DIY: License Plate LED bulb Installation
 

One of our member asked me to write a DIY for this. So here it is:

Time needed: 5 minutes
Tools needed: None.


Step 1: Locate your bulbs.

http://i576.photobucket.com/albums/s...h_DSC01483.jpg http://i576.photobucket.com/albums/s...h_DSC01487.jpg http://i576.photobucket.com/albums/s...h_DSC01489.jpg

Step 2: Change them with the L.E.D. bulbs. I used the 5K L.E.D. from vleds. If they don't turn on after installing them, just switch their polarity.
http://i576.photobucket.com/albums/s...om/th_size.jpg


Done! :tup:


OEM bulbs
http://i576.photobucket.com/albums/s...s-together.jpg

OEM vs L.E.D.
http://i576.photobucket.com/albums/s...oem-vs-led.jpg http://i576.photobucket.com/albums/s...d-straight.jpg

L.E.D.s installed
http://i576.photobucket.com/albums/s..._installed.jpg

http://i576.photobucket.com/albums/s...s-together.jpg

http://i576.photobucket.com/albums/s.../installed.jpg

I hate the OEM yellowish look. These bulbs make the rear end look much better at night. These bulbs are slightly bluer than the headlights but they are almost identical. Light output is good. I just have to wait and see how long they last.

AK

looks muuuuch better!!

question though, in the other thread i noticed you bought #2821 but a Sylvania guide is showing me its supposed to be a #2825 bulb. do you think this will be an issue in the long haul?

thank you AK!

Just curious, some of the LEDs will cause flashing because of the voltage different. Did you have any problems with that?

Thanks

It should be fine.
You're welcome.

I am not sure. I didn't have any voltage problems.

thanks, placed my order and went ahead and got some for the front parking lights.

thank you!...i thought it is going to be hard to take it off, haha

AK I've been thinking about these LEDs too...where is your home address, and what time do you usually go to sleep? Thanks. :eek:

:icon18: That actually made me laugh out loud!! Hahahahaha

So, the police!
 

So you want the police to see your license easier EH !!!!:shakes head:

:icon18::bowrofl:

Actually I just hate the yellowish look of the license plate bulbs. It just doesn't flow well with the whole 370Z exterior lighting (IMO).

wow, ordered on tuesday and got my bulbs in today....woot! that was some fast shipping. installed the rear plate ones and am verrrry happy with the look of them. will probably tackled the front ones sometime this weekend.

i guess its just the pearl white maybe but my entire license plate area is lit up by the stock bulbs, i mean wayyyy bright. so i put red leds in. i dont think its illegal here since red is allowed in the rear. i have had red bulbs in my wrx since i got it too which is over four years now, no cop trouble ever if anyone was wondering.

ordered mine...came in 2 days...install took about 5 minutes...very pleased thanks again AK ....which front ones can be swaped??

^ the one next to the amber LED in the lower portion of the light. also took about 5 mins to do.

thought id share some pics....really easy to install just open and replace :D
bulbs are from v-leds as well
i like the fact that it illuminates the ground as well :tup: :D
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c9...e/IMG_2624.jpg
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c9...e/IMG_2625.jpg

anyone have pics of the headlight ones they changed? thinkin about doin this also just curious of how it looks thanks

post #13
http://www.the370z.com/exterior-inte...ssembly-2.html

That almost looks too bright.

Looks good to me. When you have a drunk closing fast on your Z you want them to see the arse-end of it—not kiss it! :tup:

I def think it's his camera settings because it's not that bright at all. It's slightly brighter than stock, which is perfect (IMO).

Under that exposure, that looks almost like the bulbs I have in person.

canon 50D "P" setting :D

i bought the same ones you have from vled :tup:

Just did this - not nearly as bright as I expected, but much whiter. Perfect!

Would it be possible for you to post pics whenever you have time? :pics:

Ah ****, I wish I would have seen this late last night - I just got to work and it was still dark lol - could have snapped a pic or two.

Yeah, I'll try to get some pictures tonight. Honestly it blends in very well with the taillights without seeming to overpower them (like some of the pictures on here seem to show).

Cool man. I look forward to seeing it.

OK, I suck at nighttime photos with my new camera still. Still getting used to it. But, I basically did 2 shots - the first is a 4-second shutter, last is a 1-second shutter. I believe the 1-second shutter to be the most accurate brightness reproduction, just by looking at the tails alone (they dont overpower with glare), and the street/house lights are the most accurate.

http://images44.fotki.com/v1470/phot...370Z001-vi.jpg
http://images38.fotki.com/v1211/phot...370Z003-vi.jpg

Oh yeah, and my shitty temp-tag is actually curled up from being wet lol, which explains the shadow heh,

That's a fairly accurate representation of the LED lights at night. It definitely lights up the ground at night. :tup:

Thanks! This will be one of my 1st mods

Doh, I'm going to cross post. I finally got my car today, and the first thing I did was swap out the license plate lights. These are my homemade 194 Luxeon K2 LED bulbs:
http://www.the370z.com/members/digit...fore-after.jpg

/\ Looks good! I have been too lazy to put them on my car to see how they (ur bulbs) look in the license plate area :o.

Looks great AK. This is such a minor mod but it makes such a difference in appearance at night. I like it. I've done this with most vehicles I've owned in the past decade or less.

Haha... the car looks much cleaner at night while in the garage since I've not driven it anywhere after taking it home.

You can check my album for the trunk light. It is uber bright compared to the stock 194 bulb since I'm pushing 4x the current (~400mA) compared to my LED license plate bulbs (~100mA).

I'm working on the map lights tonight if I have the 194 wedge parts for it. I'm using a 350mA BuckToot driver for this one. Unlike the 350Z, it uses 194 type instead of festoon (pulled covers this morning).

Thanks for posting. Just installed the VLed bulbs and it was definitely worth the $15.

Just ordered some PIAA new Hyper Dimple Super LEDs (19407) to replace license plate, map, cargo, and marker lights.
Will post some pictures after installation.

They look awsome!!! I already order mine.
Hey AK, can you do a DIY for the Headlights Bulbs too?
and do the install of any of these LEDS changes anything to the warranty?

I really like my OEM Headlight L.E.D. but if I recall correctly, our member "Digitonium" is changing on his Z. He already bought the replacement bulbs.

Headlight bulbs are NOT under the warranty anyway. So, you're on your own when it comes to replacing them.

Here's a picture of our headlight with 6000K bulb:

R Spec HID 6000K Premium

http://i576.photobucket.com/albums/s...0Z_com/hid.jpg

Good thread to follow: http://www.the370z.com/exterior-inte...hts-8000k.html

Thanks AK, i just wanted to make sure, you know how they are when it comes to rapair and pay for the repairs.