Upgrade SEL original halogens with better halogens?

[dndrich]

I ended up sending back the LEDs and instead purchased the set from msg #41 - already configured to fit the Kona. Replacement was super easy - and to me a bit more stable - less wiggle at least for me compared to using the adapter/LED combo. Light is brighter (and whiter) than stock halogens and the cut off is nice and oncoming traffic friendly.

Ok terrific! Glad to know there is an easier solution than what I did. Mine work, but that seems good.

 

[KiwiME]

I ended up sending back the LEDs and instead purchased the set from msg #41

Good to know I'll have an easier time installing them once they arrive via the Kon-Tiki mid Feb.

 

[FloridaSun]

Just hit 20k miles..

 

[Wildeyed]

I've installed the parts from post #9. For about $40 I'm happy with it, but it certainly should be easier.
I didn't make a video because: a) it was a pain in the butt, and I was too occupied with figuring out the problems, and b) it's all too tight to really film what's going on. Also, once you've seen how the adaptor assembles, the rest of the arrangement is easy to understand.

The first side took me about an hour, because I had to diagnose a couple fitment problems, and then devise the solutions. The second side took me 10 minutes, because I already knew what the problems were, and could just make the adjustments before my fingers were crammed into the wheel well with a flashlight in my teeth.

Modifications I had to make:
2) The diameter of the plastic adaptor was too big to get past the metal housing that it needs to clip into. Taking this piece to the bench grinder, I took a 1/16 off the diameter (basically a 1/32" pass all the way around). I also made the tabs slightly narrower, particularly the wide one, and shortened them by 1/32" while I was at it. (It's the thickness of the tabs that secures them in place so reducing the other dimensions just made it easier to get things in place without compromising the fit.)

1) The orientation of the LEDs was such that the bulb could either be locked into place, or oriented vertically as it should be, but not both. To fix this, I removed the small Philips screw just above the fat o-ring on the bulb. This allows the plastic collar with the small tabs to rotate on the bulb. One one bulb I was able to rotate the collar 45 degrees and retighten the screw in it's original hole. On the second bulb I had to remove the collar, drill a new hole for the screw 45 degrees from the original, and reinstall it using the new hole. This may not be the case for all bulbs, since it doesn't sound like the others had this problem.

The end result is good. (lights are bright, cutoff is really sharp, light distribution is much wider than stock so side visibility is way better, with very evenly spread light pattern, visually, the low beams now match the DRLs, which was one of my main peeves)

However, there's no reason this project should be this complicated. Would I do it again? Not if I could pay $100 for a direct-fit version (like the Lasfit kit linked above) and get back an hour of my time. But if I knew exactly what the problems and solutions were, and had the means to fix them (as you might after reading this thread), I'd probably save $50 and get this mickey-mouse arrangement again. If you know what fixes to make before you start, it's a 20-30 minute job.

Posts like this make me think the few grand more for top trim is worth it.

 

[dndrich]

Posts like this make me think the few grand more for top trim is worth it.

Considerably more than a few grand for the top trim. Also, for $100 you can get the bulbs that fit correctly without the need of the adapter. See previous post on the subject. I did the cheaper way, which was admittedly a hassle, but the $100 dollar way is plug and play.

 

[apu]

Considerably more than a few grand for the top trim. Also, for $100 you can get the bulbs that fit correctly without the need of the adapter. See previous post on the subject. I did the cheaper way, which was admittedly a hassle, but the $100 dollar way is plug and play.

Yeah in Canada its around 8K after taxes between the ultimate the next low trim of preferred and another 1K cheaper for the stripper "essential" model that was clearly created just so that all Kona's EV it could qualify for our federal rebate program.

The big features you get for $8K are power adjusting heated/cooled leather seating, power sunroof, LED lighting, HUD, high beam assist, front parking assist warning, bigger 10.3 infotainment unit, LED interior lighting, auto dimming homelink mirror, wireless charging and rain sensing wipers. You get quite a bit, hard to say if its all worth 8K Canadian but in the end many of the folks who were pioneer Kona EV owners really had no other choice at the time.

 

[dndrich]

Same here in USA. Where I live there is actually pretty good availability of the cars. I was not interested in all of the other bells and whistles, and am perfectly happy with the car as it is, other than the headlights. For $50 I have solved that problem. But I can understand why folks like fully trimmed out cars. I just like the simpler car and the value of the SEL.

 

[electriceddy]

Yeah in Canada its around 8K after taxes between the ultimate the next low trim of preferred and another 1K cheaper for the stripper "essential" model that was clearly created just so that all Kona's EV it could qualify for our federal rebate program.

The big features you get for $8K are power adjusting heated/cooled leather seating, power sunroof, LED lighting, HUD, high beam assist, front parking assist warning, bigger 10.3 infotainment unit, LED interior lighting, auto dimming homelink mirror, wireless charging and rain sensing wipers. You get quite a bit, hard to say if its all worth 8K Canadian but in the end many of the folks who were pioneer Kona EV owners really had no other choice at the time.

Yep the Ultimate was the only model available to pre-order in July 2018. Love the sunroof, and the ventilated seats in warm weather are really nice.
I also like the nav display on the HUD.

 

[KiwiME]

My LED bulbs arrived today. Bench tested them first, 2.25 A at 12.5 V, so 28.1 W each.
I'm going to mark where my halogens hit the wall first in case these ones require re-adjustment once installed.

 

[dndrich]

They look good. Let us know.

 

[KiwiME]

That was somewhat less fun than I was hoping for but only took about 30 minutes. It's slightly cooler today, 33°C, still a sweaty job outdoors.

It seemed easiest to loosen the three Phillips screws first (see image) so that the halogens can be removed (CCW) and the LEDs installed (CW) without risking damaging either. The screws are quite tight but will loosen with significant force applied using the access flap in the wheel well.

It does seem that the LED adapter tabs might be slightly too thick to lock in easily without loosening the three screws. I could not get it to budge and the plastic adapter seemed too far fragile to force it, never mind the risk of twisting the LED at the fan cover and heatsink. It was a cinch with the screws loosened however.

I did have some difficulty placing the assembled connector inside the housing, even with the LED not in place. It was a struggle to get it past the edges.

So, I didn't realise that the LEDs require adjustment in rotation once installed. I would have thought that's the point of the keyed three-prong flange.

I'll adjust them at dusk against the pattern I drew last night on the neighbor's wall with the halogens in place.

The last comments I have is that the Kona headlight's cast aluminium lamp receptacle base and stainless retainer are designed to sink heat away from the halogen bulb. It's puzzling why the LED vendor didn't supply a metallic flange to take advantage of that? The plastic retainer is also quite wobbly in supporting the LED body and I hope it doesn't melt or deform with temperature. It seems certain that its flexibility will cause the light beam to jiggle slightly over bumps.

 

[dndrich]

OK, this is unfortunate. I was hoping these would be more plug and play. Based on that my setup with the cheap ones, even though the adapters were a pain, once in they fit fine and my bulbs seem very stable.

 

[KiwiME]

I just completed the final adjustment. I read on hyundaikonaforum.com that the LED's correct position is with the cable exiting from the fan directly downwards and that seemed accurate. If you start there it's not much adjustment on either side to get the most even illumination.
As for my comment about the rigidity of the plastic adapters, I wiggled them from the back and thankfully it didn't significantly affect the cutoff, it seemed OK, still flat-ish across the field.
The LED heat sink gets hot in just seconds of operation. I have to imagine that the manufacturer has tested these in an enclosed fixture but my decades of mechanical engineering experience makes me wonder how they will survive. I have no doubt they will operate at over 100°C, but fingers crossed.
They match the DRL colour very well and really are bright, absolutely blinding to look at. I won't be able to drive the Kona for another 5 days but here's what they look like parked, a good outcome so far!

 

[Peter Thomas]

A couple of other bits of information that might be helpful. I understand that the unit is meant to be orientated such that the tip is vertical with the cut outs on top. Apparently the cable does then often emerge from the bottom of the unit (as in the photos in #71), but not always. The units are hand assembled and there is apparently occasionally some variation. They weren't precisely at the bottom for the two I fitted yesterday so I marked the top on the rear casing with a permanent marker. Good idea to loosen the screws, wish I had thought of that! I also wish I hadn't dropped one of the dust covers down between the wing panel and the wheel arch plastic, but that is another matter!!

 

[KiwiME]

Hmm, thanks, marking them was a good idea. They're easy enough to get to so might check them.

 

[Peter Thomas]

As you have probably discovered, they won't just rotate in the holder/retainers, they will also pull out quite easily, so yes, checking isn't that difficult. This however made me think that the fit in the holders seemed a bit too loose but a quick drive around this evening revealed no flickering/vibration. Height adjustment 1 or 2 seems to replicate the previous halogen settings.

The improvement over the halogens is quite impressive. The two-tone effect of the yellow halogen high beams above the brilliant white LEDs is slightly odd but I expect I won't notice it after a few days.

 

[KiwiME]

As you have probably discovered, they won't just rotate in the holder/retainers, they will also pull out quite easily, so yes, checking isn't that difficult.

The LED type I bought (post #69) that have a single plastic adapter will rotate the best part of 350°. I pulled them out to check the orientation I had determined by visually checking the light beam and they were both within a couple of degrees of vertical. It's good to know exactly where they should be and so adjusted them accordingly.

 

[KiwiME]

Just to complete my comments, the lights work well at night, the best part being the white colour. The beam has a good cutoff but is quite a bit higher than the stock halogens. It's a good thing I have the EU-spec dash adjustment wheel (which needed to be turned down all the way) so I don't have to rush to adjust them permanently at the screws. Also, the beam is very wide, hitting both edges of the road. Overall a big improvement over the stock halogens.

 

[electriceddy]

Just to complete my comments, the lights work well at night, the best part being the white colour. The beam has a good cutoff but is quite a bit higher than the stock halogens. It's a good thing I have the EU-spec dash adjustment wheel (which needed to be turned down all the way) so I don't have to rush to adjust them permanently at the screws. Also, the beam is very wide, hitting both edges of the road. Overall a big improvement over the stock halogens.

Another spec not included in the N.A models ( cabin accessible height adjustment)

 

[Peter Thomas]

I thought I should add an update to this post having now removed my Las Light LEDs and replaced them with the old Halogens because:

1. I realised I didn’t like the light pattern being produced by the LEDs. As KiwiMe said in an earlier post , the beam is very wide which means that the edges of the high sided narrow single track lanes here in West Dorset end up being very brightly lit which I found distracting. Possibly because of this it seemed like the centre of the beams was less bright than the edges.

2. Some doubts about the legality of swapping Halogens for LEDs in the UK and possible insurance implications.

Also, two observations having swapped back.

1. With these LEDs the connector block has to be squeezed into the space around the LED bulb. I have a feeling that this meant that the dust caps couldn’t be fully closed. Having put the halogens back the caps now seem to rotate further and fit more securely.

2. It is quite difficult to remove the tightly fitting adaptors