LED tail light upgrade

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dwcains
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Joined: Sun Sep 14, 2014 6:01 am
Location: Lutz, FL

Re: LED tail light upgrade

Post by dwcains »

I don't care how nice they are, I'm not spending that $$$ on a pair of bulbs, and I suspect few others will, either. $500 for just the bulbs in the rear lamps??? Thanks for the info, though.
Dean
Lutz, FL

'85 635 CSi Euro #9402254
'87 Spider Veloce
'92 Spider Veloce
'08 350Z

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Ralph in Socal
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Location: High Desert of SoCal

Re: LED tail light upgrade

Post by Ralph in Socal »

dwcains wrote:I don't care how nice they are, I'm not spending that $$$ on a pair of bulbs, and I suspect few others will, either. $500 for just the bulbs in the rear lamps??? Thanks for the info, though.
No kidding Andy. I would have to sell a set of wheels to buy light bulbs. Or a parts car!!

I found the fine line I will not cross and I think Dean did too!!

Ralph
There is a very fine line between "Hobby" and Mental Illness.

85 635csi Zinno Auto
84 528i Euro
83 635 Euro Arktik
81 528i Kastanien 5-speed
88 528e Bronzit (Granpa Car)
86 535i Auto (For Sale)
81 633 csi (retired)
MSGGrunt
Posts: 520
Joined: Fri May 15, 2015 4:43 pm
Location: Western, MA USA

Re: LED tail light upgrade

Post by MSGGrunt »

The festoon plate lights are monitored. I put LED ones in the plate light recepticles and instantly got an error on the diagnostic center.
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MisterFixit
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Joined: Thu Jan 22, 2009 9:07 pm
Location: USA, Colorado, Golden

Re: LED tail light upgrade

Post by MisterFixit »

dwcains wrote:I don't care how nice they are, I'm not spending that $$$ on a pair of bulbs, and I suspect few others will, either. $500 for just the bulbs in the rear lamps??? Thanks for the info, though.
Ralph in Socal wrote:No kidding Andy. I would have to sell a set of wheels to buy light bulbs. Or a parts car!!
I found the fine line I will not cross and I think Dean did too!!
Ralph
Amen to that! I was being sarcastic; I guess I could have 'smilied' to make that clear... #-o

I have looked at Philips, Weisslicht, and plenty of others; spoken with tech support by telephone or email, and so far none of them have been willing to send me a free sample ... but that won't stop me from asking! I suspect there is little chance of a sample set of ten (or eleven) lamps, but two or four would be useful.

I'll post any results I think would be useful, effective, and reasonably priced.
"Be Seen, and Not Hurt!"
Lighting Upgrades for 2002, E3, E12, E21, E23, E24, E28, E30, E32, E36, E39 - front & back
Headlight and Tail Light upgrades for maximum visibility. Headlight protection to keep lights intact.
Tommys 89 635
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Joined: Mon Oct 30, 2006 8:23 pm
Location: San Mateo, CA just South of San Francisco

Re: LED tail light upgrade

Post by Tommys 89 635 »

I've upgraded to LED's for under the hood, glove box, interior and backup reverse bulbs some time ago. Can't remember who I bought them from, need to check if I've got the receipts. Thought about the brake light bulbs but haven't done so.
Tommy
1989 635 CSI (Second owner since Jun 1995, driven daily and retired in 2013 with 295k to occasional driving)
2011 335D (Daily driver) with 103,550
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MisterFixit
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Joined: Thu Jan 22, 2009 9:07 pm
Location: USA, Colorado, Golden

Re: LED tail light upgrade

Post by MisterFixit »

Tommys 89 635 wrote:I've upgraded to LED's for under the hood, glove box, interior and backup reverse bulbs... Thought about the brake light bulbs but haven't done so.
Let us know, please, if you do find a brake bulb replacement. I get questions from folks constantly about 'going LED' and would love to see a pair of brake lights for comparison - bulb one side , LED on the other - assuming things looked similar otherwise. Silvering is a huge issue, of course.

Pictures, of course - best if we could see the lights with no lens, then with LED in one brake, and how it compares to a traditional filament lamp.

BTW, here is that link to the Weisslicht LED video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHDadjC ... 51&list=WL
"Be Seen, and Not Hurt!"
Lighting Upgrades for 2002, E3, E12, E21, E23, E24, E28, E30, E32, E36, E39 - front & back
Headlight and Tail Light upgrades for maximum visibility. Headlight protection to keep lights intact.
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