I've owned my Legacy since new, and since then I've had to replace the headlamps easily 3-4 times (I'm now at 72,000 miles) and now I need to replace them again. I'm getting real tired of it- the 2011 Legacy requires you to reach through the fender liner to access the rear of the bulb, and even with my thin forearms and pianist fingers I find it difficult to even get to the light- I typically have to give in and have a dealership do the job for me, which easily becomes a ~$40.00 job just for labor.
I'm tired of messing with these things, and after seeing what LEDs are like on my AW11 I'd like to switch to them. Problem is, the dealer has no recommendation for LEDs and subie forum posts are all over the map on them, with some remarking that due to halogens requiring their own style of reflective surface they wouldn't work well. Anyone else done this before? Any advice?
NGTD
UberDork
1/9/19 2:35 p.m.
Sylvania now makes a LED that goes in place of any regular bulb. (They have different formats H4, H7, etc.)
They are pricey - I looked at Canadian Tire recently and they are $200 CAD.
I put a Beamtech (Amazon special) in my motorcycle which has a halogen reflector. Usable light on the road is good but the cutoff pattern is “W” shaped and not great. I have an aux light for high beam so I can’t really comment on that portion of the bulb.
YMMV
Weird timing. I literally helped a coworker of mine replace a headlight bulb in one of these this weekend—he says he has to do one a year, usually pays the dealer. Holy crap what a terrible design.
LED headlight bulbs are the best thing to happen to stock headlights. Killer light output, no extra wiring, ungodly cheap on amazon. The set I just put in my 850 was 12 bucks with prime shipping.
The problem with going LED on the legacy is the same problem I've noticed a lot of newer cars have—the factory screw on bulb covers are too close to the bulb. 90% of LED bulbs are so large on the back end due to heatsinks/cooling fans/etc that you'd never be able to screw said cover back on. Even if you decide to forego the back cover (I wouldn't) you would have to lock the little H7 shaped disc into the wire bulb holder before sticking the body of the bulb through it. Just the thought of trying to do that gave me the cold pit sweats.
I hate aftermarket LED headlight bulbs in housing not meant for them. Garbage beam patterns casting light places it really shouldn't go, sometimes very distracting light color, etc etc. Had someone following me with them in their Tahoe last night with these.
skierd
SuperDork
1/10/19 1:00 a.m.
Crap headlight life and being a giant pain to change them is a big reason why I traded in my outback.
LEDs in a housing not designed for them will blind the crap out of everyone else on the road in front of you AND give you much worse distance projection, meaning you can’t see as far. HID’s in a projector is a much better solution. The stock beam cutoff will work and the HID arc is mostly in the same place as the halogen filament so you’ll actually see down the road too.
So it’s not just me getting blinded while sitting up somewhat high in a 4x4? I hate driving at night (used to love it) because every 5th vehicle has headlights aimed directly at my retinas.
Makes me want to pull violently to the left as they pass.
How about this?
https://www.theretrofitsource.com/morimoto-retroquik-subaru-legacy.html?carDisplay=2011+Subaru+Legacy&preselect=&preselect_restrict=1
I retrofitted some projectors into my old Focus lights with great results and have their HID setup in my WRX stock housings also with good results.
