In this review, I’m doing something slightly different. I will skip reviewing cars for once and instead review an automotive part. First, let me introduce my car—a 10-year-old Kia Picanto. From brand new, the Kia Picanto uses regular halogen headlights. Over the years, I’ve tried out multiple headlight solutions, but most of them haven’t delivered satisfying results. In the end, I kept reverting to using halogen bulbs—until now.
Let’s backtrack a little. The first aftermarket headlight bulbs I tried on my Picanto were HID bulbs. For those who don’t know, HID (High-Intensity Discharge) works well with projector-style headlights. It instantly gives the car a more premium feel, especially since the HID I chose was designed to be more OEM-like. Of course, with HID, I could definitely see farther because the lights were quite bright. However, the main downside is that HID bulbs create glare for oncoming vehicles, which isn’t safe for other road users. HID bulbs also tend to produce a lot of heat. While this didn’t affect my headlights, I’ve seen others face issues like melting reflectors, which forced them to replace the entire headlight unit if they wanted effective lighting after reverting to halogen bulbs.
Additionally, HID bulbs require an additional chipset to regulate and boost electricity when needed. This is because HID lights use much higher voltage to produce their intense illumination. Another issue with these cheap aftermarket HIDs is reliability. When new, they shone brightly and far, but over time, I noticed the headlights gradually dimmed. This happened over about two years, so the longevity wasn’t great. In the long run, the chipset also tended to burn out—a common issue I encountered with HID bulbs. Since replacement parts aren’t sold separately, the whole set of headlights needed to be replaced to maintain consistent lighting performance.
Next, I tried some China-made LED bulbs. These did address a few flaws of HIDs, but they were still not a perfect aftermarket solution. When I first used the LED bulbs, I noticed they were bright, but the main issue was light dispersion. The LED bulbs didn’t illuminate the road directly ahead; instead, the light scattered elsewhere. This problem persisted even with the high beam—it just shone higher but still unfocused. Like HID bulbs, these LEDs also had reliability issues. They lasted about a year and a half before starting to malfunction, at which point they needed replacing. Frustrated, I switched back to halogen bulbs, which lasted much longer.
Recently, I was offered the chance to test the latest Bosch LED Gigalight by Bosch Malaysia. With a reputable name like Bosch, I had high hopes for the quality of the product and expected Bosch to address the common flaws of aftermarket bulbs. The product comes neatly packaged in a box containing an instruction manual and two LED bulbs. Installation appeared simple enough for anyone with basic technical skills to handle. The bulbs come with a longer wire and a black box, which houses the transformer—necessary because LED bulbs consume less energy than halogen bulbs. 
Installing the bulbs was straightforward. Since there were no additional sockets needed, I simply removed the halogen bulbs and plugged the new bulbs into the existing socket. However, proper polarity is important: positive must connect to positive, and negative to negative. If the light doesn’t work, you just reverse the connection. During installation, I encountered an issue because my car’s right headlight is a newer replacement, while the left is original. The newer headlight required a special adapter to secure the bulb properly. I’ve already provided feedback to Bosch, and hopefully, they’ll consider creating an adapter for future buyers.
Once installed, I initially found the light quality a bit underwhelming. From the outside, the white light gave the car a more premium appearance in the dark—similar to expensive vehicles. However, the light beam shone too high, making it difficult to see the road ahead at night. To fix this, I consulted Bosch’s product experts, who recommended readjusting the headlights to optimize the beam alignment. This adjustment is akin to performing a wheel alignment after changing tires to get the best performance.
After the adjustment, I noticed a significant improvement in visibility. The road was now well-lit, and the beam was more defined, making it easier to gauge where the light ended. While it performed impressively for an aftermarket LED solution, it still couldn’t fully match the performance of vehicles originally equipped with LED headlights. This is because factory LED systems are designed with reflectors tailored to LED bulbs, whereas my car’s reflectors are suited for halogens. That said, Bosch did an excellent job of designing a high-quality aftermarket LED bulb.
With a retail price of RM 499.05, is it worth it? For a reputable brand like Bosch, I’d say yes. Once properly adjusted and fitted, the headlights performed well. At this price point, it’s easy to recommend, especially for those looking to upgrade their car’s appearance and lighting. The installation process is simple enough for most people to handle themselves. Just be sure to have a trusted technician align the headlights for optimal performance. If you’re interested in these LED headlights, you can check out Bosch Automotive’s official store on Shopee or Lazada to find compatible bulbs for your vehicle. As of this review, the bulbs are on sale for RM 350, making them an even more attractive deal.
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