Added LED High-Beams & Dash Camera.

[Toddman41]

Installed some led highbeams to match the stock lowbeam leds, the oem halogen high beams were horrible and dim. These new replacement leds are 5x brighter... Much easier to see on dark poor lit roads at night. Link for led Highbeams... Amazon product ASIN B01MTJSLI5
Also installed a kenwood dashcam for piece of mind, used a rear view mirror to dash cam connecter converter from Amazon thatcame with a 6" micro usb cable for a clean install with no extra wire running. You simply unplug the wire harnessfrom the auto dimming rear view mirror, connect the new adapter to the oem harness, then plug the new adapter harness to the mirror. Last plug the 6" usbA end of the cable to the new mirror harness adapter, and the micro usb end to the dash cam. Came out great, and you can't see the camera positioned behind the mirror from the driver seat. Link to dashcam mirror connector... Amazon product ASIN B088P4VFQ7

 

[mguy13sport]

Clean install. I just looked at my rearview and it has a similar connector but not sure if it would fit. The listing says F150 and Edge.

My camera is in same spot. I ran a long USB cable behind that plastic piece above the mirror into the headliner, tucked behind the passenger A pillar and dropped behind the glove box and then routes inside along the center console to the rear 12v... Definitely not the shortest path haha. My phone charger was already using the front 12v.

 

[Toddman41]

Clean install. I just looked at my rearview and it has a similar connector but not sure if it would fit. The listing says F150 and Edge.

My camera is in same spot. I ran a long USB cable behind that plastic piece above the mirror into the headliner, tucked behind the passenger A pillar and dropped behind the glove box and then routes inside along the center console to the rear 12v... Definitely not the shortest path haha. My phone charger was already using the front 12v.

As long as you have the Auto Dimming rear view mirror it will work! I had previously purchased a similar sounding dash cam hardwire kit as it sounds you have to run to the d.s. fuse panel and tap power there.

But this connector simplified the hell out the install, which made this install simple, and the connector a No Branier to buy.

Literally took me 3 minutes to have the dash cam up and running.

 

[MM07]

Looks good Todd. How’s the camera? Why did you choose that one?

 

[Toddman41]

Looks good Todd. How’s the camera? Why did you choose that one?

The reviews were great, and instead of brand new. I bought a Excellent Condition Open Box for 79.99 instead of 99.99 from Best Buy.

So saved 20.00. wasn't paying 199.99 for a 4k camera, 1080p/30fps looks great. The camera still had the plastic static wrap on the screen and camera lens, without a scratch on it.

Most likely someone bought and decided for another camera or changed they're mind for some reason. The video clarity at Day & Night is incredible as well, as on the on board mic for in cabin Audio, very clear.

The dash cam came with a 16gb Sandisk micro sd card, but I purchased a 256 gb Sandisk micro sd card for storage instead. Should provide plenty of room for drive recordings. I also like that you can mirror the footage to your phone as well through the Kenwood dash cam app.

 

[Toddman41]

Replaced my previous Kenwood front facing dashcam with a free Nextbase front & rear facing dashcam set from Best Buy T-I-N. So far loving this setup, running the wiring for the rear cam wasn't all to bad surprisingly!

 

[donalds]

Replaced my previous Kenwood front facing dashcam with a free Nextbase front & rear facing dashcam set from Best Buy T-I-N. So far loving this setup, running the wiring for the rear cam wasn't all to bad surprisingly!

View attachment 342968 View attachment 342969 View attachment 342970 View attachment 342971

I have been using my next base cam for two years now
Great cam!!!
Battery sucks

 

[gtyates]

I just added those LED bulbs to our 2017. OMG, what a difference! Thye are a perfect fit in the housing and make the high beams actually useful on the rare occasion we use them.

 

[Toddman41]

I just added those LED bulbs to our 2017. OMG, what a difference! Thye are a perfect fit in the housing and make the high beams actually useful on the rare occasion we use them.

I agree, last year when I first got the Explorer. I turned on the high beams on a 2 lane road at night, I could hardly tell they were even on vs the low beams.

With these led high beam bulbs, there's no doubt the few times these will get used that they will light up the dark 5x better than the stock halogens did. Best 29.99 spent imo...

 

[Toddman41]

Amazon product ASIN B0828YSH6R
I recently installed the led rear blinkers, which are nice and bright (3x more than oem halogen) with no hyperflash. Now I need to find some for the front parking light/blinker, 3157's I believe that look and work as nicely.

 

[Toddman41]

I have been using my next base cam for two years now
Great cam!!!
Battery sucks

On your "Battery Sucks" comment... I'm guess your dash cam isn't Hard Wired to the Explorer as mine is! I've experienced no issues with either front or rear cam yet.. Hard wiring is the way to go, whether you use a rear view mirror connector or wire it up to the interior fuse panel.

I ran the wires from the dashcam through the plastic mirror wire concealer, up under the headliner, down the A Pillar, and behind the dash to the d.s. kick panel fuse block with a dash cam hard wire kit, to avoid draining the battery. As this dash cam has a Park Feature, where should your vehicle be hit or struck while Parked & Off. The dash cams come on and begin to record to your set video length, which I like.

 

[MM07]

Todd, I replaced all mine with leds if you need the info in the ones I bought.

 

[Toddman41]

Todd, I replaced all mine with leds if you need the info in the ones I bought.

If you could post links to the front parking/turn signals. Those are the only halogens I haven't replaced yet. Everything else inside and out has been replaced to led.

My other projects are to add led lights to the glovebox, and center console. The glovebox has a small cover over where a oem light would go, but there's no light installed or wiring harness there.

 

[MM07]

Ok. I’ll look. I replaced my glove box with a T10 led, I believe.

 

[MM07]

If you could post links to the front parking/turn signals. Those are the only halogens I haven't replaced yet. Everything else inside and out has been replaced to led.

My other projects are to add led lights to the glovebox, and center console. The glovebox has a small cover over where a oem light would go, but there's no light installed or wiring harness there.

Here’s what I used for the front blinkers.

Amazon product ASIN B06WD7Z4R7

 

[MM07]

I’ll have to look in the center console. I don’t remember a light in there.

I thought I was 100% led.

 

[Toddman41]

Here’s what I used for the front blinkers.

Amazon product ASIN B06WD7Z4R7

Saw this attached Review for them, that makes me nervous... Any issue with yours,and or any hyper flashing?

 

[Toddman41]

I’ll have to look in the center console. I don’t remember a light in there.

I thought I was 100% led.

There's nothing in there on my 19 console, on my 12 f 150 it was the same. I removed the console and added a strip of 9 50/50 side leds tapped into the 12v charging port of the back, of the console for power along with a pressure switch to shut them off and on.

Same thing wil, need to be done to the Explorer console and glove box. As my glove box has opening where the light and switch would go, but there's a delete plate snapped into the opening where it should be.

 

[donalds]

On your "Battery Sucks" comment... I'm guess your dash cam isn't Hard Wired to the Explorer as mine is! I've experienced no issues with either front or rear cam yet..

Mine is set up as yours is
believe me mine is installed correctly
This don't change the sun baking the internal battery in the cam
You will see
Unless your hard wired to your car battery
Then you're using it
Not the cam battery
Wait a summer then unplug it and see how long it stays on

Not trying to call your cam ****
just the battery installed in both our cams sucks

The cam itself is great
The software is freaking great to

I just noticed mine is a 322gw
Still basically the same
And identical batteries

 

[MM07]

Saw this attached Review for them, that makes me nervous... Any issue with yours,and or any hyper flashing?

View attachment 342983 View attachment 342984

I used FORScan to turn off the hyper flashing.