Changing Tail light globes to LED

[Nick.Hay]

Ok, so after the realisation that I need to replace the rear lights coz the globes have melted the sockets and made them brittle, I have had a thought...

What about replacing the regular filament/BA15s globes with LED units??


LED SHOP ONLINE, AUSTRALIA

The Aussie site above has all kinds of different LED replacement globes. I'm waiting for a new breed of wide-angle T5 LEDs to put into my Angeleyes. Hopefully they will fix the 'hot-spotting' that is apparent in my Angeleyes, and be much more reliable than the current ones!!


However, if I install LED globes into the park, brake, indicators and license plate lights, the car will notice the difference in load, and will bring up errors on the dash.

So all you electronics gurus... Could I wire in some resistors to the wiring on the back of the tail light unit?? They are all in series or something (I am electronically illiterate, but they seem to be all wired together), so is it possible to fit resistors for each globe, or just a few to 'trick' the LKM into thinking that the loads are all correct.

I'll be ordering a few of the new T5 LED globes for the Angeleyes as soon as they are released in early February, so I might as well order all the LED replacements for the tail light clusters at the same time!!



Thoughts/advice??

[RallyD]

led replacement globes are terrible. I tried the cheap ones from ebay and the $40 ones from either ledlight.com or ledtronics.com not quite sure. either way they arent as bright and dont offer the visibility that the original reflector housing was designed to provide.

you should just get these http://www.bavauto.com/fland.asp?par...4%20TCLR%20LED but at $329usd they are a little pricey

[dacoyote]

you should just get these http://www.bavauto.com/fland.asp?par...4%20TCLR%20LED but at $329usd they are a little pricey

They are 330 bucks cool however :-)

[BMWDriver]

Eek ! Don't do it ! LEDs don't diffuse light very well. I'm not sure the Bavauto design would be much better on a design and look perspective, although it would obviously work better. Hard to tell without them being lit on the pic.

[bad_manners_god]

Go to ebay, search E34 LED and you'll spend about 180-250 depending on your location for shippment. And you can choose different styles. Clear, Smoke, Red, etc.

[Qube]

I have LEDs in ALL the lights. Bought them at autolumination.com. Ok... except the high mount/center stop light. Did the same in the e39 now (including front).

Get the TOWER bulb and it will diffuse just fine. Get the load equalizers and no error will come up.

The ONLY issue you will have is polarity. Due to the funky ground the e34 has, you need to reverse the wiring, otherwise the LEDs won't light up.

[Nick.Hay]

Hmm... Reverse the wiring?? Its starting to sound all a little too complicated, and too much mucking around with things that should be left well alone!!

Those Bav auto ones look quite reasonable... But not the look, nor the price I am looking for.

Thanks again Qube, and I'll probably just grab a few first up, and see how they look.

[genphreak]

Hmm... Reverse the wiring?? Its starting to sound all a little too complicated, and too much mucking around with things that should be left well alone!!

Those Bav auto ones look quite reasonable... But not the look, nor the price I am looking for.

Thanks again Qube, and I'll probably just grab a few first up, and see how they look.

The cheapies are not worth it. If Qube says he has them working satisfactorily Nick, I'd take his advice! No one else does unless they bought the Depo lights assemblies.

Nick

[BFEINZIMER]

qube, pics? day and night?