SW03ES Posted February 23, 2005 Share Posted February 23, 2005 Seeing the new GS (all LEDs are used on the new GS, all interior lighting, the license plate lights, etc) the LED lighting looks so modern and clean I'm thinking about upgrading the lighting in my car to LED. Not the brake lights or turn signals and I'd imagine this would trip the brake lamp and turn signal sensors but the licnese plate lights, interior dome lights, map lights, courtesy lights on the doors and under the dash etc. Has anyone else ever done this? If so how'd it turn out? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LLS Posted February 23, 2005 Share Posted February 23, 2005 Seeing the new GS (all LEDs are used on the new GS, all interior lighting, the license plate lights, etc) the LED lighting looks so modern and clean I'm thinking about upgrading the lighting in my car to LED.Not the brake lights or turn signals and I'd imagine this would trip the brake lamp and turn signal sensors but the licnese plate lights, interior dome lights, map lights, courtesy lights on the doors and under the dash etc. Has anyone else ever done this? If so how'd it turn out? ← I have, and you know where to find it :) Check the Sc forum when you get there. ;) "exterior lighting" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKperformance Posted February 23, 2005 Share Posted February 23, 2005 Buying an LED that has good output and spread is hard to come by unless they use a reflector or a cluster of them . They look nie when desgined well but loook really dim when stuck in a regular filament socket. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SW03ES Posted February 23, 2005 Author Share Posted February 23, 2005 LLS- I was wondering if you guys did that, I'll come check you out. How goes getting set up as an authorized trader/sponsor? SK- I've seen several that are in clusters designed to fill out the reflector housing, I had assumed the same thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ImranS Posted February 23, 2005 Share Posted February 23, 2005 I like the idea of changing some (mainly interior) lights to LED. Where can I get these? The pure white of the LEDs look very clean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKperformance Posted February 23, 2005 Share Posted February 23, 2005 I find interior LED's even worse as the utput is always to directed to one spot. A nice cheap set of eurolight blue interior bulbs can do wonders for light. I have them in my civic and they are really much brighter than the stock styles for some reason. It is the only blue coated bulb i haev as a coating always decrease the output. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SW03ES Posted February 23, 2005 Author Share Posted February 23, 2005 I drove a new GS today and the LED lighting seemed nice and diffused, but those light sockets were designed to refract LED lights. Basicalkly I want a whiter cleaner looking light, I dont want to go blue or racerish or anything like that. Any suggestions SK? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArmyofOne Posted February 24, 2005 Share Posted February 24, 2005 I drove a new GS today and the LED lighting seemed nice and diffused, but those light sockets were designed to refract LED lights.Basicalkly I want a whiter cleaner looking light, I dont want to go blue or racerish or anything like that. Any suggestions SK? ← have you considered cold cathode...? I did cold cathode coutesy and map lamps in my contour, and i gotta tell you, it worked pretty good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SW03ES Posted February 24, 2005 Author Share Posted February 24, 2005 Really? What all is involved in that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKperformance Posted February 24, 2005 Share Posted February 24, 2005 Actually the bulbs i am talking about are plain filament ones but mislabled xenon. They have a cobalt blue type coating to prduce a really clean white light not a blue one. Plus they are only $10 for a pair Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SW03ES Posted February 24, 2005 Author Share Posted February 24, 2005 I've seen them, how's the light output compared to the stock ones? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKperformance Posted February 24, 2005 Share Posted February 24, 2005 The output is atleast 3-4 times better since the normal yellow stlye ones are real dim. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArmyofOne Posted February 24, 2005 Share Posted February 24, 2005 Really? What all is involved in that? ← heh, i didnt actually do them...i had them done at a car audio shop. so to behonest, i really dont know what was involved. but it couldnt have been much, they only charged me $20 per light plus bulb cost. so $100 bucks for all 4 courtesy lights, my map lights and trunk lights. Sorry i said that LOL. my fault. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SW03ES Posted February 24, 2005 Author Share Posted February 24, 2005 Army- How did it turn out? SK- something like this? www.visionbulbs.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArmyofOne Posted February 24, 2005 Share Posted February 24, 2005 Army- How did it turn out?SK- something like this? www.visionbulbs.com ← well it was actually very good. all the lights had the same light output. so when the door was open, and the cortesy and dome lamps came on, it was extremely bright inside. like having a florescent light in the car. i was planning to redo the gauges with cold cathode white light, but then i wrecked. The thing about this, all the connections have to be changed. this is custom work. a cold cathode bulb will not fit in a standard socket. your dome light will have to have wires cut etc. basically, once it starts, there is no going back ;) but you wont regret it. I got the hook up with mine. and it was easy, cause it was a cheap car, everything kind of came apart without tools. the wires have to be soldered. very similar to an LED instlal, except the bulbs are bigger. but you can touch the bulb and while its on, its room temp. no melting of the circutry or anything. i would guess the light output was similar to that of a standard florescent tube light in your kitchen light. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SW03ES Posted February 24, 2005 Author Share Posted February 24, 2005 Ehhh, I don't think I'm ready to go there lol. I just want whiter more attractive light. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArmyofOne Posted February 24, 2005 Share Posted February 24, 2005 Ehhh, I don't think I'm ready to go there lol. I just want whiter more attractive light. ← well, remember, even with LED's it isnt plug in play (you always do your research, so im sure you already know this), Cold cathode just takes it a step further and makes it irreversible (well not totally, but its not easy). you wont regret going cold cathode if thast what you decide. it is brighter light, and its cool, so you dont have to worry about it melting anything. also they are super long life. they are at if not over the LED's lifespan. trust me. if you take apart your instrument cluster and do LED's, you wont want to do it again any time soon. 1 cold cathode bulb in your cluster will suffice. the lighting is even, not spotty like standard bulbs. and it wont melt your overlays (the sheet the speedo numbers are printed on) because it doesnt get hot. if you try to get brighter light out of a standard bulb this can happen. not sure abotu LED's but i would imagine these would get warm too. 2 cold cathode bulbs behidn your cluster would be more than sufficient. the cold cathode bulbs in my contour were in there for 4 years, and never did i have to replace one. One of the guys that did the install said they woudl last well over 1,000,000 hours. not sure fi this is true or not, but it seemed to be. oh, my liscense plate lamps were cold cathode too. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SW03ES Posted February 25, 2005 Author Share Posted February 25, 2005 No, they sell LED bulbs that are direct swap outs for the incandesent bulbs that are in there. They sell them for pretty much every size bulb. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKperformance Posted February 25, 2005 Share Posted February 25, 2005 Yes the bulbs are jsut liek those 31 mm one i have on my car. I was planning on adding another at some point in time as i can finally see in my tiny civics black interior. The biggest difference was the same bulb i use for my trunk, now that was a ray of sunshine in their finally. My bulbs come in a pack of 2 for $10 . It is made by eurolight but most of them should all be about the same besides the piaa ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeiLtYmE Posted February 25, 2005 Share Posted February 25, 2005 im a lil confused steve, isnt your speedo cluster already cold-cathod or are you talking about all the rest of your cars little bulbs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArmyofOne Posted February 25, 2005 Share Posted February 25, 2005 Ehhh, I don't think I'm ready to go there lol. I just want whiter more attractive light. ← well, remember, even with LED's it isnt plug in play (you always do your research, so im sure you already know this), Cold cathode just takes it a step further and makes it irreversible (well not totally, but its not easy). you wont regret going cold cathode if thast what you decide. it is brighter light, and its cool, so you dont have to worry about it melting anything. also they are super long life. they are at if not over the LED's lifespan. trust me. if you take apart your instrument cluster and do LED's, you wont want to do it again any time soon. 1 cold cathode bulb in your cluster will suffice. the lighting is even, not spotty like standard bulbs. and it wont melt your overlays (the sheet the speedo numbers are printed on) because it doesnt get hot. if you try to get brighter light out of a standard bulb this can happen. not sure abotu LED's but i would imagine these would get warm too. 2 cold cathode bulbs behidn your cluster would be more than sufficient. the cold cathode bulbs in my contour were in there for 4 years, and never did i have to replace one. One of the guys that did the install said they woudl last well over 1,000,000 hours. not sure fi this is true or not, but it seemed to be. oh, my liscense plate lamps were cold cathode too. ;) ← really? i had no idea. learn something new every day. in the contours (again my domestic experience ringing in here) they required mods to fit. but these arent contours LOL. anywasy, as for the gauges being cold cathode, i dont know....incandescent bulbs will still get hot...cold cathode gives off "cool light" its soft, yet bright at the same time. hard to explain. and as i said before, you can leave the bulb on for 5 hours and then touch it. it will feel room temp. But this is your desicison SW, and personally i think if LED's can achieve the same effect, be cheaper and easier, i say go for it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SW03ES Posted February 25, 2005 Author Share Posted February 25, 2005 The gauges are LED I believe, the only Lexus that uses cold cathode lighting for the gauges is the LS. I'm just talking about maplights, courtesy lights, etc. I bet the bulbs would fit in the Contour too, they make LED bulbs in almost every concievable size. SK- I'll order some now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArmyofOne Posted February 26, 2005 Share Posted February 26, 2005 The gauges are LED I believe, the only Lexus that uses cold cathode lighting for the gauges is the LS. I'm just talking about maplights, courtesy lights, etc. I bet the bulbs would fit in the Contour too, they make LED bulbs in almost every concievable size. SK- I'll order some now! ← SW, look here: http://www.clublexus.com/forums/showthread.php?t=151561 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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