Interior LEDs: VLEDs Upgrade
Many of us have upgraded our interior lighting to LED, and have been happy with the results. It is how the car should have come from Infiniti.

I was extremely happy with the increased light output, but wanted a more “natural” and warmer color output than the eBay LED panels offered. Through my own experimentation, I have discovered an alternative way to add LED lighting, but without the “blue” hue so prevalent in many of eBay’s LED offerings.

If cost is the utmost concern, these are not for you. If you want the best lighting available, read on.

Source:
http://www.vleds.com/

Parts:
8 – 5K White Mini Square 6 LED, part #DIY_6_HP_5K. Cost: $10.00 each; $80.00 total.
http://www.vleds.com/accent-lighting/ci ... quare.html

Each board contains six ½ watt LEDs; which is equivalent to 50 standard M-SMT LEDs. To say these are bright is a gross understatement. They are also available in 6K white, and a round design in 5K or 6K.



I also ordered Y- adapters for adding multiple boards in one location:

4 – DIY_2_Y_ADAPT, LED Multi Board Y-Adapter Daisy Chain. Cost: $1.00 each; $4.00 total.
http://www.vleds.com/accent-lighting/ac ... chain.html


Most of us already have the BA9s and 194 base adapters, so if you do, and they are the right end that mates to the new VLEDS panel, you are good to go. If not, they can also be ordered from VLEDS for $1.00 each. You will need two BA9s, and two 194 for this project.

The method of installation is pretty much the same as any LED panels, so I will not get into the details of that here. Rather, I just wanted to offer an alternative to those that are looking for even more light output, and a softer hue.

For the front overhead lighting, I used 3 panels per side. Simply install the BA9s base, plug in 2 “Y” adapters, plug in the 3 panels, and mount with the provided double back tape.

For the rear side overhead lighting, I used 1 panel per side. Again, simply install the 194 base, plug in the panel, and mount with the provided double back tape.
The nice thing about this panel is that it will fit flush in the bottom of the housing; on the forward-most portion of the housing. The other thing that bothered me about the 194 LED bulbs from eBay was the fact that there was a “hotspot” that was visible through the lenses. This will eliminate that.

Results:

These are stupid bright! Like 7-11 at 2:30 in the morning bright. Honestly, you could easily get by with two panels in each of the front overheads; even one each would be more than enough. Comparatively, one VLEDs panel seems twice as bright as two of the 12 LED eBay panels. The color output is a true white; not dingy yellow, and not blue. In my opinion, these are a huge improvement over the eBay lights, but not without a huge cost difference.

In the end, it was worth it to me, but some may not see "the light".








Since these are so bright, I was also curious as to how much light is visible through the tint at night:

Windshield, tinted in Johnson Insulat IR 65%:


Rear window, tinted in SolarGard HP Supreme 4%:


Side windows up, tinted in SolarGard HP Supreme 15%:


Side windows, down:


In the next week or so (depending on how the Holidays go) I will be ordering more panels, and looking at installing these in the puddle lights as well.

Your new interior lighting looks great! I'm a strong fan of VLED's. I put them in the trunk and now I can see what is in my trunk. I haven't tackled my interior lights - yet. That may be my lighting project, but I'm still mulling it over. I actually like the interior lighting that I have.

Damn those are bright, like daylight. Id probably like in the trunk. Im good with ebay lights inside tho.

I've spent the money on the expensive LED lights, and I will say, without prejudice, that after spending half as much money on ebay lights, I am just as satisfied with the ebay lights.

If you would rather spend the extra money on the branded and marketed LEDs, that's cool, but I would not sway you away from ebay leds either.

As stated, they're not for everybody. Some may see value; others may not. I was merely offering an alternative and another option for members of this forum, and wanted to share my opinion based on my experiences. Your input is appreciated as well.

Very nice! All the eBay LED's I got for my M56 were a nice natural white with no blue tint. Unfortunately the eBay LED's I got for my other car had a mismatched set. I ordered 4 bulbs for its dome lights - two were the nice white and the other two had a slight blue color. I emailed the seller and they quickly sent a second set at no charge...that were blueish too.

In my opinion the best part of paying more for "name brand" LED's, in most cases, is color consistency and warranty. Thanks for sharing, the results look blindingly good!

Thanks Debo; I really appreciate your thoughts and input, as you were the one who got me me started down this road!