Bongo Fury

Hello all
As the dark nights are closing in I thought it a good time to look at upgrading the head lights on the bus and I came across LED h4 bulbs as an upgrade , has anyone used these on their bus and how did they work out .
Any problems I should be aware of or any make you would recommend or avoid !
Thanks in advance
Brian

Be aware that the light distribution from LED headlights do not match that from standard H4 lights so the beam is usually malformed and frequently will fail MoT if they check carefully! There are some types that use a "filament" LED string but only the most expensive options normally.... like these below but on an ordinary mains bulb

Otherwise the cheapo versions have an array of LED panels/single lED's arranged in a box shape and hence not at the right focus point for the reflector.

Hello Geoff
Thanks for the quick , we can always depend on you for the electrical questions
These are the bulbs I've been looking at ;

https://www.amazon.co.uk/JamieWIN-12000 ... 282&sr=8-4

They are about £30 , there are others on there for £40-50 . I don't mind the cost as much as the quality and quantity of light . I'll be using the bus a lot for the next few months in the dark hours so I'd like to get a good bulb set up once and for all .
The mot / doe (our test over here ) is not my most major concern ,if I have to I can change over to regular bulbs for that
Thanks in advance
Brian

Which make/model/style of lamps are you currently using ?

The H4 light has two sections;
The low beam which has a sub-reflector behind it and only illuminates the upper half of the main reflector, thus the light shines downwards.
The main beam illuminates all around the main reflector so the lower half is what sends the beam out further forwards, beyond the low beam area.
See here for diagrams from Bosch https://ratwell.com/technical/BoschH4.html#vs

Now the LED lamp you link to appears to have what looks like a normal beam pattern for low beam as it only radiates upwards, from the front most section;

but the 3 LED's towards the rear also only radiate upwards, there are no LED's radiating to the sides or "behind" so its unclear to me how it can use the entire main reflector ?
Another factor is being fan cooled, you may have problems attaching the rubber waterproofing flap that covers the connector which is on a cable tail hanging down swaying in the breeze.....
However without a much closer examination of the optical paths I could be wrong! Let us know if you change types and if so how you get on, and take the time to sit in another car 20-60 feet in front of the Bongo and see what the glare pattern is like for other drivers, remember there the ones that crash into YOU because they can't see where there going

Good evening Geoff
I've been taking on board what you said and doing some research on the Internet and on you tube. It seems that most people are saying that while they can give great light when you get the right bulb for the lense it's difficult and expensive to achieve and there's the added problem of blinding oncoming traffic which I don't like . To do it correctly the lense needs to be designed for LEDs day one and retrofitting them to a halogen lense seems not to be the way to go ......overall .

So plan B is to stay with halogen bulbs , have people found good brands out there that suit the old shape bongo lights ?
I've used Phillips sport vision before in the BMW and found them good , a mate swears by night breakers . Anyone have their own favourite ?
I'm also hoping to fit fogs lamps this weekend so they will help . I could go down the road of auxiliary lights as well , can these be wired to come on with the dims and stay on with the full lights or is this a bad idea .if not then with the full lights only .
Thanks again Geoff for all the great information and advice , it really helps members. Like me , to have an expert like yourself to turn to .
Brian

I've always stuck with Night Breakers there are a range of them, but given that they are all legally limited in the UK to 55 Watts of power (note its power that's specified not light output), most people when they have switched to them have a big improvement over what they were using.

Right Geoff I think I'll go with the night breakers then !
I've been looking at the night breaker laser bulb on Amazon , the claim up to 150% brighter the standard so that sounds good .
I'm also looking to replace the side lights and the fog lamp bulbs ,would you happen to know the type / code for these please ,I'd like them to be the same colour as the lasers ( pure vanity you understand ! )
Thanks
Brian

See the pages I have up http://www.g8dhe.net/bwm all the lights for all years, fuses up to 2000 etc. best to bookmark it! Also the wiring diagrams if you install and enable Flash for the site if you use Chrome browser these days.

Hello everyone
Well last Saturday I replaced all the bulbs for the new night breaker laser bulbs , h4 in the main lenses and h3 in the front fog lamps . The side lights for the cool blue intence Orem w5w bulbs .
The light does seem a bit better , not OMFG better , but an improvement .
It's the worst time of year here for driving as the weather is so bad and it's so dark, what seems like all the time !
Big thank you to Geoff for all the solid advice , it really helped make my mind up .
Brian