I believe many car owners have complained that the headlights of their cars look like "kerosene lamps." Indeed, the original halogen lamps are indeed less bright in brightness. The ones with lenses are fine, but they cannot be used at night without lenses. Not only that, but they are also bullied by some "high-beam dogs" at night, so many car owners have come up with the idea of changing their headlights.
In fact, there are four types of headlights. The first one is the halogen lamp, which is of course the worst in brightness and illumination distance and has a relatively short lifespan. Its biggest advantage is that it is cheap. The price of a bulb is about 30 yuan. Currently, it is the most expensive. The expensive P-brand halogen bulbs cost less than 100 yuan, and the replacement cost is very low. Therefore, cars priced around 100,000 yuan and early 300,000 yuan use halogen headlights. Of course, halogen headlights are also the most commonly used type of headlights at present;
The second type is xenon headlights. Most of them adopt a design with integrated far and near lenses and a lens. The biggest advantages of xenon lights are high brightness and long irradiation distance. The disadvantage is that the lighting time is slightly delayed. Generally, high-end models from the original factory will be equipped with xenon headlights. lamp;
The third type is LED headlights that have become popular in recent years. Like halogen lights, they are composed of a bulb. However, LEDs emit light through chips, so they have a longer service life. Currently, some cars worth around 200,000 yuan are equipped with LEDs. Headlights, usually, the high and low beams of LED headlights are split, so the cost will be higher;
The fourth type is laser headlights, which are only equipped on some luxury cars, but they integrate all the advantages of xenon and LED headlights.
The pros and cons of LED headlights and xenon headlights
Generally, car owners who modify or upgrade their headlights will choose LED or xenon lamps. These two headlights can meet the driving needs of almost any current road condition, and the price is also within an acceptable range. Which one is better? In fact, I had a hard time before upgrading. I believe you will know the pros and cons after reading them.
Let’s first look at xenon headlights. This is a more popular car headlight after halogen lights. Its advantage is high brightness. Of course, the cost is lower than LED headlights. Most new cars are equipped with them at the original factory. Therefore, later Changing xenon headlights is more troublesome. You need to change the entire headlight assembly and install a ballast, which is troublesome to install. If the original car does not have a lens, you need to install a single lens or double lens separately, and directly add a reflector bowl. Xenon lamps are very ineffective and can cause astigmatism. Another disadvantage of xenon lamps is that there is a delay in lighting time. The effect of lens plus xenon headlights is quite good, and some can be upgraded to dual high beams, which is almost a nightmare for "high beam dogs".
Let’s look at LED headlights again. This is currently a more mainstream headlight upgrade solution. Its biggest advantage is high brightness, but it is slightly inferior to xenon headlights. Secondly, it has a long life and is simple to modify. It is what netizens often call non-destructive installation, and Just like replacing a halogen bulb, just remove it and press it on. Although some models need to install a decoder, the process is relatively simple. Finally, LED headlights can work at low voltage and light up without delay. Due to their small size, currently Many car manufacturers prefer LED headlights.
Of course, LED headlights also have two disadvantages. First, they are expensive. The quality of LED lights on the market is uneven. In order to ensure quality, you must choose first-line brands. Their prices are often around 1,000 yuan per pair. Integrated high and low beam headlights cost 2,000 yuan, which is indeed half the price of xenon lights. Secondly, if the dispersion of LED headlights is not handled well, it is easy to cause light attenuation and affect the effect.
Based on the above factors, we finally chose to upgrade the LED headlights. The following is a real modification case.
Real modification case
There is indeed a mixed bag of LED headlights on the market, ranging from 100 to 1,000 yuan. In order to ensure quality, we bought LED lights from a certain first-tier brand. Because the upgraded model is Kia K5, the car uses a split design for high and low beams, so we need to buy two. pair of LED lights and two pairs of decoders. There are two types of LED lights in this brand. Of course, the prices are also different. In order to save as much as possible, since the high beam is not commonly used, I chose the cheaper one, and the low beam chose the more expensive one. The installation fee is 100 yuan, so the total cost is 1,300 yuan.
Changing the headlights involves vehicle safety, so we chose a service provider that specializes in car headlight modifications. We thought it could be done in half an hour, but it took nearly two hours. Since the left side of the Kia K5 is closer to the battery, it was difficult to install it. It's not very convenient to put up. You need to remove the battery to install it.
First of all, you need to remove the dust cover. Since it is specially designed for halogen lamps, the threading hole left is not very big. The LED lamp has a thicker wire, and the decoder wire is also thicker, so the original dust cover is needed. Only by drilling holes can the wires be threaded out. After drilling, some problems will be exposed. How to solve the dustproof and waterproof problems? The installer used a special sealant when modifying the headlights, which easily solved this problem. It is recommended that you go to a professional repair shop to modify the headlights, because ordinary quick repair shops do not have this kind of sealant, and it is estimated that the master will not can speak.
The following is the installation. After removing the battery and antifreeze container, it will be much easier to install. After the LED light is fixed, the next details are more important. If you want the LED light to achieve the ideal effect, the position of the light must be It is very important, so don’t rush to put on the dust cover after installation. Go to the front and observe whether the angle of the LED light forms a 90° angle with the bottom. Only when a 90° angle is formed, the LED headlight can emit light. Optimum light.
Then there is some finishing work after the installation. Due to the installation of the decoder, there are many more wires in the engine compartment. If these wires are not dealt with, they can easily cause safety hazards, especially near the engine side, which can easily get rolled into the belt, so it is necessary to Secure the wire with a zip tie and place it in the appropriate location.
The last is the most exciting moment, testing the light. After upgrading the light, it is indeed very different from the previous halogen light. Not only the brightness has increased, but the width of the illumination is also wider. In order to make the light of the LED light more ideal, it is recommended to Find a wall and adjust the height at night.
Achuan review
In fact, upgrading headlights is not as complicated as imagined. The main problem lies in selection and later installation. I personally recommend LED headlights. Apart from the high price, there are actually no obvious shortcomings. In terms of modification, my personal opinion is to try as much as possible. Do not destroy the original parts. For example, it is unacceptable to modify the headlight assembly for xenon headlights. Of course, xenon is not useless. If the modification is standardized, the effect is still good. That’s it for today’s automotive laboratory. I hope it can be corrected. Help is provided to car owners who are about to change their lights.
