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Changing Vanity light to LED

There is a whole thread, in this forum,that has detailed pics about all interior light conversion with part #s,also you will see the procedures for the puddle lights. There are pics of the conversion too! I completed it back in Oct looks great, haven't done the back ups yet.
 



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Now all you need to do is wire in a switch to operate them for 'tailgaters'! :thumbsup::thumbsup:


haha I'll see your LEDs and raise you HIDs :D

LED reverse bulbs are bright when looking directly at them but they don't have much throw. So if you just want people to know you're backing up, they're great. If you want them to illuminate your path, you'll be disappointed.

Back when my Grand Cherokee Overland was still basically new, I put on a 4" lift and did some lighting mods. I'm not afraid of warranty issues because the dealer can only deny a warranty claim if your modification caused the failure. If something completely unrelated to your modification fails and the dealer tries to weasel out of warranty work, mention the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act and they'll change their tune real quick.

I put HIDs in the reverse lights of my Grand Cherokee and they're amazing. I've left them on for several minutes and haven't had any problems. However, because the reverse light housing in the Explorer is much smaller, I need to do some heat tests to see if there's much of a difference between the temperature of the stock bulbs and HID bulbs.

To put the HIDs on my Grand Cherokee I cut off the stock reverse bulb connector and soldered on a 9005 connector so that it could plug right into the ballast.
connector.jpg


I had to use a slim digital ballast to fit behind the tail light:
ballast.jpg


To attach the HID bulb, I epoxied 9005 bulb holders to the tail light that I got from a set of BMW headlights, which I had already cannibalized for the HID projectors.
9005adapter_.jpg


bulbcloseup.jpg


The results:
(no camera trickery was used. The same settings were used for both shots)
reverselightcompare.jpg
 






Some questions:

1) What color are most people using? Pure white, or Blue?

2) Can someone link me to a good American website to buy the bulbs?

3) Which bulbs work best where? Maps, 2nd/3rd row domes (non-moon roof), tail light, puddle. Would nice to know part #'s and if 9 led or 5 led work best in which location.

Want to do the swap sometime soon. Just need to order the right bulbs. Thanks!
 






Go to ebay & check out Daytime Brightlites. There is a YouTube video on how to convert the puddle light to LED, but looks to involved & if you are not extremely careful you will be buying replacements. I replaced my puddle lights with Daytime's brightest bulb option, they have 3 choices. They are a little expensive, but they are not just now LEDs, but they powder-coated thee entire housing (obviously minus the electrical terminals & lens). I have before/after photos if you would like. Good luck. Sidenote: I bought a 2015 Ford Explorer sport which unfortunately does not come with HID headlights. I purchased an easy conversion kit from Diodedynamics and they are amazing!
 






Had anyone figured out how to change the bulb in the 2nd and 3rd ??
 






2nd & 3rd row LED retrofit

Had anyone figured out how to change the bulb in the 2nd and 3rd ??


The 2nd row light bulb can be accessed by pressing in on the clothes hanger to open it. Inside you will find a single screw. Eemove the screw and then you will be able to remove the entire piece. Once removed you will find the housing for the bulb. Simply untwist & remove the bulb. Install the LED bulb, replace the housing and finally the screw. You really need a flashlight or other light source to see the screw. As far as the 3rd row (in the ceiling) I have not found any info on how to remove it let alone replace it. My understanding that it is actually an LED light, but a very weak one. I found replacing the bulb in the cargo area does help to compensate for the weak 3rd row ceiling light.
Let me know if I can help more.
 






I'm all for changing the dim interior/puddle lights. ( Wonder if Ferd woke up and put LED's in the 2016 Ex?) I don't see the point of putting LED's in for the Licence plate. So the cops can see your plate even better? :D The pic above is WAY too bright, yet others want to black out their tail lights! :rolleyes:
 






I agree the HID conversion for the backup lights is too bright. (Also too much work). If I were you I would convert the license plate bulbs to LEDs if you are converting your puddle lights so they match. I also converted my halogen headlights and Foglights to diode dynamics HIDs. I purchased the 6000K color and they look amazing besides offering extra safety. Best of luck.
 






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