Dolphin

Doing the interior LED change-out... the manual does not show how to get to these bulbs? I fear hacking up my new rig :-(

The Vanity lights above the mirror were relatively easy.... shim the entire fixture out, this applies to the rear lights by the hatch as well... no problems with these, then it got tricky....

the center top lights? Must you remove the single screw, or does the diffuser pop off with screw driver shimming?

lights above 2nd row, tried shimming fixture out, feared it was going to break.

The lower door entry lights, can't seem to shim the diffusers off? Must you remove the lower door panel?

Side mirrors?

Usually makers put a slot where you know to slip a screwdriver in to shim off the cover, I don't see them here....maybe my eyes are getting worse :-(
any help would be appreciated....

ericsan13

most of the questions you asked have been answered here:
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/rx-...white-led.html

and here:
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/rx-...dle-lamps.html

Dolphin

thx Eric... saw what I needed...the side mirrors I fear....too much can go wrong...regardless, the 2nd row dome, I can not get at.... do you remove the diffuser, or the entire fixture. I can't get either off?

BTW, its easy to blow a fuse :-) Hey, needed a set of spare fuses to carry anyway....

Also, the LED's I put in the lower door panels, they have an LED on each side, one side faces the seats, (useful) the other side faces the doors interior, seems like wasted light to me....do some makes have both LED's on the same side? That would seem more sensible to me?

kitlz

The side mirrors are so worth changing out. Go for it. The rear dome is by far the worst to get to. I used a thin metal tool, probably made for a lathe, to remove the light cover. I wanted something that diffused the pressure and lessen the likelihood to scratch/crack the plastic. Others used screwdrivers. Keep needle nose pliers handy to remove the bulb. But most importantly take your time. I have bulbs from VLEDS for the doors that emit light from all sides. They're also in the vanity lights, the domes and footwells. I'd recommend them. No blown fuses BTW.

Dolphin

You rock Anita... thx so much for always helping us.... seems we are often following in your foot steps... :-)

OK, glad the rear dome was a struggle, its not just me...but did you remove the entire fixture, or just the diffuser? My diffuser is in so tight, can barely squeeze in a Jewlers screwdriver at the edges, and when I do, it wants nicks the plastic housing pretty good... pls advise....

OK, pls explain what is so great about replacing these mirror LEDs... My fear, the mirror pops out, and a part breaks, it doesnt sound like the mirror removal is made to be removed...seems like a snap on, and stay on component? I cant drive without side mirror and dealer is 100 miles away, not too mention risk of parts not being in stock, etc... but I remain open

Also, was the light in the side mirror the same as the one for the domes and doors? Also, did you replace the blinker light in the mirror as well, or just the puddle light (I assume puddle light is the name for the one pointing downward?)
thx again...

Oh, one more.... I love ultra bright reverse lights, any specific ones you all suggest? Anita, I think you mentioned that one was easy to replace, and its very useful IMO....

kitlz

I can't take the credit. There were a few people before me as you can see in the threads above. They deserve the credit.

On the rear dome, I only removed the light cover. I couldn't figure out how to remove the whole thing. The tool I used was very thin. IIRC, there were two tabs holding it in place are on the long sides. I slid the tool along the length to release them. Just take your time.

Changing the puddle lamps to LEDs makes a huge difference. I can understand your fear about breaking the mirror. I felt the same way. And nobody mentioned the horrible sounds removing the inner part of the mirror housing makes. But I did it and have no regrets. The above threads contain everything you need to know. And there's no need to switch out the blinker bulb.

The reserve lights are a piece of cake compared to the puddle lamps and rear dome. They're bright and look really cool. Mine are from VLEDS. A little pricey but worth it. I think if you give them your e-mail they'll send you you a discount code.

The bulb sizes including the puddle lamps are listed in the specification section of the owners manual. It's better you check there first just in case anything changed from what's listed in the above threads. You never know. Don't forget the cargo area. They were festoon bulbs. Finding the right size was a little tricky but they're available from VLEDS as well.

Then all you'd have left is changing some of the exterior lights. The fun never ends

Sevn86

Speaking of the rear dome i just replaced mine two days ago and i struggled to get the lens off. I ended up using a small flat head screw driver and i managed to get it off. Also the bulb is stuck inside pretty tight so i used electrical tape and wrapped it around as best i could and pulled the bulb out that way. It was kinda difficult to get the new led in but i was able to and its so much brighter now. Btw i used VLED's for my complete interior conversion and i love it. The bulbs i used for the outside side mirrors and rear dome are the same and the link is here. They are on sale right now for $14.99 cuz before i had paid $24.99. http://www.vleds.com/bulb-type/minia...-pair-b-o.html

Also check out my build thread for pics. Link is in the Signature below.

Yurka

if you have some spare cash, might want to get one of these or there are plastic ones cheaper for like 5$ , pretty good thing, bought it a while ago when i did lights on my old lexus, didnt want any scratches, works fine.

Dolphin

> if you have some spare cash, might want to get one of these

"these" = ?

Anita.... I am on the fence about the puddle lights, still seems risky....

the rear hatch area lights, I found ones close in length, hopefully the receptacle is flexible enough where they will fit, a few mm longer vs. the factory ones....

I will contact Vleds for the reverse lights, not sure if another vendor had brighter ones.

OK, so whats the next ones I should consider?

Sevn, I already replaced all the interior ones from a different source... very nice upgrade for sure..

Dolphin

These appear to be the brightest of the back up lights I can find... 900 lumens, 5 watts... error cancelling...any thoughts?

iJDMTOY Extremely Bright Full 5W CREE Q5 XP-E High Power Error Free 921 912 W16W T15 LED Bulbs

kitlz

Fog lights, DRLs, parking lights, front and rear blinkers - that should be it. I had my installer do the fog lights since they're more difficult to get to on the 450h. The rest are pretty easy.

I say stick with VLEDS. Three years and only one failed bulb. And they have great customer service.

ericsan13

Use my post, it's very easy: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/7488552-post59.html
The VLED flank bulbs are way brighter than the stock bulbs and worth every penny.

I got the CREE reverse bulbs too.

For the rear ceiling, remove the diffuser only. It will take some level of effort and you will need special flank bulbs that will fit in the tight space. The height of the bulb must be minimal.

Door lights pop out fairly easily, either approach it from the left or right side, not from top or bottom.

Dolphin

anyone have current V-led coupon code...everyone talks about it, not so easy to get...
wish they had a damn phone number :-)

Dolphin

Finally got code for 15%...
Anita, I am following your lead, you have always been right, bought the entire batch to complete the LED change over.... also found a mini pry bar set from Amazon, hoping that helps getting some of these covers off, and maybe the side mirror as well....

kitlz

You won't be disappointed. Quite a few people here installed their bulbs and are happy with them. In fact I might finally put in the LED fog light bulbs from them this weekend. Right now I have Philips halogen. I used a flexible plastic card from a store to pop the tabs on the covers (except for the rear dome) and my fingers to remove the side mirror. That's held in by a few pressure clips. Like I said, the worst part is the noise when removing the inner part of the mirror, kind of like cracking plastic. Good luck.