Okay, after a couple sets of bulbs, I set sail on a quest to NOT buy and install a HID conversion kit to see if I can do this upgrade with just bulbs and do it affordably.

My first set of bulbs are 9005 8000k hyperwhite/superwhite bulbs bought from a japanese lighting specialist. After a couple of broken clips on some trim in the engine bay (I'll have to buy some new ones) and some scratches on my hand, this is about a 30-45 minute upgrade you can definitely DIY!!!

Before I post the DIY instructions, I personally have mixed reviews myself on it and wondering what you all think??? I am 50/50 right now if I will keep. The third picture is the best pic and looks the best. I am HOPING that during the day they will look like this. The first pic is outside during sunset and not crazy about it. Kinda looks too close to stock DRL look---ugly yellow! yuck!

In the garage with DRL's on and everything else off, I kinda liked the whiteish blueish light that they gave off. It was sunset (nice orange glow tonight as it was a clear crisp Dec day in Texas) so outside had a orange glow anyway by the time I pulled the car out of the garage so I don't think the outside pic will do it justice (first pic). I will take another tomorrow during the day and see if it looks better. My initial opinion is that for less than $20 these look just a little better---UNLESS the daytime pics and the look is better tomorrow.

For now, I will mostly likely pull these and try the 68smd led bulbs that have a 10000k LED look that are about $40 total. I'm a bit of a perfectionist, so I would rather not make any recommendations on bulbs until we all agree they look good!

I have paid for both, but can resell one of them if I keep the other. The LED's are supposed to be GREAT but they are more so I wanted to start with the cheapest ones. Bottom line, they are BOTH much cheaper and easier than the HID kit and took no time to install---30-45 minutes tops.

last year I did them on my 2002 but I cannot find the same bulbs. I liked how my red 02 had the blueish look. I hope these have more of that tomorrow out in the sun. More pics to come tomorrow...please let me know your thoughts on these---keep in mind the orange sunset outside...look at the garage pics closely.

 

i prefer them turned off. but blue is better than yellow.

 

+1 Liquid. I like the whitish blue better. And those are just 8000k LED bulbs right? No conversion of any kind. It's defnitely better than the amber OEM.

 

I would go with the smd LEDs. I think they give off a better color even during the day. I think I saw them on and ISx50. It looked ridiculously nice. Can you post pix when you change them? I am thinking about doing this to my SC as well. I bet whitish/blue output would look great against my silver exterior. Thx in advance!

p.s. At night they look good, but when are you gonna use the DRLs at night!? hahaha.

 

I'm curious how the SMD bulb worked out for you. I upgraded mine a while back and I had a issue with flickering of the light. Added the VLED module it minimized the flickering but it is still there... i went back and forth about 4 times with VLED exchanging modules which fixed the flickering for about a week but eventually it comes back. I kind of gave up on the issue and learned to live with the flickering

If your bulb installs fine with no flickering at all, would you be willing to provide a link of the exact bulbs you bought? I guess it would bother me more knowing that it's a cheap fix to get it working right.

 

You need a new camera.

Post up the DIY, I am going to install and test the best colored 9005 bulbs I know of; PIAA Plasma. I'll post pics after install.

 

Okay, I finally got the look I was hoping to get, which is the same as I had on my 2002 SC with the mod I did last year. For some reason I had a hard time finding the same bulbs this year. I tried (previous pics) a couple of sets of 9005 at higher temps...10k, 12k but only to find that they just look a shade of yellow with the DRL on.

So, finally got my $40 68 SMD LED bulbs in from a lighting shop that deals with JDM stuff only in CA and plugged in today.

I love 'em. A very inexpensive and easy mod to do...takes me less time each time I've done it...lol. Today took me 15 minutes to switch out...one clip broke. Total clip carnage of 3 out of six! Oh well. To Lexus I go tomorrow for clips!

These are keepers! I am going to see if my 10k 9005 bulbs will fit in my company car now hehe (09 Chevy Malibu).

 

one more...sorry about the quality, in garage with iPhone 3GS no flash.

 

Love the mod....care to share more details...i.e. on the bulbs, vendor etc... I've already modified all my interior lamps with LEDs and this could be next.

 

I think LED's are great. Considering changing my Christmas lights next year, but I'm a little old fashioned when it comes to my decorations and like the old school, meter turning C9 bulbs like Chevy Chase in Christmas Vacation!

Back to the bulbs...they are 68 smd Hyperfulx by JDM Toys AKA Motoring Max out of Ca. I'm a bit of a lighting snob, so when I tell you these bulbs look very close to HID and almost better than stock, just know that these aren't some fake looking cheap Autozone looking bulbs. One things I always look at with eBay vendors is their history and feedback on the specific items I'm buying as well as pictures of the items installed. In this auction below, they have a nice IS250/350 with these done and that's what attracted me initially. I've done business with them for about three years...converted my lights on my 2002 and my 2003 FX35 as well with their stuff. I have a set of fog lights with the same LED 68smd for my FX35 that I'm trying to figure out how and the hell to get to them...same thing with the parking lights and fogs on the SC. I may bite the bullet and pay Toyota or Lexus to install---it's worth the time! They import the lights from Japan and put their own packaging on it. Packaging is no-frills, but the product is excellent. Versus other vendors who put 80% of their cost into expensive "sylvania" type packaging and the bulbs inside are crap!

This is my second LED DRL bulb upgrade. If you dig, you can find my red 02 SC with similar bulbs from them. These are newer, brighter and more HID looking than those!

DIY instructions I've posted before. Wear thin gloves so you don't touch the bulbs and scratch up your hands. Also be careful (virtually impossible to not break) with the trim clips. You don't need to remove the air box, just unscrew three bolts and pull the breathing element away. On the driver's side, just the clips on the trim up top and squeeze your hand in. Very tight squeeze, but less to do. Total time: 15 minutes Total time first time not knowing what I was doing...probably an hour, hour and a half.

I'm working in the opposite direction from you then! I'm going for the rear tails next, parking lights and then interior! Post some pics of your interior upgrades please if you can. I'm curious about those and the difficulty.

$42 here is their link:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/White...Q5fAccessories

Each bulb has 68 high power ultra bright HyperFlux SMD LED chips

Here is the vendor's write up:

This auction features a pair (2) all new creation by I.P.F. from Japan, the high power HyperFlux 68-SMD universal-fit halogen-bulbs-replacement LED bulbs. This LED bulb is designed for direct replacement for the stock 55W halogen fog lights with a low power consumption LED. There is no modification needed, simply Plug-N-Play.
This aesthetical "add-up" will convert your stock yellowish halogen fog lights into a beautiful and exact 6500K Super White HID look.

The bulb size and color is indicated on the title.

Suitable applications:

Fog Light Lamps
Driving Lamps
Note: Since LED has low lighting output, due to safety reason, absolutely NO on low beam.

 

Any pictures of them on during the daytime outside? Pls post! Thx

 

will do tomorrow...installed at 5:30 tonight and it was already getting dark.

 

sure beats this doesn't it? daytime pic of BEFORE...daytime of AFTER coming soon tomorrow!

 

raining and nasty here today, pretty dark too...will wait till it gets nice out to show shots of the DRL upgrade under normal lighting situations in sunlight.

 

Still rainy this afternoon but the lights look even better in daytime---it was a little lighter later today before we got more rain so I pulled Ebony out of the garage to take these pics. Still waiting for very bright sunny day, but these pics give you a better idea of daytime look.

I am very pleased...can't wait to see reflection in buildings, glass, etc and parked after I start her at starbucks while sitting inside with my new Luxlink! (coming soon)

These 68smd LED's are much brighter than my last...which I think had fewer LED crystals (smd's) than these. Can't remember the count. Definitely brighter. I'd love to replace stock HID's with these too and fogs, parking lights, etc. I have the fogs already, just need to get installed.