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Thread: Interior LED lighting conversion upgrade

  1. #1
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    Interior LED lighting conversion upgrade

    Update: Interior LED lighting conversion...

    hey guys, well heres an old trick i did on my E36 bmw. I converted all of the interior lighting bulbs to LED based bulbs instead of the normal filament style bulbs. What this does is ...

    * Reduce electricity used by almost 95%
    * Reduce strain on the electrical system
    * it emits ZERO heat unlike conventional bulbs
    * it will last 10 times longer than any conventional bulbs
    * it emits a much higher quality vibrant true white light


    The only downside is it is slightly pricy but when u take into account that the bulbs will last a lifetime then it is actually a bargain b/c u will never have to replace another bulb again.

    Anyways here are the pictures (i left some of the stock bulbs in place to show a comparison of before and after. (sorry for the blurry pics, the camera isn't the best in the dark.)

    The final bulb tally is as such for W140's but im sure its almost the same for W202s...

    for 6411 bulbs (39mm 9LED super white bulbs)...
    - lower door bulbs (4, 1 per door)
    - two for front main dome lights
    - one for rear dome light
    - Liscence plate ones SHOULD be 6411 too
    - one trunk bulb

    BA9S bulbs

    - two front map lights
    - two rear reading lights

    Total count = 14 @ roughly $5 a peice

    I did not do any of the vanity mirrors and I wont so i dunno about those but hope that helps guys.










  2. #2
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    WOW! Im gonna do this tomorrow...Any tips?


    The garage::.
    C 230 040 Blacked Out
    Mods: 18\" monoblock, koni lowering springs,Debadged,Black headlight inserts,Custom Puddle Lights, Pioneer P6600,Euro Plates,LED interior lighting

  3. #3
    OG Moderator kameraguy's Avatar
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    Woah, that's cool

    So did you need to add resistors, and are the LEDs soldered or somehow clipped to the normal connectors?

    If you can post some detail pics of a sample bulb install that would be great

  4. #4
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    Originally posted by kameraguy
    Woah, that's cool

    So did you need to add resistors, and are the LEDs soldered or somehow clipped to the normal connectors?

    If you can post some detail pics of a sample bulb install that would be great
    NO YOU DO NOT! . These bulbs have EVERYTHING built in, the resistors and all. no soldering either, these are PLUG AND PLAY . the outside casing is identical to incandescent.

    also be sure to get the 9-LED bulbs (they have 3-6 and those are not nearly as bright). hope that helps.

  5. #5
    OG Moderator kameraguy's Avatar
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    Ahh, I see! So they literally are replacements for the incandecent bulb counterparts. Sweeeeet!! Thanks, this is defintely a "cool" mod, yuck yuck yuck, pun intended

    Oh, btw, do you recommend buying the bulbs online somewhere, or are these readily available at a local automotive shop?

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    go to this site kameraguy, gives you an idea of how it works...

    http://autolumination.com/festoon.htm


    The garage::.
    C 230 040 Blacked Out
    Mods: 18\" monoblock, koni lowering springs,Debadged,Black headlight inserts,Custom Puddle Lights, Pioneer P6600,Euro Plates,LED interior lighting

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    are you doing cluster or tranny lights? (the shifter lights from 1-4,5) and why not vanity mirrors? too much work? Also lots of 202s are lacking puddle lights and reading lamps in the rear, sucks but meh, also are there spots where we can put in lights in the foot wells or would it have to be custom done...
    97 C280 RIP 09-14-07 killed by a reckless rice rocket jetta (I just try and remember the good times)

    ***C43***

    Clear Corners, ss oil filter, avantgrade grill, sport pedals, clk door pins

  8. #8
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    i have the 9 led for my domes too. pretty damn bright, but sometimes its really annoying. it does look cool though.

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    ya you can buy them directly from that "Festoon" site or you can get off ebay. hope that helps.

  10. #10
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    Would these have the fading light on/off like the normal bulbs?

    Not sure why I am even asking, cuz I have all my interior lights off whenever I open the doors. :bandit:
    1998 C43
    1994 C280 (Retired)

    "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." - da Vinci

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    i like the fade so its a toss up to change to a cool color or to keep the fade, omeed? do you still have fade?
    97 C280 RIP 09-14-07 killed by a reckless rice rocket jetta (I just try and remember the good times)

    ***C43***

    Clear Corners, ss oil filter, avantgrade grill, sport pedals, clk door pins

  13. #13
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    wow! i like it so much! i want to do this mod! were do i get these lights from?

  14. #14
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    there is a fade, i asked omey
    97 C280 RIP 09-14-07 killed by a reckless rice rocket jetta (I just try and remember the good times)

    ***C43***

    Clear Corners, ss oil filter, avantgrade grill, sport pedals, clk door pins

  15. #15
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    I think the fade feature isnt the bulb itself doing it....its the light circuit?
    99 C43 AMG
    99 C230 Kompressor

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    I have red LED maplights on the interior of my car, they are 6 LED lights, and I believe they are 34mm bulbs, I ordered them from superbrightleds.com
    \'95 C220 (parted out, winter DD)

    \'06 G35 Coupe 6MT

    19\" Axis Hiro
    Eibach Pro-kit
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  17. #17
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    there is fade but it isnt as drastic as an actual filament.

  18. #18
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    I have LED on my interior that I bought from http://autolumination.com/festoon.htm

    The setup on my 1999 c43:
    white 44mm 9 LED
    -2X frontlight
    -1x backlight
    -1X trunklight
    (The 39mm is a little loose)
    194 Superwhite Xenon (glass bulb) on the square reading light upfront. http://autolumination.com/festoon_before_after.htm
    Dont buy LED bulb for that spot.(pointless! here's why) LED bulb is brightest from the front, the light from the side of the bulb is just minimal. If you ever take out this bulb, the front of the bulb does not face down into the square plastic. The side face the square plastic. If you did browse the 1st link above and stumble upon this http://autolumination.com/194.htm
    The first "5 LED bulb" on the page may intrigue you.. forget it! the dimension of the bulb wont fit into the hole. Then you scroll down a little bit you will find an "inverted LED bulb" that supposingly emit light from the side.. forget it too! the light is ridiciously dim.

    The superwhite xenon bulb actually are really close to WHITE color, but it is not advisable on the festoon dome bulb spots. You can see a hint of blue when the lights are off, a process defined as RICING. Fortunately the square plastic spot infront is really opaque and thick.

    The lights auto dim whenever you come in and out. No resistor is required for interior LED.

    I had spent so much money on my interior for trial and error, the amount of useless bulbs laying around is ridiculous!

    I am going to take pictures tomorrow to let you guys see my full setup. I never thought people are interested in these mods.

    I am going to post pic too on my new front signal setup. http://autolumination.com/switchback.html
    LIV2EAT

  19. #19
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    so which ones do we buy?
    97 C280 RIP 09-14-07 killed by a reckless rice rocket jetta (I just try and remember the good times)

    ***C43***

    Clear Corners, ss oil filter, avantgrade grill, sport pedals, clk door pins

  20. #20
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    yes they do fade to about 60-70% then go black where as regular fade all the way to 0%. my W140 doesnt have a fade feature , but my BMW did and I had them in those too.

    the 39mm will work in all locations, u can just slightly bend the tabs a few mm inward or outward. otherwise you have to get a bunch of different sizes and it gets confusing. I use 9LED for all my locations works perfect.

  21. #21
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    Front Light



    Back Light


    Brightness 10inch above shift knob
    LIV2EAT

  22. #22
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    so wich ones do we buy? white 44mm 9 LED?

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    i think it's 39mm

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    I am Januar, excellent pics. I should have the rest of my bulbs in soon, once I do I will take a picture of all of them. W140 does have alot more lights than the W202 but it seems yours turned out great. I got all 39mm in mine but its up to you, its easier to get a smaller bulb and bend tabs then to get a longer one and try and force it in a smaller hole (just a thought to keep in mind). I am also contemplating doing my instrument cluster b/c one of my bulbs burned out anyways, I think it will look much nicer (much more similar to the new style S-class white light instrument lighting. I'll keep yall updated. I'm glad I could help yall out. If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask.

  25. #25
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    I am kinda hesitating on giving suggestion... Does all the w202 have the same front and back skylight? I own a C43 and I realise some non-AMG W202 accesories dont fit in into my car.
    BUT, if someone can confirm that they are the same... Go for 44mm all around.
    In my experience, it was easier to actually force the bigger bulb into the spot than bending the tabs to fit in the smaller bulb.

    omeyhomey, What kind of bulb goes into the instrument cluster? the white cluster definitely makes the dash lit up.. post some pics if you did do it
    LIV2EAT

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