LED Upgrade Project + Dome Light Conversion

[06M4.5]

very nice.

maybe you should make a few sets and sell them. if you do let me know because I would like a set.

have you changed the light son the kick-plate?

[TDot]

Thanks, I have to say you are an ingenious individual, you should prob change your user name to MacGyver. Good stuff. Funny I was just looking at my kick-plates this morning before I saw this thinking I wanted to change them.

[moedawg140]

Thanks, TDot and 06M4.5.

I was never really interested in replacing my kick plate lights, but wanted to find out how I could change them for the sake of this thread, and right now, I really wouldn't know without disassembling the back of the plate, and I just don't want to do that, since these plates new are a few hundred dollars.





If only I knew if the lead which has my thumb next to is housing a light, maybe that light or any others inside could be soldered with new any color LED lights. I'm not sure. Looking at ebay, I saw kick plates, but all were very costly, except for the ones that don't say Infiniti (i.e. Skyline kick plates were around $40). Has anyone changed out their kick plates to white LED type kick plates like newer M's?

[abrahams600]

Are the LEDs that super bright? I mean I had to put sunglasses just to look at the pics lol...

[Twizz]

I don't know if they are similar, but I YouTube'd a video of someone changing the kickplates on a mazda. It seemed like a lot of work just to do so. While I would love to have them LED'd out, I REFUSE to tamper with it. I was wondering though, has anyone changed their cluster lights since having the car ?

[moedawg140]

Are the LEDs that super bright? I mean I had to put sunglasses just to look at the pics lol...

Well since you live in Long Beach, PM me and we can meet up and you can find out yourself if you want - I'm not far away at all.

But to answer your question, they are definitely brighter than the stock bulbs, since they are "high power" bulbs, but aren't as bright as the other high power LED lights v-leds sells. No one has complained yet about them - I just hear comments like "wow", and "looks good".

[Hs_m35]

Hey guys whats up. I hooked the new bulbs I got in for the license plate and reverse light from V-leds. Just posting for those who were thinking about converting their lights to LED. If anyone is curious about the brightness of the reverse light let me know, I will take a picture and Upload it was too colddd .... Let me know what you guys think



Here is the picture of the - 6K WHITE 19 LED 8W HIGH POWER BULBS 917 918 920 921 922 923 579 (V-leds) for the reverse bulb for those who were curious of how it looks.
Link- http://www.v-leds.com/Exterior-LED-Bulb ... 9-1-2.html



Here is the picture of the License Plate LED conversion.
Bulb info- BLUE X5 HIGH POWER LED LIGHT BULBS 194 168 158 (V-leds)
Link-http://www.v-leds.com/Exterior-LED-Bulb ... 7-1-2.html

[strghtedg]

Got my interior switched over to leds, Only ended up spending $30 shipped for all 12 leds. Came out decent looking for what I spent.What I ended up doing was putting:
6 of these for the 4 map lights and 2 trunk lights
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayI ... K:MEWNX:IT

6 of these for puddle lights and footwell lights
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayI ... K:MEWNX:IT

Are these Plug and Play? Or does this require the Dremel that is pictured in the beginning of this post? I read the whole thread and unsure if this has changed with new equipment that is plug and Play. I am trying to doe the full LED and almost pulled the trigger on this ebay listing:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/130711872050?ss ... 520wt_1112

but seems like its expensive compared to your plan.

I plan on painting my Grill and Interior LEDs this weekend or next. Thanks for your help I just did the EBay breaks and these are going to be my next mods. New to this but loving it!

[Larz]

REAR TURN SIGNAL LEDs
I have upgraded just about all my bulbs to LEDs but after three attempts to upgrade the rear turn signal, I still haven't found one bright enough to be easily seen in daylight. I have tried cree bulbs, but they blind you at night, have tried a 127-SMD bulb which is excellent at night, but barely visible in daylight.
Have any of you found an LED that I should try?

Thanks !

[moedawg140]

REAR TURN SIGNAL LEDs
I have upgraded just about all my bulbs to LEDs but after three attempts to upgrade the rear turn signal, I still haven't found one bright enough to be easily seen in daylight. I have tried cree bulbs, but they blind you at night, have tried a 127-SMD bulb which is excellent at night, but barely visible in daylight.
Have any of you found an LED that I should try?

Thanks !

Hi Larz, these are what I would get if you want the brightest rear turn signal LED lights out there:

http://www.vleds.com/bulb/7443-7440-led ... /v3-a.html

You should purchase the V3 System Base 7443/7440 | 1 Pair adapter as well ($4.99).

You may need a resistor (to eliminate hyper-flash) as well: http://www.vleds.com/v3-triton-cls-20w- ... -pair.html

I know this is a costly item, but it has a money back guarantee, so if somehow it doesn't fit inside the housing (it should), or is not to your liking, you can send it back and get your money back as well. If you decide to get the lights, please let us know how they are working for you!

[Larz]

Thanks Moedawg!
I have seen other people on here praising Vled's. I already have 50w/6ohm resistors installed (needed them for the last three attempts at LED upgrade. I will get the base and leds from Vleds. The Kaizen 127-SMD bulbs were over $60 so cost isn't an issue at this point (looking at the 3 diff LED sets now laying on a shelf in my garage).

Good thing in all of this: I am a pro at dismantling the trunk trims - installing bulb - replacing trunk trims I'm in and out in just a few minutes now!

[moedawg140]

I'm happy to help, Larz!

The V3 Triton (3 Philips LED lights) are super bright, based on the comparison pictures of stock bulbs and V3 Tritons as well the youtube videos I've seen. I think you'll really like them. If you don't mind, could you please post comparison pictures of your stock blub and the V3 Triton when you install your first one? Thanks in advance.

[Larz]

Will do, Moedawg! Good news ...... the website said not available till late March, but I got a Email stating they shipped today ! I'll do a pic to show daylight and night views.

[Larz]

Sorry if you guys already covered this ... BUT .... After you changed your interior to LED (dome, map, etc) do your lights still ramp up and 'dim' until off like the stock bulbs do? Being a noob , I don't know if LEDs are able to provide variable lighting like the reg bulbs do. If this is a dumb question, have a laugh but please don't call me STEW-PIT! LOL

[06M4.5]

leds will still dim just like oem.

[gmoney35s]

I have been thinking of this mod very good write up is there anyway to swap out the door sill lights to make it a little brighter or even swap out the colors i have been thinking of doing this to the dash cluster etc. any one have any ideas or knowledge on this subject

[gmoney35s]

disregard my last post i just had all the pics show up thanks anyways lol

[Larz]

ABOUT UPGRADING FRONT TURN SIGNALS AND SIDE (FENDER) TURN SIGNALS

iI have a 2007 M so if you have a diff year, might not apply to you.

The SIDE (fender) turn signal is a one-peice part (the outer lens does NOT unclip from the housing). BUT you can't just remove the outer lens to install an LED anyway because you must add a resistor to each side which means you have to pull the unit out to get to the wires. I did that by reading the forum - you can find a great tutorial with pics in here. The main thing I wanted to report is that at least on the 2007, the bulb assembly is just like any other bulb replacement - it is a twist and remove socket - NOT a completely seald socket as I saw reported in here somewhere - again I mean on my 2007 M. Also the LED cannot be a long bulb (two rows of radial LEDs, etc because the clearance inside the assembly is quite small. I doubt you could go any higher that a 5-SMD bulb (one row of radial and one SMD firing out the top).

The FRONT turn signals were a breeze too! The tutorial I read suggested that you need very small hands to reach the driver-side bulb. NOT true at least for the 2007 M. After you remove the center air intake and the top plastic engine cover on the driver side, just remove the bolts holding the air cleaner housing, loosen the air hose that leads from the rear of the air cleaner to the engine and slide it free, then put your hand inside the air cleaner housing and give it a good yank straight upwards toward you and BLAM the whole housing comes right out! The housing isn't screwed on - its got two large plastic boob-like ends built into the base and it takes a little force to yank free. Forget finding a kid with little hands - after you pop out the air cleaner housing you could put the whole kid in there. Also you get very clear access to the whole front engine area and fenders so I cleaned that while I was in there.
You also need resistors each of the front turn signals and these housings have a good amount of headroom so a longer bulb is not an issue.

Hope this was helpfull. Thanks to you lot in here, I am doing more and more of this stuff myself and that wouldn't be possible without your pics, your tutorials, and your advise. Members like IlayKol, 06M.45, Moedawg, SteveTheTech, and others who share their experience and knowledge is what makes this such a FAN-TAB (fantabulous) site ! You guys, spending so much time in here for the rest of us have helped a guy who gets nervy refilling washer fluid take bloody huge steps and learn so much. Thank you !

[Larz]

The black beast is now 100% LED ... including fender turn signals and front/rear turn signals. Thanks to Moedawg and IylaKol's high praises for Vled's I changed the rears on my M to the V3 Triton Ambers and they are 100% the best ever! I had 127-SMD's in the rear which were barely visible in bright sunlight but at night were soooo bright with the top-firing LEDs that I worried about blinding the person behind me in a turning lane LOL.
The V3's are not the typipcal LED with SMDs - they have a dispersing lens over the actual light element (Phillips)and they fill the entire housing evenly and very brightly - even in direct sunlight. They are a little pricey, but these are the only set that actually fills the housing like the OEM bulbs (actually better). These bulbs are adjustable - meaning you can set just how far into the housing the bulb will reach - for my M35, I left the bulb in the least protruding position to fill the reflector completely. The shade of amber is not as dark as the OEM bulbs - I actually like this lighter shade much better. I also used non-V3 Vleds for front signals, fender turn signals, trunk lights, and the entire interior.
Here is the web link for the rear amber bulbs:

http://www.vleds.com/v3-triton/bulb-system.html

You will need to purchase the 'base adapter' that fits our existing sockets.

1 x V3_A-C Triton Amber V3_A high power bulb system 7440 / 7443 1 pair $99.98
1 x V3 system base adapter 7443 / 7440 1 pair $4.99

If you don't have a resistor already installed on the wires I recommend the following pre-wired adapters for the front turn signals: (plug-n-play)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/380400050424?ss ... 1439.l2649

**** The adapter link above will work on any 7440 LEDs front or rear but they will NOT work with V3 Triton rear turn signals - for those you have go old school with the metal 50w 6ohm resistors tapped into the existing wires ***

For the fender turn signals I used these:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/111012758640?ss ... 1439.l2649
*** required a slight mod as the bulb ends don't fit snug in the housing as shipped ***

I capital "L" the new look ! Thanks again moedawg and ilyaKol for turning me on to this website! After installing, NO error on dash, no hyper-flash. Just crisp on-off blinking.

[moedawg140]

Hi Larz,

I'm very pleased to hear that you love the new V3 look! I knew you'd like it. If you don't mind, could you please post pictures of the rear turn signal lights? In case you have trouble with posting pictures, you can upload your pics onto a photo-hosting site like flickr, and include a link like this one that has the same format (delete quotation marks): [img]"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8102/8491 ... a01c_c.jpg"[/img]

Thanks again for the in-depth review of the V-LEDS V3 Triton Rear Turn Signal System!

[Larz]

Oi !!
OK, so pics didn't load LOL here is the link to my photostream - the M35 set of all pics:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/94100525@N ... 001233011/

[06M4.5]

Try Tinypic, it so much easier

[Larz]

O1 !!!! where were you when I was sat here for an hour joining Flickr LMAO!
Hopefully the link above will work.

[moedawg140]

Thanks for the link - I was able to see the light as well as the rest of your posted pictures.

[Ilya]

This is my plan for LED'ing my car (if anyone wants the same look as me). I have a 2007 M35x:

Amber Front Running Light (above high beam) - 194 - 1 pair - 194_10_CP_A - $15.99 - Link
Pure White Rear License Plate, Trunk Area, Door and Footwell Lights - 194 - 4 pairs - 194_10_CP_W_5K - $63.96 - Link
HID White Reverse Lights - 921 - 1 Pair - 921_19_HP_W_5K - $39.99 - Link
Front "Map" Lights - BA9s - 1 Pair - 57_6_CP_W_5K - $12.99 - Link
Rear "Map" Lights - DE3175 - 2 Needed - 3175_4_W_5K - $3.98 - Link

"Stealth" Turn Signal Bulbs (look clear but light up amber) -

Front Headlight and Rear Taillight - 7440 - 4 Needed (2 pairs) - $3.49 each - Link - Towards the bottom

The side marker lights on the front fenders will require resistors if you use LED. Just an FYI.

In case any new members are curious, this is the general 'parts list' for what you need to LED the car. The only ones I don't have listed here are the side markers (as they blink and you need resistors, etc. which I find not to be worth it).

[06M4.5]

I like the hyper flash

[Ilya]

Definitely will get someones attention lol.

[Infinity_818]

Old post but great information and I would like to LED my interior and lic plate for my new to me 06 M35, how can I subscribe to this thread?

[GQM45s]

My setup:
Reverse lights - 15 Xenon White SMD LED - 921 bulb size
Turn Signals (front/rear) 68 Xenon White SMD LED - 7440 bulb size
Sidemakers - 1 Xenon White SMD LED - 921 bulb size
Fogs -6000k HID Conversion 35 Watt H11 bulb size
Front Headlights - 8000K D2S Bulbs
High Beams - 68 Xenon White SMD LED - 7440 bulb size (not very effective might change them out)
License Light - 10 Xenon White SMD LED - 921 bulb size
Door Lights - 15 Xenon White SMD LED - 921 bulb size
Parking Lights (bulbs sitting above High beams) - 21 Xenon White SMD LED - 921 Bulb size
Dome Light - 24 Xenon White SMD LED Panel with conversion kit to 3175 bulb size adapter
Rear Lights - 24 Xenon White SMD LED Panel with conversion kit to 3175 bulb size adapter
Vanity Lights - 3 Xenon White SMD LED - 23 mm Festoon bulb
Puddle lights - 5 Xenon White LED pods

[06M4.5]

nice job getting the puddle lights in a straight line

do you have the oem aero side skirts?

any pics of the install under the car?