Brilliant piece Simon, and far better than a Land Rover promotional or training video. It helps us understand why we have paid a significant premium for a Defender, and shout out to Mo who is a very talented guy and one I recommend too.
Thank you Simon, I now understand why my headlights do all types of strange things when I drive at night. I haven’t yet been on a motorway at night, so keen to see how that all works.
Hi Grant - we did a test last night and it works really well but could not see the motorway mode - if there is a change it is very subtle or maybe we have not activated that correctly... need to check some more.
@@L663 To be honest you don't need full beam on a lit motorway! Take the M25 say, you don't need main beam and there are some folk who drive around that motorway with only their DRLs on!! VAG cars use the practice of coding various components to the specific car using the VIN. Stops theft as it need a dealer to recode it and the dealer will only perform that with a genuine receipt from a car breaker. I put a used DAB head unit in my Audi A5 legally and went through the process. Thank you Sinclair Swansea!
Thanks Steve - there was a lot to get through in that video and I hope it was not too tricky... another time we might do a behind the scenes tour of some of the CCF file ?
This was a wonderful explanation of the headlight features of the Defender. I am looking to buy a Defender and have been a bit perplexed about the headlights. I can now see some major advantages to having the matrix headlights for driving here in Japan. Due to the very hot summers which invariably softens the tarmac and the very cold winters with heavy snowfall, Japanese roads do not have cat's eyes as they simply would not last the extremes of the climate. That makes driving on dark roads sometimes a challenge (even on motorways in rain) as even the road markings disappear after a relatively short period of time and become almost impossible to see under certain conditions.
With Land Rover you do not have the coding of new components, it is normal for them to say a resounding no, here in Spain I am still fighting for that, but there in the United Kingdom you have lr-retrofits that make those kinds of modifications and more.
I have just made a video testing the system last night and we do drift into a discussion on the fact that Land Rover do not provide a system for you to order upgrades through Land Rover. Car makers are trying to change the law so that safety systems cannot be overridden in software - which i fully support - but on the flip side car makers are not allowing customers to pay for enhanced safety features to suit a change in their lifestyle ( maybe you change job and need to do more night driving and the ADB would be a key feature for you ).
@@L663 The truth is that it is very reasonable that the brands can have the option of improvements after the purchase, the workshop manager told me what a Land Rover engineer supposedly told him, that there is a page where you put the chassis number and tell him the component that you want to add and it tells you what it is missing, but I don't believe it too much.
the stock headlights don't have a proper beam, i don't even know how they got homologated, the premium lens should be standard regardless of daylight signature
Excellent and very useful video - thanks. 70 mph = 112 kph - so, motorway mode should switch on just before you hit 70. BUT - where does the software get the info? A speedo normally overreads by about 5% to 10% , so 70 mph is often an indicated 74 or 75 on the speedo.
Yes you are correct - the suspension is supposed to go down at 50 but its actually 52 on the speedo ! as the speedo lies ! I did find the line in the CCF file where it shows how much it lies !
I wonder if this upgrade would work for coil sprung vehicles with a manual headlight adjuster knob as I don’t think they have the level sensors fitted on the suspension arms
Good point - and the snswer is no ! it was tricky to get the car to support 2 different lamps at the same time ! I could do a current draw test on main beam ?
All technical stuff but it works and I have 31,000 miles of proof!! One description I was given is that the lights are “flat beam”….I don’t know what that means but the other useful thing is that when abroad, you do nothing..it adjusts and allows for any oncoming light and never dazzled anybody. It is not a DIY job though as we can hear from your warnings..better to safe up for the X Pack then!! 😎😎😎😎
@@L663 That’s good..I really like them. Even more spectacular are those on my Mercedes which do even more things..on high beam they shine upwards and also along the near side so you get a very complete field of illumination and in oncoming traffic, the near side hedge is still very brightly lit. They also steer into corners and on start up go into a technical “dance”. I just fear one of them going wrong or getting damaged!! 😬😃😃😃
hi i have 2023 defender s with basic headlights, asked to upgrade to premium or matrix headlights in my country but everyone advice that its not possible to fix because they don't have the right software for it, any advice?? please i want to upgrade them its urgent
Hi Simon, is the whole light unit moulded together as one unit and so we have to replace the whole thing when upgrading? I am just thinking upgrading from basic to premium, the difference is only the signature DRL and bulbs. Can we just just replace this part? Of course, it will depend on availability of the parts. But technically, it should be workable? Thanks!
This could be possible but it may be tricky as the lights are sealed as a unit so you would need to remove the headlamp lens and then install some LED etc. For sure it is possible but you would need to work out a way to remove the lens - i think they use better adhesives now so just putting it in the oven at 50 Deg C may not work !
That for the moment must remain a mystery.... I am hoping that companies like GAP Diagnostics will bring their products to the market. As this system is IP based you need to be good at interrogating networks.
@@L663 haha yes spellcheck cut in 🙄didn’t proof read before I clicked it, sure you know the old saying, measure twice cut once.. cheers 🍻 keep the videos coming.
' waffly ' videos are still interesting .. how pointless would these systems have been on an original ( standard ) defender .. 70mph ?? motorway speeds ??
Yes it was kind of a brain dump - there is a lot going on and we all need to think about the way these new systems work on our cars...LED headlights on an old Defender would be great - low power consumption on the old dynamo and much better light output but that is where it ends... all the other stuff would be pointless.
On the Mercedes’ system the full beam will also not come on if it detects street lights so if you are driving through a 30 or even 40 mph urban area it still won’t come on until you clear the street lights. When you do to France you we’ll need to change to the driving side in the car display as otherwise the dip beam (country mode) will be asymmetric and blind on coming traffic. And sorry, JLR didn’t invent this system. It all came from the current 2016 (213) E Class - it’s now filtering to other cars after the exclusive time use period. Great system though. Mercedes’ own video is here with some very neat graphics ruclips.net/video/x3cmLmS_KMs/видео.html
I am not sure if mercedes invented it - i suspect it was Bosch or some others ? According to the LR manual if you have a satnav system fitted ( most do ! ) then it uses the data from which country you are in to change the setting automatically.
@@L663 poor wording. Yes a collaboration between Mercedes and their OEM Hella and now available to all after their exclusive use. If you do other RUclips searches then there are some other MB videos with his they went from concept to inception. Very very clever stuff and having had these lights for over 3 years not in my car i still love watching them dance at night, especially on a twisty back road 👍👍
The full beam mode is a bit rubbish for me , I generally drive on the motorway doing anything between 64 & 68 mph. This system wouldn’t switch on. 🤷🏻♂️
@@Pandora882 OK so the main beam is ON with ADB on the motorway - the position of the headlight will not raise until you hit 70MPH but its so minor we could not notice it on our test last night
@@L663 please invent some things for every one ☝️ to add like kill switch or second device so thief can’t start the engine or second tracking device also I remember about your friend he went to restaurant he lost 😡 his Discovery.did he found his car 🚗 please let us know if you don’t mind and can I give you my phone 📞 number.I am sorry if I wrote some things wrong 😑. Thanks ❤️❤️🙏🙏
Hi - really sorry about this - we had a lot of cyber attacks from South Korea and very few sales so we decided to block the access. You can access via VPN or visit our ebay shop.
@@L663 I think so lol I will try and deep dive on it! Did you see my comment on the xtra side lighting when you use your turn signals? Will maybe try and do a video for you to see it!
@@ecossearthur Yes sorry i did see that - I think is the cornering lights that turns the fog light on - i do not have fog lights / cornering lights. I think the ADB was not allowed in the USA until very recently.
Brilliant piece Simon, and far better than a Land Rover promotional or training video. It helps us understand why we have paid a significant premium for a Defender, and shout out to Mo who is a very talented guy and one I recommend too.
Thanks for the shout out 😊
Thank you Simon, I now understand why my headlights do all types of strange things when I drive at night. I haven’t yet been on a motorway at night, so keen to see how that all works.
Hi Grant - we did a test last night and it works really well but could not see the motorway mode - if there is a change it is very subtle or maybe we have not activated that correctly... need to check some more.
@@L663 To be honest you don't need full beam on a lit motorway! Take the M25 say, you don't need main beam and there are some folk who drive around that motorway with only their DRLs on!!
VAG cars use the practice of coding various components to the specific car using the VIN. Stops theft as it need a dealer to recode it and the dealer will only perform that with a genuine receipt from a car breaker. I put a used DAB head unit in my Audi A5 legally and went through the process. Thank you Sinclair Swansea!
A very illuminating video, Simon. Seriously, admiration for your commitment to all the R & D. 👍
Very good !
Really enjoyed this video,and admired your tenacity at solving the problem.
Thanks Steve - there was a lot to get through in that video and I hope it was not too tricky... another time we might do a behind the scenes tour of some of the CCF file ?
This was a wonderful explanation of the headlight features of the Defender. I am looking to buy a Defender and have been a bit perplexed about the headlights. I can now see some major advantages to having the matrix headlights for driving here in Japan. Due to the very hot summers which invariably softens the tarmac and the very cold winters with heavy snowfall, Japanese roads do not have cat's eyes as they simply would not last the extremes of the climate. That makes driving on dark roads sometimes a challenge (even on motorways in rain) as even the road markings disappear after a relatively short period of time and become almost impossible to see under certain conditions.
We filmed a test video last night and the system does work ! its very impressive.
With Land Rover you do not have the coding of new components, it is normal for them to say a resounding no, here in Spain I am still fighting for that, but there in the United Kingdom you have lr-retrofits that make those kinds of modifications and more.
I have just made a video testing the system last night and we do drift into a discussion on the fact that Land Rover do not provide a system for you to order upgrades through Land Rover. Car makers are trying to change the law so that safety systems cannot be overridden in software - which i fully support - but on the flip side car makers are not allowing customers to pay for enhanced safety features to suit a change in their lifestyle ( maybe you change job and need to do more night driving and the ADB would be a key feature for you ).
@@L663 The truth is that it is very reasonable that the brands can have the option of improvements after the purchase, the workshop manager told me what a Land Rover engineer supposedly told him, that there is a page where you put the chassis number and tell him the component that you want to add and it tells you what it is missing, but I don't believe it too much.
the stock headlights don't have a proper beam, i don't even know how they got homologated, the premium lens should be standard regardless of daylight signature
Excellent and very useful video - thanks.
70 mph = 112 kph - so, motorway mode should switch on just before you hit 70.
BUT - where does the software get the info? A speedo normally overreads by about 5% to 10% , so 70 mph is often an indicated 74 or 75 on the speedo.
Yes you are correct - the suspension is supposed to go down at 50 but its actually 52 on the speedo ! as the speedo lies ! I did find the line in the CCF file where it shows how much it lies !
I wonder if this upgrade would work for coil sprung vehicles with a manual headlight adjuster knob as I don’t think they have the level sensors fitted on the suspension arms
On the previous video, you compared light output between the standard led and premium. Have you looked at the output of the matrix?
Good point - and the snswer is no ! it was tricky to get the car to support 2 different lamps at the same time ! I could do a current draw test on main beam ?
Super useful! Thank you so much, Simon!
Glad it was helpful!
All technical stuff but it works and I have 31,000 miles of proof!! One description I was given is that the lights are “flat beam”….I don’t know what that means but the other useful thing is that when abroad, you do nothing..it adjusts and allows for any oncoming light and never dazzled anybody. It is not a DIY job though as we can hear from your warnings..better to safe up for the X Pack then!! 😎😎😎😎
Hi Richard - we filmed a short drive last night and the system ( as you say ) really does work !
@@L663 That’s good..I really like them. Even more spectacular are those on my Mercedes which do even more things..on high beam they shine upwards and also along the near side so you get a very complete field of illumination and in oncoming traffic, the near side hedge is still very brightly lit. They also steer into corners and on start up go into a technical “dance”. I just fear one of them going wrong or getting damaged!! 😬😃😃😃
hi i have 2023 defender s with basic headlights, asked to upgrade to premium or matrix headlights in my country but everyone advice that its not possible to fix because they don't have the right software for it, any advice?? please i want to upgrade them its urgent
Volkswagen use a similar system but it also does not activate if you have the driving mode in ECO. Certainly was like that on my 2018 Tiguan R-Line
Hi Kenny - I need to see if this does indeed disable in ECO mode - nothing in the manual about that but i guess it could make some sense.
Hi Simon, is the whole light unit moulded together as one unit and so we have to replace the whole thing when upgrading? I am just thinking upgrading from basic to premium, the difference is only the signature DRL and bulbs. Can we just just replace this part? Of course, it will depend on availability of the parts. But technically, it should be workable? Thanks!
This could be possible but it may be tricky as the lights are sealed as a unit so you would need to remove the headlamp lens and then install some LED etc. For sure it is possible but you would need to work out a way to remove the lens - i think they use better adhesives now so just putting it in the oven at 50 Deg C may not work !
@powerfuluk is the Matrix headlight brighter than the Premium DRL? I want to upgrade if it is brighter but concerned it’s not worth the effort
The LED Matrix is a game changer - night driving is so much better.
Simon, how are you editing the ccf?
That for the moment must remain a mystery.... I am hoping that companies like GAP Diagnostics will bring their products to the market. As this system is IP based you need to be good at interrogating networks.
Interesting video Simon 🚗🚙🚘👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
Thanks 👍
Excellent explanation guys, channel is brilliant 👍 I’d go as far as it was A laminating 😂
Did your spell correct kick in Al ? Illuminating ?
Glad you enjoyed it !
@@L663 haha yes spellcheck cut in 🙄didn’t proof read before I clicked it, sure you know the old saying, measure twice cut once.. cheers 🍻 keep the videos coming.
Please allow me to access the website in Korea as well
' waffly ' videos are still interesting .. how pointless would these systems have been on an original ( standard ) defender .. 70mph ?? motorway speeds ??
Yes it was kind of a brain dump - there is a lot going on and we all need to think about the way these new systems work on our cars...LED headlights on an old Defender would be great - low power consumption on the old dynamo and much better light output but that is where it ends... all the other stuff would be pointless.
수고했어요 사이먼
감사합니다 thankyou!!
On the Mercedes’ system the full beam will also not come on if it detects street lights so if you are driving through a 30 or even 40 mph urban area it still won’t come on until you clear the street lights.
When you do to France you we’ll need to change to the driving side in the car display as otherwise the dip beam (country mode) will be asymmetric and blind on coming traffic.
And sorry, JLR didn’t invent this system. It all came from the current 2016 (213) E Class - it’s now filtering to other cars after the exclusive time use period. Great system though.
Mercedes’ own video is here with some very neat graphics ruclips.net/video/x3cmLmS_KMs/видео.html
I am not sure if mercedes invented it - i suspect it was Bosch or some others ?
According to the LR manual if you have a satnav system fitted ( most do ! ) then it uses the data from which country you are in to change the setting automatically.
@@L663 poor wording. Yes a collaboration between Mercedes and their OEM Hella and now available to all after their exclusive use. If you do other RUclips searches then there are some other MB videos with his they went from concept to inception. Very very clever stuff and having had these lights for over 3 years not in my car i still love watching them dance at night, especially on a twisty back road 👍👍
The full beam mode is a bit rubbish for me , I generally drive on the motorway doing anything between 64 & 68 mph. This system wouldn’t switch on. 🤷🏻♂️
We tested this - video to follow - but could not see the change at 70 MPH
@@L663 Great video Simon but what if your towing hi beam won't come on on motorway ??????
@@Pandora882 OK so the main beam is ON with ADB on the motorway - the position of the headlight will not raise until you hit 70MPH but its so minor we could not notice it on our test last night
@@simonjefferson Thanks Simon seems such a complicated system for little gain.Thia is why all new vehicles flash at you ???
Hi 👋 great 👍 video
❤️❤️🙏🙏
Hi Mr Virdi - I am thinking about your theft issue.... glad you got your car back
@@L663 please invent some things for every one ☝️ to add like kill switch or second device so thief can’t start the engine or second tracking device also I remember about your friend he went to restaurant he lost 😡 his Discovery.did he found his car 🚗 please let us know if you don’t mind and can I give you my phone 📞 number.I am sorry if I wrote some things wrong 😑.
Thanks ❤️❤️🙏🙏
Access from your Country was disabled by the administrator
Hi - really sorry about this - we had a lot of cyber attacks from South Korea and very few sales so we decided to block the access. You can access via VPN or visit our ebay shop.
Boom Boom!
He is back on form !
I guess you do not have the Adaptive Driving Beam on Brutus ?
@@L663 I think so lol I will try and deep dive on it! Did you see my comment on the xtra side lighting when you use your turn signals? Will maybe try and do a video for you to see it!
@@ecossearthur Yes sorry i did see that - I think is the cornering lights that turns the fog light on - i do not have fog lights / cornering lights. I think the ADB was not allowed in the USA until very recently.
Tbh, i would prefer a round led headlight replacement that doesnt cost
thousands for gimmicks and curb appeal
What happened to functionality first
They are very helpful. Couldn’t think of anything more helpful
Wait till you see the video of this system in use !
Hi Andy - we tested the system last night - it is very impressive.