H13/9008 bulb change

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SteveandLee

New member
Joined
Mar 14, 2018
Messages
3
Hey all,

Recently purchased a 2015 Leaf SV and I need to replace the R/H headlight bulb which is the dual high/low beam, any tips or tricks to avoid mangling/busting anything.

Thanks for the replies.

Steve
Richmond, BC, Canada
 
I replaced my H13's with LED versions back in December and it is not hard to get to either bulb. There is a twist off cover on the back, the connector, and normal mounting hardware.
 
Thanks, 1/4 turn did the trick, must of been first bulb change, there was a slight pop and the backing came off, bulb was a little sticky coming out but turned out good, thanks again.

Steve
Richmond, BC, Canada
 
I considered adding led head lights also. However, you really do not save any significant power AND the bright leds blink other drivers....

I really hate this fad to get the brightest bulbs in the world.... Most of us in cities only need headlights to be seen by other drivers, and the halogens (which were once cutting edge technology themselves) are plenty bright. vvvvv
 
I considered adding led head lights also. However, you really do not save any significant power AND the bright leds blink other drivers....

I really hate this fad to get the brightest bulbs in the world.... Most of us in cities only need headlights to be seen by other drivers, and the halogens (which were once cutting edge technology themselves) are plenty bright.
 
I considered adding led head lights also. However, you really do not save any significant power AND the bright leds blink other drivers....

I really hate this fad to get the brightest bulbs in the world.... Most of us in cities only need headlights to be seen by other drivers, and the halogens (which were once cutting edge technology themselves) are plenty bright.
 
I considered adding led head lights also. However, you really do not save any significant power AND the bright leds blinD other drivers....

I really hate this fad to get the brightest bulbs in the world.... Most of us in cities only need headlights to be seen by other drivers, and the halogens (which were once cutting edge technology themselves) are plenty bright.
 
LED headlights do not increase range by any noticable amount. What I like about them is they are generally made to work over a wide range of voltages with the same light output. My LED's work from 8V to 32V if I remember correctly, but the Halogen's are noticably dimmer when the 12V system is not at 14V, which for the Leaf is most of the time.
 
So far, none of the aftermarket LED headlight bulb retrofits are DOT approved. As such, the resulting beam pattern may or may not equal the original beam pattern. If you do go the LED route, choose wisely and verify the resulting beam pattern before and after. You don’t want to blind other drivers, which I’m seeing more and more now that people are buying cheaply engineered retrofit kits online.

I agree that good quality LED kits will provide a stable light output under the suboptimal voltages the LEAF runs the stock halogen headlights at. The best output from the stock halogens is during the first few minutes of starting the car or when running the wipers... the only time the headlights see a proper 14v supply and turn nice and bright white as the bulb manufacturer intended. The rest of the time the sag down to a dimmed yellow on 12.5 volts or so.
 
Something I learned recently and found interesting regarding operating Halogen bulbs at lower-than-specified voltages:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halogen_lamp#Halogen_cycle

"With a reduced voltage the evaporation is lower and there may be too much halogen, which can lead to abnormal failure."

and

"There are many situations where halogen lamps are dimmed successfully. However, lamp life may not be extended as much as predicted."
 
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