Does require removing the front bumper but really not as bad as it sounds. IMO the H7's are...

www.t6forum.com

 

[andyinluton]

Once you introduce an LED burner then three things technically dont comply. Automatic load levelling is not present on a T6 (unless you have air suspension), Headlamp cleaning also not present.
.

Headlamp cleaning is not required just because LEDs have been fitted.
Two of our 4 cars have LED headlights, neither of them has headlight washers.
It’s the light output that is the criteria, under 2k lumens = no requirement.

 

[Legin]

Must have been Xenons I recall then and was due to light spread I believe. Guess LED = projector = light spread under control .
Where is the 2k lumens mentioned ?

 

[Cwcltd]

Not a conversion as such, but I’m planning to put Lazer Lamps on my T6; just waiting for them and Carnoisseur to clarify the specification for the van.

 

[M&J]

They certainly look good. I guess the dip beam is the main benefit.

This is the background to my comments. Same deal for LED,s https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/aftermarket-hid-headlamps/aftermarket-hid-headlamps

Hi @Legin Where did you find the info on LEDs, the above URL/legislation just refers to HIDs, can't see anything at all on LEDs specifically? Thanks M

 

[Legin]

Pretty complex and i dont profess to know the ins and outs. I think this is a good brief version of the legislation as it stands. clearly incomplete.
are-led-headlights-legal-in-the-uk

 

[Ocean Spirit]

Pretty complex and i dont profess to know the ins and outs. I think this is a good brief version of the legislation as it stands. clearly incomplete.
are-led-headlights-legal-in-the-uk

There is a survey question attached to this....I doubt it will have much influence but worth adding your opinion either way rather than ignoring. Any out dated legislation is worth updating into real world terms for clarity sake.

 

[andyinluton]

Thats an outdated article. If everything they state was correct, you would not be able to buy a new car with LED headlights.

 

[Legin]

Where is the 2k lumens stated ?

 

[hirsty]

 

[B J G]

Big issue with LED bulbs is getting the LED to exactly replicate a halogen bulb filament position and 360 degrees light transmission. This is needed for fitting into a headlight unit which is designed around a halogen bulb, reflector and any lense (all done by the reflector in current clear lense designs).

Currently I have Philips +150% bulbs in the Cali and GE +150% in our Citroen's dip only. GE seem the better and brighter.

I've just ordered Osram +150% to try in the Citroen's mainbeam.

I looked at both the Philips and Osram LED bulbs but decided to avoid potential problems with bulb failure warning and legal issues as there is many press mentions of government concerns of dazzling causing accidents. Both Philips and Osram warn that they are not road legal and can invalidate Insurance cover.

I did also look at halogen 80Watt bulbs, such as Osram ones, but the same legal issues as LED's applied. Cheaper option than LED with no bulb warning issues.

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