[tecnico7]

Hello forum members would like your advice or comments, regarding to the following topic.


Have read on various posts of car reviews that spite the Kona is a good over all compact SUV the stock headlights ( halogen ) didnt pass the IIHS standard tests and therefore are not safe nor bright enough to light the roads at night , so upon reading some posts here were some of you have changed the stock high and low beam headlights with Philps Diamonds ones, and seeing in the pictures the great diference , would like to know:

* are they easy to replace ?

are there any video tutorials to do so ?

and will changing the stock for the Philips will invalidate any warranty ?????

others have said that these Philips Diamond will burn out faster than the stock ones is that true ?



would apreciate your coments , thanks

 

[Demian]

Hyundai did a design change this spring, All Limited & Ultimates produced after May 2018 feature the new lights.
"The original design of the LED headlights available on the Limited and Ultimate trims produced too much glare for oncoming drivers to be rated higher than poor by IIHS. Hyundai has revised those headlights on Konas built after May 2018 and earned a good rating. (The Kona's standard halogen headlights still receive a poor rating regardless of build date.)"

 

[tecnico7]

Thats the issue i would like to buy either the SE or SEL model based on $$ , but would like to know if such change in the headlights is recomended in those models SE or SEL , and if such change can void any type of warranty ?

 

[cmllr]

The low beams are challenging to replace but doable. You can do it one of two ways - one that requires drilling out a couple of rivets in plastic and a weird design decision as two screws would have been better considering what the rivets are holding in place is a plastic piece that allows for easier access to the rear of the light housing.

I chose to just squeeze my big pancake of a hand in between the plastic of the wheel well and the weather seal of the housing. It was a tight fit. You are working with two fingers essentially this way. Bulb replacement was a bit of an issue because I didn't get one seated properly. But after I got it seated properly it looks great.

The drivers side was the easiest of the two low beams, the passenger side was tighter.

The high beams, this is where it gets tricky and when I say tricky I mean only for one of them. The drivers side high beam is the easiest bulb to replace on the entire vehicle - nothing blocking it, nothing even close to it. Twist the weather seal off and then twist out the bulb, repeat in reverse. Two minute job maybe if you take a minute break in the middle of it. The passenger side...yeah...whoever designed this car obviously has never assembled a car because the only way to get to the passenger side high beam is to move/remove a reservoir...pictured below. That is the washer fluid reservoir blocking the high beam and the second one shows this enormous open space where it should have gone...this setup undoubtedly is done to counter the easiest to replace bulb on the car - the yin and the yang.

I just did my low beams, I rarely use the high beams.

 

[Dickestonia]

Welcome aboard @tecnico7

I have yet to do mine...was waiting to put on the winter tires and the do them along with the fog lights.

From what I have read here it is all doable but I don’t think anyone has yet said it’s made a major improvement on night drives. As far as I can tell it just looks better..and I’m okay with that.
@Demian is right that the stock halogen bulbs still get the low rating and I would doubt the change in bulb to the Philips Diamonds would change that. (Not sure about burnout rates vs oem)

Also cannot imagine the change out affecting your warranty at all but I don’t work for Hyundai or the dealership.

Don’t let the headlights dissuade you from buying this vehicle, it is a lot of fun to drive and has been a great car for me. About the same size and space as my old VW Golf so I am used to it...nice being higher. Test drive it a few times and compare it to others you are interested in and make the right choice for you....best of luck...great group here to rely on for these types of questions!

 

[Sarkus]

I have an SE. The important thing to remember about the halogen headlights on the SE and SEL is that they are NOT bad or unsafe. They just aren't as good as top line LED's and the IIHS only gives its top rating to those types of headlights anymore. If you are coming out of a car with halogens you will not notice any difference. So yes, you could improve them but I don't think I'd get too worked up and think they are some sort of "fatal flaw" in those trim levels.

 

[Yoinkerman]

to be honest i didn't do any night driving before i changed the bulbs so I can't compare pre and post philips diamond.

i would assume they're fine, just yellow

 

[cmllr]

I only changed mine because I wanted something whiter looking. The OEMs aren't bad at all just more yellow than the other lighting in the front. Diamonds give it a more uniform look.

 

[tecnico7]

Thanks to all the responses : ) , have read this a great compact SUV , and the reason of selecting it among others in the market is because of it being short it sure has be easier to park than my corolla 1999 that has 174 inches long so this being 164 inches ( 10 " shorter ) .

Another question to you members in your experience how is the rear view visibility ? in terms of doing reverse and merging ?

 

[cmllr]

Fantastic! The camera and blind spot warning system more than make up for any shortcomings.

 

[Yoinkerman]

Eh you kind of have to rely on the back up camera when backing up to see behind you, rear window visibility isn't that great. You can see your sides just fine though with the side mirrors so that part of backing up is good. Merging is a breeze with the mirrors and blind spot assist.

Rear cross traffic is also awesome for parking lots when there's a big stupid truck beside you and you can't see anything.

 

[tecnico7]

Eh you kind of have to rely on the back up camera when backing up to see behind you, rear window visibility isn't that great. You can see your sides just fine though with the side mirrors so that part of backing up is good. Merging is a breeze with the mirrors and blind spot assist.

Rear cross traffic is also awesome for parking lots when there's a big stupid truck beside you and you can't see anything.

how does rear cross traffic works ? does it emit some sound, beep , when there is something behind the car when doing reverse ? is it sort of a radar ?

 

[cmllr]

how does rear cross traffic works ? does it emit some sound, beep , when there is something behind the car when doing reverse ? is it sort of a radar ?

It is radar, lane change alerts are lights on the side mirrors and an audible alert (audible alert only if you activate turn indicators, sort of passive visual only alerts on the side mirrors if you do not have indicators active). In reverse you get an audible alert and arrows display on the camera display.

 

[JR KONA]

Hello forum members would like your advice or comments, regarding to the following topic.


Have read on various posts of car reviews that spite the Kona is a good over all compact SUV the stock headlights ( halogen ) didnt pass the IIHS standard tests and therefore are not safe nor bright enough to light the roads at night , so upon reading some posts here were some of you have changed the stock high and low beam headlights with Philps Diamonds ones, and seeing in the pictures the great diference , would like to know:

* are they easy to replace ?

are there any video tutorials to do so ?

and will changing the stock for the Philips will invalidate any warranty ?????

others have said that these Philips Diamond will burn out faster than the stock ones is that true ?

would appreciate your comments , thanks

Actually no, they passed but were given a poor rating just like allot of other manufactures were with Halogen lights. AS far as warranty is concerned; if you had a halogen burn out, the dealer will replace it with their OEM bulb. However, you'll need to purchase their Platinum Service Coverage for them to be included and replaced free of charge. The 5 year 100K Hyundai warranty is not inclusive of light bulbs.

The use of the Phillips Diamonds are just one conversion for the SEL there are others. :smile:

Since you haven't noted which Kona you were in the market for, it's a bit difficult to disclose which units would be better for the application. If your intent is to purchase an SEL then yes, you can change the high and low beams for a bright white halogen bulb with more wattage. If you end up with a Limited or Ultimate you won't have to change anything, due to both being equipped with LED headlights. that I'm aware of.

Nor would you be able to, as both have system which automatically drops the lights into low beam when cars are approaching from the opposite lane. :wink:

However, there are members that have no problem with the Halogen lights which the SEL Kona are equipped with. I would first direct my attention and questions to those who do. You might be surprised as to their personal critiques and assessments.:smile:

Blessings and Peace

 

[JR KONA]

how does rear cross traffic works ? does it emit some sound, beep , when there is something behind the car when doing reverse ? is it sort of a radar ?

The sensor for the system are located in the rear bumper and act in conjunction with the passive visual alerts in the side mirrors. If you opt for the Ultimate, it will actually help assist you steer back into you own lane. It will emit an audible and visual alert. In the Ultimate, it will alert you audibly, visually and steer you back into your own lane. If you are backing from a parking spot, it will apply the brakes, give you both audible and visual alerts automatically.

Blessings and Peace

 

[OK ynot]

Appreciating the info from cmllr, I too really wondered about the placement of that windshield reservoir. What were they thinking (or not thinking)?
I've replaced the fog lights with LED and WOW what a difference! I have the Phillips Diamonds sitting in my garage waiting to be installed.
The OEM's are poor, definitely compared to my previous ('16 Tucson) and my wife's '17 Santa Fe. Hence the new pending bulbs.
Not expecting miracles. Just find the yellow is not very helpful in evening/ night time illumination.

Overall, I've found the Kona is a great vehicle. Easy to park anywhere around town with decent visibility (pillars are no better or worse than others).
I don't have passengers, so I always remove the rear seat head rests to vastly improve rear window viz.
Mirrors and back up camera work well, making reverse parking in the garage a breeze. Really like the added room in the garage too.

 

[Bad~Papa]

Check out eBay and Amazon for accessories and some OEM parts. I saw a chrome front trim piece on eBay
Used on the upper trims..

 

[tecnico7]

Would like to know if being the surf blue color sort of a flat color , does it fade out :/ compared to a metalic type color ? and would like to know if the sonic silver is metalic type color ?

 

[KonaNut]

Sonic Silver

I own a Sonic Silver & it's metallic, Surf Blue is not.

 

[tecnico7]

I own a Sonic Silver & it's metallic, Surf Blue is not.

Do you have pic of it ? pleasee