Update: Interior LED lighting conversion...
03-23-2006, 02:45 AM
#1
Update: Interior LED lighting conversion...
Interior LED lighting conversion upgrade
Update: Interior LED lighting conversion...
hey guys, well heres an old trick i did on my E36 bmw. I converted all of the interior lighting bulbs to LED based bulbs instead of the normal filament style bulbs. What this does is ...
* Reduce electricity used by almost 95%
* Reduce strain on the electrical system
* it emits ZERO heat unlike conventional bulbs
* it will last 10 times longer than any conventional bulbs
* it emits a much higher quality vibrant true white light
The only downside is it is slightly pricy but when u take into account that the bulbs will last a lifetime then it is actually a bargain b/c u will never have to replace another bulb again.
Anyways here are the pictures (i left some of the stock bulbs in place to show a comparison of before and after. (sorry for the blurry pics, the camera isn't the best in the dark.)
The final bulb tally is as such for W140's but im sure its almost the same for W202s...
for 6411 bulbs (39mm 9LED super white bulbs)...
- lower door bulbs (4, 1 per door)
- two for front main dome lights
- one for rear dome light
- Liscence plate ones SHOULD be 6411 too
- one trunk bulb
BA9S bulbs
- two front map lights
- two rear reading lights
Total count = 14 @ roughly $5 a peice
I did not do any of the vanity mirrors and I wont so i dunno about those but hope that helps guys.
Update: Interior LED lighting conversion...
hey guys, well heres an old trick i did on my E36 bmw. I converted all of the interior lighting bulbs to LED based bulbs instead of the normal filament style bulbs. What this does is ...
* Reduce electricity used by almost 95%
* Reduce strain on the electrical system
* it emits ZERO heat unlike conventional bulbs
* it will last 10 times longer than any conventional bulbs
* it emits a much higher quality vibrant true white light
The only downside is it is slightly pricy but when u take into account that the bulbs will last a lifetime then it is actually a bargain b/c u will never have to replace another bulb again.
Anyways here are the pictures (i left some of the stock bulbs in place to show a comparison of before and after. (sorry for the blurry pics, the camera isn't the best in the dark.)
The final bulb tally is as such for W140's but im sure its almost the same for W202s...
for 6411 bulbs (39mm 9LED super white bulbs)...
- lower door bulbs (4, 1 per door)
- two for front main dome lights
- one for rear dome light
- Liscence plate ones SHOULD be 6411 too
- one trunk bulb
BA9S bulbs
- two front map lights
- two rear reading lights
Total count = 14 @ roughly $5 a peice
I did not do any of the vanity mirrors and I wont so i dunno about those but hope that helps guys.
03-23-2006, 11:24 AM
#2
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An editorial reply
My neighbor sells LED lighting and those kinds of replacement bulbs. I have had this conversation with him. That is, LED lights look alot brighter than the actual light that is being put out. They are great for illuminating gauges and other displays but when it comes to lighting up an area they still fall way short.
Personally, I'll take a gas filled incandescent bulb over LED every time. And I do like LEDs, partially due to my neighbor, in that I have many LED lights in my house ( but only as accent lighting ).
Personally, I'll take a gas filled incandescent bulb over LED every time. And I do like LEDs, partially due to my neighbor, in that I have many LED lights in my house ( but only as accent lighting ).
03-23-2006, 11:51 AM
#3
If you don't use the proper LED bulbs this is true. most of those LED bulbs only have 3-6 LED bulbs... but these are the new 9LED bulbs, they are far brighter than anything out right now. there also is a new design LED done light thats even brighter but its almost more expensive but I stuck with these. If you get the 9LED bulbs you wille be fine but the 3-6 are not enough lighting, u are correct.
03-23-2006, 11:57 AM
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1967 Morris Cooper "S", 1983 911SC, 1997 Toyota Tacoma, 1999 HD FXSTB, 1998 C43
"Homey" who is your source for LEDS - did you install resistors (load equalizers) for all of them?
03-23-2006, 12:04 PM
#5
here is a new is a new design thats even brighter than any others out there...
The bulbs are $7.99 however, they only come in 44 mm long which means you cannot use it for all the locations I did. people always comment on how much they liked my LED lighting on the BMW (used same setup and that was only 1 9mm up front and two in rear, so the MB is even better. hope that helps.
The bulbs are $7.99 however, they only come in 44 mm long which means you cannot use it for all the locations I did. people always comment on how much they liked my LED lighting on the BMW (used same setup and that was only 1 9mm up front and two in rear, so the MB is even better. hope that helps.
03-23-2006, 02:01 PM
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W203, W211, W219, W212
I once replaced an interior bulb on my W203 with LED and it would NOT turned completely off. I shut down the engine, locked the door, waited for about 10 minutes and it was still on, although it was very dim. I tried to drive the car around the block and that particular bulb was on all the time, again, very very dim. It did light brighter when you opened the door, but it just wouldnt turned completely off. I believe it has something to do with the supersensitive MB electrical system.
03-23-2006, 04:55 PM
#7
Sounds you had a specific problem with your electrical system that or you bought a cheap set of LED bulbs. Festoon brand bulbs are extremely high quality and i've never heard a single bad complaint about them. mine do not have that problem.
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03-23-2006, 05:39 PM
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Mercedes-Benz w124
What did you do to get them to work? or did you treat them as regular bulbs and just pop them in? If its not too hard, maybe ill do the same for my car... would love to change instrument cluster and switches!
03-23-2006, 06:14 PM
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W203, W211, W219, W212
I was under the impression that MB cars constantly run a very low current throughout the system to check if there's any electrical problem. This way it would be able to display an error msg should any of your bulbs burnt out. For this reason the LED was able to pick up the constant current, and therefore it wouldn't turn completely off but rather lit up very dim. Maybe it’s not a problem on a BMW.
