Shibumi1

here are a few pics of the grille removal/bulb swap..


https://www.clublexus.com/forums/att...1&d=1298505706

after removing the engine compartment plastic trim. remove 10mm bolt from grille center. then twist plastic screws in grille corners 90degrees then they pop out.. after that reach behind the grille an gently pry (as u pull forward) the 5 plastic tab that run along the edge of the grille and it should come straight out...

after the grille is out on either side you'll see a plastic trim w foam on the edges

Shibumi1

fold down the plastic trim to expose 2 wiring harnesses. bend the metal tabs holding them out of the way an you'll see the bulb socket. turn it counterclockwise an it comes up and out.. swap bulbs (making sure u have the bulb polarity correct) turn them on b4 replacing the sockets to make sure..


https://www.clublexus.com/forums/att...1&d=1298506582


no need to remove the whole bumper.. i couldn't imagine a lexus tech pulling the whole bumper to replace a $2 bulb..lol


hope this helps....( fyi i also swapped my reverse lights for the same bulbs as in the front... looks awesome!!!)

Tee

Thx Shibumi1 for the write up & pics!!! I will be doing this mod on this weekend, might as well get with CJITTY and knock both cars out.

Shibumi1

Np anytime.....

CJITTY

oh snap!! That's a great DIY!! Thanks for taking the time..gonna be a whole lotta dull Nike lights being laid to rest soon with these here pics!! These are the VLEDs right?

CJITTY

Shibumi1, did you get the 38 LED from that Dealextreme link on the first page or which bulbs are you using exactly? That looks so damn good! I was lookin for a 4300K color since my headlights are oem, want them to match up

You got these? http://www.dealextreme.com/p/t10-1-9...r-dc-12v-51358

Shibumi1

went the fleabay route.(came in less than 3 days) but they are 38 smd in white, they look closer to the 8k i swapped my fogs an low beams for.. pm me an i'll send u the link
paid 29.99 a set w free shipping not too bad...

theres a show this w/e.. & i wanted them a lil brighter b4 sat so my options were limited..

CJITTY

MotoringMax on fleabay...here is a pic of an LS with the White 38-SMD 2825 LED Position Lights

Shibumi1

there pricey but i got em in less than 3 days... i placed the order sat an they came in tues and monday was a holiday!!

cmasten

awesome, I got inspired by this thread and went out to do it myself. 11 minutes to the first bulb and that is taking the engine covers off which is most of the work! picts here really helped. I found the bulb a bit hard to get to , but the electronic connectors just pull straight out away from the metal tabs that hold them, you can always just put them back on. I also had to use a pair of long needle nose plyers as my hands would not fit in that small hole but you dont need much of a turn to get it out, it also sits down into the socket pretty far as it has a gasket, just a screwdriver to nudge it back and it clicks into place . The stock bulb is almost worthless... I am including a pict of it vrs the deal extreme led that I put back in, they are plenty bright enough for this application, at least for my taste and just a few bucks each.

Hard to tell from this photo, but the LED is just closer to the blue of the HID and looks great and its about 3x brighter than the old one. I had the front of my car up against the garage, so had to shoot it from the side, but its a big difference. This was by far the easiest mod I have done to date about 20 min in and out. Notice the amount of detail in the light fixture on the top photo vs the bottom, the LED lights up the fixture and makes it look really nice Thanks again Shibumi1

top shot is the new LED, the bottom is the older filament bulb, the bulbs I used were 4.50 a pair at http://www.dealextreme.com/p/t10-2w-...r-dc-12v-51372

BTW, pulling the bumper would not give you access to these, it was clear to me when I did this that this is exactly how the dealer does it, the plastic barrier is made to fold down and it looks like there is a tool to get the bulb out of the socket, although needle nose pliers worked just fine.

cmasten

I used a 2 watt element, but there is a 3 watt that I have used in the doors and they are definitely brighter, if you want more output, this is just the right amount of output for my taste, with a color temp change, which is the most noticeable part of this upgrade, http://www.dealextreme.com/p/t10-3w-...k-dc-12v-37144

Im not sure anything much deeper would fit.

Shibumi1

oh the deeper 1 will fit... the 38 smd i put in is about 1.5 inches long.. im glad the pics helped..

cmasten

if that is the case then you could put in an LED up to about 10 watts if you so desired. I do like how the larger bulb with the directional elements fills out the light much better than stock. I think almost anything is an upgrade, but changing the color temp was the key for my taste. Very worthwhile upgrade to you DIY'rs

CJITTY

i noticed a few folks complaining about these getting hot and burning out within a couple weeks, not the 38 LED, haven't seen anything negative or positive on the DealExtreme site but other bulbs have mixed reviews. Have you all experienced any issues with flickering or them getting real hot?

adamls2

would like to know about this also... planning on doing this pretty soon cool little mod