Quick Headlight Change Makes All The Difference

[Dannyboy2k11]

Hey Guys Had A Spare 20Mins To Kill So i thought i would switch the headlights over on the Veccy,

from the standard chrome to the black sri ones,

i think it makes the world of difference what you think guys ???

Before - With Eye Brows
IMG_2301.jpg

After - With Eye Brows
IMG_2303.jpg

[Leemarksmith]

Look good bud

[garyvectrac]

they look much better, did you notice any difference in light output, i did this on my old signum and found that the lights were very poor at night compared to the original all chrome ones. ive now got a vectra sri with these as standard and have the same issue.

[Dannyboy2k11]

yeah i have noticed that mate with the lights funny you should mention it

[Z80]

But how do you explain that ? The low beem lenses are the same, and their inner surround tunnel (going all the way to the glass) is chromed on both models, so where's the difference ? Mine are (factory) xenon, BTW.

On the other hand, beam angle could be an issue, and might differ from a set to another. Have they been setup correctly ?

[garyvectrac]

just that when i had the signum it originaly had the all chrome, no issues with light output, i decidec to change the lights to these sri style black surrounds and found bad light output. no w i have the vectra sri again with these lights and the same issue, poor lighting. i know that the chrome light tunnel is the same but it just seems weird that both set of these lights have the same issues and just wondered if just that black surround could be slightly playing with the reflection at all. my friend also has the sri and found that his lights are not as good as he would have thought, especially when these lights are projector beams.

[garyvectrac]

sorry dannyboy2k11 for hijacking this thread.

[Dannyboy2k11]

Not a problem Gary6863, i am running just standard bulbs i have been told the Veccy c dont like LEDS as it displays the warning light on dash ? this true cause i was gonna get a set of h7 zenon bulbs

[garyvectrac]

not exactly sure myself, i know that these have very sensitive electrics, and that using the wrong bulbs this could be possible. i myself am trying to find some info on fitting a hid kit but need to work out which one will work without setting off warning lights. can be a pain in the arse. recently i had a fog light blow, it was very cold and my washer level was low, so i start the car up and have to press my stalk button 3 times to get to my trip computer once to turn the fog warning off, then again to turn the washer level warning light off again to turn the icey road warning light off and again to get to the trip computer. although its good to have this warning system, it can sometimes be rather anoying. lol

[Z80]

Using raw LEDs (with a serial mounted current limitation resistor, of course, or they will just blow within minutes) will actually throw an error on the dash, so you were right to ask.

When labelled "CanBus" or "anti OBD error", LED bulbs will also feature a parallel resistor, they will fool the OBD bulb checking procedure by draining enough current so the car will think there are still classical filament bulbs plugged in.

Be aware the low value resistor wired in parallel does consume as much current than clasical bulbs, though (plus they heat a lot). This actually ruins one of the main interest in replace bulb with LEDs... So people do it only for the white color lighting.

Another side effect is the OBD (OnBoard Diagnostic) regularly checks all the bulbs, even when they are turned off. Do achieve this, it polls each bulb in turn, sending a burst of voltage and measuring how much current is consumed by the bulb. Since a LED has a very high internal resistance, it consumes almost nothing, so the OBD thinks it's burnt. That the reason for the parallel "anti-error" wired resistor. But another LEDs property is their very fast response. Incandescent bulbs have quite a huge intertia. Light is emitted by the burning filament (since it burns in an oxygen free enclosure, it doesn't actually burn out, but just stays hot, emitting light in the process). Filaments take quit a long time to heat enough to emit visible light, while LEDs almost light instantly.

As a consequence, where the polling signal stays unseen through a standard bulb, a flash of light is clearly visible when the OBD strobes your LED lights. That's actually the reason why a lot of people give up with LED replacement bulbs on the Vectra (chances are cops won't probably appreciate your car is winking at them )

So in any case, choose correcty the LED bulbs you're intending to mount.

There are actually three kinds available :

- Unprotected LEDs (no serial resistor included) : these will burn before the end of the day because they can't bear unlimited 13.6 V through them.

- Protected LEDs, without CanBus fooling feature : they can be used for ceiling lights for instance, as these ones aren't checked by the OBD. Or you can use them with you own anti-OBD circuit. Or you'll have a warning on the dash...

- Anti OBD error type LED bulbs : you can mount them everywhere. The only drawback is they will blink when turned off while used as sidelights, number plate lights, etc...