[Vjyothi99]

After my last post asking about pros and cons in regards to Crosstreks I got tons of responses which I am thankful for. I noticed that one of the most common complaints was the halogen bulbs. In my previous car (2015 Toyota Camry), I was able to buy some after market LED's and install them myself. Has anybody done this to their Crosstrek and how easy would you say it is to do? Btw looking at a 2021 premium if that makes a difference.

 

[AstroKats]

After my last post asking about pros and cons in regards to Crosstreks I got tons of responses which I am thankful for. I noticed that one of the most common complaints was the halogen bulbs. In my previous car (2015 Toyota Camry), I was able to buy some after market LED's and install them myself. Has anybody done this to their Crosstrek and how easy would you say it is to do? Btw looking at a 2021 premium if that makes a difference.

It's likely illegal and may blind other drivers.

 

[sashakoul]

I can already feel AstroKats warming up his typing fingers

It’s fairly easy to just swap LED bulbs into the housings. However, the housings are designed for halogen bulbs and putting LEDs in will cause the light to scatter, blinding other drivers and most likely will not make it any easier for you to see since the light will not focus correctly.
You’re better off buying a housing that is meant for LED bulbs (someone made a post about this the other day) or buying your own projectors and retrofitting them into your housings, if you want a little project. Option #2 is probably illegal but I doubt anyone would notice the difference as long as it is done properly and you aren’t blinding everyone else on the road. It would also be much cheaper than buying an entire housing and swapping that out.

 

[sashakoul]

It's likely illegal and may blind other drivers.

Dang you beat me to it

 

[AstroKats]

Dang you beat me to it

Well, duh...

 

[AstroKats]

I can already feel AstroKats warming up his typing fingers

It’s fairly easy to just swap LED bulbs into the housings. However, the housings are designed for halogen bulbs and putting LEDs in will cause the light to scatter, blinding other drivers and most likely will not make it any easier for you to see since the light will not focus correctly.
You’re better off buying a housing that is meant for LED bulbs (someone made a post about this the other day) or buying your own projectors and retrofitting them into your housings, if you want a little project. Option #2 is probably illegal but I doubt anyone would notice the difference as long as it is done properly and you aren’t blinding everyone else on the road. It would also be much cheaper than buying an entire housing and swapping that out.

This! ^^^

There are both federal and state laws that make it illegal to make almost any kind of change to headlights, other than replacing the bulb with the same kind, and for very good reason.

 

[sheldon]

If you really want LED headlights then the way to go is get a limited. I have one and can say they are big improvement over the halogen ones. You also get auto leveling and SRH (Steering Responsive Headlights).

 

[AstroKats]

If you really want LED headlights then the way to go is get a limited. I have one and can say they are big improvement over the halogen ones. You slo get auto leveling and SRH (Steering Responsive Headlights).

Exactly, plus other Limited features like leather, if that's important.

 

[sc.nickf]

I was absolutely one of the jerks that retrofitted HID lights into my old car that were probably not the best choice for the safety of other drivers. In any case, I just bought a '23 Crosstrek Premium 6MT. Since I couldn't buy a Limited with the 6MT I am now asking these same questions that OP is asking. Is it possible to retrofit the Limited headlight assemblies into a Premium, or are there differences in the wiring harness?

 

[PDawg]

My wife has a Limited (leds) and I have a Sport ( halogens). While her LEDs look whiter, they don’t seem noticeably brighter and have a smaller light pattern ( sharp cutoff on top). I had LEDs on my 21 Forester and don’t miss them. In this pic I tried to line them up as evenly as possible out of my garage. Perhaps it’s more noticeable on unlit country roads, but my Halogens are better than others I’ve had.

 

[sashakoul]

Model Years 2018 to 2023 - Limited Headlight Upgrade...

Switched out the halogen headlights and fog lights on my Premium Crosstrek last weekend. I ended up going with the stock Limited LED headlights and the Diode Dynamics Elite Series fog lights. I was able to get the LED lights to work with my car thanks to Foxbeam's Limited Headlight Adapters V2...

www.subaruxvforum.com

Here’s the post about swapping the Limited housings in. It’s doable, but a very expensive upgrade. Personally I can live with halogens but I guess itcomes down to personal preference.

 

[Erockjl]

My wife has a Limited (leds) and I have a Sport ( halogens). While her LEDs look whiter, they don’t seem noticeably brighter and have a smaller light pattern ( sharp cutoff on top). I had LEDs on my 21 Forester and don’t miss them. In this pic I tried to line them up as evenly as possible out of my garage. Perhaps it’s more noticeable on unlit country roads, but my Halogens are better than others I’ve had.

i mentioned this in your other thread, i think the halogens are plenty bright. And yes, please do not be one of the guys putting led bulbs in the wrong housing, my oldman-ness is sick of looking at these.