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Finally went LED on the headlights and foglights

24K views 64 replies 10 participants last post by  DanteALG 
#1 ·
So, after much reading and debate, I decided to go LED instead of HID for front lighting. The icing on the cake was seeing a coworker's Toyota pickup with full LED lighting and it looked awesome. I guess it was no coincidence that Superbrightleds was running a 10% discount for this Memorial Day weekend. And since I pass right by their building when I go to our hub in Earth City, I finally got the itch to order...

https://www.superbrightleds.com/mor...it-with-internal-drivers-4000-lumensset/5315/

And here they are...
 

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#2 ·
They feel solid and not cheap like. The USPS delivered them today, on a holiday. So I installed them today. Really straightforward... pull the headlamp assemblies, out with the old and in with the new. They fit perfectly in the stock headlamp housings, no drama. You can faintly hear them with power on, engine not running, standing at the front of the car. With the headlamps out of the car, the fog lights are right there, so no getting on the ground. If you plug these in and they don't work, unplug them and flip the socket around... LEDs are polarity sensitive.

Night pics to follow shortly as it is only 7:58 CT here in Missouri.
 
#3 ·
Best I can get for now... first night time ride won't be until either tomorrow night or Wednesday night on the way home from work, so first driving impressions will have to wait. My initial thoughts are the car looks a lot better and those lights are bright.
 

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#5 ·
I have LED headlights as well, and I absolutely, absolutely love them. The 8th Gen Impalas here in the States also use the same DRL system as Canada. What I've noticed is that since the LEDs only use a small amount of power vs. regular incandescent bulbs, the lower power for the DRLs is sufficient to power the LEDs at full strength.

That's what I've noticed on my set anyway. I've had them for over a year and absolutely love them.
 
#8 ·
@HOTLAP... confirmed the DRLs work as they should. Since my wife and daughter left before I left for work, I chocked the wheels, set the E-brake, started the car and put in drive... low beams came on as they should for DRLs. I don't know how bright they are, but the function remains.
 
#11 ·
I'm looking into these based on your post. I have a 2008 LT. Did you have to buy the add-on optional anti-flicker resistor kits for these to work properly, or is it plug and play?

And where did you get the aftermarket headlight dust covers?

Thank you.
 
#12 ·
It is plug-n-play. No need to add on a resistor or anything, everything works as it should.

These are my bulbs: Sorry! Something went wrong!

If you'll notice, these are essentially exactly the same bulbs as the SuperBrightLED ones. I have a feeling they're all made at the same factory, simply with different brands stamped on them. They even came in an identical box with identical packaging.

These are the universal dust covers I bought: [ame]https://www.amazon.com/Auxbeam-Housing-Headlight-Conversion-Retrofit/dp/B073QPGZ92/ref=sr_1_4?crid=2O0V98H4D5HB3&keywords=85mm+dust+cover+headlight&qid=1559313578&s=gateway&sprefix=85+mm+dust+%2Caps%2C144&sr=8-4[/ame]

You may not actually NEED these dust covers. I've read posts where people have no issues putting the stock dust covers back on, and I've read posts where the stock dust covers don't actually fit (like mine). So your mileage may vary. I do not know what could possibly cause this discrepancy, since I believe 2006 thru 2016 Limited Impalas all have the same headlight assembly.

Hope this helps!
 
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#13 ·
Thank you so much for the quick reply and the information.

I see the LED bulbs you purchased are a little different than the ones the OP has.

How do they work for you? Is the light spread nice? Is the visibility at night much improved?

Thank you.
 
#16 ·
I really like them. I absolutely love the bright white color, and the spread of light. Just make sure they are aimed correctly so you don't blind any oncoming drivers.

Here's a picture of my headlights from about a year ago on a dark-ish road at night. Please note, my fog lamps (LEDs) are also turned on in this picture.

Hope this helps!
 

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#15 ·
Well, I am going to be returning one pair of these bulbs this week. On the one bulb used in the low beam, the base cracked where the mounting tabs are that lock the bulb into the lamp housing. That, combined with the tight fit, has made me say screw it, return them, and get a better fitting H11 bulb. I did find what looks to be a better fitting set with nearly identical specs to these, but they are also $70 for the pair. I will update the thread when I return these and get replacements. The bulbs are working well in the foglamp housings, no issues at all.
 
#17 · (Edited)
LED low beams, take two...

I pulled the low beam set and sent them back to Superbrightleds, who promptly refunded me on them. So they get an A+ for effort and good customer service.

I have ordered a set from a different company, BPS Lighting in Canada. They make a Perfect Fit series that mimic the size and shape of halogens, which looks like a winner to me, given the tight confines of our headlamps. I just ordered them today, so they won't be here until next week. Screenshot teaser pic in the meantime..
 

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#18 ·
Hopefully I am not jumping the gun on this... BPS emailed me this morning to confirm vehicle information to be sure I was getting the correct bulb. Shipping/delivery was originally anticipated for around next Friday or so. BPS shipped the bulbs today and DHL is indicating I will have them on this Friday, the 14th, by end of day. Two days from Canada, shipped free no less, is awesome. I don't need them this quickly, but hell yeah! Hopefully I will have some real pics and impressions this weekend. Stay tuned. I am hoping I found a good fitting bulb that is as bright as claimed and lights up the road well while not being a distraction.
 
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#19 ·
The bulbs arrived yesterday afternoon. I can't believe they came overnight from Canada to Missouri for free. Hat's off to the shipper and DHL. Install and review this weekend for sure.
 
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#21 ·
Fit was tighter than I anticipated... you have to twist the bulb in part of the way, and then finagle the harness into position and lock it in. Then you can finish twisting the bulb into place in the headlamp. Dust covers went back on with no issues. So while the fit wasn't as perfect as I thought, these particular bulbs fit into the factory headlamps with no issues. Next pictures and impressions will come when I can drive it at night. So far, so good.
 
#22 ·

Finally! Something that will actually fit without a bunch of drama.
:icon_cheers:

If the light beam is tight and the throw is good, I'm on board for a set of these. :)

What is the UPC or P/N for the kit you bought?

 
#23 ·
Here is an auction number for Ebay... 113738985090

If that doesn't work, just Ebay search BPS lighting and you'll see the auction come up for H11 bulbs. They also have a website, www.bpslighting.com

I will get evening pics tomorrow night since I won't be done work until between 8 and 830. I went to Sonic last night at dusk so I couldn't really tell how good they were. So far what I can say is that while the base is not adjustable, these will be clocked at the 3 and 9 positions in the housing. They did fit well, with the only exception being that you have to finagle the harness into place in the middle of twisting the bulb in place, if that makes any sense. Pics and more review after tomorrow night.
 
#24 ·
Some pics... 1st one is dusk, no foglights. 2nd one is dusk, both low beams and foglights, the last 2 are almost dark, both fogs and lows. I like them.
 

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#25 ·
How about taking a pic of the low beam cutoff pattern when you get a chance? I always find a shot of the pattern shown on a wall from about 20 feet to be most telling when it comes to headlight conversions.
 
#27 ·
I am now returning the 2nd pair of H11 bulbs I got from Super Bright LEDs. The static in the FM radio is getting on my nerves. I need FM radio because I need severe weather alerts... pesky tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings are always a good thing. While I do find myself streaming you tube or playing the iPod more than radio, when I see the clouds turning angry grey, shit's about to get real!

I noticed the additional static after installing the bulbs but couldn't add one plus one there. It was after I pulled the lowbeams and sent them back, with the stock halogens back in place, that I noticed the static with the fogs. I turned them on while listening to the radio and the static was bad. So once I am refunded for these bulbs, I am going to order another set from BPS and pop them in. Hopefully these pics and my opinion will help someone who might be contemplating going LED. Two other things worth mentioning... I have not once yet been flashed for glare and I have noticed that the LEDs do not flicker when the stereo system is cranking. This is most likely because the LEDs draw less current. Again, I am no expert on LED lighting and car headlamps, but I thought it was worth mentioning.
 
#28 ·
I'm sold! Just ordered 3 pair.:)
 
#29 ·
I found these BPS Lighting Perfect Fit LED's on Amazon for about $50 per kit.

Not the fastest shipping, but I'm not in a rush to get them, and I had some Amazon Prime points to apply, which further sweetened the deal.

 
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#31 ·
I have one more (probably dumb) question for anybody listening. I have a 2008 Impala LT 3.5 Flex. My understanding is the low beams are H11 and the high beams are H9, and they are similar in everything except the lip on the bulb attachment point.

The BPS kit says H11/H9/H8. This will fit the highs and the lows?
 
#32 · (Edited)
Somebody please correct me if I'm wrong, but this is my understanding of H9/H11 interchangeability ...

The large mounting key of an older H9 was smaller than that of an H11, so an H11 wouldn't fit in an older H9 socket. The keys on newer H9's are the same as H11's, so I believe they will cross-mount in newer housings.



EDIT:
Just discovered that there's an additional key inside the H11 bulb socket too. Presumably, the H11/H9/H8 bulbs do not have this key.

 
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#33 ·

BPS Lighting contacted me to confirm that I had ordered the correct model LED's prior to shipping, and we're now all squared away ...

Thank you for providing your information.
Our records show that you have purchased the correct bulbs for your vehicle :)
Please be advise that if you run in any technical issue, feel free to contact-us at anytime.
Our technical team as a lot of experience with any type of installation and vehicles.
Our goal is for you to be completely satisfied with this transaction. If this is not the case, we would appreciate it if you would give us a chance to address your concerns BEFORE leaving feedback.
We will make things right.
Thank you for the BPS Lighting Team !

It was refreshing to see a company being PROACTIVE for a change. I don't see this often enough these days.

 
#34 ·
They did that for me when I ordered from them on Ebay. I just got refunded for the 2nd set of bulbs I returned to Superbrightleds and I am ordering another set from BPS. Going to go through Amazon like you since they are considerably cheaper and I don't need them that fast.
 
#38 ·
Interesting, because when I bought from them on eBay, I got a text from DHL with the tracking number. It was when I ran the tracking number that I saw it was the bulbs. Never received anything from DHL before so I was kinda stumped at first. When I tracked the delivery, that was when I saw they would require a signature and opted to do the signature release.

They should have left you a notice on the door. UPS is required to leave an Infonotice when the package isn't delivered for whatever reason, up to 3 attempts. Anyway, glad you got it worked out and I am curious to hear your opinion on the bulbs. I ordered my fogs yesterday and they sent me a follow up email verifying the vehicle information before shipping. Hoping they ship Monday and I have them Wednesday-ish.
 
#39 ·
So I took the plunge based on what I've been reading from you guys here and I have to say I am VERY happy with what came of it.

I ordered them through Amazon on Thursday, because the price was amazing.

The estimated delivery put it somewhere around the 7th to the 17th. I was in no rush so this was no issue for me.

DHL actually delivered them Saturday.

I installed them yesterday, which was a breeze. Lightly placing the harness in before twisting the bulb in as recommended in an earlier post was exactly what was needed, at least for me on the driver side. Passenger side didn't need that to happen.

Also...these will also plug in and fit the high beam slot as well with no modification to the bulb or the housing being needed. The socket on the bulb doesn't have any tabs and the mounting tabs lined up perfectly. Might order another set for high beam applications.

Definitely a bulb worth purchasing, and I would have had no issue waiting as long as Amazon had suggested.

Hope this helps. Feel free to ask any questions.
 
#40 ·
What are your thoughts on the light output and beam pattern? I am content with it and am just curious to what you and Tesla think. My fog lamp bulbs will be here tomorrow and I will be set. I am not doing the high beams right now since it is rare for me to use them.
 
#41 ·
I haven't had a chance to really take them out at night and road test them, but as far as brightness at night I am very happy. There is a nice spread of light and it really illuminates the dark.

I don't have fog lights so I can't weigh in on that.
 
#42 ·
Ok cool, sounds like you are happy with them then. Glad to have recommended them. This is the first time I have ever upgraded headlights in a car so I am happy for a good result. I am definitely going to order a set of lows and fogs for my 2004 GTO and may do a set of lows for the 2004 Yukon.
 
#43 ·
After I arranged with DHL drop off my LED order from BPS Lighting without a signature, they delivered them on Monday while I was out of town. My wife found them in the front entry after work that day and brought them in the house, so they were waiting for me when I returned home last night.

I installed all six this morning - the full Monty - highs, lows, and driving lights. I'm very pleased with what I see so far, even though I have not yet evaluated the nighttime driving performance of these LED's.

Here are a few pics of how they look in the daytime...

Low beams and driving lights in sunlight:



Lows and driving lights inside the garage:



High beams in the garage:



Although, the lenses of my aftermarket headlight housings are dark smoked, the light coming through is a nice daylight white, as you can see. Very nice. As long as these lamps throw their light down on the road properly, I'll be a happy camper.

:hope:

I'll post my driving impressions after I've taken a nighttime spin.

 
#44 ·
Awesome, my fogs came yesterday and I put them in today. Looks good in the daylight, and there is no static on the stereo with these bulbs. I'll see how they are in the dark when I come home from work Saturday morning.
 
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#45 ·
While I know this is the 8th gen sub-forum, my question revolves around a 7th gen. I saw the thread come up in the recent discussions tab and instead of making another thread, I thought I'd pig pile here!


Anyway, here's my situation - Installed high and low beam LED's (Auxbeam is the brand) and while I'm needing to work on the proper orientation for the low beams (lots of flashing headlights on the last road trip) and I need to get the add on box to hopefully make the body computer happy over a high beam out warning, my major complaint right now is the hash generated by the headlights in the radio. Imagine if you will driving 3000+ miles on the last road trip and not being able to enjoy any broadcast radio. The system now defaults to low beam for the DRL's which is an artifact of the warning issue I suspect. Otherwise, I like the bright light at night compared to the original style bulbs. The fan noise in the lights took some getting used to I admit.



Have any of you run into this radiated RF phenomenon and do I need to consider wrapping some headlight wires in ferrite beads to try to stop the broadcast of hash into the system? Your ideas and experience is appreciated, thanks!
 
#46 ·
WickedGoat had RF interference with a brand of LED's he briefly ran. He recently got rid of them for BPS Perfect Fit lamps.

This is my first excursion into the world of LED headlights. I've been biding my time, waiting for LED emitters to evolve enough to make them worth the money, because I was aware of all the issues, which are primarily the same ones you've mentioned -


  • Fan noise
  • RF interference
  • Marginal or incorrect light throw
  • BCM error messages

Not to mention ...


  • Wiring hassles
  • Having to hack up the dust covers on the light housings

Any one of those issues would have been enough for me to return an LED kit, so I never bothered to try LED's. But when WickedGoat discovered the BPS Lighting "Perfect Fit" kit, I was intrigued, because they appeared to have none of these drawbacks.

Now that I'm all in, I can confirm that these LED's do not exhibit any of them, except for one that remains to be verified. I have not yet confirmed that light throw is 100% correct and without grossly objectionable dark spots within the beam area, because I just installed them this morning. Right now, I can only say that the patterns on my wall look the same as those from the OEM halogens.

I can also confirm that these LED's do work in DRL mode. From what I've read, many LED's won't, but these work fine as DRL's in my car.
 
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