Drag0na5h

Just want to share all my mods for those who may be contemplating doing any of them. I've had the car since Summer 2014 when I got rid of my last project, 2006 E350. Mainly because modding the Merc was extremely expensive and maintenance was getting ridiculously costly.



First I tinted my rear three windows to 5%.



Then I swapped my OEM halogen bulbs with 5000k HID headlamps, 3000k halogen highs and 3000k halogen fogs.



Then I swapped my OEM halogen bulb puddle lamps with some white LEDs.













Then I installed some aftermarket vent visors.







More to come...

bc6152

Like the LED puddle lights. Think I'll do the change too. Which LED's did you use?

Drag0na5h

I had some spare T10 wedge bulbs from my Merc build that look exactly like this:





Since this is a Lexus the CANBUS element is not necessary, but it hasn't caused any noticeable issues either. You can use any kind so long as it isn't any longer than that 1.1" measurement. Reason being is that there is a bulb shroud of sorts that will obstruct the use of anything longer. It would also better your light output of the LEDs were more focused toward one side since the bulb sits horizontal to the ground when installed.

I tried using some of these T10 COB led bulbs because the light output looked awesome, but they were a tad too long. (Later I'll post pics of the courtesy door light and trunk light outputs where I was able to use these.)





However it looks like they make slightly shorter ones now too that maybe I'll try if the ones I have now burn out or give me flickers.



Either option it's a <$20 mod, but a tedious task to disassemble and reassemble the mirror housings for install. Wish I took pictures of the install, but my hands were greasy from the mirror lubricant.

dchar

Here's a link to some step-by-step instructions with pics on changing the puddle lamps:

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/gs-...light-led.html


To the OP, nice job! I'm assuming that when you changed your OEM halogens for HID, you used a conversion kit? Mind suggesting what you used?
Have you considered changing the reverse lights, interior lights, and trunk light to LED too? Trunk is probably the easiest; just pop the cover off, take bulb off, install T10 LED, put cover back on, and enjoy the new/improved brightness.

bc6152

Thanks for the link dchar. FYI - I changed all the interior bulbs, door and trunk lights to LED's too.
Pure white light and looks great. One of the easiest mods to do and took about one hour for all.

Drag0na5h

I just used a generic 35W HID PIP kit from a local tuner shop near my home. Never had any flickering ballast issues yet and been running them daily since last summer.

Here's a close up of my ballast location in the engine bay.







HD 1080p Dashcam.



Front, rear and trunk door LED swap. For these I used those COB style LEDs and I'm extremely happy with the light output.







Haven't looked into replacing the remaining halogen bulbs to LEDs yet, but probably won't since I prefer the warm glow of halogens on the interior. As for the reverse lights I'd love for anyone of you who did it to take a photo of the light output at night. I've just had bad experiences with distance visibility when using LEDs as opposed to some good old fashioned halogen bulbs.

Some rear curtains for my little boys on long road trips. Definitely keeps the sun out of their eyes better than just the 5% tint film.













It helps that the car has BSM when I use these curtains.

dchar

Thanks for the detail and pics about the HIDs. The ES is actually my mom's car and she doesn't really care too much about the halogens on her car and if something went wrong, she wouldn't be happy if warranty was denied due to major aftermarket parts.
The curtains are kind of a nice touch, especially since the sunshades would cost thousands of dollars to install without the UL package. I see you're running the power cord for your dash cam along the ceiling. I've seen people in the GS forum tap into the mirror and use a special adaptor to make it look integrated with the mirror; maybe consider looking into it.

I switched the reverse lights in my GS to the LEDs, and they were much brighter especially seen in the rear view camera at night. I bought some bulbs that were specifically made for the reverse light application. Some specs about the bulbs, which were quite long in length: 10W, 3 Forward firing with Projector Lens and 8 Radial firing LEDs, Total 11-SMD 2323 High power LED. I've tried taking pics, but it doesn't look different unless seen in person.

chromedome

Those puddle lamps are a total pain to change, I just spent an hour doing both sides and I ended up using a screwdriver to pry open the lower mirror tabs. I seriously hope the LEDs I used don't fail soon because it's such a hard mod.

I changed my reverse bulbs to a monster set of front and side-firing LEDs. The light throw isn't as far as the stock bulbs but it's a lot brighter behind the car, especially using the rear camera. It's a much easier mod too - just pop open the fasteners holding the inside boot lid cover and pull out the reverse bulb connector.

For the interior lights, you could get a set of 4500-5000 K LEDs. They're a lot whiter than yellow bulbs but not blueish like 6000 K LEDs. I prefer LEDs for the interior because they run cool, not like the hot filament bulbs.

Drag0na5h

^^ & ^ thanks for the input on the reverse bulb mod. I may just try it out since it's easy to swap in and out. ^^ I will look into getting an adapter to tap into the mirror now that you mention it's possible. It be great to free up my rear cig plug as it's pretty much an eyesore of a wiring job.

My other main concern with swapping LEDs for interior lights is whether or not it affected the dimming transition effect when they come on and off?

chromedome

Good LEDs will allow some degree of dimming. It's not as gradual as filament bulbs but it's not a sudden on/off sequence either. I like the curtain mod, are they motorized or do you have to pull them by hand? Did you have to squeeze anything into the window channel?

Drag0na5h

I got the curtains off eBay for around $32. The curtain rails (top and bottom) mount to your door moulding and panel via 3M double sided tape. Be careful installing because if you mess up the double sided tape that came on the rails it's almost useless to reapply new 3M as it comes off too easily. Here's a link to the same one I purchased:

http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item...d=221553588067

NOTE: 70cm = Length x 42cm = Height

It's manual operation, but it's not very difficult to use.

PirelliRC

i also swapped my reverse lights for LED bulbs, however though it looks "cooler" it was barley casting the light like 2 feet and i could not see too well backing up. Im 29 years old and i dont wear glasses so dont make fun of my vision

Long story short i put the stock bulbs in, they cast much farther and broader. I like cool stuff just as much as the next guy but it starts interfering with my safety i draw the line. I also bought a kit from eBay and swapped all my interior lights and trunk lights in about 10 minutes. No way im touching the puddle light, way too much hassle for nothing

Drag0na5h

^As I suspected with regards to the visibility issue. I may just have to save some money and not experiment. Could you take a photo of what your car looks like lit up at night with the doors closed from the outside looking in? I guess the primary reason is that I don't want a fluorescent type of look when walking towards my car in the dark.

chromedome

My reverse LEDs are fine, I used these huge ones that barely fit inside the housing. Smaller 5W5 LEDs aren't bright enough for use as reverse lights.

As for the interior, don't get 6000 K LEDs if you don't like cool white light. You can find Philips 4200 K LEDs on Amazon, these match the color temperature of the original footwell and glove box LEDs. They're warm white with a tinge of yellow.

Drag0na5h

^Thank you for the photo and input. I do like the footwell light color so if I decide to do the mod I'll look for those 4200k Phillips LEDs first. Another issue I have seen with LED reverse lights is that it's sometime difficult during daylight hours (esp. high noon) to realize the car has it's reverse lights on at all because it blends right into the bright sunlight. Depending on the taillight housing this washout effect is minimized if the reverse light reflector bowl is effectively recessed enough to shade out the sunlight.