Tired of Having Your Trunk Lights Kill Your Battery?
10-18-13, 05:52 PM
#1
Driver
Thread Starter
Tired of Having Your Trunk Lights Kill Your Battery?
It happened to me twice where I thought I shut the trunk all the way but did not. The next morning, the battery was dead and needed a jump to get it going again.
Not wanting to buy the junk for sale on fee-bay, I got together with an electrical engineer friend of mine on a Land Cruiser forum and developed some LED Dome lights for the Land Cruiser crowd. Well I adapted them to fit the SC430 trunk light fixtures and they work very well.
They draw about 110 mA each so my battery will be safe if I accidentally leave it open overnight. They also put out a lot more light than the stock incandescent bulbs. They are actually almost TOO bright. The LED emitters themselves are Cree XP-G with 4000k temperature, so the light is similar to daylight, and not too blue like you're in a laundromat.
More pics on my Flickr page.
I have a lot left over for sale. If you guys are interested please shoot me pm or email at supercarrera (at) gmail (dot) com.
Scott
Not wanting to buy the junk for sale on fee-bay, I got together with an electrical engineer friend of mine on a Land Cruiser forum and developed some LED Dome lights for the Land Cruiser crowd. Well I adapted them to fit the SC430 trunk light fixtures and they work very well.
They draw about 110 mA each so my battery will be safe if I accidentally leave it open overnight. They also put out a lot more light than the stock incandescent bulbs. They are actually almost TOO bright. The LED emitters themselves are Cree XP-G with 4000k temperature, so the light is similar to daylight, and not too blue like you're in a laundromat.
More pics on my Flickr page.
I have a lot left over for sale. If you guys are interested please shoot me pm or email at supercarrera (at) gmail (dot) com.
Scott
10-18-13, 06:35 PM
#2
Wow, that's bright! Plus it can be used as a tanning bed.... WIN!
All joking aside it really makes me think of that moment you see in movies when God shines a light down from the heavens and there's that harmonic "Ahhhhhhh" in the background.... if only there were a bunch of gold bricks piled in the trunk!
All joking aside it really makes me think of that moment you see in movies when God shines a light down from the heavens and there's that harmonic "Ahhhhhhh" in the background.... if only there were a bunch of gold bricks piled in the trunk!
Last edited by ShawnOk; 10-18-13 at 08:28 PM.
10-19-13, 05:33 AM
#3
I just replaced mine with the 168 LEDs, direct swap, works good and no drain.
10-19-13, 08:52 AM
#4
I also switched out all my bulbs for LED's; interior and exterior. Incredibly happy with the results. These, though, my be a little too bright for me. I can understand flood lights if you're hitting the backwood trails for backpacking or 4x4ing and need to find gear quickly. For me, I like to try to keep my car in "stealth mode." But you're right, sprcarrera, as bright as daylight.
Last edited by ShawnOk; 10-19-13 at 09:06 AM.
10-20-13, 07:43 AM
#6
Moderator
About a year ago I swapped out most of the interior lights in my RX and my SC, mostly for the added illumination, but when a door was left open all night, the lights were still bright in the morning and the car started right up. So there's two big advantages right there. There are several excellent places that sell replacements, but you have to be careful to get the right size and configuration, and the cost is not negligible, but the added light in the foot wells, trunk and behind the back seats in the SUV makes this little project well worth the time and trouble.
Highly recommended.
Highly recommended.
10-28-13, 05:21 AM
#7
The bulbs cost $30 each or, obviously $60 per trunk. Habious and I did this yesterday to both of our cars.
Installation, extremely easy ( Habious did this in about two minutes), although you need to be careful of positive/negative. One socket in the trunk (of the four we did) was installed upside down, so definitely test each and don't just assume.
Results: significantly brighter (you will have spots in front of your eyes if you look at them and then look away). However, it is a much "whiter" light, like a florescent bulb than the incandescent it replaces.
Installation, extremely easy ( Habious did this in about two minutes), although you need to be careful of positive/negative. One socket in the trunk (of the four we did) was installed upside down, so definitely test each and don't just assume.
Results: significantly brighter (you will have spots in front of your eyes if you look at them and then look away). However, it is a much "whiter" light, like a florescent bulb than the incandescent it replaces.
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10-29-13, 04:09 PM
#8
The bulbs cost $30 each or, obviously $60 per trunk. Habious and I did this yesterday to both of our cars.
Installation, extremely easy ( Habious did this in about two minutes), although you need to be careful of positive/negative. One socket in the trunk (of the four we did) was installed upside down, so definitely test each and don't just assume.
Results: significantly brighter (you will have spots in front of your eyes if you look at them and then look away). However, it is a much "whiter" light, like a florescent bulb than the incandescent it replaces.
Installation, extremely easy ( Habious did this in about two minutes), although you need to be careful of positive/negative. One socket in the trunk (of the four we did) was installed upside down, so definitely test each and don't just assume.
Results: significantly brighter (you will have spots in front of your eyes if you look at them and then look away). However, it is a much "whiter" light, like a florescent bulb than the incandescent it replaces.
Buddy
11-12-13, 07:48 PM
#9
Driver
Thread Starter
Glad you guys are happy with them. The stock incandescent lights are pretty yellowish in color so mine will of course seem pretty cool in comparison. Mine have a color temperature of 4000k which is similar to the color temperature of mid day sunlight. Florescent lights are usually a lot cooler and look more blueish. The color temperature of florescent lights is about 6000k. The higher the number, the cooler the light.
When I was developing these, I tested warmer leds that were at 3000k and the color did not look good to me. It was too yellow and objects did not look nearly as good or were as easy to see as they were with the 4000k leds I selected.
Scott
When I was developing these, I tested warmer leds that were at 3000k and the color did not look good to me. It was too yellow and objects did not look nearly as good or were as easy to see as they were with the 4000k leds I selected.
Scott
11-14-13, 01:17 AM
#11
Wow, that's bright! Plus it can be used as a tanning bed.... WIN!
All joking aside it really makes me think of that moment you see in movies when God shines a light down from the heavens and there's that harmonic "Ahhhhhhh" in the background.... if only there were a bunch of gold bricks piled in the trunk!
All joking aside it really makes me think of that moment you see in movies when God shines a light down from the heavens and there's that harmonic "Ahhhhhhh" in the background.... if only there were a bunch of gold bricks piled in the trunk!
I love it !
12-23-13, 09:36 AM
#13
The dreaded trunk ajar bit me big time. Lost the battery's charge. With the Xmas shopping the trunk lid was left ajar and in 3 days, battery was out. So lesson learned, make sure your trunk is closed.
If not, it will decimate the charge on the battery quickly.
I had LED's in the trunk and yet it still killed the bat.
If not, it will decimate the charge on the battery quickly.
I had LED's in the trunk and yet it still killed the bat.
12-23-13, 09:37 AM
#14
Charged the battery and it is back to norm. Whew!
12-23-13, 09:40 AM
#15
