New Sedan LED Tail Lights + DIY

[tomasro]

So I received these puppies this past Friday, and I couldn't wait to install them, so I did it that night without researching HOW to install them. So the following is a DIY on how to do it yourself:





Step one (inner light pair): If you have an EX or a Trunk Liner, remove it off the trunk lid. This will prove invaluable in a few minutes.


Step two: Pop out the center facade. This covers an important portion of the tail lights that is necessary for removal. (no great image here, but this is what it looks like without the light and the center facade)

Step three: Get out your 5/16" bolt remover. There are several longish bolts with curved tops holding the tail light to the body.

Step four: Push out the black countersink (I don't know how describe it, but you know what I mean). The light is now free.


Step five: Disconnect all the wire from the inside of the trunk for this light (just one...no pic needed).

Step six: Unwrap your new tail light, and connect former bulb housing on OEM tail light to LED connector on new tail light.



Step seven: Take black counter sink from the edge of the light and use it to help line up the bolt holes to replace light with the new light.


Step eight: Re-attach all longish nuts and secure light down with firm force.

Repeat for other light and then reattach center facade. (Half way there...good job!)


And now for the hard one. Make sure you are wearing a shirt you don't care to get messy. You'll be on your back (on the ground) with it. It's time to install the outer tail lights...

Step one: Remove Bumper...trust me. In the long run you have to do this unless you are Gumby. If you think you are really something, then just try and see where to unscrew the lower part of the light housing from all the way under your car. I tried, and my nickname IS gumby.

Side Step 1: Unscrew inner fender screws (4 - 1 vertically, and 3 at the base of the wheel well)


Side Step 2: Remove two pop-retainers from under the bumpter (No pic but you get the idea
Side Step 3: Remove two upper bumper hex screws (similar to the front bumper) (Again...no pic but you get the idea)
Side Step 4: Pull with little to moderate force to remove the bumper from the car.


Step two: Remove/Pull back the part of the lower trunk liner so that you can have access to all the bolts and wiring harness

Step three: Remove the 2 nuts holding the bottom of the light bracket to the car. This is also a guide for holding the bumper.

Step four: Remove the 4 nuts holding the light to the trunk from inside the trunk.

Step five: Release the connectors from the housing.

Step six: Reseat the connectors in the new housing. The arrangement is different and due to improper construction, the holes don't match up 100%. You will have to leave 2 connectors unseated (as shown).

Step seven: Remove bumper mounting bracket from old light and attach to new light. (This should be very self explanitory at this point)

Step eight: Bolt up new light to bumper guide (reverse order of removing the OEM light)

Step nine: Attach up inner trunk mounting nuts (no pic necessary)

Step ten: Connect it all up and it should look just as fabulous as mine. (Before you reinstall all your body paneling and bumper, make sure you attach the LED 'box' to the inner portion of your body paneling)



Finished Product:






(I apologize for the crappy pics. I'm still getting this digital SLR thing down.)


Review: Back up light is much more interesting visually, and the LEDs are great! Fitment is not 100% as I mentioned. The plugs that needed to be left out of the lights connected to the body could be subject to more bugs and moisture than if these were correctly created. And the outside fitment isn't a huge problem as the OEM lights weren't extremely flush either. These unfortunately follow suit, and are slightly more extruded from the top portion of the light. So, fitment gets a 7/10, style gets a 9/10, and function gets a 10/10.

Verdict: Worth the effort and nearly $200 when I purchased them off of ebay.

[Tastycakes]

+1 and lets see those pics tomorrow.

[Yospeed]

Nice!

[Rphsidan]

i will get those for my NHBP soon

[iluvmycsx]

those look good waiting to see them installed

[exbauer]

i want to see the finished product.

[F-1 Si]

Dude are you still eating Dinner?

[jay3151]

done yet jk.

so any diff from stock? brighter?

[07mugencivic]

nice...

[tomasro]

Alright...first post update...and done. Enjoy!

[Tastycakes]

Yea those do look really nice. The pics on ebay makes em look kinda crappy but they came out great.

[exbauer]

if you could take some pictures of them at night. maybe a video with the signal on.

[Duce2k]

Very nice...

[tomasro]

Originally Posted by exbauer

if you could take some pictures of them at night. maybe a video with the signal on.

You must be a mind reader, because that's on my list of things to do. In time young padawan

[Rphsidan]

does any of our sponcers or other vendors carry these or its an ebay item?

[benmunger]

pictures with them on?

[tomasro]

Originally Posted by Rphsidan

does any of our sponcers or other vendors carry these or its an ebay item?

Ebay item at the moment...
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/06-07...spagenameZWDVW

[e-ternal]

Originally Posted by benmunger

pictures with them on?

[lightlypurified]

Wait a minute u have to take out the bumper in order to install the tail lights??? when i looked at mine u just unscrew the bolts to the orginal tail lights take out the wires and then hook up ur new and connect those I have a COupe do i still have to take out the bumper?

[tomasro]

Originally Posted by lightlypurified

Wait a minute u have to take out the bumper in order to install the tail lights??? when i looked at mine u just unscrew the bolts to the orginal tail lights take out the wires and then hook up ur new and connect those I have a COupe do i still have to take out the bumper?

Do a DIY yourself and discover what needs to be done for everyone here!