-
What is the difference between Philips Ultinon LED and other LEDs?
-
Philips Ultinon LEDs have been engineered to provide the proper light beam focus demanded by automotive applications. Many other automotive LED lights use a large number of low output LEDs and hope that enough light gets to where it should be. Philips Ultinon LEDs employ a few, high-powered, automotive-grade LEDs, arranged so that their light output is focused in the same way that light output from a conventional filament-based bulb is focused by the reflector.
Getting optimum beam output from an LED light is not based on the number of LED chips mounted on the device, but rather it’s about directing the light output where it needs to be: on the road.
-
What are the advantages of the Philips Ultinon LED’s unique design?
-
The unique shape of the Philips Ultinon LED signaling lights enable light to be directed into the reflector to maximize optical focus and beam shaping. This gives Philips Ultinon LEDs unmatched performance and a bright, legal beam. Other LED lights may have many more LED chips, but they don’t necessarily shine their light where it’s needed. In addition, due to their unique design, Philips Ultinon LEDs are extremely robust, shock- and moisture proof and capable of handling routine voltage surges without failure.
-
Which applications are available in the Philips Ultinon LED range?
-
The Philips Ultinon LED interior range covers dome lights, map lights, trunk, and glove compartment lights. The Philips Ultinon LED exterior range covers brake and taillights, back-up lights, side-markers, and license plate lights.
Please see below overview for more details on applications, part numbers and interchanges:
-
How do I replace the incandescent bulb with a LED light? Is it difficult?
-
Philips Ultinon LEDs are direct replacements for conventional bulbs. Just follow the instructions on the package or contact us through Facebook if you need support from our Product team.
-
The LED does not light up after installation. How can I resolve this issue?
-
If your LED doesn't light up, it's likely that you need to ‘reverse the polarity’ by flipping the LED. LED bulbs work like batteries with a positive and negative polarity. If the LED does not light up, simply remove the LED, flip direction and reinstall as shown below:
1. Remove the LED from the socket
2. Flip the LED
3. Insert LED back into the socket.
4. Check to ensure the LED lights up
-
Why does this polarity issue occur with LEDs?
-
Regular incandescent bulbs can draw current in either direction, there are no ‘positive’ or ‘negative’ sides on the bulb. The bulb will work regardless of which direction it is inserted. LED bulbs, however, only draw current in one direction. So if the LEDs are inserted incorrectly, they will not work. The solution is to simply flip the LED.
-
My dashboard displays a bulb out message even though all lights are working. What should I do?
-
Some CAN-bus systems treat low power consumption from bulbs as a sign of a burned-out bulb, which causes a warning on the dashboard. Since LED bulbs consume much lower power than the original incandescent bulbs, they can trigger this warning in some vehicles. If your car has a dashboard error message after installing an LED light, you’ll want to install a Philips Ultinon LED CAN-bus Enabling Adapter (CEA). Installing the Philips CEA in the circuit eliminates this problem. Installation takes only minutes and requires only a pair of pliers.
-
After installation of the LED, my car shows fast flash errors as if my light is out or broken. What should I do?
-
Error messages can appear because the LED bulb wattage is much lower than conventional bulbs, which can make some outage warning systems unable to detect the bulb.
If your car shows fast flash after installing an LED light, you’ll want install a Philips Ultinon LED CAN-bus Enabling Adapter (CEA). Installing the Philips CEA in the circuit eliminates this problem. Installation takes only minutes and requires only a pair of pliers.
-
After installation of the LED, my car does not start. What should I do?
-
After installation of LED bulbs, some cars may go into ‘limp home’ mode. The car's computer is looking for the resistor value of the incandescent bulb, but the LED has a different resistor value than the incandescent bulb. This difference in resistor values can cause car to go into ‘limp home’ mode, and the driver will usually receive a message that the car has a problem. Thankfully this happens rarely and the issue can be resolved. First, verify that the limp mode is being caused by the LEDs by replacing them with the incandescent bulbs. If the ‘limp home’ mode clears, it was most likely caused by the LED bulbs. This means that you’ll want install a Philips Ultinon LED CAN-bus Enabling Adapter (CEA) to provide the resistor value that the vehicle computer expects to see.
-
Which CAN-bus warning canceller do I need: 5W or 21W?
-
The 5W CAN-bus Enabling Adapter (CEA) is used for interior applications and license plate lighting. The 21W CAN-bus Enabling Adapter (CEA) is used for exterior applications. Please see below chart for more information:
-
How do I install a CAN-bus warning canceller?
-
If your car has a dashboard error message, experiences fast flash, or goes in limp home mode after installing an LED bulb, you may need to install a Philips Ultinon LED CAN-bus Enabling Adapter (CEA).
See the image below for installation instructions:
-
Do Philips Ultinon LED lights contain hazardous materials?
-
No, Philips Ultinon LED products fully comply with RoHS / REACH and do not contain hazardous materials.
-
Is it legal to use Philips Ultinon LED in the United States?
-
Yes, the Philips Ultinon LED range is first to market exterior LEDs as a direct replacement for exterior incandescent bulbs. The light output of Philips Ultinon LED lights is not only bright, but also creates a well-focused light beam on the road. Thanks to their beam pattern, Philips Ultinon LED lights are legal to use on the roads in the United States.
-
Why does "street-legal" matter?
-
Some LED lights appear to be bright, but they do not produce a well-focused beam of light when they are used in your vehicle. As a result, their light output is poor and even potentially dangerous - definitely not street legal.
The light output of Philips Ultinon LED lights is not only bright, but also creates a well-focused light beam on the road. That is why ‘street-legal’ matters and why Philips made sure that the Philips Ultinon LED lights have a street-legal beam pattern.
-
How long will a Philips Ultinon LED last?
-
Philips Ultinon LEDs are all guaranteed to last at least 12 years. We back Philips Ultinon LEDs with our 8-year limited warranty.
-
Are Philips Ultinon LEDs environment friendly?
-
Yes, Philips Ultinon LEDs contributes to environment protection by:
Significant energy saving, consuming less overall resources, and emitting less CO₂
Fully compliant with RoHS / REACH, which means no hazardous materials that are harmful to the environment.
Long service lifetime which means elimination of unnecessary replacement related waste and system costs, while reducing overall resource consumption.
-
Can I save money by switching to LED?
-
Yes, Philips Ultinon LEDs have a 12+ year service life, which means you save the cost and hassle of frequent bulb replacements which on average occur every 1-3 years. In addition, a LED bulb uses substantially less energy (1W vs 20W) which translates into better gas mileage over the lifetime of the vehicle.