Hey everyone. I got some LEDs the other day and installed them. I took pix in case anyone wants to know how. I know there are already a couple of threads about this. I typed this up for another forum and decided it couldn't hurt to post it here. I was able to use an expired license plate, so you can see the before/after shots w/o the numbers being blocked out. I think that helps a little.
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DO THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!!
I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE THAT MAY OCCUR!!
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These are the LEDs I got:
3 Festoon Dome 31mm High Power LED (Xenon White) Bulb [for the interior lights]
2 T10 W5W Flank High Power LED (White) Wedge Bulbs [for the license plate]
(note how they are angled, so the LED points directly down at the plate)
1 168 194 Wide Angle 12 LED (Xenon White) Wedge Bulb [for the trunk light]
Replacing the front interior lights is a fairly simple thing to do. Simply use a screwdriver (coated in duct tape, so you don't scratch your car) to pry off the plastic coverings.
From there, simply remove the old bulb and throw in the new one.
(old LED in place)
(new LED in place)
Before:
(oops. i forgot to take a before picture. I think you know what it looks like though)
After:
Comparison:
(note the gardener on the far right )
Same process with the rear dome light:
before:
after:
To do the license plate, you need to remove the trunk lid covering. There are four clips that you can get off with a phillips-head screwdriver.
Once you remove those, it will look like this:
Remove the wires from the light, by pressing the two side clamps.
Remove the housing from the car, by pressing the other two side clamps.
Old Vs New Light:
Simply pull the old bulb out of the housing and put the new one in.
Here are some comparisons:
and of course the final product:
The trunk light was probably the hardest, because I encountered a few unexpected errors.
The trunk light is fairly simple to remove, but I have heard of a lot of people breaking it so be careful!!! I took a flathead screwdriver and pried it out from the right (passenger) side. After that, you can disconnect the wire and take the whole housing out of the trunk.
The first problem was that the new bulb didn't fit. The bulb housing is specific to the little incandescent bulb. It was no problem though. I simply took some pliers and adjusted the thin-metal housing. (and by adjusting I mean broke off the pieces that center the little bulb). For you visual learners, here's an after pic:
And here is the 9 LED bulb in the housing:
The second issue I had was that once installed, the light didn't shine straight down. It shined in all directions. It was so bright, that light was coming up where my center brake light is. To solve this, I took some aluminum foil and made a reflector. Not only did it stop the extra light from shining through, it also made the trunk brighter.
before:
after (no foil):
after (with foil):
This was a cheap and simple mod. I would recommend it.
---------------
DO THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!!
I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE THAT MAY OCCUR!!
---------------
These are the LEDs I got:
3 Festoon Dome 31mm High Power LED (Xenon White) Bulb [for the interior lights]
2 T10 W5W Flank High Power LED (White) Wedge Bulbs [for the license plate]
(note how they are angled, so the LED points directly down at the plate)
1 168 194 Wide Angle 12 LED (Xenon White) Wedge Bulb [for the trunk light]
Replacing the front interior lights is a fairly simple thing to do. Simply use a screwdriver (coated in duct tape, so you don't scratch your car) to pry off the plastic coverings.
From there, simply remove the old bulb and throw in the new one.
(old LED in place)
(new LED in place)
Before:
(oops. i forgot to take a before picture. I think you know what it looks like though)
After:
Comparison:
(note the gardener on the far right )
Same process with the rear dome light:
before:
after:
To do the license plate, you need to remove the trunk lid covering. There are four clips that you can get off with a phillips-head screwdriver.
Once you remove those, it will look like this:
Remove the wires from the light, by pressing the two side clamps.
Remove the housing from the car, by pressing the other two side clamps.
Old Vs New Light:
Simply pull the old bulb out of the housing and put the new one in.
Here are some comparisons:
and of course the final product:
The trunk light was probably the hardest, because I encountered a few unexpected errors.
The trunk light is fairly simple to remove, but I have heard of a lot of people breaking it so be careful!!! I took a flathead screwdriver and pried it out from the right (passenger) side. After that, you can disconnect the wire and take the whole housing out of the trunk.
The first problem was that the new bulb didn't fit. The bulb housing is specific to the little incandescent bulb. It was no problem though. I simply took some pliers and adjusted the thin-metal housing. (and by adjusting I mean broke off the pieces that center the little bulb). For you visual learners, here's an after pic:
And here is the 9 LED bulb in the housing:
The second issue I had was that once installed, the light didn't shine straight down. It shined in all directions. It was so bright, that light was coming up where my center brake light is. To solve this, I took some aluminum foil and made a reflector. Not only did it stop the extra light from shining through, it also made the trunk brighter.
before:
after (no foil):
after (with foil):
This was a cheap and simple mod. I would recommend it.