I went back 5 years on this site and checked other sources. Thought I would try here. Two years ago, I have replaced the front marker lights (194) on the 01 Protege. I tried the AutoZone ones and they lasted 3 months on the first try and 6 months on the second. Yesterday I went to Pep Boys and bought the Pilot brand. The terminal on one bulb broke off very easily. My trailer lights are all LED and have been very reliable. Replacing marker lights with LED on cars, not so much. I just wanted to see if anyone else had similar experiences.
LED marker lights and reliability
- Thread starter Michael_P
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I have LED 194 lights on my Silverado and no problems so far. Can't remember the make of them, as I bought them 2 or 3 years ago.
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I see those led light on semi trailers and you always see the indivdual lights burnt out inside the actual group of lights themselves. But there is no telling how many hours are on those lights.
Vleds.com, superbrightleds.com, ijdmtoy.com and kbcarstuff.com
all have decent automotive led lights from what I've read on 8thcivic.com
all have decent automotive led lights from what I've read on 8thcivic.com
I've had good luck with superbrightleds.com. I replaced the dome lights in my Cherokee with LEDs and they work great. Much brighter too.
Are you talking about LED replacements for bulbs? I wouldn't put much faith in most of them. I don't think you'll find a major manufacturer building replacement bulbs (Hella, Sylvania, etc) because the light housings weren't designed for them--they'll no longer meet spec and won't work as well.
Your trailer lights were built that way from the ground up, designed with reliability in mind, and are often built by more reputable companies.
That's not to say you won't find reliable replacements, but they are often just generic junk, like HID kits and the like.
Your trailer lights were built that way from the ground up, designed with reliability in mind, and are often built by more reputable companies.
That's not to say you won't find reliable replacements, but they are often just generic junk, like HID kits and the like.
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Originally Posted By: MisterBen
because the light housings weren't designed for them--they'll no longer meet spec and won't work as well.
That's true, but in some applications the LED's can work just as well or better. Like license plate bulbs, for example, the light only needs to aim down directly onto the plate. True, a normal incandescent bulb sprays light everywhere, and the reflector aims it where it needs to be (in this case, down). But you can also get simple LED bulbs that aim straight down (30 degree spray angle) that would work well. As far as meeting spec for state inspections, you'd still likely fail, no matter how well it works.
because the light housings weren't designed for them--they'll no longer meet spec and won't work as well.
That's true, but in some applications the LED's can work just as well or better. Like license plate bulbs, for example, the light only needs to aim down directly onto the plate. True, a normal incandescent bulb sprays light everywhere, and the reflector aims it where it needs to be (in this case, down). But you can also get simple LED bulbs that aim straight down (30 degree spray angle) that would work well. As far as meeting spec for state inspections, you'd still likely fail, no matter how well it works.
If a high output LED light isn't designed with an adequate heat sink, it won't last very long. Even a very small amount of heat build up will shorten its life. Most of the cheap drop-in replacements I've seen don't have any sort of heat sink on them.
Originally Posted By: Samilcar
If a high output LED light isn't designed with an adequate heat sink, it won't last very long. Even a very small amount of heat build up will shorten its life. Most of the cheap drop-in replacements I've seen don't have any sort of heat sink on them.
Good point. However, the only LED mini-bulbs I've seen with heat sinks are some festoon bulbs. I don't doubt that there are other types that have them, though.
What many people don't know is that LED's actually produce a lot of heat. Unlike most bulbs though, the heat on LED's is produced on the input/back end. But a common misconception is that LED's run "cool", so I'm guessing most sellers and buyers of these bulbs (especially on eBay) don't take this into consideration when making and buying them. Plus, LED's without heat sinks are cheaper to manufacture and sell, and CHEAP is the overwhelming theme with the vast majority of eBay automotive products.
If a high output LED light isn't designed with an adequate heat sink, it won't last very long. Even a very small amount of heat build up will shorten its life. Most of the cheap drop-in replacements I've seen don't have any sort of heat sink on them.
Good point. However, the only LED mini-bulbs I've seen with heat sinks are some festoon bulbs. I don't doubt that there are other types that have them, though.
What many people don't know is that LED's actually produce a lot of heat. Unlike most bulbs though, the heat on LED's is produced on the input/back end. But a common misconception is that LED's run "cool", so I'm guessing most sellers and buyers of these bulbs (especially on eBay) don't take this into consideration when making and buying them. Plus, LED's without heat sinks are cheaper to manufacture and sell, and CHEAP is the overwhelming theme with the vast majority of eBay automotive products.
Originally Posted By: Samilcar
If a high output LED light isn't designed with an adequate heat sink, it won't last very long. Even a very small amount of heat build up will shorten its life. Most of the cheap drop-in replacements I've seen don't have any sort of heat sink on them.
perhaps this is why I read about them failing so often. I love the look and the idea of efficiency, etc., but obviously there is more to it than there seems to be...
If a high output LED light isn't designed with an adequate heat sink, it won't last very long. Even a very small amount of heat build up will shorten its life. Most of the cheap drop-in replacements I've seen don't have any sort of heat sink on them.
perhaps this is why I read about them failing so often. I love the look and the idea of efficiency, etc., but obviously there is more to it than there seems to be...
Im thinking about leds. Ill wait till my original bulbs go out in my 2002 Tacoma.
While this thread is primarily discussing LEDs on external bulbs, I think changing some interior bulbs with LEDs is a good option for some vehicles. I changed all of the instrument cluster illumination bulbs and idiot lights with LEDs in my Pathfinder. The illumination and odometer spots have tri-LED cool white LEDs from SuperBrightLEDs, while all of the dummy lights have single LED (non-SMD) bulbs of the same color as the warning lamp originally was (otherwise the color changes, i.e. red becomes pink when used with cool white; example photo). "SERVICE ENGINE SOON" remains as incandescent because with an LED, it glows very dimly no matter what and is irritating at night.
The picture makes the gauges, and especially the odometer, appear somewhat brighter and bluer than they truly are. Here's another picture of someone else's conversion which is closer to their true color in person. Much better than the dim stock stuff in my opinion (sorry for the mediocre picture, it's not mine).
The picture makes the gauges, and especially the odometer, appear somewhat brighter and bluer than they truly are. Here's another picture of someone else's conversion which is closer to their true color in person. Much better than the dim stock stuff in my opinion (sorry for the mediocre picture, it's not mine).
Originally Posted By: Klutch9
Originally Posted By: MisterBen
because the light housings weren't designed for them--they'll no longer meet spec and won't work as well.
That's true, but in some applications the LED's can work just as well or better. Like license plate bulbs, for example, the light only needs to aim down directly onto the plate. True, a normal incandescent bulb sprays light everywhere, and the reflector aims it where it needs to be (in this case, down). But you can also get simple LED bulbs that aim straight down (30 degree spray angle) that would work well. As far as meeting spec for state inspections, you'd still likely fail, no matter how well it works.
Well, I'd agree they probably would work great for license plates and interior lighting. I wouldn't probably use them for markers and turn signals and brakes and so forth.
We have a neighbor with bad LED replacements in his VW. The brake lights are tiny little spots, his blinkers go fast, etc. LOL!
Originally Posted By: MisterBen
because the light housings weren't designed for them--they'll no longer meet spec and won't work as well.
That's true, but in some applications the LED's can work just as well or better. Like license plate bulbs, for example, the light only needs to aim down directly onto the plate. True, a normal incandescent bulb sprays light everywhere, and the reflector aims it where it needs to be (in this case, down). But you can also get simple LED bulbs that aim straight down (30 degree spray angle) that would work well. As far as meeting spec for state inspections, you'd still likely fail, no matter how well it works.
Well, I'd agree they probably would work great for license plates and interior lighting. I wouldn't probably use them for markers and turn signals and brakes and so forth.
We have a neighbor with bad LED replacements in his VW. The brake lights are tiny little spots, his blinkers go fast, etc. LOL!
Superbright LEDs.Com has a large selection and plenty of info on the specifications. I have turn and stop indicators from them that are brighter than stock (especially after the stock bulb begins to dim with age). I have a PIMA high mounted stop light in one car which has had a led unit in for 4 years, (used to blow every 6 months or so) and often on/off service is harder on filament bulbs (and radio tubes) than continuous service. You are hard pressed to find a traffic light these days which ISN'T LED, and because big tickets are written for commercial vehicles with burned out lamps, you see plenty of led units now in use there.
You can get rid of the ricer "fast blinker" problem by changing to a solid state flasher unit, Superbright has those.
You can get rid of the ricer "fast blinker" problem by changing to a solid state flasher unit, Superbright has those.
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