Afternoon all, one of the Xenon HID projector (D2S) bulbs gave up the ghost this morning and after looking for a replacement I noticed some LED versions that are supposedly direct "plug and play" replacements. Has anyone got any experience of using these and if so are they a hassle to fit and would you recommend them, or just go with the original spec bulb? Incidentally I'm only considering the LEDs from a service life point of view, I'm not looking for a mega high output boy racer type spec that illuminates the whole of West Cornwall every time I turn them on, just something around the standard Lumens output. Thanks in advance for any help.

Dave

2 hours ago, daveyboy1967 said:

Afternoon all, one of the Xenon HID projector (D2S) bulbs gave up the ghost this morning and after looking for a replacement I noticed some LED versions that are supposedly direct "plug and play" replacements. Has anyone got any experience of using these and if so are they a hassle to fit and would you recommend them, or just go with the original spec bulb? Incidentally I'm only considering the LEDs from a service life point of view, I'm not looking for a mega high output boy racer type spec that illuminates the whole of West Cornwall every time I turn them on, just something around the standard Lumens output. Thanks in advance for any help.

Dave

Hi from my perspective you would be better off with the original D2s the service life for LED units aftermarket is probably less than the HID because %99 of them are Chinese and for some peculiar reason have cooling fans attached to them, the D2s works straight out of the box, LEDs do create more heat and annihilate the beam pattern, So if you want a cheeky upgrade go for 5000-5500 kelvin D2s no extra heat just a whiter light, try Vally Lighting on eBay, I used their D5s units, fair price and only got a bit dim after two years and 100,000 miles [cab working nights].

Steve.

Hi Steve and thanks for the info mate. I was sort of leaning towards the original as I don't like to make things difficult for myself if I can help it so you've helped make up my mind. I noticed the fans too which I thought was weird as it seems to be at odds with everything I thought about LEDs. I thought they ran loads cooler and lasted way longer than regular bulbs, I'm guessing they're being pushed to their absolute limits in this application? Anyway, thanks again for the info and the tip about the whiter light, every day is a school day!

Dave

Just as a footnote to this thread, with the size of the engine bay on these surely Audi could've found a way to leave just a couple of inches extra access to the back of the headlights, it's not a lot to ask. Gits!

On 8/23/2025 at 6:27 PM, daveyboy1967 said:

Just as a footnote to this thread, with the size of the engine bay on these surely Audi could've found a way to leave just a couple of inches extra access to the back of the headlights, it's not a lot to ask. Gits!

Definitely not easy. The air box pipe needs removing to gain access.