Festoon bulb replacements

Photos don't display. I installed a surface mount LED array with adjustable length festoon fitting in this housing and it works a charm.

 

Got it. Similar, though the SMD board fit the exact form factor of the courtesy lamp housing.

You would want to be sure that the festoon fitting minimum length compressed is .LE. 28mm.

 

I tried 3 different types with exposed circuit boards. The moving switching mechanism always jammed.

The only one that works perfectly, because it has almost the exact form as the incandescent one is this one.

Sylvania DE3175 White LED Automotive Mini Bulb, Pack of 1.

It is available at most all Walmarts.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Sylvania-DE3175-White-LED-Automotive-Mini-Bulb-Pack-of-1/52621705

 

I have that exact 31 mm bulb in my trunk area of my '09 Prius right now and I love it but if I turn the light on and off it swings the housing around and eventually it'll pop out so. All I did was leave the thing on forever it's an LED. So now anytime I open the trunk the light comes on middle of the day late at night doesn't matter. If I want to switch it with the little switch about the third time I do that I have to pull the thing out and reseat the bulb. To avoid this I just leave the switch permanently on end of the issue. I do like the surface mounted jobs you can get a lot more LEDs in there but unfortunately a lot of those aren't really good cob LEDs yet I'm sure it's coming down the pipeline that way there you just put the wires with electrical glue onto the stainless tangs or whatever they are lay the SMD firing through the lens little dab of goop might keep it there and that'll be there until well till I'm dead.

 

Two to 3mm makes no difference. The holder is spring loaded.

 

Yes it is and I better fight take a spare lamp from another '09 and get in there with my needle nose and bend those tangs permanently correctly everything would work as it should this is just me throwing the bulb in aiming it and closing it up and I noticed it would easily send my easily pop out so I just set it to up on and left it and hasn't been any problems since and it's bright as all get out

 

I have mine installed in my 2012 Prius v, which is exactly the same model that the OP has. No problems at all.

 

Yes I just went out and checked it fits in my 2013 fine so I guess the 2009 must take one even shorter than 28 but this one's in there now and it works so I just leave it.

 

It might be unfortunate that they changed the design since I got mine in 2017. Bummer..............

 

If you look on Amazon or others you will find like square plate type led in various lengths looks like flat plate of like 7 led between the 28 mm points other widths avail too I have purple pink type in doors white in ceiling yada yada and in pinking the shift led too. 2013 orig gen3 type 5 door car.

 

I think I ended up getting a Philips bulb for the ceiling. It is one direction. Sylvania made a ZEVO LED 360 degree but since there is no reflector in the housing I felt that it was not bright. If I recall correctly not only is it longer but the shape of the tip is also wider/different making it harder to fit. I just left the original trunk bulb….

 

No way to tape or glue it, or glue on a counterweight?

I fixed that in our car. I pulled out the molded plastic lamp housing and glued household aluminum foil in form-fitting strips to the pocket behind the bulb. Just a bit of super-77 is all it takes.

Way brighter after.

 

If you look carefully online you will find an LED that will do the trick and many colors etc It is not standard and mine is not made by Phillips or zevo or any of that it's an off-brand but it's plenty bright and there's another set of plates that can be put in your pretty small dome overhead and other lights it's a plate of LEDs maybe has seven nine whatever on there not having a couple of cars nowadays and most of my other cars I don't even bother with the dome lights and the map lights because be honest about it I never use them anymore I'm rarely out at night and then the times that I am I'm usually on the motorcycle or the big bore scooter not really the car.

 

@Weirderal did you ever talk to a dealership parts department? They should have the "proper" bulbs for any-and-all applications, or can order them in.

 

I think his end game was to try and get a bright white 6K LED in one of the interior lights and that is pretty tricky to do with what Phillips and some manufacturers are selling you because they don't really truly want to make the right bulb as it gets quite small and getting a light out of it and into your car is quite a challenge for two or three tiny LEDs so it's kind of tricky You need a little plate in between the two festoons if you will that has to capability of putting out as much or quite a bit more light than the factory incandescent bulb finding it takes a few times That's all It took me a couple of times and I had an idea of what I was doing and I've had Toyota's for 40 years that have used the similar festoon bulb to the tune of about three different lengths now I have one that's a little plate that can go in all three of those links with pretty much no modification so no more parts to buy it's like a permanent bulb one time of course your festoon regular incandescent bulb last most normal people 15 years and still running when they sell the car notice service vehicles that need a light to right by work by whatever like say a police car or an ambulance have a separate big white light mounted to the ceiling of the car that was put in by the same company or department that put in the electric gun rack or the ambulance equipment.