FIAT Panda (2003 - ) - 2008 1.3 Di General - LED lighting

Honest John Back Room » Technical matters
View Threaded
Sun 4 May 2008 22:27
2008 1.3 Di General - LED lighting - krebb industries
Having fought to constantly replace side light bulbs in a previous car, I decided to buy "fit and forget" LEDS for my car. I bought 10 via the internet, and am very impressed with them.

I want to fit them to my wifes new panda (think they'll go in), someone at work seems to think that they;re not road legal. In Halfords, packaging on LEDs says for "off road use only", but is that because of the lack of an E number on the bulb ?

They're not dazzling anyone in my opinion. Has anyone had trouble with Plod or MOT tester with "normal" white LEDs fitted to their car ?

Might get some red rear LEDs too if good feedback on here !
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sun 4 May 2008 22:35
2008 1.3 Di General - LED lighting - Hamsafar
10! I have used them for years in sidelights, numberplates and interior, though I have found they don't last as long as normal bulbs before blowing, flashing or becoming dim. I have had no problems with MOT.

This is the kind of thing cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1702...7
they are better than the older ones I had with a number of small 3mm LEDs clustered together.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 5 May 2008 14:20
2008 1.3 Di General - LED lighting - doctorchris
New Panda sidelights are notoriously difficult to replace. If the LED bulbs are likely to fail after a short while then you are just making work for yourself and they will not look any better.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 5 May 2008 15:33
2008 1.3 Di General - LED lighting - krebb industries
Oh dear - I had a look under the bonnet before ordering and there looked to be a lot of room behind the lights, so I thought it would be straightforward. The corsa that caused the trouble was a real bumper off job to get the healights off and then access the lights - appalling design.

I bought 10 as the Meriva uses the 501 bulb for loads of exterior lights, and the price of 10 wasnt much more than the 6 or so I was going to buy.

I would have thought that the LED would last longer than a normal filament bulb, which is why I bought them. I'm not bothered about aesthetics of the light.

But apart from that, no problems with the law then ?
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 5 May 2008 15:45
2008 1.3 Di General - LED lighting - doctorchris
It looks easy to replace Fiat Panda sidelights. You can easily unclick the cover over the light unit. However, the sidelight bulb holder is a tight fit and in an awkward position. You might need to use pliers to shift it and as I said before your new bulbs may not last long.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link