[Chris1712]

Halogens weren't available on the UK Spider, got the brochure in front of me. Bi-Xenon for the 'normal' glass style headlights, then the Carbon 'Bug Eye' style were LED and £2350 option.

 

[FLORO]

The D5S to LED arrived but rather than waste a journey to the garage I called and asked them to check the car and confirm my headlights are D5S Bi-Xenon. The day is nearly over and I haven’t heard from them yet. Will update as events unfold.

 

[OriginalForza]

S

@OriginalForza I think the D5S Xenon bulbs in our 4Cs are different to most other Xenon bulbs because it works off a 12v circuit (see image below) and there is a step up transformer built into the bulb housing. There are LED replacements which claim to be plug compatible with D5S, but as per my previous post I have not tried it yet. The other alternative is that there are 35W D5S replacements which should be brighter but they are more expensive than the LED replacements.

View attachment 114560

Sorry typo, i meant 35W/65W (Watts). Unless hybrids and BEV's are using D2/5S systems, anything made before 2019 with xenons are 12V circuits lol

 

[IanW_UK]

I can confirm that the Xenon bulbs in my Spider are D5S (25W). Also definitely a hassle to get at without removing the wheel. You can turn the steering full lock outwards (i.e. turn right for the right side and vice versa), lift the flap in the wheel arch as per the manual. There is a round plastic cover to remove, then you can access the bulb. But with the wheel on, you are working blind by putting your hand through the flap. The bulb can be removed by turning anti-clockwise (as viewed from behind) by about 30 degrees, and the reverse to fit but you have to find the right angle to push it in by feel.

I might now try replacing with the LED plug compatible bulbs, but if I do I will remove the wheel to do so as I am sure it will be quicker overall and involve less cursing!

 

[Chris1712]

Do we know what the fuse rating is? Those LEDs are 45w so hopefully it's not a 2.5A fuse.

 

[IanW_UK]

Do we know what the fuse rating is? Those LEDs are 45w so hopefully it's not a 2.5A fuse.

Good point. Don't know for sure. I am hoping it is at least 5A as they would have to cater for markets where they use 55W halogens. Will check tomorrow as the car is back under its cover now and I have done too much contorting myself to access things for one day!

 

[IanW_UK]

Do we know what the fuse rating is? Those LEDs are 45w so hopefully it's not a 2.5A fuse.

The wiring diagram E2011 I got from the 4C cloud says the headlights are powered off the Body Computer M001 which is on the maxi fuse F01 rated at 70A. This powers all sorts of things so hoping there is enough headroom to accommodate an additional 3.4A. I had forgotten how "creative" Alfa wiring can be!

 

[IanW_UK]

Managed to swap my Xenon bulbs to LED. Write up in new thread. Upgraded Xenon headlights to LED