MOT Fail: headlights with non-OEM LED bulbs

[Peclaran]

Hi All,

Heads Up for those with upcoming MOTs. Had my MOT carried out at VW Dealers and failed because of new criteria for LED lights. They have to be autolevelelling and have wipers(layman’s explanations). I’m sure there are experts here who will provide the official bit.

Will be replacing my original lights and back in in the new year. It’s always good to go in a few days prior.

Admin, feel free to amend title. I carried out a search but couldn’t get similar.

regards

 

[huw169]

Interesting. Yours are obvs not OEM then as they would have these bits.
What variants are they? THQ?

This will cause loads of issues for many people who have swapped them out

 

[j4ckal]

Will be replacing my original lights and back in in the new year. It’s always good to go in a few days prior.


regards

Why don't you just put normal bulbs back in then?
I'm assuming they didn't fail for the led drl's.

 

[Dellmassive]

Got a few pics of what you have fitted now?

 

[j4ckal]

Why don't you just put normal bulbs back in then?
I'm assuming they didn't fail for the led drl's.

Ahh, unless you have retrofit factory let's without auto level etc. Apologies if so.

 

[Peclaran]

Why don't you just put normal bulbs back in then?
I'm assuming they didn't fail for the led drl's.

I’m going with both options. I will swap the bulbs over but have the originals just in case some other issue is raised. Save me a trip. I will upload pics in the morning.

 

[Loz]

Hi All,

Heads Up for those with upcoming MOTs. Had my MOT carried out at VW Dealers and failed because of new criteria for LED lights. They have to be autolevelelling and have wipers(layman’s explanations). I’m sure there are experts here who will provide the official bit.

Will be replacing my original lights and back in in the new year. It’s always good to go in a few days prior.

Admin, feel free to amend title. I carried out a search but couldn’t get similar.

regards

What new criteria? There has never been legal aftermarket LED headlight bulbs, but you don't say what you actually have?
wipers and washers are not compulsory as the MOT guidance says “if or may be fitted”.
Can we have more detail, please?

 

[Stay Frosty]

My camper passed it's MOT with all led lamps in the stock VW H4 headlights, main VW dealer (Vindis) drls, sidelight and main/dip lamp.
Just a thought but go to another MOT garage?

 

[Niknak]

Think on mot fall into same boat as xenon so after certain point have to have washers on them, but also if mot’er is doing his job right should check the lights to ascertain what they are

What new criteria? There have never been legal aftermarket LED headlight bulbs, but you don't say what you actually have?
wipers and washers are not compulsary as the MOT guidence says “if or may be fitted”.
Can we have mire detail please?

Not strictly true on mot anymore not as simple as that, lots of changes to lights in last few years

 

[JasonW]

Current guidlines that i could find... but as mentioned changes in the pipeline....


What do the MOT Guides say about LED bulbs
“Check HID and LED headlamps for mandatory levelling and cleaning devices” and the assessor needs to check the lighting for “Operation“, “Security” and “Condition” which essentially means that they need to make sure that they work and are fitted correctly.

That’s it. Nothing else is mentioned regarding the use of LED headlight bulbs.

Now you would be forgiven for thinking that aftermarket LED bulbs would therefore fail an MOT as you would not have a self-levelling or headlight cleaning system installed. However Section 4.1.5 of the MOT inspection manual states that not all vehicles are fitted with a levelling device so if your vehicle doesn’t have one, it would not be tested.

With no other mention of after-market LEDs in the MOT guidelines, all that is left is for them to check is that the beam pattern is correct and the colour of the light is predominantly white, white with a blue tint or yellow. Any good quality after-market LED bulbs will meet this criteria.

As long as the beam pattern and the colour of the light is correct – then there is no reason an LED upgrade bulb will fail an MOT.

 

[Murdoch]

Get an MOT done by an independent garage

 

[jimc91]

this is really interesting (I know im in lockdown with nothing else to do!). Reading through the link provided by JasonW it would suggest that LEDS are legal as there is nothing in that guidance that says they are illegal or that self levelling / cleaning equipment needs to be fitted (there is for HID lamps) however if they were legal why do manufacturers mark them as not road legal and do themselves out of sales? Maybe there is more detailed mot guidance which is not on the gov website which would be unfair to those using it to inform their buying decisions, now where's that left over turkey.....

 

[Loz]

However, the statutory instruments (laws) say that the lamps must be E marked. But MOT testers are not allowed to disassemble parts of the vehicle to check such things.

 

[Niknak]

Current guidlines that i could find... but as mentioned changes in the pipeline....


What do the MOT Guides say about LED bulbs
“Check HID and LED headlamps for mandatory levelling and cleaning devices” and the assessor needs to check the lighting for “Operation“, “Security” and “Condition” which essentially means that they need to make sure that they work and are fitted correctly.

That’s it. Nothing else is mentioned regarding the use of LED headlight bulbs.

Now you would be forgiven for thinking that aftermarket LED bulbs would therefore fail an MOT as you would not have a self-levelling or headlight cleaning system installed. However Section 4.1.5 of the MOT inspection manual states that not all vehicles are fitted with a levelling device so if your vehicle doesn’t have one, it would not be tested.

With no other mention of after-market LEDs in the MOT guidelines, all that is left is for them to check is that the beam pattern is correct and the colour of the light is predominantly white, white with a blue tint or yellow. Any good quality after-market LED bulbs will meet this criteria.

As long as the beam pattern and the colour of the light is correct – then there is no reason an LED upgrade bulb will fail an MOT.

Yes but be careful with mot writings where it states levelling divide it refers to the driver controlled levelling device not self levelling

 

[Niknak]

However, the statutory instruments (laws) say that the lamps must be E marked. But MOT testers are not allowed to disassemble parts of the vehicle to check such things.

Can use reasonable doubt as a tester

 

[DXX]

If you read the small print of your van insurance it will almost certainly include ‘ vehicle must be maintained in a roadworthy condition’.
This effectively includes being within the current UK legal requirements for vehicle MOT testing.
MOT testers may not be allowed to dismantle your vehicle for testing but post accident engineers (police and insurance) will. If you are deemed to have contributed to a road traffic accident because of non compliant head lights you may find your insurance company making life more difficult than you might like.
Loss Adjusters are employed by insurance companies, many of them receive absolutely no salary, they only get paid a commission on the reduction of a claim value. The experienced ones know every trick in the book.
‘Not for Road Use’ means just that.

 

[Niknak]

Like with everything when it comes to insurance they are slipperier than a greased weasel, I used to be involved with kit car building and that was a real headache with legislation

 

[Peclaran]

Wow. Thanks for all the feedback and discussions guys. If I didn’t have my originals I would perhaps go somewhere else. For now, my easier option is to change them, pass the MOT and get my insurance sorted. Insurance companies have access to MOTs and will note that my initial fail was for lights so once I put my originals back on I would eliminate that issue.

I will then begin to do further research to before putting the LEDs back on.
The internal levelling is an interesting comment because surely this would have been checked by the garage ( simple enough) after a service when someone could have moved it.

I will take a picture of the MOT fail notes when I get home and put it up as well.

attached is my LEDs

 

[Niknak]

The internal levelling is different to the self levelling, and, the internal levelling has to be checked on setting it’s presented at it can then be set to 0 if incorrect height if still off then it’s a failure, self levelling is what it is the lights go through self set up
Yes post the actual failures, can screen shot of the mot website too if easier

 

[DXX]

They look like Transporter HQ lights, I also have THQ lights and I’m happy with them with H1 & H7s. I was contacted at a later date by THQ offering LED bulbs, I pointed out to them that they are labelled ‘For Off Road Use Only’. They confirmed that was the case and then again tried to sell them to me again. Morons is a word that springs to mind.