NOT ALL LED SEALED BEAM REPLACEMENTS ARE CREATED EQUAL

NAPA Auto Parts discusses the importance of choosing sealed LED headlights built specifically for the Australian market

NAPA Auto Parts has been a leading provider of automotive parts and equipment for more than 90 years, specialising in innovative lighting solutions for on and off-road enthusiasts.

The automotive industry is a constantly evolving and dynamic market, and NAPA Auto Parts says it knows as well as you do, that it is crucial to stay ahead of the curve and adapt to changing customer demands and industry trends.

Replacing a pair of sealed beam halogen headlights with LED versions is a quick and easy upgrade to many 4WDs, hot rods, trucks or even a classic Australian muscle car.

“Unfortunately, there are a few pitfalls involved in going the cheap route that could make it a much more complicated and expensive modification,” NAPA Auto Parts Lighting Category Manager, Luke Bolton, said.

He says the most obvious danger with some LED headlights can simply be the materials and manufacturing quality.

NAPA Auto Parts recommends that you always look for a light with a good aluminium body for heat dissipation and a UV treated polycarbonate lens, as opposed to plastic or glass, for strength.

“There can also be wiring issues due to negative switching or CANBUS systems that can be difficult or expensive to work around if the solution is not incorporated into the light itself,” Luke said.

The OE headlight being replaced is likely to incorporate additional functions such as parking light, DRL and indicators.

So, replacement LED headlights must also incorporate these compliant functions, otherwise the additional functions will need to be purchased separately and installed on the vehicle. The larger, but less obvious, danger is the fact that in Australia and New Zealand we drive on the lefthand side of the road, a trait we share with only 30 percent of the world.

This means ANZ headlights will “cut” slightly to the left, to avoid shining directly into oncoming traffic (while still giving adequate visibility on the off side of the vehicle for pedestrians for example).

NAPA Auto Parts explains we therefore need lights that are specifically ADR (Australian design regulation) approved.

For most vehicle lighting, Australia adheres to the international standards (ECE, ECR) as they are not specific to direction.

Unfortunately, a LHD and a RHD headlight can both meet the same international standard, but only the RHD one will adhere to the ADR.

The other Standard often seen advertised is the SAE standard (Society of Automotive Engineers). This is a USA standard governed by DOT, (US Department of Transport), and NAPA Auto Parts says all headlights with these approvals or markings on them will be illegal for use in Australia or New Zealand, as they will all be made to suit LHD vehicles.

If a RHD vehicle has a set of LHD headlights fitted to it, the only solution is to remove and replace them. There is no way to make a set of LHD headlights safe or legal for use in Australia or New Zealand, NAPA Auto Parts states.

The replacement headlights being installed must be compliant for all the lighting functions that it contains. Therefore, multi-function lights claim more than one ADR or ECE compliance marks. NAPA Auto Parts says it has recently introduced a new range of Great Whites sealed LED Headlights (GWF1005 and GWF1010) which are designed and built specifically to suit the Australian market and are certified ADR compliant for all functions. While they may cost a little more, NAPA Auto Parts says they are simple plug-and-play replacements that can work with negative switching or CANBUS systems, come with a 10-Year Warranty and are 100 percent road legal.

The range of Great Whites ADR approved lights are available nationally at your local NAPA Auto Parts branch.

For more information, speak with your local NAPA Auto Parts team – visit www.napaparts.com.au/locations for the details of your nearest branch.