LED indicators etc

[uninformed]

Hey all,

im sure there has been a few threads in the past about LED replacement lights etc but as suppliers come and go and long standing brands change their products I thought it best to ask this to find something currently available.

 

Anyone here using LED indicators etc or even LED bulbs?

What are the best looking (ie look more like a factory lense than modern LED) ?

Pics please 👍

 

im also trying to find a picture of the rear of NAS Series and their lighting setup/placement

did they have a larger dia indicator or such? (Or was that just the Defenders)

Cheers 🍺

[Arjan]

LED's are, basically, a bit of a minefield when it comes to their quality I have found.

More expensive does not always mean better.

The flasher relay needs changing and be prepared for some bright lights.

I have 3 "Branded" sets and all have some water problems but work.

Headlamps are standard though.

[Snagger]

Given that Wipac made the original lamps, I think their LED kit is probably the best option for original appearance, but they still look a bit different.

Whichever kit you use, I think it’d be wise to dry them out thoroughly in a warm place with silica gel packets or rice, then use a product along the lines of Captain Tolly’s Creeping Crack Cure (a thin sealant that is painted finely onto joints and will penetrate using capillary action and seal the joins in the plastic casings).

[western]

I have RDX [Bolt-on-bits] led indicators, side, brake/tail lights these are sealed units, on my 110, the lens will be different as the light output isdifferent,

led bulbs in standard lights isn't  legal & shouldn't pass a MOT.

[uninformed]

2 hours ago, Arjan said:

LED's are, basically, a bit of a minefield when it comes to their quality I have found.

More expensive does not always mean better.

The flasher relay needs changing and be prepared for some bright lights.

I have 3 "Branded" sets and all have some water problems but work.

Headlamps are standard though.

WIPAC and RDX are the better brands I know of, and I just found these unknown to me NSlumo. The later being the better looking lense to my eye.

 

WIPAC

 

 

RDX

 

 

NSlumo

 

And yes the idea is for brighter lights for the other motorists to see my LT earlier.

Head lights will remain normal type. 

 

[uninformed]

1 hour ago, Snagger said:

Given that Wipac made the original lamps, I think their LED kit is probably the best option for original appearance, but they still look a bit different.

Whichever kit you use, I think it’d be wise to dry them out thoroughly in a warm place with silica gel packets or rice, then use a product along the lines of Captain Tolly’s Creeping Crack Cure (a thin sealant that is painted finely onto joints and will penetrate using capillary action and seal the joins in the plastic casings).

Are you talking about where the lense meets the housing?

[uninformed]

1 hour ago, western said:

I have RDX [Bolt-on-bits] led indicators, side, brake/tail lights these are sealed units, on my 110, the lens will be different as the light output isdifferent,

led bulbs in standard lights isn't  legal & shouldn't pass a MOT.

Ill have to check my local regs? I wonder the reasoning?

[western]

different light output of the lens design. 

[uninformed]

14 minutes ago, western said:

different light output of the lens design. 

Just curious but if LED globes are used with normal lenses, what is the negative in the visual that they dont allow?

[ThreePointFive]

I have the Wipacs and they are standard looking at a glance but will stick out to a purist as being different. They are perhaps more shiny/glossy (when off) than standard but part of that is because they don't have pronounced moulded circles/lines in the lenses so you see straight to the reflectors. They are very bright, well made and well sealed.

The RDX in those pictures look far more obvious as being LED. I have a pretty low opinion of RDX products in general so I won't be able to give an unbiased opinion.

The NSlumo ones look interesting, from the front those lenses appear to obscure the LEDs far more than most, without seeing them in person it's hard to be sure but they look like the closest to standard of any I've seen. However, in this photo they look nearly the same as the Wipacs:

 

If I was doing it again I would buy one unit to see how they looked. I wouldn't sell mine to change now as the difference doesn't warrant it.

I don't think there is such a thing as an LED lamp that looks standard, you just have to choose the one you hate least.

[Snagger]

23 minutes ago, uninformed said:

Just curious but if LED globes are used with normal lenses, what is the negative in the visual that they dont allow?

Single LEDs are fairly directional, whereas filament bulbs cast light omnidirectionally.  That means that the lens, designed to modify the light pattern from a bulb, will incorrectly focus LED output.  Even if you buy the LED replacements that are a cylinder with outward facing surface mount LEDs along the barrel and at the end, they will still not illuminate properly as the light is being emitted at the wrong positions and in the wrong directions.  They would, at leas, be a great deal better than the very poor types where a single large LED or several smaller units are set directly into a bulb base all pointing along one axis.

[Snagger]

1 hour ago, uninformed said:

Are you talking about where the lense meets the housing?

Yes.

[uninformed]

40 minutes ago, Snagger said:

Single LEDs are fairly directional, whereas filament bulbs cast light omnidirectionally.  That means that the lens, designed to modify the light pattern from a bulb, will incorrectly focus LED output.  Even if you buy the LED replacements that are a cylinder with outward facing surface mount LEDs along the barrel and at the end, they will still not illuminate properly as the light is being emitted at the wrong positions and in the wrong directions.  They would, at leas, be a great deal better than the very poor types where a single large LED or several smaller units are set directly into a bulb base all pointing along one axis.

cheers 👍

[Peaklander]

5 hours ago, ThreePointFive said:

I have the Wipacs and they are standard looking at a glance but will stick out to a purist as being different. They are perhaps more shiny/glossy (when off) than standard but part of that is because they don't have pronounced moulded circles/lines in the lenses so you see straight to the reflectors. They are very bright, well made and well sealed.

I too have the same ones, they have been fitted for at least two years and have no problems.

[uninformed]

Another Q,

here is the rear capping off my Series 2/2a 109 tub (civilian) The witness marks show a slightly larger lower light. 
 

What are the period correct lights ?

 

cheers 🍺
 

 

Edited December 12, 2021 by uninformed

[Snagger]

I think most IIAs had larger stop/tail lamps with reflectors in the centre of the lenses, while their indicators were of the same general pattern as the SIII lamps.  That witness mark would be typical for a II or IIA.

[uninformed]

33 minutes ago, Snagger said:

I think most IIAs had larger stop/tail lamps with reflectors in the centre of the lenses, while their indicators were of the same general pattern as the SIII lamps.  That witness mark would be typical for a II or IIA.

I got this information from a FB group. Bottom is a stop/tail - WIPAC S170

 

[uninformed]

A little update. These arrived today 

 

https://www.amazon.com/Defender-Led-Update-Light-Kit/dp/B07SR9F3QG/ref=mp_s_a_1_17?crid=1H9CO7H3E0JGC&keywords=land+rover+led+lights&qid=1640167057&sprefix=land+rover+led%2Caps%2C392&sr=8-17

 

they look more like Series 3 / Defender lights than any of the other brand LEDs I’ve seen. I’m really happy with the look. I can not comment on quality and won’t be able to for quite some time. 
 

 

 

 

 

[ThreePointFive]

They do look really good, much less like the Christmas bauble mine do.

I'd be interested to see them on the car as I might yet be tempted.

[L19MUD]

I have these for the 110 rebuild. I am not sure if they are the same as the ones on my 90 or not. The only lights that don't look quite as original are the clear ones as the lens does not cover the LED's as well

[Snagger]

They do look much more like the standard units, but I wonder about their real legality.  They are E marked, but Chinese manufacturers are notorious for doing that without approvals.  I’d be curious about their actual output, in all respects of angular displacement, light intensity and colour.  I suspect they may have used white LEDs on the back boards of all of them, and that can cause the perceived light to be too white as the coloured lenses don’t filter the light well with LEDs, unlike filament bulbs.  I’d be interested to hear your impressions when you test them.

[uninformed]

5 hours ago, Snagger said:

They do look much more like the standard units, but I wonder about their real legality.  They are E marked, but Chinese manufacturers are notorious for doing that without approvals.  I’d be curious about their actual output, in all respects of angular displacement, light intensity and colour.  I suspect they may have used white LEDs on the back boards of all of them, and that can cause the perceived light to be too white as the coloured lenses don’t filter the light well with LEDs, unlike filament bulbs.  I’d be interested to hear your impressions when you test them.

I agree with your China comments. I suspect (with no evidence) that WIPAC and RDX are made in China but I would hope WIPAC, at least, have some sort of control and checks in place.

When I googled NSlumo, a fair amount of products came up but that probably means little. I’m also pretty sure these lights are sold under a few different brands.

The only LED indicator I have to compare them against are my WIPAC 95mm NAS style. At least both are orange coloured lenses.

Unfortunately, testing will be a while off. They have different plugs and my vehicle isn’t capable of powering lights atm. 

[Bigj66]

I just fitted LED bulbs to my standard lamp units and changed the indicator and hazard relays for LED compatible versions.

[Anderzander]

2 hours ago, Bigj66 said:

I just fitted LED bulbs to my standard lamp units and changed the indicator and hazard relays for LED compatible versions.

Joe ….. there are people on the Internet who will feel you are now moments away from a visit from a SWAT team enforcing s.41 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 and the Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989.

[Gazzar]

None of those people on the internet work for the authorities, who don't seem to care one iota.