LED Replacement Questions
Registered User
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 31
Likes: 0
From: Riverside
Go to this page, input your car and year and it will tell you. Then you can go to V-Led and find the lights.
http://www.sylvania.com/ConsumerProd...de/default.htm
http://www.sylvania.com/ConsumerProd...de/default.htm
i put in my 11smt lights today and i think i blew a fuse! 
i'm kinda mad before that as i thought they would replace the ugly yellow of the fog lights that stays on whenever the headlights are on.. im not sure what fuse i blew if anyone could help me, i will fix it tomorrow.. the interior dash lights that usually come on at night dont come on, the taillights don't work at all, the light above the rear seats works when the brakes are pressed but the taillights dont do anything, and my clear corners dont work, and the new smt lights i installed in the headlights went out.. what could be the problem??
i'm kinda mad before that as i thought they would replace the ugly yellow of the fog lights that stays on whenever the headlights are on.. im not sure what fuse i blew if anyone could help me, i will fix it tomorrow.. the interior dash lights that usually come on at night dont come on, the taillights don't work at all, the light above the rear seats works when the brakes are pressed but the taillights dont do anything, and my clear corners dont work, and the new smt lights i installed in the headlights went out.. what could be the problem??
I freaking dropped one when I was installing it so I had to use one from my plates instead so my plates are the crappy yellow again =(
oh well at least my clearance strip looks good =D
dang elayman that sucks! wish I could help but I really am useless when it comes to this stuff, maybe start a new thread you'll probably get faster replies that way.
oh well at least my clearance strip looks good =D
dang elayman that sucks! wish I could help but I really am useless when it comes to this stuff, maybe start a new thread you'll probably get faster replies that way.
Originally Posted by elayman
yea I was so pissed. Idk what happened. I was putting the light back in and then they all went off. I guess I should have done it with the lights off. Oh well
yeah..... they are supposed to be off.....
no they were off, i turned them on after i plugged it in, and i was just putting it back through the little hole when it was on and it shorted it out .. i didn't unplug it and plug it in while it was on
.. i didn't unplug it and plug it in while it was on
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 799
Likes: 3
From: Columbus, OH
Hmmm, that is weird...let us know what happens. Sorry to hear that.
My lights came in today. I forgot my camera so I didn't get any pictures but I will tomorrow night and post them up.
My impressions: both opinion and reference for those doing it later.
In-cabin lights - 6SMT 31mm Festoons: Look great, nice blue/white hue, very bright and easiest install. Pop-off the reflectors, old bulb out, new bulb in, replace reflector, total time 2 minutes. Took longer to get the damn packaging open.
Under-door lights - 6SMT 31mm Festoons: Same bulbs as the in-cabin lights, but much more annoying to install. You have to pop the reflectors off by compressing them one direction and then pulling out the other (kinda like a toilet roll holder-thingy). Then the space, at least for the coupe was too cramped to get the bulb out easily so I had to remove it from the harness which was easy, but to get it back on was a bitch.
Also remember that the lights need to be aimed downwards through the reflector, I messed up the first time and aimed them back into the door so I had to go through the whole harness fiasco twice. But after all was said and done they look great.
License plate lights - 194/168 Single Forward Firing SMT: Gotta get under the plate and undo the two housings which are clipped from one direction. Not too bad once you figure out how they are held in. Again easy switch and good looks with the LEDs.
Sidemarkers - 194/168 Single Forward Firing SMT: Easy install, again 2-3 minutes, just yank out and plug in...presto chango, same bulbs as plates.
Here is where I though visuals might come into play and they sure did as other people mentioned. The LEDs are more bluish than the stock 4500k HIDs, and thus didn't match. I am unsure whether I'm going to leave them in there or get some orange SMT bulbs. I will take pictures tomorrow with my dSLR to best illustrate what exactly the color differences are and please feel free to throw your opinions in about keeping the not matching white LEDs or switching to orange.
Finally, I haven't done the headlight ones as I am getting my headlights replaced due to the recall hopefully this weekend. Again they wont match the HIDs, but I'd rather have bluer than yellow, so in which case I might leave the sidemarkers white too. Either way, I'll definitely do a whole set of comparison shots so people have a better idea of what they want to get if they haven't yet.
EDIT: See below for pictures in reference to this post.
My lights came in today. I forgot my camera so I didn't get any pictures but I will tomorrow night and post them up.
My impressions: both opinion and reference for those doing it later.
In-cabin lights - 6SMT 31mm Festoons: Look great, nice blue/white hue, very bright and easiest install. Pop-off the reflectors, old bulb out, new bulb in, replace reflector, total time 2 minutes. Took longer to get the damn packaging open.
Under-door lights - 6SMT 31mm Festoons: Same bulbs as the in-cabin lights, but much more annoying to install. You have to pop the reflectors off by compressing them one direction and then pulling out the other (kinda like a toilet roll holder-thingy). Then the space, at least for the coupe was too cramped to get the bulb out easily so I had to remove it from the harness which was easy, but to get it back on was a bitch.
Also remember that the lights need to be aimed downwards through the reflector, I messed up the first time and aimed them back into the door so I had to go through the whole harness fiasco twice. But after all was said and done they look great.
License plate lights - 194/168 Single Forward Firing SMT: Gotta get under the plate and undo the two housings which are clipped from one direction. Not too bad once you figure out how they are held in. Again easy switch and good looks with the LEDs.
Sidemarkers - 194/168 Single Forward Firing SMT: Easy install, again 2-3 minutes, just yank out and plug in...presto chango, same bulbs as plates.
Here is where I though visuals might come into play and they sure did as other people mentioned. The LEDs are more bluish than the stock 4500k HIDs, and thus didn't match. I am unsure whether I'm going to leave them in there or get some orange SMT bulbs. I will take pictures tomorrow with my dSLR to best illustrate what exactly the color differences are and please feel free to throw your opinions in about keeping the not matching white LEDs or switching to orange.
Finally, I haven't done the headlight ones as I am getting my headlights replaced due to the recall hopefully this weekend. Again they wont match the HIDs, but I'd rather have bluer than yellow, so in which case I might leave the sidemarkers white too. Either way, I'll definitely do a whole set of comparison shots so people have a better idea of what they want to get if they haven't yet.
EDIT: See below for pictures in reference to this post.
Last edited by stradaONE8; Jun 11, 2008 at 07:49 PM.
recieved and installed my 6000k philips ultinons today!
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Authe...ViewItemQQcate
goryZ36476QQihZ007QQitemZ170226489061QQrdZ1QQsspag enameZWDVW
fast shipping 2-3 days as promised and very good communication!
heres what i did:
1.jack the car on one side up all the way. no need for jack stands or to removeyour wheel.
2.took out 6 clips/1 screw on the fender liner.
3.opened the fogs seal to install the 194 bulbs
4.https://g35driver.com/forums/showthr...ht=diy+philips
5.follow steps 4,5,6
6.there you have it! pretty bluish/whitish beams!
overall install took me about 45min since im bad at DIY's. this is actually my second DIY. took me about 35min to do one side and 10min the other side since you already know the process.
havent actually seen them at night since there is still some sun over here but wow do these look good!. wish i had a camera to take pics but my phone camera isnt going to cut it.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Authe...ViewItemQQcate
goryZ36476QQihZ007QQitemZ170226489061QQrdZ1QQsspag enameZWDVW
fast shipping 2-3 days as promised and very good communication!
heres what i did:
1.jack the car on one side up all the way. no need for jack stands or to removeyour wheel.
2.took out 6 clips/1 screw on the fender liner.
3.opened the fogs seal to install the 194 bulbs
4.https://g35driver.com/forums/showthr...ht=diy+philips
5.follow steps 4,5,6
6.there you have it! pretty bluish/whitish beams!
overall install took me about 45min since im bad at DIY's. this is actually my second DIY. took me about 35min to do one side and 10min the other side since you already know the process.
havent actually seen them at night since there is still some sun over here but wow do these look good!. wish i had a camera to take pics but my phone camera isnt going to cut it.
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 799
Likes: 3
From: Columbus, OH
Here are the pictures from my post above. I have all the lights changed pretty much except the headlight city lights which will be coming soon.
The comparison shots (each set) was shot using the same camera settings in the same light and as close to the position as possible to help people get a good idea among the lights and which one would suit you best...
For the corner lights I used the following setups: all from VLED except orange bulb and OEM setup >>
1. Clear Corners with Inverted Cone LEDs - light output was pretty dim but not as blue as the pictures show...similar to the SMT color, but a lot dimmer.
I don't recommend these for anything really, they are just too dim to be useful.
2. Clear Corners with SMT (forward firing) - Nice and bright, fills out the corners pretty well but a solid hotspot in the middle of the bulb but not obnoxious though. Definitely bluer than OEM 4500k HID, would recommend upgrade to 6000k if it bugs you.
3. Clear Corners with Orange Bulbs - Orange was more yellowish orange than OEMs, but allows you to keep amber in the corners if the bluer output of SMT bugs you or the law bugs you...either one.
4. OEM Clear Corners - well duh.
This set is corners again but with the more of the car in the shot, in the same order as above. I forgot to shoot the Clear Corners with the Orange bulbs, but it looked similar to OEM but with less pronounced orange in the edge and more a yellow-orange in the center, so just get an idea from the above set.
1. Clear - Invert
2. Clear - SMT
3. Clear - Orange Bulb: Forgot to shoot...sorry.
4. OEM - Orange Bulb
Finally some miscellaneous shots all were SMT bulbs.
Interior and door - 6 SMT Festoons
1. Inside the cabin
2. Door SMTs when closed
3. Door Output onto ground - kinda hard to tell due to ambient light, but they are decently bright.
4. Door SMT location - kind of annoying to change...but make sure they face down.
Plates and Trunk - Single SMT, same as sidemarkers
1. Plates - dimmer of two shots...
2. Plates - a bit brighter, same ambient light problem, but again, they are pretty bright and coverage is very even.
3. Random Trunk shot - used an inverted bulb in here first, but was miserably dim, so switched to the SMT, works great.
Finally, I just got my headlights swapped today so I will putting in the city lights...update will come then probably this weekend.
Hope this helps those of you undecideds or just for referencing what you want to do...post up questions or DIY issues if you have any, I'll try my best to help.
The comparison shots (each set) was shot using the same camera settings in the same light and as close to the position as possible to help people get a good idea among the lights and which one would suit you best...
For the corner lights I used the following setups: all from VLED except orange bulb and OEM setup >>
1. Clear Corners with Inverted Cone LEDs - light output was pretty dim but not as blue as the pictures show...similar to the SMT color, but a lot dimmer.
I don't recommend these for anything really, they are just too dim to be useful.
2. Clear Corners with SMT (forward firing) - Nice and bright, fills out the corners pretty well but a solid hotspot in the middle of the bulb but not obnoxious though. Definitely bluer than OEM 4500k HID, would recommend upgrade to 6000k if it bugs you.
3. Clear Corners with Orange Bulbs - Orange was more yellowish orange than OEMs, but allows you to keep amber in the corners if the bluer output of SMT bugs you or the law bugs you...either one.
4. OEM Clear Corners - well duh.
This set is corners again but with the more of the car in the shot, in the same order as above. I forgot to shoot the Clear Corners with the Orange bulbs, but it looked similar to OEM but with less pronounced orange in the edge and more a yellow-orange in the center, so just get an idea from the above set.
1. Clear - Invert
2. Clear - SMT
3. Clear - Orange Bulb: Forgot to shoot...sorry.
4. OEM - Orange Bulb
Finally some miscellaneous shots all were SMT bulbs.
Interior and door - 6 SMT Festoons
1. Inside the cabin
2. Door SMTs when closed
3. Door Output onto ground - kinda hard to tell due to ambient light, but they are decently bright.
4. Door SMT location - kind of annoying to change...but make sure they face down.
Plates and Trunk - Single SMT, same as sidemarkers
1. Plates - dimmer of two shots...
2. Plates - a bit brighter, same ambient light problem, but again, they are pretty bright and coverage is very even.
3. Random Trunk shot - used an inverted bulb in here first, but was miserably dim, so switched to the SMT, works great.
Finally, I just got my headlights swapped today so I will putting in the city lights...update will come then probably this weekend.
Hope this helps those of you undecideds or just for referencing what you want to do...post up questions or DIY issues if you have any, I'll try my best to help.
so I just got an email back from V-leds telling them my problem with my led burning out.. I tried moving it around for like 15 minutes until I gave up and admitted it wasn't working.. here is what they said
"You can't really short them out unless you touch the solder of the diode to
power or metal which is pretty hard to do. I would say the wires are just
not making good contact in the socket. Try moving them for better alignment.
Also remember they are polarity sensitive, turn the lights on when
installing.
Thank you,
Jake York
Velocity Distributing Inc."
he says you can't burn them out, or it's very hard to.. but I did blow a fuse when installing so maybe it caused too much power?
"You can't really short them out unless you touch the solder of the diode to
power or metal which is pretty hard to do. I would say the wires are just
not making good contact in the socket. Try moving them for better alignment.
Also remember they are polarity sensitive, turn the lights on when
installing.
Thank you,
Jake York
Velocity Distributing Inc."
he says you can't burn them out, or it's very hard to.. but I did blow a fuse when installing so maybe it caused too much power?
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 799
Likes: 3
From: Columbus, OH
Hmm, I'm not quite sure what happened. A couple of mine, the 6 SMT Festoons I used in the door have been handled pretty rough due to them being a PITA to install but they are working just fine.
I ran into the polarity issue a couple times, but I haven't had a problem otherwise. I would make sure the wires are perfectly aligned...I don't know what else could be the problem. They definitely shouldn't blow a fuse as they are same voltage bulb and LEDs require less power anyways to light.
I ran into the polarity issue a couple times, but I haven't had a problem otherwise. I would make sure the wires are perfectly aligned...I don't know what else could be the problem. They definitely shouldn't blow a fuse as they are same voltage bulb and LEDs require less power anyways to light.
^ yea they worked fine till i was putting it back into the little driving light hole in the headlight and then all of the sudden "poof" and they all go out haha.. when i relaced the fuse, that one wouldnt light, but i switched it around and moved the wires and everything.. idk maybe ill just try again today and it'll work.