LED tail conversion - preliminary discussion and idea thread

[gucio69]

I'd prefer 4 rings with 2 outer as running and brake and 2 inner as turn signals (and possibly running lights) and the triangle completely deleted. I kinda doubt you'd be able to fit 2 more rings in the middle and if you did I don't know how visible they'd be. Also I'm pretty sure this would complicate the tracing of the circuit significantly. Just my opinion, and we all know those will vary for all of us. Your progress so far is fantastic though. Kudos on a great job.

[gli liphon]

I've made some great progress this weekend with getting tails opened up and ready for install.



The pre-order queue has been opened for 1st gen coupes and 4th gen sedans. I'll be working this week to get additional product photos up, but if you know you are interested in getting a pair of these send an email to [email protected]. Let me know what body style you have, we will finalize the details in the next few weeks. There is no deposit required for a pre-order, this reserves a spot in the queue for your personal pair to be made. The spot is non-transferable and non-binding, please only request a preorder if you are seriously interested. Full scale production starts in May, so if you want a pair early, sign up now.

[psi101101]

im interested!!!

total cost for a pair??

and whats the final product lookin like gli liphon??

[gli liphon]

LBC and I have been working behind the scenes to get this going for nico members. I will be sending him a pair for evaluation this week or beginning of next to get his approval as well as transitioning from a forum member to a forum fabricator. He has given me a little extra leeway with talking about pricing and some specifics about the products. Please note that all of this is pending his final approval and he's just letting me get this information out there.

Pricing:$399 for sedans (includes shipping)$499 for coupes (includes shipping)

What do you get?A completed pair of Maclaren Modifications led tail lights with the wiring harness built in. This means this mod is as easy as it gets. Just take out your stock taillights, remove the stock wiring harness, and install the new tail and wiring harness. It connects directly to the oem connector, no wiring or splicing needed by you. I will also include the heavy duty inline resistors to eliminate hyperflash. I can install these or they can be just included in the box with clamp style wire splices so you can install yourself. A 1 year warranty on the parts and any assembly defects.

There are lots of wiring options and paint choices that I'll be documenting and showing off in the next few weeks. These will officially go on sale starting in May with the pre-orders being done first and then on a first come, first served basis after that. One benefit of pre-ordering is that anyone signing up in April I'll be including free led reverse lights. I have some pics of them in my bio, they are the 18smt tower style.

Any questions can be sent here or to my email in my profile. LBC and I will have more information after he has his pair.

[LongBeachCoupe]

Free? Someone said free?!

I dont see these tower bulb pics you are talking about but if they are what I think they are thats a good value, I think they run around $30 for a set plus another $15 for resistors... a $50 freebie!

[gli liphon]

Free? Someone said free?!

I dont see these tower bulb pics you are talking about but if they are what I think they are thats a good value, I think they run around $30 for a set plus another $15 for resistors... a $50 freebie!

The led's are the first ones listed on this page:http://autolumination.com/906.htm

These are part of the reason I didn't bother to do anything special for the reverse lights. I love how these look and they are crazy bright.

The resistors are the same heavy duty all weather ones you'd get from autolumination or v-leds. I just know where to get them in bulk and on the cheap.

I will also have amber 3156's available at a discount if people want to finish out their exterior leds with front turns. These are the 48 led bulbs by autolumination found here, third item down: http://autolumination.com/3157_3156.htmThese will be $40 a pair and if you buy them with the tails, I'll include the resistors to make sure everything is flashing right.

On a more general note, this is just the start of the products I'll start selling in the coming months. Next on the list is 3rd gen tails and interior leds in a variety of colors and sizes. Lots of other things in the works, so stay tuned.

[dangeris]

Let me take this one. You get what you pay for. Those ebay "LED" taillights are crap to say the least. I wouldn't put them on an Altima even if it's about to be put in Carzilla's mouth.

Gli (and I) have done extensive research and testing and you're getting a quality product. Again, you get what you pay for.

Again, I'm going to play the devils advocate on this and I appreciate your answer but frankly, your "you get what you pay for" comment doesn't cut it...at least with me and probably with some of the members. That's like saying to a kid, "cause I'm the Dad, that's why!" The statement doesn't really say much except for arrogance.

I'm sure I'm not the only one here that has been burned in the past with a purchase that someone raved saying, "it the best", take it from me and this is the real deal, blah blah blah....

Honestly, the interest of LED tails has only been out there for less than 6 months or so at the most. Extensive research would be like years of research...not a couple of weeks. You mentioned that you and Gli have done extensive research. What exactly have you and Gli researched? The production of the boards? Have you actually visited the company that makes them? perhaps the production of the LEDS...Or maybe the tails. Or have you tested the boards and tails in all kinds of weather conditions?....I can get a set of brand new OEM Tails for less than $250, $300 tops. The boards can't be that much, say less than $100. everything else is labor so again what exactly have you done in regards to extensive research?

Again, I'm not giving you guys a hard time, I'm just asking questions that are probably on the minds of the members who are considering in buying the product. $500 is a lot to shell out for tail lights and frankly, I'd use that $500 for something else that gains performance. I'm just getting information for the members so they are fully aware in what they are purchasing and can make an educated consumer decision.

[LongBeachCoupe]

Nice work but had two quick questions.

1. Can these tails be made available for the coupe in a clear lens as opposed to the traditional red with blacked out housing?

Dangeris, i never thought of that, but the outside plastic is whats red... I dont think its possible.

Bostonaholic let Ray speak for himself, it will make things easier.

[dangeris]

LBC, Yeah I know the outside plastic is red. I was wondering if this can be made like the sedan tails. Clear lens with blacked out housing.

As far as my postings,..I'm just looking out for the members, like yourself. I don't want another "incident" happening is all...

[LongBeachCoupe]

Dangeris, the sedan COMES with a clear housing!If you had access to an injection molding vacuum thingie you need to make housings like that then it would be possible lol.

[dangeris]

Nice work but had two quick questions.

1. Can these tails be made available for the coupe in a clear lens as opposed to the traditional red with blacked out housing?

2. $500 for coupe lights are pretty damn expensive. What's the difference between your LED lights versus the LED tails that other members have already purchased from ebay and are more and more becoming readily available at a far more affordable price?

I'm not trying to take business away from you, I'm merely asking the question for other members who probably is disappointed at the price you posted for your tail lights and was hoping would be more affordable or at least competitive in price with the ebay lights.

[Bostonaholic]

2. $500 for coupe lights are pretty damn expensive. What's the difference between your LED lights versus the LED tails that other members have already purchased from ebay and are more and more becoming readily available at a far more affordable price?

I'm not trying to take business away from you, I'm merely asking the question for other members who probably is disappointed at the price you posted for your tail lights and was hoping would be more affordable or at least competitive in price with the ebay lights.

Let me take this one. You get what you pay for. Those ebay "LED" taillights are crap to say the least. I wouldn't put them on an Altima even if it's about to be put in Carzilla's mouth.

Gli (and I) have done extensive research and testing and you're getting a quality product. Again, you get what you pay for.

[gli liphon]

LBC, Yeah I know the outside plastic is red. I was wondering if this can be made like the sedan tails. Clear lens with blacked out housing.

As far as my postings,..I'm just looking out for the members, like yourself. I don't want another "incident" happening is all...

The price difference is very easy to explain actually. My cost for the aftermarket tails is $100 different between the two. I don't know if its because they are a newer model, if less get made, but this is the best price I've found for them and there is absolutely no difference in the quality or product between the sedan and coupe besides my procurement costs. I'm hoping these come down in price, I will be passing those saving directly on to all of you when that happens.

I wish I could clear the red lens also. I can't. As LBC said, if I had access to a plastic molding machine, I could swing it, but most decent molds like that run several thousand, and its just not worth the effort or expense. I've been in the camp for cleared coupe tails for a long time, but once I saw the dark paint on the red, I was more than thrilled. They look badass. I wouldn't go clear now even if I could tbqh.

As far as price justification, I'll talk about a few things. Boston kind of said it, this is a very different product than mass produced tails on ebay. There's been several months of work put into this and its a quality product. No one here knows me that well, but I'll let boston, bina, and lbc talk about my level of perfectionism and retentiveness. Honestly, its part of the reason this has taken longer than I wanted. A simple way to put it is I wouldn't sell a product or put my name on a product that I wouldn't be proud to put on my car. And I'm a retentive motherf***er when it comes to stuff that goes on my car. For this reason alone, I'm very glad I get to send LBC an pair to evaluate and give an honest evaluation. Are these 100% perfect like they came off an assembly line? No, they are modded by hand. But you will find my level of detail and quality of work so far outside the norm, these look as perfect as I can get them.

Sorry, got on a tangent there. Anyway, the cost factor. You've got a fixed price for an aftermarket pair of tails. I'm getting a good deal on these, but its not like they are free (and in the case of the ebay tails, the unmodded coupe tails alone cost more than the ebay tails). The design is unique and completely proprietary. The circuit boards were custom designed by me for this specific application. Once I recoup some of my costs I will be pursuing patents for the circuitry design. I'm not just saying that, I've done my homework. The specifics of this board design, what it does and how it does it are unique in the marketplace. This is definitely a product that has been thought out and researched to a degree most people would find disturbing. (seriously bina you can talk about this, try to explain!) The plastic led holder is a custom design that I make from custom molds in cast urethane. Again, most of you don't know me, but my goal is to make each one of these as unique as I can for you while maintaining the original design. I've spent weeks learning how to paint plastic well, find good paint and come up with enough options that people can do what the want. Are two pairs of tails going to look similar? Sure, the led design is the same, but consider the housing to be your canvas and do what you want with it.

I guess that about covers it from my perspective. I completely understand and respect peoples hesitation and doubts about grand promises. Once a few of these are out and people get to see them and look at them, they will speak for themselves. I know that they will. I wouldn't create a company that has my name in it if it didn't.

[bina12834]

please Dangeris....you cant be serious and say those sedan DEPO LED tails look good, not to mention that the people who have bought them complain that the LEDs are more of a pinkish color and dont match the 3rd brake light at all. Plus where the reflector is in those things stands out like a sore eye. and for those aftermarket coupe LED tails, sorry, but that "starburst" LED pattern just screams rrrrriiiiiiiiiicccccccceeeeee. and for the kicker, with all these aftermarket tails, what you see is what you get. no customization what-so-ever.

but then again, these are just my opinions on these other aftermarket tails. they may appeal to some people, but to me they just look fugly.

[Bostonaholic]

please Dangeris....you cant be serious and say those sedan DEPO LED tails look good, not to mention that the people who have bought them complain that the LEDs are more of a pinkish color and dont match the 3rd brake light at all. Plus where the reflector is in those things stands out like a sore eye. and for those aftermarket coupe LED tails, sorry, but that "starburst" LED pattern just screams rrrrriiiiiiiiiicccccccceeeeee. and for the kicker, with all these aftermarket tails, what you see is what you get. no customization what-so-ever.

but then again, these are just my opinions on these other aftermarket tails. they may appeal to some people, but to me they just look fugly.

^^ The long version of my original answer...

[bina12834]

trust me when i say that GLI's attention to detail is far beyond anyones that ive seen. he wont ship a product until its perfect in his eyes (and those are very criticizing eyes)

[Cali 2 Balti G]

Lookin nice!

I also think that the triangle is deceiving... it seems like a turn signal, if its just the inner ring that does the signal, id leave the triangle out...

GLI, shoot me another email and lets talk more about this...

I agree with you guys on the triangle - especially since it is pointed opposite of the way you would be turning.

Aside from that - Kudos on what looks like a nice product that took alot of work in bringing to market.

[dangeris]

The price difference is very easy to explain actually. My cost for the aftermarket tails is $100 different between the two. I don't know if its because they are a newer model, if less get made, but this is the best price I've found for them and there is absolutely no difference in the quality or product between the sedan and coupe besides my procurement costs. I'm hoping these come down in price, I will be passing those saving directly on to all of you when that happens.

I wish I could clear the red lens also. I can't. As LBC said, if I had access to a plastic molding machine, I could swing it, but most decent molds like that run several thousand, and its just not worth the effort or expense. I've been in the camp for cleared coupe tails for a long time, but once I saw the dark paint on the red, I was more than thrilled. They look badass. I wouldn't go clear now even if I could tbqh.

As far as price justification, I'll talk about a few things. Boston kind of said it, this is a very different product than mass produced tails on ebay. There's been several months of work put into this and its a quality product. No one here knows me that well, but I'll let boston, bina, and lbc talk about my level of perfectionism and retentiveness. Honestly, its part of the reason this has taken longer than I wanted. A simple way to put it is I wouldn't sell a product or put my name on a product that I wouldn't be proud to put on my car. And I'm a retentive motherf***er when it comes to stuff that goes on my car. For this reason alone, I'm very glad I get to send LBC an pair to evaluate and give an honest evaluation. Are these 100% perfect like they came off an assembly line? No, they are modded by hand. But you will find my level of detail and quality of work so far outside the norm, these look as perfect as I can get them.

Sorry, got on a tangent there. Anyway, the cost factor. You've got a fixed price for an aftermarket pair of tails. I'm getting a good deal on these, but its not like they are free (and in the case of the ebay tails, the unmodded coupe tails alone cost more than the ebay tails). The design is unique and completely proprietary. The circuit boards were custom designed by me for this specific application. Once I recoup some of my costs I will be pursuing patents for the circuitry design. I'm not just saying that, I've done my homework. The specifics of this board design, what it does and how it does it are unique in the marketplace. This is definitely a product that has been thought out and researched to a degree most people would find disturbing. (seriously bina you can talk about this, try to explain!) The plastic led holder is a custom design that I make from custom molds in cast urethane. Again, most of you don't know me, but my goal is to make each one of these as unique as I can for you while maintaining the original design. I've spent weeks learning how to paint plastic well, find good paint and come up with enough options that people can do what the want. Are two pairs of tails going to look similar? Sure, the led design is the same, but consider the housing to be your canvas and do what you want with it.

I guess that about covers it from my perspective. I completely understand and respect peoples hesitation and doubts about grand promises. Once a few of these are out and people get to see them and look at them, they will speak for themselves. I know that they will. I wouldn't create a company that has my name in it if it didn't.

Thanks for explaining it Gli I hope you did not think I was trying to attack you or your work. I like what I've seen (except for the triangle thing) so far and was merely trying to show the members what makes your lights different form the ebay ones and what they were getting, pound for pound for their dollar.

Let's face it, There are guys out there that want to mod their cars at the lowest cost possible; ie Depo lights (and I agree with you bina, they're hideous) but as like Boston mentioned before, you get what you pay for.!

Gli, gonna send you an email... Thanks again for the great clarification!

[DAAN.]

Clean install - arrow's pointing wrong

[LongBeachCoupe]

Cali nice to see you posting here again! :wave

I will be doing a battery of tests on these once I have them in hand that I will document here, and I think everyone knows that I wont sugar coat things... I will give my 100% honest opinion based upon what I receive.

[gli liphon]

that poor triangle gets no respect around here, no respect i tell you! /dangerfield



anyway, lets talk about that board everyone loves to hate. seriously though, i'm very laid back and i don't take the criticism to heart at all. you all will soon realize that i'm just as picky, so i completely understand. anyway, that board has been the hitch in the entire design. initally it was there only in the sedan version and was going to hug the curve of the brake light. then as it became more of a triangle shape, i thought it'd be good for a turn signal. part of the blind luck and genius of that board () is that it can be oriented 3 ways. i'm going to try and do this numeric style for now, i'll have pics of it later on installed.

original layout as turn signal (drivers side):12341234 123 12 1

flipped orientation:43214321321211

rotated 180 degrees:12132143214321

the scales are off here obviously, but hopefully that gives people a better idea. since i didn't use mine as a turn signal, but as another brake, i liked the last orientation the best. it had a nice symmetry to the lines of the trunk and the tail light and it was really just random that i liked it as much as i did.

with all of that said, i agree that the orientation from my tails isn't a good one for the board if its used as a turn signal. i'd recommend the first or the second one for that since i agree it should be pointing more in the direction of the turn.

i was the first one to really not like this board before, but now that i have it installed, i really wouldn't want it any other way. it could be just my preference or maybe its because i've seen it in person. i don't know. i think once all the options are put together and i do some videos it will help people decide. i definitely wouldn't count it out though just yet.

if you still aren't all about the turn board, i have some other options for you.

1. i can get a pair of the 48led 3156 bulbs in red or amber and put that in its place for a turn signal or extra brake if you want. no change in price for that.

2. you can leave the area blank and i'll just put the empty socket back in there and give it a nice coat of black to minimize the appearance. this option will decrease the cost by $50 for the sedan and coupe, so its $349 for the sedan and $449 for the coupe.

3. i can repaint the lens that covers that area to something else or to the custom paint for the entire fixture. for example, on lbc's he is going to do a black gloss for the entire interior, I'll paint the lens to match and it will blend seamlessly with the rest of the tail. If you do this option you obviously have to do the turn signal on the inner ring.

i hope that gives everyone a better idea as to whats the deal with mr. triangle. lol. as you can see there are a lot of options with it and if you have other ideas besides the ones mentioned please let me know. the only requirement is to use what you've seen so far. I know there are some requests to change that board to a different shape or something else entirely, but i can't do that. these designs have custom circuit boards that can only lay out the leds 1 way, so we are confined to that. other than that, you shouldn't hear me telling anyone "i can't do it".

[DAAN.]

In highschool, I used to share a locker with a mop. No respect I tell you

Care to make me a set, I'd like some LEDs. If you have designs in mind, shoot me some idea with time / pricing nederlande @hotm

[maxentropy]

Pricing:$399 for sedans (includes shipping)$499 for coupes (includes shipping)

Holy crap!

Let me take this one. You get what you pay for. Those ebay "LED" taillights are crap to say the least. I wouldn't put them on an Altima even if it's about to be put in Carzilla's mouth.

Gli (and I) have done extensive research and testing and you're getting a quality product. Again, you get what you pay for.

A lot of folks here bought those ebay taillights and had nice things to say about them.

I don't see much difference in the ebay taillights to these, except for the different shapes. I really hope folks here really think about this before spending $500 on taillights- especially when you can get them for 180 or whatever it was.

Do these come with a lifetime warranty or something?

[LongBeachCoupe]

$285 on ebay, and its an aftermarket enclosure with no customization options... If you ask someone whose had an aftermarket enclosure for a few years (i have asked a couple) they dont stand up against time to some extent.

They come with a 1 year warranty from GLI(which even if ebay ones offer, trying to collect is a different story)

Max, when SurmanM told me he paid $1000 for his headlights (and it was a retrofit, leaving him no original part) I was so shocked I almost punched myself in the balls ...

I personally like the $450 version of these GLI lights, and it comes with bulbs/resistors worth $50, so its essentially $400 for the tails... $115 for custom paint options and led designs isnt out of line IMO. We will have a showcase showdown at Carlisle as I will have my lights by then and Toxik has the Ebay LED version. Everyone likes something different. If you want the starburst LED design you can buy bulbs that open up inside the enclosure for like $70 from Vleds I just dont really like the star design...

I like these eyes lookin back at ya! (minus the triangles)

[dangeris]

I like these eyes lookin back at ya! (minus the triangles)

Make that two of us!

Gli, can you post up vids of the brakes on with the turn signals on at the same time? I'd like to see both rings working..

[psi101101]

Again, I'm going to play the devils advocate on this and I appreciate your answer but frankly, your "you get what you pay for" comment doesn't cut it...at least with me and probably with some of the members. That's like saying to a kid, "cause I'm the Dad, that's why!" The statement doesn't really say much except for arrogance.

I'm sure I'm not the only one here that has been burned in the past with a purchase that someone raved saying, "it the best", take it from me and this is the real deal, blah blah blah....

Honestly, the interest of LED tails has only been out there for less than 6 months or so at the most. Extensive research would be like years of research...not a couple of weeks. You mentioned that you and Gli have done extensive research. What exactly have you and Gli researched? The production of the boards? Have you actually visited the company that makes them? perhaps the production of the LEDS...Or maybe the tails. Or have you tested the boards and tails in all kinds of weather conditions?....I can get a set of brand new OEM Tails for less than $250, $300 tops. The boards can't be that much, say less than $100. everything else is labor so again what exactly have you done in regards to extensive research?

Again, I'm not giving you guys a hard time, I'm just asking questions that are probably on the minds of the members who are considering in buying the product. $500 is a lot to shell out for tail lights and frankly, I'd use that $500 for something else that gains performance. I'm just getting information for the members so they are fully aware in what they are purchasing and can make an educated consumer decision.

well said... 500 bucks is a lot but lets see if its worth it..haha

[gli liphon]

A lot of folks here bought those ebay taillights and had nice things to say about them.

I don't see much difference in the ebay taillights to these, except for the different shapes. I really hope folks here really think about this before spending $500 on taillights- especially when you can get them for 180 or whatever it was.

Do these come with a lifetime warranty or something?

I think its been covered by some other posts, but I'll comment on this as well. This definitely is a niche product. Its not at mass market prices, but its not a full custom job either. I wanted a product that looks unique, has custom options, but has components that stand up over time. I think it sucks that the coupe tails are more, but as I said earlier, its a cost factor only. I'm a coupe owner, I will make these as reasonable as I can, it just costs $100 more to get the coupe tail lights to mod. If you look around the web at aftermarket replacement coupe tails they run from $300-$400 while sedans can be had for as little as $150-$200.

As far as the warranty goes, I'm going with what other people in the industry offer and going from there. If you have an issue at day 366 am I going to turn you away? No. If you came back to me after 4 years? Yes. The legal and financial implications of offering a lifetime warranty get tricky. Its not like these are sitting in a display case. Will the seams or glue start to fail after 4 or 5 years? I have no idea. I won't know about the reliability until the product is out there and has been around for a few years.

With all that said, in my opinion these are very different than the depo lights. These were designed to have a unique look but with influences from the g35's and gt-r tails. Some people aren't going to notice a difference or even care. That's totally fine and that's why this is a niche product. Are these expensive? Sure, its not like these are $99. Besides material costs, each pair of these has about 10 hours of work from start to finish. Granted that's over several days, but its not like this is a quick mod.

I think we've pretty much covered everything else. If there are specific questions that I can help answer regarding quality, costs, or design, please let me know. I know there are a lot of skeptics out there because of past experiences. If I was in your position I'd have the same doubts. But jumping the gun and immediately assuming I'm doing something shady isn't fair to me or the products I sell.

[Curtieson]

Wow GLI, those really are killing looking! I like the black out of the inside of the light, it gives the tint look but still has the high gloss of the red and of the lights.

Keep up the good work!

[gli liphon]

Here are a few of the paint choices. These are installed in a sedan tail, but you'll get the idea. I will be doing photos of all of these in coupe tails this weekend too, so no worries there.



From left to right: chrome (not a true chrome, but its the best i can get from a can), matte silver, matte silver + powder coat of chrome + black transparent, gloss white, gloss white + powder chrome + red transparent.

I'll have lots more this weekend, but as you can see there are combinations in addition to just doing a single color. I also plan on highlighting the led holders with chrome (the ones in my tails have that), but if you like the 1 color look as above, they can stay that way. I didn't have any black gloss to show off, but I'll have all of that this weekend.

The other big annoucement is now that I can paint fairly well and have good paints at reasonable prices, I'll be including full repaints of the inside of the tails for the same price. So the $399 and $499 gets you a full custom paint on the whole tail and led fixture if you want it. I know some people will want to stay stock and just do the fixture, and that's fine. but now the option is definitely there. More to come this weekend, and I'll do some additional pics as LBC's get assembled.

[dangeris]

Very Nice Work! Great Job!!!!!