Is it possible to install LED lamps in PTF? 2022

At this moment LED lamps in headlights demonstrate better illumination when compared with halogen, xenon and, of course, with simple incandescent bulbs. But drivers, familiar with the fact that xenon often causes fines and deprivation of licenses, are wondering: Can you install LED bulbs in headlights?, will there be any problems with the law, and how will the traffic police react to such tuning?

Specifically, the questions are identified according to the following subparagraphs:

Is it allowed to install LED lamps in low-beam headlights;
Necessary headlight markings for installing LED lamps;
Is a headlight corrector and washer required if they have LED bulbs?
Possible fine for installing LEDs in headlights.

On June 25, 2022, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation issued explanatory resolution N20, in which in paragraph 6 it explained that the police should consider such cases based on part 1 of Article 12.5 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation ( warning or fine of 500 rubles ).

LED lamps in PTF - are they legal?

It is possible to answer this question immediately: yes, LED lamps can be installed in fog lights, but only if 2 conditions are met.

To be able to use it with an LED lamp, the “fog lamp” must be marked in accordance with UN Regulation No. 19,
The LED bulb itself must comply with UN Regulation No. 128.

Amendments to the UN Regulations to allow LED lamps to be installed in conventional headlights instead of incandescent lamps are still under development for 2022.

What to do if your license is revoked for LED lamps?

Competent lawyers recommend focusing on the most important stage - drawing up a protocol during the inspection period. In case of false accusations from the inspector, do not miss the opportunity to try to turn the situation in your favor. The only thing that is required for this is calm and a detailed study of the protocol.

It is important to make notes clearly and, based on the article of the law, declare the absence of violations. As soon as you finish filling out the paperwork, start looking for an intelligent lawyer who will conduct a detailed analysis of what happened and notice shortcomings in the inspector’s work. For example, compliance of checking headlights with GOST standards (51709-2001 clause 5.3.3), which implies for this event a specially equipped traffic police station with equipment for measuring the light intensity of diodes.

Marking foglights for installing LEDs

First, remember that in official documents the abbreviation LED is used for LED lamps - light-emitting diodes. This is the equivalent of the well-known abbreviation LED. And in the documentation in Russian, first of all, look for this abbreviation.

The most interesting thing in UN Regulation No. 19, which sets the requirements for fog lamps, is contained in paragraph 3.5.2, which talks about how the headlight must be marked so that LEDs can be used in it:

The specific identification code includes the initial letters "MD" for "module" followed by the approval marking.

According to the Technical Regulations, it is necessary to check the need to fulfill one more condition.

In order not to dazzle oncoming traffic, any fog lights with light sources of any class with a nominal luminous flux of more than 2000 lumens must be equipped with an automatic headlight leveler.

The answers came later

Long before drivers began installing H11 LEDs in the foglights of their cars, almost by the middle of the 20th century, the theory of pn junctions in relation to semiconductors was created. Based on this, in 1947 the first transistor was invented, which to this day has remained an unchanged element of radio engineering. The glow occurred when charged particles crossed a boundary consisting of two different semiconductor elements. And it is precisely the place where these two crystals come into contact that glows, which ultimately forms a kind of sandwich.

The whole difficulty lay in the production of semiconductors of the required structure. And this obstacle could not be overcome for a long time. Only since 1955 have research been successful. The first diode was produced by General Electric, although not everything is so simple here, since similar developments were also carried out in different countries of the world. But these are not yet the same H11 LEDs in the foglights of modern cars that are common today.

A revolutionary breakthrough was made by Nichia in 1995, demonstrating an ultra-bright LED, which was a full-fledged light source. From that time on, the development of semiconductor lighting devices began. And as many experts note, new light sources may completely replace traditional analogues in the near future.

What fine or deprivation of rights?

What punishment will follow if an LED bulb is inserted into a fog lamp that does not have the MD marking?

You can’t mix warm with green. Installation of lamps not intended for them in fog lamps is prohibited, since it is impossible to get the headlight to work in fog mode (see below).

Punishment for the illegal installation of LEDs in PTF is provided for in Part 3 of Article 12.5 of the Code of Administrative Offenses - deprivation of the right to drive vehicles for a period of 6 months to a year with confiscation of LED lamps.

There is no prohibition of exploitation with the removal of numbers. This security measure has long been abolished.

Why such a harsh punishment?

Our citizens overwhelmingly learn what they think about from television. And there is a well-established opinion that the most serious offense is driving while intoxicated. In fact, the most serious offense is related to blindness.

Judge for yourself!

The level of alcohol in the driver's blood up to 0.8 g/l actually has no effect on the number of accidents.
When alcohol levels exceed 0.8 g/l, a sharp increase in road accidents is observed. This is due to the fact that a drunk driver’s reaction time increases.

As a result, we have: where a sober driver needs one second to react to danger, make a decision and take measures to avoid it, a drunk driver needs 2, 3 and even more seconds.

For the average driver, the time to restore vision after being blinded is at least 3 seconds. Complete adaptation of vision to darkness takes at least 8 seconds. For 10% of drivers, it takes 60 to 120 seconds to fully adapt after being blinded. Compare the reaction time of a drunk driver with the adaptation time. The conclusion is obvious. If you have inserted a light source into your fog lamp that is not intended for it, you can assume that a crowd of drunk drivers is driving towards you.

If the driver initially does not understand the threat of using LED lamps in fog lights under conventional incandescent lamps and why they cannot be installed in 2022, then let him walk and think about it for six months, perhaps he will realize that the law is for these six months saved him from real big troubles with his health and property.

Universal

Many manufacturers of LED headlights offer universal product models for installation in cars of many brands without significant modification of their design.

The basic set of such products, along with universal fasteners, includes a special mechanism that allows you to adjust the angle of inclination of the installed lighting device. It allows you to install universal PTFs with an angle of inclination, just like standard car headlights.

How to avoid deprivation?

Between the layer of fog and the surface of the earth there is always a layer of clean air. The task of fog lights is to shine under the fog. No more than 3% of the light should go upward. If there is a discrepancy in the headlight + lamp system, then part of the light from the fog lamp will go up into the fog and return to your eyes in the form of a veil. That is, PTFs will lose the meaning of installing them on a car.

If you have changed conventional lamps to LED ones, and it seems to you that the beam of light from the fog lights has not changed, then you can drive without problems. Just don’t forget to register changes to the design of the car with the traffic police, objectively confirming that your experiments are safe for others, and no more than 3% of the light goes up from the PTF luminous flux.

If you missed the time and caught the eye of the inspector, you can still try to avoid deprivation of your rights.

First of all, the traffic police inspector must see the headlight markings. But getting to fog lights with installed LEDs or halogens is very, very difficult, and sometimes even impossible on the road. So that they shine under the fog, they are installed as low as possible - in the bumper.
Secondly, you need to remove the light bulb from the headlight and make sure that it does not correspond to the marking. As a rule, to disassemble a PTF, at a minimum, you need a screwdriver and knowledge of which bolts to unscrew in which direction.
And thirdly, the work must still be carried out by a specialist in an equipped place, and the work must be paid for from the budget.

In other words, have a heart-to-heart conversation with the inspector, where, on the one hand, you can even repent, and on the other, hint at problems with establishing the event of an offense. And give your word of honor that replace the light bulbs as quickly as possible, since we are talking about your own safety. End the conversation by comparing blindness with intoxication, emphasizing the understanding of the depth of the problem, and that this should not be done.

Something else useful for you:

When is it possible and not to use fog lights according to traffic regulations?
Is it possible to install a chandelier headlight on the roof of a car and make it legal? What's the fine?
All about the fine for low beam: what size is it if the headlights are not turned on or do not work?

With angel eyes

The so-called PTFs with angel eyes are popular among modern car enthusiasts - these are lensed headlights that can operate in one of three modes:

LED ring around the round perimeter of the headlight;
the central part of the headlight, equipped with a lens;
and the ring-rim of the headlight, and the LEDs in its central part.

In addition to exceptional aesthetic appeal, LED headlights of this type provide good illumination due to the lens used in their design.

DIY Guide

So, if you decide to make fog lights with LEDs with your own hands, then it is quite possible to perform such an operation at home. It is important to accurately follow all the steps described in the instructions below so that the fog lights last a long time and reliably. To do everything yourself, first prepare all the necessary tools.

Tools and materials

To make diode PTFs with your own hands you will need:

directly standard optics;
soldering iron with consumables;
small screws;
LED elements themselves with wiring.

Algorithm of actions

How to do everything correctly with your own hands?

To make it correctly, follow these steps:

To begin, dismantle the existing fog lights or take new ones that you purchased at the store. The essence of the method is to clean the optics with your own hands from what has accumulated inside it. This could be dirt, dust, other debris or corrosion. If rust appears on the internal elements of the optics, treat the headlight with your own hands using sandpaper. You need to manually adjust the dimensions of the optics to fit certain LED elements.
The next step will be to assemble a cooling system for the headlight with your own hands; if necessary, you also need to take care of the driver. As for cooling radiators, you can build them yourself; for these purposes you can use metal pieces or sheets, the thickness of which should be from 2 to 5 mm.
After arranging the cooling system with your own hands, you need to install the LED lamps themselves directly to the optics. These lights are subsequently connected to the vehicle's wiring. As for the connection, it would be better to connect the fog lights to the battery and bring a separate switch for them into the car interior. It is also advisable to protect the circuit itself with a fuse. It is not advisable to connect fog lights to side lights or low beams, since in this case the service life of the diodes will be significantly reduced. As for the scheme itself, we will not discuss it, since this issue is individual for each car.

In general, manufacturers offer consumers a huge range of fog lights and LED lamps in particular. You only need to decide on the quality, since there are no good diodes at low prices.