H4 To H7 Upgrade

Showbiz said:
Long time lurker here.. Got a 2018 van, fitted with the utterly shocking (dangerous, stupid, rubbish, pathetic, etc) H4 headlights and need to make a change. Also have a 2017 Passat GTE with LEDs, so a bit spoilt and know what good lights should look like, but can't justify the cost of LED upgrade done properly (with self levelling and washers).

I've been looking at a pair of the VW H7 units (used or new) vs the THQ H11/H1 v3 units. Seems the projector in the THQ option would allow for a better beam pattern and potentially a sneaky LED H11 bulb and I can afford them, if they are worthwhile over the H7s.

I know it's difficult because opinions differ and really I'm looking for someone who has gone H4 > H7 > THQ and therefore knows first hand the difference, but that's a fairly specific path.

Recent posts in here suggest the H7 is a good upgrade over the H4 - if I was near Kettering I'd probably put down £80 and do the swap, but I'd always wonder if it was worth the effort and the cost saving and whether I should have just gone with the THQ. Don't really like sequential indicators or DRLs/indicators in the same place but that appears to be the trade off for THQs.

Thanks in advance!
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Welcome. I can't comment on the THQ lights but I can compare the H7s to my 2018 Passat dual, bendy LEDs so potentially a useful comparison for you. With Osram +100% Cool Blue Intense halogen bulbs (i.e. road legal and MOT compliant bulbs) they are not a million miles behind the Passat (but a million(ish!) times better that the old H4s!). They certainly do not have the outright brightness of the LEDs, but they also do not have the sharp cut-off that the Passat lights have so in certain conditions you actually get better visibility in the distance. They also do a really good job of lighting up the nearside curb so are fine on dark country lanes with oncoming traffic. Main beam is fantastic with the second set of focussed H7 lenses and absolutely a match for the Passat. The main things I do miss over the Passat are the swivelling function projecting the light into a corner at speed, the low speed manoeuvre lighting and the washers on a long winter journey. I do a mix of lit/unlit urban, motorway, A, B and country roads on a daily basis and rarely wish I had the Passat lights on the T6. The Passat LEDs do look great though!
 
Showbiz said:
Long time lurker here.. Got a 2018 van, fitted with the utterly shocking (dangerous, stupid, rubbish, pathetic, etc) H4 headlights and need to make a change. Also have a 2017 Passat GTE with LEDs, so a bit spoilt and know what good lights should look like, but can't justify the cost of LED upgrade done properly (with self levelling and washers).

I've been looking at a pair of the VW H7 units (used or new) vs the THQ H11/H1 v3 units. Seems the projector in the THQ option would allow for a better beam pattern and potentially a sneaky LED H11 bulb and I can afford them, if they are worthwhile over the H7s.

I know it's difficult because opinions differ and really I'm looking for someone who has gone H4 > H7 > THQ and therefore knows first hand the difference, but that's a fairly specific path.

Recent posts in here suggest the H7 is a good upgrade over the H4 - if I was near Kettering I'd probably put down £80 and do the swap, but I'd always wonder if it was worth the effort and the cost saving and whether I should have just gone with the THQ. Don't really like sequential indicators or DRLs/indicators in the same place but that appears to be the trade off for THQs.

Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
I've done the H7 swap and can say its absolutely worth it, I was unfortunate to make the mistake of buying an older set from an early van which the DRL holders burnt out on as soon as I fitted them, cost me £60 to repair. But that was very easy and a job done for the rest of the life time of the lights. Put a set of Osram Nightbreakers in and they re brilliant
 
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Showbiz said:
I've been looking at a pair of the VW H7 units (used or new) vs the THQ H11/H1 v3 units. Seems the projector in the THQ option would allow for a better beam pattern and potentially a sneaky LED H11 bulb and I can afford them, if they are worthwhile over the H7s.

I know it's difficult because opinions differ and really I'm looking for someone who has gone H4 > H7 > THQ and therefore knows first hand the difference, but that's a fairly specific path.
Click to expand...
I went from H7 to THQ for vanity reasons.

The H7s are as good as any other modern twin beam reflector headlight. They are perfectly acceptable and it wasn't until I drove a van with H4s that I realised there is a vast difference between them. So absolutely a worthwhile upgrade.

The THQs are actually worse than the H7s with halogen bulbs. With LEDs they are probably on par with H7s but with a sharper cut off and whiter light. Not necessarily better overall light tho'. The best light output I got was with HIDs. They emit light just like a halogen bulb, so 360° of light fills the reflector behind the projector lens, unlike the opposing diodes on most LEDs. There are projector specific LED bulbs now which in theory should be better, but I haven't tried those.
 
Did a bit more reading about the THQ lights (on this forum) and there seem there have been a fair few sets for sale 'lightly used' and a number of people who aren't that pleased with them. I will focus my efforts on picking up a set of the twin H7 units instead, I think.

I don't really want to put in bulbs that aren't road legal. I prefer the van to be all legal - it'd be just my luck that the wife would get pulled over and not me and I'd never hear the end of it. I tried a set of the H4 Osram LEDs in the T6 but if anything, they were worse than decent halogen bulbs. I moved the LEDs to my 4x4 which gets very little night time use and very rarely on main roads/motorways, mostly lanes and off road, so they didn't go to waste.

Thanks for the responses above, very helpful advice :)
 
I’ve gone from H4 to H7 and the non OEM projector LEDs. H4 to H7 is a good upgrade especially with Osram +200% Nightbreakers. But there’s an even bigger improvement with LED over H7 let alone over H4. My non OEM LEDs are as good as my old Passat GTE Advance LEDs to give some comparison.
 
Morning all

I currently have the standard H4 headlights in my 2016 T6. Can anyone confirm if the part number 7L2.941.005.b H7 headlights are a direct fit with no coding required?

If so, what would be a reasonable second hand price would you say (I've seen them going for a huge range of prices second hand).

Thanks!
 
At £20, my redundant H4 headlights took a couple of months to sell to someone using them temporarily on a T5 to T6 front end conversion. The replacement H7 headlights I bought were a direct fit for me. The only Carista coding needed was to make the dip and main bulbs stay on when on full beam which I did for the H4's anyway. From what I have noticed with prices for H7's is they seem to be for sale from £50, if the seller doesn't know what they have, and up to circa £350 if seller knows the potential value and includes a full suite recent premium/brighter bulbs, and all prices in between.

IIRC I spent circa £100 on a new set of bulbs for the H7's (2x prs of H7 Osram 200+ Nightbreakers, LED DRLs) and another £35 on a DRL socket repair, so potentially factor that into your purchase.
 
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CarreraRSR said:
At £20, my redundant H4 headlights took a couple of months to sell to someone using them temporarily on a T5 to T6 front end conversion. The replacement H7 headlights I bought were a direct fit for me. The only Carista coding needed was to make the dip and main bulbs stay on when on full beam which I did for the H4's anyway. From what I have noticed with prices for H7's is they seem to be for sale from £50, if the seller doesn't know what they have, and up to circa £350 if seller knows the potential value and includes a full suite recent premium/brighter bulbs, and all prices in between.

IIRC I spent circa £100 on a new set of bulbs for the H7's (2x prs of H7 Osram 200+ Nightbreakers, LED DRLs) and another £35 on a DRL socket repair, so potentially factor that into your purchase.
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That's really helpful, thanks for that.

In terms of part number, is it a match do you think?
 
As usual I reckon I've missed the boat, are these still coming up second hand or is it better to try and source new H7 units now?
I'm seeing lots of T6.1 units but not much for T6 except for people moving on their H4 shitters that I've got
 
t0ne said:
As usual I reckon I've missed the boat, are these still coming up second hand or is it better to try and source new H7 units now?
I'm seeing lots of T6.1 units but not much for T6 except for people moving on their H4 shitters that I've got
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They are relatively rare but do come up still. EBay and Marketplace are your best bet.
 
In all fairness if you think of all the AA, RAC and various business user VW T6s that are still on the road despite the H4 headlight it's really only this forum where we get upset that a commercial vehicle headlight isn't as good as that on a £35k car. :whistle:
 
Stay Frosty said:
In all fairness if you think of all the AA, RAC and various business user VW T6s that are still on the road despite the H4 headlight it's really only this forum where we get upset that a commercial vehicle headlight isn't as good as that on a £35k car. :whistle:
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Very true. Personally I’m happy enough. GT200 bulbs and they’re fine, it’s a camper not a sports car, I’m not out-driving my night vision.

I don’t personally think aftermarket lights with fish eye projectors (literally designed to cut the light off) and H1 full beams (I sold a previous vehicle that used H1 in both full and dipped units as that was truly unsafe at night) are worth the huge sum they cost, even if there is a small improvement.
 
Lubrown said:
Very true. Personally I’m happy enough. GT200 bulbs and they’re fine, it’s a camper not a sports car, I’m not out-driving my night vision.

I don’t personally think aftermarket lights with fish eye projectors (literally designed to cut the light off) and H1 full beams (I sold a previous vehicle that used H1 in both full and dipped units as that was truly unsafe at night) are worth the huge sum they cost, even if there is a small improvement.
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That's the beauty of these vans imo, you do it your way and enjoy what you like. Personally I think the H4 dipped beams are appalling, particularly on the pitch black country roads around me. The last few cars I've had and my Cali had factory LEDs and while I don't expect that level of illumination I'd like to improve what I've got and I don't want to go down the THQ led route so here I am :)
 
t0ne said:
That's the beauty of these vans imo, you do it your way and enjoy what you like.
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Spot on. I’m not knocking anyone for doing their own, hopefully it didn’t come across like that.

When you’ve owned a Citroen Xantia though you know how bad things can really get!
 
Stay Frosty said:
In all fairness if you think of all the AA, RAC and various business user VW T6s that are still on the road despite the H4 headlight it's really only this forum where we get upset that a commercial vehicle headlight isn't as good as that on a £35k car. :whistle:
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I'm with you on this, I have standard lights on my t6 and perfectly fine to me in different weather/light conditions. What really bugs me is several vehicles with day lights that are still bright during the day and can still blind you!
 
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