I have wanted to add LED Daytime Running Lights (DRLs) to my Black G35x sedan for a while and had researched the topic on this forum on how to do it and the options out there. I tried to decide what look I wanted, either the Audi bar look or a more customized and built in look. I also have an Audi A5 in the family and think that it has the greatest looking DRLs out there, period. I thought of adding a LED bar to the G35 but ultimately decided that a custom look to the G35’s unique headlamp assembly would look better. Some of the ideas from this forum are great.

I finally had a free weekend to do my big lighting project; (1) installing the Umnitza Angel Eyes kit, (2) painting the headlight bezels black and (3) changing the amber turn signals into white. I have a black G35x and want to give the car modern features like DRLs for safety reasons and also wanted to finish the G35 with the black, white lights and aluminum look that I started last year. The side markers were already changed from amber to white and the grille was removed, painted matte black and now looks great with a chrome Mt. Fuji logo. All those were fairly simple tasks and the results were pleasing.

So after some research, I jumped-in and ordered the Umnitza LED units from eBay. Since some of the necessary installation steps were already covered well by others in this forum, I will just post their links for your handy reference. Two are sticky posts above in the lighting forum.

Here are the Umnitza LED units from eBay that I chose:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...ht_21261wt_939

The photos shown on their site:
https://lightwurkz.com/STORE_0E8Q.html
and on eBay in particular are quite representative of how the units look and their effective brightness. In fact, the eBay link details are much better and very life-like vs. what the Lightwurks' new web site shows. The G35 specific implemented LED mounting is a clever figure "8" shaped light structure that frames the over / under G's headlights very well. The result is a factory-like manufactured headlight with that special look and this is exactly what I was after.

The LEDs arrived quickly in the mail and all four worked when tested. They are bright and look to be durable since the LEDs and their mounting boards are encased in clear Plexiglas. They are claimed to be fully waterproof by the manufacturer and I can see why; everything is encapsulated nicely and should be vibration resistant. I do not expect LED vibration failures to be an issue but time will tell and that is to be expected for a kit that cost several hundred dollars. They are very visible indeed in the daytime when installed and seem to be of good quality.


1) How to remove the headlights DIY by removing the front bumper first posted by LCA575:
https://g35driver.com/forums/lightin...ple-steps.html

Another great DIY link by G35papa for directions to blacking-out the headlights:
https://g35driver.com/forums/lightin...eadlights.html

Be sure to disconnect and remove the ballast before cooking the headlights for 15 minutes at 225 deg C.

2) Next step is to warm up the headlight sealer gaskets by baking the lights in the oven for 15 minutes at low temperature. You then use several screwdrivers to carefully and slowly pry the clamshell apart and get to the goodies inside. I separated the three headlight sections: clear plastic lens, reflectors and the lower headlight units. Here are the instructions that the seller (LIGHTWuRKZ) posted to help with the installation that fills in some details: http://www.shiftice.com/angel_eyes.html

3) I sanded, taped and painted the chrome bezels satin black leaving the mirrored light reflectors shiny and intact. In retrospect, the turn-signal housing might have looked better if left alone as chrome as it is a separate little bullet shaped unit. Not sure even now which way would be best?? I also changed out the amber turn signal lens (as the other posts showed) with a dremel and epoxied a circle lens made from overhead flourescent lighting plastic refractors I got at Home Depot. Interestingly, when the blinker goes on at night, the warm color of the incandescent lamp inside makes the clear lens turn a bit light pinkish / beige and matches the color tone of side markers. See the garage photos below.

The LED installation then proceeded as recommended by Lightwurkz and detailed by the Umnitza links....

There were three unexpected things that I came across on this G35 sedan mod that were overcome with the help of instructional photos that Lightwurkz conveniently emailed me and those are posted below for your benefit:

1) A dremel cutter was needed to cut pencil sized grooves into the reflectors so the LEDs fit flush for the upper loop. See photo 2. This touch looks good when done and is visible when looking directly into the headlights. It also makes for a very strong and custom mounting.
2) I used a vibrating cutter like the Dremel Multi-Max to cut two roughly 1” by 2” slots into the lower section of the clam shell that holds the actual lamps. This space is needed so the top LEDs will fit into this opening and the clam shell will close for final assembly. See photo 4. This is not visible to the outside world but must be done so the upper LEDs will fit . I found this to be a bit challenging as it created a lot of dust and the cuts have to be deep in some areas to remove the plastic support structure below. Major hint: Take your time cutting and then clean every bit of the dust afterwards by vacuuming and wet wiping all surfaces. If not, this dust will appear in your finished light later, as I unfortunately discovered. Turn them over and make sure not a bit of dust, dirt or hardware bits are hidden or loose anywhere.
3) The angel eyes each have four wires (two at each end) that are plugged into a 2” square plastic (electronic power regulator) box. This box should be mounted securely inside the headlight housing (the lower section) so the circuit board and electronics are weatherproof and protected safely. I roughed up the surfaces with coarse sandpaper and epoxied the box to a flat surface of the lower section behind the reflectors. The connectors on the box should point up so the LEDs can be plugged in when closing the clam just before the final closing re-bake.

Another suggestion is to cut off the mounting tabs on the back of the LEDs as they are designed for a different model car, BMW maybe. (These LEDs are brighter that the BMW angel eyes however and would make a BMW look better. I find the stock BMW halos kinda boring) I also removed the clear connecting bar to all four LEDs and epoxied the wires to the rear of the stubs so they would not be visible from the front. The result is that the LED units look like a horseshoe with all wires hidden and secure. Sorry but I forgot to take photos in all the excitement. Another way to picture them when finished is like the Omega symbol with wires going to the sides on the ends. You can see the top of the lower LED unit in the last photo from the sunny day photos several posts below. I like the industrial look of it inside the headlight assembly.

When mounting the LEDs, sand down all surfaces that will be touching the housing and to be glued and use 5-minute epoxy on at least several contact points. I also coarse sanded the portion of the housing as well so the epoxy gets a lot of bite. Use tape to hold them in place as photo 3 shows. FYI, the LEDs are a circle but the sedan housing is an oval so there are typically three contact points. I then went the extra step and used black gaffers tape to seal any gaps between the reflectors and the LEDs. This blocks any leaking light from behind and adds extra support for long term durability, I hope. I do not want mechanical failures for 10 years so extra support should be a good thing.

Last step for me prior to reassembling the clams was to solder and seal a longer wire that would connect one headlight to the other then to the fuse box. I used speaker wire and got it into the bottom of the headlight unit through a small hole drilled on the bottom near the wire connector already there. Tie a knot in the wire so it does not pull out if yanked. I sealed the hole and wire with epoxy on one side and silicone aquarium glue on the other to make it weatherproof.

I reassembled the headlights, re-installed the bumper and routed the wires to the fuse box (by the left ankle inside the car). The low and high beams work independently of the DRLs (as they did before) and now just shine through the LED loops at night. I wired the LEDs to the fuse box to work with the cigarette lighter circuit so if the car is on, they are on automatically. You can change that function to something else but I wanted my DRLs to make the black G35 always visible in the daytime (thus safer in the day for a dark car). I now have that modern, unique cool factor, safety and a factory look. More on the wiring on the next post with photos.

I do like the result and my old G35x is getting plenty of looks from passer-bys. The DRLs should add plenty of safety as a result of the car being more visible. The last photo (5) is not of my car but the LEDs look EXACTLY like those pictured; bright in the daytime and like a figure 8 right where the lights are. My AWD car is filthy today from the skiing trips and from all the snow (38" we have had in Philly region) the past few weeks but I will try to take a few photos soon to post my specific blackout units. It will rain the next two days so it will be a good time to wash the car and take some photos for posting.

 

nice DIY. where did you tap the wire for the cig lighter?

 

nice!

 

I washed the car and took a few snaps in the rain and also in the garage. I will take some daytime photos when the sun comes back out. The first photo is in the rain and the car is definitely more visible. Photos 2 and 3 are indoors in the dark, the fourth is with the headlight on and the final one is head-on inside with the side marker and parking light on. As you can see, the white side markers and park light change from white to that warmer color at night. Looks like a turn signal when working but white in the day.

Davidxu: I ran the wiring under the left front fender, down the driver's door opening (behind the hinges and metal brackets), behind the trim and down into the fuse box. I simply stripped the +12V wire about 1/2", pulled out the cigarette lighter fuse, inserted the wire into one side and plugged the fuse back pinning the wire in place. DRLs turn on when you turn the key now. I grounded the negative wire to a solid metal screw near the front of the car.

 

Today finally is a very bright day with 24" of snow still on the ground. After yet another snowstorm in Philly two days ago, the car is washed and in full sun for these photos. This will give you a good idea of how these DRLs lights now look on a super bright sunny day. I am very happy with the results of the blackout grill & headlight reflectors, the white side markers and turn signals and of course the DRLs made of 36 individual high-bright LEDs each. That works out to 144 little bright LEDs on the front of the G35x! They sure are bright and clean looking.