How imortant is the LED headlight anyway?

aviatordoc

aviatordoc

Active member
I think I have found a van that meets most of my needs in a van, but it does not have the LED headlamps that I really wanted.
I think at this point, the only way is to "order" a new van with it and all else I need.
How do you guys who have it like it and what do you think?
 
Sctn

Sctn

2019 170 4x4 Crew-SMB West
Buy the available van. It’s some headlights that aren’t available. I don’t know what your plans are but I can’t imagine any plans where led headlights make or break it.
 
S

Sprinter2017

Member
I second purchasing van you found. We waited 9 months for our order only to not receive the LED light package. I was bummed as I enjoy the brighter lights for long driving and they look cool but normal headlights on van actually aren’t to bad.

Just for kicks I’m installing brighter bulbs which may give them a boost.

Post a photo once you purchase!
 
wquek

wquek

Work in progress
I had my van on order since January this year. It was supposed to be a July build but they said the LED was not available. Dealer said it won’t be available until potentially 2020. I have been waiting to order this van since 2017 so this was tough news for me.

Debated this issue for two weeks and my wife suggested that I hold off and wait for the LED. That was the best decision I made. From speaking with people that have the LED, they said it was a huge difference even over the 906 HID headlights.

I still don’t have a van yet but I know I will regret spending 85k on a van that has crap headlights. If you think you will be driving at night and on highways, I suggest you really consider waiting for the LED. If you think you need the van now to go on some trip or meet some short term goals, then buy it without.

Just to add fuel to fire, here is a photo of some FedEx vans that arrived at my dealer last month with the full LED package.






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Sctn

Sctn

2019 170 4x4 Crew-SMB West
wquek said:
I had my van on order since January this year. It was supposed to be a July build but they said the LED was not available. Dealer said it won’t be available until potentially 2020. I have been waiting to order this van since 2017 so this was tough news for me.

Debated this issue for two weeks and my wife suggested that I hold off and wait for the LED. That was the best decision I made. From speaking with people that have the LED, they said it was a huge difference even over the 906 HID headlights.

I still don’t have a van yet but I know I will regret spending 85k on a van that has crap headlights. If you think you will be driving at night and on highways, I suggest you really consider waiting for the LED. If you think you need the van now to go on some trip or meet some short term goals, then buy it without.

Just to add fuel to fire, here is a photo of some FedEx vans that arrived at my dealer last month with the full LED package.






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Click to expand...
How did you get your wife to talk about a vans headlights for two weeks...I can’t keep my wife’s attention on our van for more than two seconds.

I’d drive the damn thing w bike lights up front. I just don’t get it.
 
S

Shuga

New member
Sctn said:
How did you get your wife to talk about a vans headlights for two weeks...I can’t keep my wife’s attention on our van for more than two seconds.



I’d drive the damn thing w bike lights up front. I just don’t get it.
Click to expand...


She sounds like a keeper


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O

Onefin

Well-known member
I had standard headlights on my 2014.....a compromise I accepted in order to avoid a build wait and buy a van off the lot.
After owning the standard lights I had the requirement of the xenon headlights on my 2017.......they are so much better than the standard lights.
I personally can not imagine compromising on having better vision at night......if the LED lights offer better visibility, then certainly wait for the LEDs on a $50,000+ van.
No easy way to retrofit the higher performance lighting to a van built with the standard lights.

Disclaimer: I like seeing things when I’m driving at night.....this may or may not be important to you.
I’ve not driven a LED VS30 so no clue if they are better than the standard, but I assume they are.
 
surferJ

surferJ

Active member
With the plan to head a bit off the beaten path I had been planning a big light bar up on the front rack. These were looking pricey and then I read a review on the past years LED lights. They described a big full light field as apposed to traditional ones.

So I decided to order the LEDs and skip the light bar. So far very pleased.
 
wquek

wquek

Work in progress
Shuga said:
She sounds like a keeper


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Click to expand...


Yeah she sure is! We plan to use the van for various camping and road trips. Currently we are using a 1970 VW Westfalia and everyone is looking forward to something a little bit more reliable.


Onefin said:
I had standard headlights on my 2014.....a compromise I accepted in order to avoid a build wait and buy a van off the lot.
After owning the standard lights I had the requirement of the xenon headlights on my 2017.......they are so much better than the standard lights.
I personally can not imagine compromising on having better vision at night......if the LED lights offer better visibility, then certainly wait for the LEDs on a $50,000+ van.
No easy way to retrofit the higher performance lighting to a van built with the standard lights.

Disclaimer: I like seeing things when I’m driving at night.....this may or may not be important to you.
I’ve not driven a LED VS30 so no clue if they are better than the standard, but I assume they are.
Click to expand...


Those were our thoughts exactly. We live near the mountains and always do trips in the winter when it’s usually snowing and the daylight hours are short. The roads are bad and there are always wild animals around. My parents got into a bad car accident at night and are still on medication 13 years later. Having the best lighting is just so important to us.

I thought a lot about going with the basic halogens and adding some high end Rigid Adapt lighting to a brush bar on inside the grill. Unfortunately those are not street legal and I cannot use it public roads. It really came down to our willingness to wait for the LED build slot. Ordering a Sprinter is the most frustrating purchasing experience I have ever had. At this point I am already more than two years into my wait with no van.


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A

airforceones25

New member
I often wonder how I was the one lucky jackass that ended up w/ 4x4 Stone Grey, LED’s/ and the 10” system..

All I can say is the LED’s are sweet! Idk if it’s worth the wait to you but damn they are nice. That said everyone knows how difficult it is to get ahold of these vehicles. LED’s could easily set you back another 2 years.

Best of luck!
 
J

JIB

Well-known member
I have a loaded Stone Gray in "Produced not Shipped". LED were the only thing I could NOT get. My wife and I discussed it and elected to proceed with the order regardless. If I can't upgrade the existing bulbs, I will add subtle, but powerful lighting in discrete locations. I don't plan on a lot of night time driving in traffic, so I anticipate I can use high beams and auxiliary lighting when needed. I am sure they are awesome, but LED's have the potential to seriously delay delivery.

Jack
 
ENMeyer

ENMeyer

Well-known member
Not sure about the "base" lights on the VS30, but the non-Xenons on the NCV3 are pretty crappy. I ended up adding some LED lights on a light bar to supplement the stock headlights.

I drive a lot at night and rank good light very high. That being said, I'd probably take the van that's available and plan on putting on some driving lights if you need them. It's a safety issue. Hitting an elk at midnight due to crappy lights is going to ruin your day. And your van.
 
L

Legwound

Member
My thoughts on LED headlights

Not necessary 90% of the time. That 10% could be critical though. My vintage Lexus had crap headlights and as a result I almost hit a deer.

Good snow tires aren't required 90% of the time. Mission critical the other 10%

I'm a big fan of good headlights, good brakes, and good tires. Failing to do so can lead to a very bad day. That one bad day can affect all the following days.
 
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NJ2CA

New member
In order to get my van in a reasonable amount of time I got min without LEDs and Fogs... now I'm slightly kicking myself since the standard halogens are awful. In the short term I'm planning up upgrading the bulbs, does anyone have experience with LED H7 replacements? I was looking at a quality bulb like the new V.4. Also, considering just putting in a high performance H7 Halogen like the Phillips Extreme Vision.
 
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