Illuminated Emblems DIY Style (Pics inside)

I've posted these photos and info in various threads recently, but figured I'd make its own thread in case anyone has any questions, and plus I'm real proud of how it turned out!

I did these with EL wire, makes the light really even and less blotchy than LED's would. The power was tapped from the parking lamps up front and the plate lamps for the rear. Its not noticeable during the day unless its really cloudy, but at night they really stand out. I'm not too worried about legal issues, as from a distance you dont really notice them, just within 15 feet or so. However if someone was worried, using white up front and red in the rear would make it 100% legal. You could even make the rear one come on red when you hit the brakes if it was wired to the brake lamps.

I am looking into setting up a group buy, I've been in contact with Danny from PC to see how I should go about that, so once we get it squared away I will let everyone know. Feel free to let me know if you think you'd be interested and I can get in contact with more details once it goes through. Not looking to make money, they will be around 45-50$ for both emblems.

And now for the pictures!















So what do you think? I was never a real fan of glowing things on cars, but since this kept the look 100% stock during the day, and it is so even that I really like it. I think it really makes the car unique, which I'm all for!

Matt

 

EC- I just tapped into the parking lamp wire, no need to run wires inside the vehicle. The rear is more intensive, requires removing the hatch trim to get to the wiring and install the emblem. On the front, all you need is to remove the trim panel above the radiator (3 clips), reach in that ridiculously cramped space, unscrew the two screws for the emblem and pop it out. If your worried about ease of install, and removal, I would only do the front unless your planning on having the car for a long time.

I can get photos of the emblem itself while installing the EL wire, but forgot to take some while the car was apart...

Matt

 

EC-
What other stuff? The suspense is killing me!
Front emblem removal requires removing the plastic trim panel above the radiator. Push in on the centers of the three clips to release them. Once that panel is out of the way you can reach into the stupidly tight space and use a stubby screwdriver to remove the two screws that hold the emblem on. Then it un-clips from the bumper and pops out to the front. Once thats out you can remove the emblem from the black mounting piece if needed.

The rear is much more intense...
Remove the inside plastic hatch panel, loosen and remove the four nuts inside the hatch (found under that plastic panel). Unplug the plate lamp harness and the plug for the rear entry switch. Then the whole painted plastic portion which houses the emblem can be popped off the car. use car as to not bend it or the paint may crack. Work slow and it should come free. Once free be sure to plug the entry switch back in to the harness, or else if you close the hatch youll have to figure our how to open it from the inside....not fun, trust me!
I'll have photos of another install in a few days for you, stay tuned.

Hope this helps, let me know if you have any questions!
Matt

 

Hi Peterjmc,
A tiny inverter is needed to up the voltage and switch to AC for the EL wire to operate. That inverter is wired into the vehicle wiring. I found out that that little inverter really does up the voltage quite a bit, gives you a nice sting if its not insulated! All of this will be included once the project gets off the ground.

Matt

 

Initial search for replacement emblems has me worried...
2010 TOYOTA PRIUS Parts - Toyota Parts Center - Call (800) 516-1455 for Genuine Toyota Parts and Accessories

Wonder what the "w/ precrash" vs." w/o precrash"? Im thinking its the difference between the ones with radar assist cruise control?

And for the rear:
2010 Toyota Prius Parts - 2010 Toyota PriusReplacement Parts
So it looks like 36$ for the front, and 25$ for the rears.

Looks like the group buy will probably end up with people shipping their emblems to me to fit the lights, since 60 bucks for new emblems is pretty steep.

 

Ok great, thanks! So the front illuminated emblem will be limited to those without the AT package.

 

Thanks! I agree, but then we couldn't do this cool mod...

Matt