How to change door handle LED's
09-27-14, 08:13 PM
#1
Driver
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How to change door handle LED's
Ho Brah! Howzzhit! I stay from Hawaii saying waaassssuuppp. Okay okay lets be serious since most of us wouldnt understand the pidgin. Someone asked me in the other thread on how to change the door handle LED so lets get started. There is already a how to on removing the door panels so i wont go too deep with those details on that.
I like to hit it from the back, so lets start with the rear.
1. Take off the trim over the piece that separates the small window and the bigger rear window. This one is pretty tough, you have to pry the side from the bigger window, top and bottom and them push it back toward the smaller window. See pic. This is the hardest part.
See those grooved curved plastic piece, thats the part you slide out. Be careful not to hit your tint.
2. Take the piece behind the door handle out. use a flat head with tape or a plastic panel remover. Take out the one black Phillips behind it.
3. Take out the window switch. Pry one side with a flat head and then slide it out towards the rear of the car. Unplug the harnesses and take out the Phillips bolt. Also pull out the 74 ashtray bulb and change that to white.
4. Take out the one phillips under the arm rest.
5. Take out the 3 screws on the bottom of the panel under the rubber strip.
6. Take a siesta.
7. Lift the door panel out to get out the push clips. Then lift up to get the top part of the panel out of the lip groove. disconnect cables and all harnesses.
8. Looking at the back of the door handle, you will see a gray box that's held by two push clips, you can see it in the door handle, take this out. This panel in the picture is now the front passenger door but they are all very identical. See that grey thing, that's it, that's it!
9. Once you take that off, pry off the clear cover and you will see this! This is actually the new LED already soldered in place, yes yes i know, not the best solder job but its aight.
10. This is a 3 mm led, here is how it was before i soldered on the new one. White led is on the right, amber led is still on the board.
11. Solder on the new white LED and go back to your can and plug the harness to test it. TADA!
12. You can get rid of the board and modify it to fit some LED strip and wire the appropriate resisitor but i don't want it to be super super bright, sometimes brighter is NOT better. Bigger is not always better, then you cant put it in the NVM.
13. The rest is all reverse.
These door panels have been one of the easiest to ever take off. The procedure is the same for all the other door panel. The only difference is the front doors dont have that piece to take off in step one and also have some extra harnesses. Also there is one more extra bolt to take off in the door vent on the corner. You will easily see it.
No night shot yets as its still 515pm. Also, Lexus disabled my DRL with the techstream for $60 not bad eh.
Perhaps some headlight mods later down the road like my ZZZZ! Still waiting to find out about fog wiring which im so close to figuring out in my other thread. It aint NIssan forum but just felt like showing it ahhahahaha.
Any questions, holla!
I like to hit it from the back, so lets start with the rear.
1. Take off the trim over the piece that separates the small window and the bigger rear window. This one is pretty tough, you have to pry the side from the bigger window, top and bottom and them push it back toward the smaller window. See pic. This is the hardest part.
See those grooved curved plastic piece, thats the part you slide out. Be careful not to hit your tint.
2. Take the piece behind the door handle out. use a flat head with tape or a plastic panel remover. Take out the one black Phillips behind it.
3. Take out the window switch. Pry one side with a flat head and then slide it out towards the rear of the car. Unplug the harnesses and take out the Phillips bolt. Also pull out the 74 ashtray bulb and change that to white.
4. Take out the one phillips under the arm rest.
5. Take out the 3 screws on the bottom of the panel under the rubber strip.
6. Take a siesta.
7. Lift the door panel out to get out the push clips. Then lift up to get the top part of the panel out of the lip groove. disconnect cables and all harnesses.
8. Looking at the back of the door handle, you will see a gray box that's held by two push clips, you can see it in the door handle, take this out. This panel in the picture is now the front passenger door but they are all very identical. See that grey thing, that's it, that's it!
9. Once you take that off, pry off the clear cover and you will see this! This is actually the new LED already soldered in place, yes yes i know, not the best solder job but its aight.
10. This is a 3 mm led, here is how it was before i soldered on the new one. White led is on the right, amber led is still on the board.
11. Solder on the new white LED and go back to your can and plug the harness to test it. TADA!
12. You can get rid of the board and modify it to fit some LED strip and wire the appropriate resisitor but i don't want it to be super super bright, sometimes brighter is NOT better. Bigger is not always better, then you cant put it in the NVM.
13. The rest is all reverse.
These door panels have been one of the easiest to ever take off. The procedure is the same for all the other door panel. The only difference is the front doors dont have that piece to take off in step one and also have some extra harnesses. Also there is one more extra bolt to take off in the door vent on the corner. You will easily see it.
No night shot yets as its still 515pm. Also, Lexus disabled my DRL with the techstream for $60 not bad eh.
Perhaps some headlight mods later down the road like my ZZZZ! Still waiting to find out about fog wiring which im so close to figuring out in my other thread. It aint NIssan forum but just felt like showing it ahhahahaha.
Any questions, holla!
Last edited by daniel1235; 09-27-14 at 08:23 PM.
09-28-14, 10:03 PM
#2
Another great write up from our skilled friend out in the middle of the pacific. 
I know the front doors are easy to take off since I did my door lock actuator a few weeks ago. Rear doors don't seem to be that bad either. I'll have to put this mod on my list of things to do on the LS.
Btw Nice 350z. I'm not a fan of eyelids on most cars but it looks great on yours. It's kind of like an aggressive facelift. Not sure if I'd put LEDs in my own headlights but curious to see how they'd look. Have you considered very bright LED DRLs (like the newer lexus) running along the bottom inner portion of the headlight? I always that would look nice and modern for this car.
Can't wait to see what other projects you do on the LS430. Have you received your LEDs for the rest of the interior yet?
I know the front doors are easy to take off since I did my door lock actuator a few weeks ago. Rear doors don't seem to be that bad either. I'll have to put this mod on my list of things to do on the LS.Btw Nice 350z. I'm not a fan of eyelids on most cars but it looks great on yours. It's kind of like an aggressive facelift. Not sure if I'd put LEDs in my own headlights but curious to see how they'd look. Have you considered very bright LED DRLs (like the newer lexus) running along the bottom inner portion of the headlight? I always that would look nice and modern for this car.
Can't wait to see what other projects you do on the LS430. Have you received your LEDs for the rest of the interior yet?
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