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LED's to replace OEM lights - my experience so far

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Accessories and Modifications' started by lopgok, Jun 16, 2012.

  1. lopgok

    lopgok Member

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    Here is my experience to date with replacing lightbulbs with LEDs for my 2012 plug in prius.

    The LEDs
    ------------
    I bought all of my LEDS on ebay. They are generally quite inexpensive. I like the '5050' based bulbs as they are generally bright, cheap, and low power.

    2x T10 5-SMD 5050 LED White lights bulbs interior,door, license plate, parking | eBay

    5 5050 leds, a nice socket that fits tightly, and small enough to fit many places.
    Avoid the sockets that have one wire on each side, as they tent to fit loosely.
    $2.49 for 2.

    2x T10 9-SMD 5050 LED White lights bulbs interior,door, license plate, parking | eBay

    9 5050 leds, same nice socket as above. Fits in less places than above.
    $3.99 for 2.

    2PCS T10 168 W5W 9 SMD White LED Wedge Signal Car Light | eBay

    this is a 9 led array that has the all the leds perpendicular to the socket. Used for map light
    $1.55 for 2.

    27MM 31MM 36MM 39MM 42MM T10 BA9S 12-5050 SMD Warm white LED Festoon Dome bulbs | eBay

    this is a 12 led panel with connectors for different bulb sockets. I picked warm white, which is close to the incandescent color. You can pick a higher temperature if you want it to match more closely with the rest of the LEDs.
    $2.99 for 1.

    2X T10 501 W5W 168 Pure White Car 4 LED 5050 SMD Side Light Lamp Bulb DC 12V New | eBay

    A 4 led flat array. Works with AC or DC, so you can insert it in any orientation.
    $2.49 for 2

    Interior
    ----------
    The vanity light uses a 8w 'wedge' which means a T10 base. I replaced mine with a the 9 led 5050 bulb. It was easy to remove the cover, and there is lots of room. All the light comes out of one side, so you might consider a flat LED array with all the LEDs on one side.

    The map light uses a 5w 'wedge' T10 base bulb. It requires a smallish bulb, and you want all the light to come out the end. I used LED with 9 no-name leds. It has a slight pinkish glow, but works well. Easy to remove the cover.

    Dome light uses a 8w festoon bulb, which means a bulb with a connector on each end. I think it is 31mm long. I used the 12 led panel. I put it behind the bulb socket so you can still access the socket. There are bigger arrays, up to 20 or 24 leds, but 12 is plenty bright. Needless to say, all the light comes out on one side.

    See T10 BA9S 27MM 31MM 36MM 39MM 42MM 24-5050 SMD LED Warm white Festoon Dome bulbs | eBay for the 24 led array.

    Trunk light uses a 5w 27mm festoon bulb. Easy to access.
    I have ordered the 12 led array for the trunk light, and I will install it by gluing it to the inside of the lens. It fits fine and is tight enough to not require any glue to hold it in. The problem is the festoon adapter shorts out when compressed to 27mm. I ended up soldering the wires to the fixture. One end was easy to solder, but the switch end is unsolderable. I ended up wrapping some stranded copper wire around it, crimping it down, soldering it, and soldered the wire to it. The switch feels a bit different since there is no bulb in the fixture. I recommend a fixed 27mm adapter if such a thing exists. The 12 5050 LEDs are plenty bright. Like the dome light, all the light comes out on one side.

    The step/courtesy light bulbs in the front doors are 5w T10. The way I accessed them was to pull off the door skins. Then they are easy to access. The 9 led 5050 is much too long to fit inside. If I ever pull the door skins off, I will try the 4 led flat array. All the light comes out on one side. I found the lights somewhat complex to disassemble. Turns out it is easy to take the light out without pulling the door skin.

    Exterior
    ----------
    The parking light bulb uses a 5w T10 base bulb. Easy to access. I used the 9 led 5050 bulb to replace mine. It does stick up a bit, but fits fine. You could also use the 5 led 5050 bulb.

    Front side marker lights use a 5w t10 base bulb. If you are not careful, the bulb can fall out, and you will have to hunt for it. You will likely have to remove the black plastic parts on the bottom of the car. There are enough nooks and crannies that you may end up losing a bulb, like I did. Be very very careful not to drop the bulbs. This location is a bit tight. I ended up using a 5 led 5050 bulb. It is roughly as bright as the OEM bulb. If there was a decent amber 5050 bulb, that would be ideal, but I haven't found one yet.

    License plate lights use a 5w T10 bulb. There is very little room here. Even the 5 led 5050 bulb hits the end and a shorter LED should be used. All of the light comes out of one side, pointed at the license plate. I ordered the 4 LED flat array, and after a small amount of trimming at the corner between the contacts and the main LED board, it installed and works fine.


    Right now, I have replaced 14 bulbs in my car. The new LEDs are brighter and use less power than the bulbs. They will likely last forever. For the exterior lights, I have replaced six 5w bulbs, likely saving 20-25 watts. I don't know why Toyota didn't use more LEDs as they are so cheap. All the prices quoted include shipping from hong kong to the USA.
     
    #1 lopgok, Jun 16, 2012
    Petedxcq, kenmce, Sergiospl and 2 others like this.
  2. alekska

    alekska Active Member

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    Thanks!
    Any ideas on turn signals?

    - Alex
     
    #2 alekska, Jun 16, 2012
  3. xpcman

    xpcman Senior Member

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    I used cheap T10 Ebay LEDs on my 2008 front running lights and they failed with-in 1 year. One was blinking and the other way totally dead. So much for the idea that they will last forever.
     
    #3 xpcman, Jun 16, 2012
  4. alekska

    alekska Active Member

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    Currently (for 2 years by now), I'm using LEDs from superbrightleds.com in marker lights, plate number lights, door sills, and all interior. Out of all these I had 1 failure and 1 light has 1 of the 5050 leds out of 5 flickering on/off . These LEDs from mentioned site are expensive, but have built-in constant current drivers and protection measures. I just have ordered several cheap ones from ebay, in order to compare and see how long they would last :)
    - Alex
     
    #4 alekska, Jun 16, 2012
  5. lopgok

    lopgok Member

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    Front Turn Signal Light Bulb Size: WY21W 21w amber
    Rear Turn Signal Light Bulb Size: WY21W 21w amber

    According to GE Lighting - WY21W
    these produce 280 lumens. Very good LEDs produce 100 lumens/watt. Cheaper ones are around 50 lumens/watt. So you would likely need 2.8-5.6 watts of LED to get similar brightness. Since a glass lamp is omnidirectional, but a LED is directional, you might get by with less lumens, though there is an inefficient reflector for the glass bulb.
    The ebay bulbs often do not specify lumens, and when they do, their accuracy is suspect. In addition, the T10 base is not very robust when dealing with heavier bulbs than they were designed for. When you add it all up, the turn signal isn't the best bulb to replace with LEDs. They shouldn't be on very much, so you won't get a big win by replacing them. I think I will wait a year or so, for cheaper, more efficient LEDs. You should look for the 'cree' brand when dealing with bright bulbs, such as turn signals or backup lights.
     
    #5 lopgok, Jun 16, 2012
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  6. golfinbud

    golfinbud Junior Member

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    Replaced my OEM interior & plate lights with LED from Ebay & Amazon but resulted into having a Trac Off Warning Light which the Toyota tech found (after paying $150) showing Error Code C1231. LED Dome Light was diagnosed causing this so reverted back to the OEM but after a few weeks Trac Off Warning Light is on again. Anybody experienced the same episode.
     
    #6 golfinbud, Nov 8, 2016
  7. alekska

    alekska Active Member

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    since the time of my original post, I have found that Philips/Sylvania 1W 168-type bulbs are the most reliable for license plate or white marker lights. All others start flickering after a year or so.
    They look like this:
    bulb.jpg
    - Alex
     
    #7 alekska, Nov 8, 2016
    Robert Holt likes this.
  8. Vman455

    Vman455 Senior Member

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    The bulb didn't cause the warning light. C1231 is related to the steering angle sensor. Think about finding a new tech, especially if they charged $150 just to read a code.
     
    #8 Vman455, Nov 9, 2016
  9. Petedxcq

    Petedxcq Junior Member

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    Chiming in late during 2017, yeah, I think LED turn signal bulbs need to "evolve" before some affordable quality bulbs surface, not to mention
    hassles with ballast resistors for traditional vehicles. 2017-06-21.
     
    #9 Petedxcq, Jun 21, 2017
  10. NavyLCDR

    NavyLCDR Active Member

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    Or replace the flasher unit. It's not too hard to replace if you don't mine leaving the new flasher unit hanging with the old one remaining installed in the factory location. I have straight amber LEDs in the rear. In the front I replaced the bulb sockets with 3 way sockets and put in switchback white/amber LEDs. The white portion is just spliced into the parking lights (which are also LEDs now). The amber is connected to the normal turn signal wire. I run with the parking lights always on and have daytime running lights now in my front turn signal housings. When the turn signal is activated, the white LEDs turn off completely, and the amber LEDs flash. With the replace flasher unit, no need for the resistor ballasts.
     
    #10 NavyLCDR, Jun 21, 2017
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  11. MMtec

    MMtec Junior Member

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    You buy it from eBay?
    I have searched a lot of solution to have drl on turn signal lights, but I'm afraid of the low light they could give....
    Can you tell me more about your experience on that?
     
    #11 MMtec, Jul 5, 2017
  12. NavyLCDR

    NavyLCDR Active Member

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    I got these, but I don't see them on ebay any longer:
    JDM ASTAR 2x 2835 60-SMD 7443 T20 White Amber LED Switchback Turn Signal Lights
    ( 331837764483 )

    If I did it again, I would probably get these:
    JDM ASTAR Auto LED Bulbs,LED Headlight,Fog Lamps & Turn Signal Brake Tail Light

    Just make sure they have the lumens listed and hope that they are not lying. Your standard H11 fog light lumens is 1350 for reference, these LEDs are listed at 1500 lumens.

    You will also need 7443 sockets and you have to file off one of the ears on the socket to fit into a 7440 housing. I think I filed off one of the wide ears.
     
    #12 NavyLCDR, Jul 5, 2017
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  13. Jmack111

    Jmack111 Member

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    There a resistor you can add. but it's due to lack of load . The flasher is a heated switch with out a load it will not open to make to make it flash so new flasher or add resistors to each light both are on ebay the rest of the light your good....

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
    #13 Jmack111, Jul 5, 2017
  14. MMtec

    MMtec Junior Member

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    What do you think about that:

    Switchback LED Conversion Kit For Toyota Prius Front Turn Signal Lights To DRL


    https://www.ebay.com/itm/272394800801

    It's all in one kit! And it's cheap
     
    #14 MMtec, Jul 6, 2017
  15. txtabby

    txtabby 2011 Prius 4

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    Replaced my turn signal bulbs with LEDs that are "supposed" to prevent hyper-flash, but after having them on in traffic for a few min, they start hyper flashing. Got replacements from manufacturers and same thing. I was going to use resistors, but I don't know now. Seems more hassle than it's worth. lol. The other exterior lights replaced with LEDs work great, so far. It's just the turn signal bulbs that's got me frustrated.
     
    #15 txtabby, Oct 2, 2019
  16. txtabby

    txtabby 2011 Prius 4

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    For the conversion kit, just do a search on eBay. There's several to choose from. Switchback LED conversion kit for Toyota Prius. The link above doesn't seem to work...

    However, MY 2011 Prius has a more of a "triangle" fitting socket, not round, so these will not work, at least according to the photos. From what I gather, the best way is to just solder a resistor in line to prevent hyper flash. Big hassle (?) for just an LED bulb...
     
    #16 txtabby, Oct 3, 2019
    Last edited: Oct 3, 2019
  17. Attila Fekete

    Attila Fekete Member

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    Regarding the flasher relay, it’s not a heated switch, but a circuit charging and discharging a capatitor - anyhow, the result may be the same.
    Instead of using resistor I would replace the flasher relay with one supporting the LEDs.
    Something like this - make sure you choose the proper one.
     
    #17 Attila Fekete, Oct 4, 2019
  18. ice9

    ice9 Active Member

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    Not to mention that you are defeating one of the reasons for using LED in the first place: Lower power / current consumption.

    When you put the resistor in, all you are doing is increasing current load of the LED-resistor combination to fool the flasher into thinking it's the OEM bulb. So basically you are drawing the same current as the OEM bulb. The only advantage to using the LED-resistor combination is greater reliability.
     
    #18 ice9, Oct 8, 2019
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