.... but having never owned a vehicle with Xenon headlights before, what is meant by "Bi-Xenons"?

It suggests to me that it is as it states "Bi" meaning two. However, I can't see any other light in the unit appearing to be a xenon unit. So where is the second one?

Finally- has anyone ever found a nice replacement bulb for the side lights, to make them look a bit whiter? The ones I have appear yellowy alongside the headlights 2010 MY Vogue SE TDV8 3.6 Stornoway Grey- fully loaded

Bi Xenon Both Dip & Main are Xenon although backed up by halogen as well for flashing cars

If you have bendy lights its best not to change to a led side as leds dont react to heat to well

Try UltraLED .co. uk or the like with LEDS like most things you pays your money flea bay ones are crap

Noddy, There are a couple of posts on the RRS site for changing side lights to LEDs. Have a hunt and read if you plan to change them as some are better than others.

When I had my M5 there were always other Beemer drivers looking to make their cars look like they had blue/xenon lights. You can buy the same bulb replacement in a higher Kelvin blue output that simply swaps out. That's got me thinking, I might even have a set in the garage I can put on mine...going to check. Discovery 4 HSE
1998 110 TUM HS FFR Hard Top XD WOLF
1982 Series 3 Hard Top

*Gone:L462 D5 HSE LUX, L663 Defender 110 HSE, Discovery 3 HSE, 2014MY Range Rover Sport 5.0 Supercharged AB Dynamic; L405 Exec Vogue SE 4.4, 5.0 Supercharged Autobiography, Defender TDCi XS CSW, Defender TD5 HT, Vogue SE TDV8, Vogue TD6, RRSport SC 4.2V8, Classic 3.9 Vogue Auto, Land Rover Series 3 SWB

Has anyone actually changed the sides for LED's?

It's just that most modern cars fault detection systems get a little upset by LED's as they think that the filament bulb it thinks should be fitted has blown and keeps telling you with annoying little lights and beeps. Maybe this doesn't happen on FFRR's.

The superbright halogens are good. Had them on previous cars, but did throw up the same problem of side lights looking yellow against them (hence me knowing about the LED upgrades causing problems).

Halfrauds have a periodic deal on the +40% ones every now and again (BOGOF) that is very competitive (actually makes them cheaper than competition for once).

Larry - i know of the problems but cant remember the solution - it should all be on the RRS site as loads of the guys swap to LEDs - if i recall one of the us chaps knows about it - cant remeber his name but i will have a look

Front sides are OK (for LED) LED for indicators are another story

Sorry Ken - didn't work for me.

As they were OK in my D3, I tried some white Ultra LEDs as sidelights in my 09MY Vogue FFRR.
I don't have the adaptive lights.

The LEDs and the FFRR didn't get on at all.... warning messages all over regards the sidelights being blown, and also at tickover - a real 'flicker' coming from the LEDs - presume as they must run straight from alternator supply.

Took them straight out, and in the end just used some heavily blue tinted/different colour temp ordinary capsule bulbs - and they appear white now.

I've used the LEDs in the front map lights - more directional and better colour rendering at night of a map/directions etc..

Bit odd, as my D3 had adaptive lights (don't actually miss them in the FFRR - nor do I think they are that much better, even though I thought I would) and I had LED sides, tail, stops and numberplate - only indicators were a pain as they needed a resistive load. Couldn't see the point of having a resistor in the circuit to mimic the load - so stuck with bulbs...
All those LEDs worked fine and never threw up a message...

The FFRR is obviously more sensitive...

Muddy Range Rover Vogue SE SDV8 - L405 (now sadly sold)
BMW i3 (fantastic little runabout)
Kioti NX6010 Tractor
Yamaha Big Bear ATV
And a whole heap of other kit...

Mudplugger, Do a hunt on the RRS site re LEDs - Many on there have changed them some with and without sucess initially - I know that some LEDs work and some dont and you should find the answer and what and where to buy on there. Let us know how you get on

I've just bought these - not sure if they'll work, but for the money, its worth a try. 2010 MY Vogue SE TDV8 3.6 Stornoway Grey- fully loaded

I've just bought a couple of replacement bulbs, but laser blue (LB). Paid about £1.60 down from £4 at Halfords with trade card... Don't know if they're any good yet - will find out later and let you know.

ref your LEDs noddy: please keep us informed as to whether they're a vast improvement.

Hi FFND Noddy and all,

Have just looked at the GTR on the web and viewed the circuit diagram, and had a sneak look at the LR resource online (courtesy of friendly JLR development engineer).

The blown bulb sensing appears to be measured in the control module based on a filament bulb fitting between two current consumption parameters defined in the software control module. These parameters appear to be set to around 10% eaither side of the acceptable range of current consumption of the average 12V 5W incandescent (tungsten filament) wedge bulb.

It would be possible to fit LED's and a resistor (to mimic filament current consumption) and fool the software - or one could see if it's possible to alter the software parameters (or switch bulb warning off).

This works very similarly to 'electric over oil' solenoid hydraulic controls in a modern tractor - that also have software parameters that give error messages when out of ranges - normally indicating poor implement connection, reduced flow rates or blown seals.

In short - yes, it can be done for the FFRR - by choosing an LED cluster that is designed to mimic a filament bulb, or by applying an external resistor into circuit (which turns the required current into heat rather than light) but it does seem a lot of hassle for little return.

For those of you who like to know these things its currently around 417mA a bulb assuming 12V and 5W (so 834mA or 0.8A for 2). A typical 4 LED cluster only draws a maximum of 80mA (0.96W)- so even a pair of these falls well outside these parameters.

The resistance required to consume the additional current then is only about 35 Ohms but not surprisingly would need to be rated at about 4 Watts in order to safely turn the extra current into heat. These resistors are called power resistors and all of them have some form of heatsinking capability and importantly - they get HOT! (often with surface temperatures exceeding 200deg C)

I'm not sure I'd want to swap a perfectly serviceable filament bulb for LED's and a heat source...

The RRS and Discovery 3 utilise the same (but very different from the FFRR) control module - which only looks at 'key circuits' these being headlamps and stop/tail lamps. Since stop/tail lamps have many more than 4 LED's - I'm assuming that the current consumption creeps into the low end of the parameters and would not set the control module to show a fault. The sidelights are not covered by this control module (one can blow and you won't know until you get out and look) and thus are fine with LED's which draw little current..

My own view is that I have more interesting things to play with just now - but if I'm bored one summer afternoon, I may just get the power resistance decade box out of my workshop, and plot the parameters set for a fault condition. Then you could choose the LED array and minimum resistances needed to make a true LED sidelight work and give a fault if it ever went open circuit...

Alternately - I could just stick with the filament bulbs, sit back and relax!

I think Noddy will find the same as me - that the software in the FFRR will keep telling him his bulbs are blown. The LED's will work fine - but may flicker at tickover...
Let me know if it's just my FFRR - or if others get the same result!


Regards,


Muddy Range Rover Vogue SE SDV8 - L405 (now sadly sold)
BMW i3 (fantastic little runabout)
Kioti NX6010 Tractor
Yamaha Big Bear ATV
And a whole heap of other kit...