I just installed my KPTech shift light, and letme tell you, it was a PITA. First of all, it comes with 'installation instructions' (if you can call them that). They consist of just enough instruction for it to not be completely impossible for a newb.

You have to take apart your underdash on the drivers side and the passanger side, which isn't too bad if you actually have the service manuals - but sucks if you don't. They don't tell you which specific wires you need to connect to either- the instructions are very general (not g35 specific). For instance, they say something like 'Connect Black to Ground, and Yellow to a 12 VDC source', but don't tell you where to find the actual wires. If you want to find that out you have to read the forum on their website, and even then it's not very clear.

Anywho, I finally got it installed (after picking the wrong brown wire on my ECU harness the first time round), but it's pretty cool and works as advertised. I mounted the LED on the clock piece opposite the security LED, which also wasn't fun but turned out really good.

 

before doing the install I took apart the unit to check out the circuit. There's probably only 20-30$ in parts in there so they're making a pretty heafty profit on the actual hardware at least. I could probably make some cheaper knock offs of these since I already have an oscilloscope and microcontroller programmer, but I guess I won't be a jerk like that.

 

I was thinking about getting one of these but wondering how much they are charging for them and if its really worth it. I have a 5AT but during manu-matic mode a lot of times I slip into redline and fuel cutoff. Also could you post some pictures of the shift light install next to the clock? Thanks

 

yeah I have a 5AT also, I bought the unit off of a guy for like $50. I also sometimes hit the fuel cutoff in manu-matic which is why i bought it I guess. I think they charge like $79.99 or so for these shift lights.

I'll post some pics of it once my roommate gets back so I can use him camera. That clock piece was by far the hardest piece to get out. I've read a few posts on it which were vague, so here is how you do it once and for all:

TO REMOVE THE CLOCK PIECE:
In my 04, the clock piece has 4 metal clip fasteners, two in the top two corners and two on the bottom two corners. If you're not familiar with these fasteners, they are simply a metal clip which snaps in and out of hole by pulling them out or pushing them in. To remove the clock piece, you must pull it out (pull towards the back seats). You must pull CRAZY hard to get it out. This is all good and well, except that you can't easily get a grip on the actual clock piece. What I did to get a good grip was use a flat head screw driver to gently pry up the upper right corner of the piece so that I could get my finger tips under the upper lip. Then I pulled very hard on the upper right side until the upper right metal clip came out. As soon as the top clip comes out (and you'll easily be able to tell when this has happend), stop pulling and switch to the left upper clip side and do the same thing. Now that the top two clips are out it will be much easier to get a grip along the top row and pull evenly until the bottom two clips come out.

To put it back in, you just snap it back in which is a piece of cake.

 

Briphi,

Thank you for your review of our product! As you found out, the shift light is a universal module, and, as so, comes with generic install instructions. It would be impossible for us to include wiring information for every car the shift light works in. In our support forum, www.KPtechnologies.com/forums , we have quite a bit of detailed Infiniti/Nissan install instructions. It is much more practical to put vehicle specific information on the 'net instead of in print.

We have always said that finding the correct crank angle wire is the most difficult part of the install, and that is why we recomend only people with the proper tools perform this installation (which it sounds like you have!). Without a volt meter it would be almost impossible to find the correct brown wire without doing it by trial and error.

Dropping the drivers side dash is pretty simple, should just be one screw, and the passengers side conists of 7-8, its really not that bad considering you are providing access to the entire under dash of the vehicle! But, then again, I have many years of car alarm/remote start experiance.

As far as pricing goes, of course we are making a profit, we have an overhead to pay for. Parts are not the only thing the cost covers. After purchasing the parts (enclosures, circuit boards, genuine Molex connectors, and microcontrollers add up quickly) we still have to manufacture them (we have two guys that do all the assembly locally to maintain control of quality), test them, and most importantly download our code to them. The shift light is by far the most complex software KPtechnologies has ever produced, and took close to half a year to perfect (the software filtering is pretty wild in it to prevent false triggers while maintaining accuracy within 0.5%). Also, if you compare it to other products on the market we have the cheapest shift light commercially availible (not counting cheap Ebay products that have no warranty and most likely won't work!). The next cheapest is the Raptor, which will set you back over $100 for a blue one.

If you get a chance could you please post pics of your install? I would love to see it. I have always wanted to install a shift light where you are talking, but I have have. How well can you see it in the day time? What color did you get?

On a side note, KPtechnologies is currently in the process of mass producing a custom plastic enclosure that will still allow for a low profile install without drilling any holes. Due to the uncertainties in the manufacturing process though I have no clue when it will be done (should be less then 4 weeks).

Thanks again!

 

aight, sorry I've not posted pics in a while. I'll get some pics today. You can't see it too well in the day, but that's mostly because my install isn't perfect. When I drilled the hole in the clock piece, I then tried to shove the LED into the hole from the back (I wanted it real tight so it wouldn't move around and would stay put). So after cramming the LED in the hole from behind, I realized it wasn't long enough to 'stick out' the front like the security LED does- but was in there so tight I couldn't get it out without breaking the LED. I may fix it later, but for now it's ok, just isn't as bright as it should be and less directional.

I may replace the LED with one the same size as the security LED in the future too to make it more semetrical, but that's no big deal. I think the lights either blue or purple? I'm partially color blind, but its one of those colors.

 

The KPtech LED is a 3MM LED, so the hole size falls in between a 7/64" and a 1/8" hole. I think the indexed drill bit is a #32.

The OEM LED appears to be a 4mm, which isn't a standard size. A 5mm won't fit in the OEM hole, and a 3mm will leave a small amount of space. I replaced my OEM LED with a 3mm blue (just like the shift light LED) and used a small piece of black construction paper to make a small bezel for it, you can't even tell its too small now.

If you break your LED let me know and I can send you another one, they are pretty easy to swap out so you can easily change colors if you like (we have red, blue, green, white, and amber).

If the LED isn't sitting in as deep as you would like you may be able to carefully countersink the back of the plastic to get you a little more mounting depth, but be careful to not go all the way through the plastic.

KPtechnologies will soon be offering custom LED mounts to go with the LEDs and the stealth theme. It sounds like you have a great installation already, but if you are interested in trying out one of the mounts let me know, they should be ready within 4 weeks.

Thanks again for your feedback!

 

I was actually thinking about couter sinking the hole to give it more depth, but since I didn't have another ultra bright LED handy it would have held up the project for while (because I"d have to break the one I had to get it out).

I'm not sure what you mean when you say "custom LED mounts". how are they mounting the LED's stealthly? I'd be interested to hear a description or see some pics.

If you'd like to send me an LED that'd be great, I just dread having to pop that clock piece off my dash again, lol. Probably blue again would be good.

The shift light has performed perfectly and other than my install difficulties I have not had any problems. Although in all fairness, it was wicked cold that day and you know how much more things hurt when your hands are frozen.

 

The LED mounts that we are having made are basically just a small plastic housing that hopefully will blend in well with the interior. They won't be totally stealth, but they will still be small and they won't draw your eye.

In my G35 I have my LED sandwiched between the A-pillar and the headliner. You can't tell its there until its on, and its at the perfect level to see even in the day time. As soon as our first batch of LED holders are done I'll snap a few pics for everyone to see.

If you want me to send you another LED drop me a PM with your shipping address and I'll get one out to you.