Hey guys, I got the xenon-white license plate lights off ebay about 3 months ago. It was working fine till just recently. the left one started to flicker alot, then all of a sudden it went out. Now the right one has started to flicker alot, even during driving, just like the left one used to do. I havent tried going into the trunk to fix it yet, though, i will today. Just wondering if anyone has had this problem in the past? has it just come out of the socket?

 

I had the six LED lights in mine. One started flickering and 3 of the LED's went out. I now have a set of the 1 watt LED's and so far are holding up great and they are even brighter than the six LED bulbs I had.

 

I am replacing my License plate LEDs with the Hoen W5W ones b/c I've gone through 4 sets of them. 3 sets from Superbrightleds.com and 1 from Autolumination. I loved my last set best, but they don't have a warranty (Superbright does if you keep the receipt for 1 yr), so just blew that money away in 3-4 months. I think that area vibrates too much and is eating up LEDs.

Answer: No this isn't uncommon at all.

 

I think i have the same ones (from superbright LED?)... I heard about the flickering on the 6 LED ones...

how long have you had yours in there?

 

I have the 1W white LED for about a year now and it's still working fine.

 

Okay, I'm going to put my dunce hat on and ask ... why does one need LEDs over the license plates vice conventional bulbs?

 

You gain a couple extra horsies due to the lesser amt of enegry used to light them

actually.. they just look "cooler" makes the car stand out a little... i think there is a thread where someone took pics of how the license plate area looks with and w/o the LEDs.

i have them too, and I like the way they look as compared to the traditional bulbs

 

had mine on for a few months..right one started flickering then the left..it looks like i have strobe lights back there...got them from autolumination...will be putting back my OEM ones back today...i'm done with LED's back there...

 

which W5W are you going with? if i understand right, they have 2 versions of W5W, one LED and one incandescent. is "w5wcity" the part number you're using?

 

Sounds cool. Since I have a shiny chrome plate frame that matches the (A) badge, LEDs might look good. It sounds like some 1W LED bulbs from [somewhere] work fine and don't burn out...? But ... I'll wait until someone says in boldface capital letters "these are the ones that work and last without burning out...." and posts a link.

 

C5W = incandescent

 

There is no fitment for tsx on the site so the w5w city light radial the 4200k version would fit ?which one are you using because the same thing happened to me left one flickered first den right and now its still holding out but still flickering

 

Just get the single big LED 'bulb' from ebay for $3 or so shipped a pair. The multi-LED 'bulbs' are all crap, no matter how much they charge. They are probably from the same manufacturers in China anyway, I don't know how those LED online sellers can charge so much for them.

Anyway, the problem with the multi-LED 'bulb's are not with the LED's themselve, but the connection between the LED's. They built quality just cannot stand the vibration from the car and especially from the shock when you close the trunk lid. First you'll see flickering, you might be able to wiggle the LED's a bit and make it work again, but eventually they'll all stop working..

Had the multi-LED ones before and switched to the single LED's for over a year. Haven't had a problem since, and they are just as bright (if not brighter).

 

Thanks for the advice.

 

Hoen-USA License Plate Bulbs are the best. If your going for the Lexus IS look than thats the way to go!

 

It's been only a couple of months now. Still no issues.

 

Just make sure you get the new Chipped LED's. These will probably outlast the car. The bulbs look square and are soldered to a PC board.

 

According to this page they offer an LED version as well. But you have the incandescent and it's better than stock?

They also warn that the incandescent burns 100 degrees surface temp versus 85 for stock bulbs ... and not recommended for very tight bulb enclosures. Alternately, the LED version (W5W, or C5W LED) may cause a "bulb out" warning on some vehicles. Any anecdotal reports either way? Any melted license plate bulb covers? or bulb out indications? TIA....

 

I just emailed the folks at Hoen, and they don't recommend using their incandescent bulbs for the TSX license plate due to the high heat. The alternative then, would be their LED version. They say that their LED looks "sharper" than their incandescent. But I'm not sure I want to put LEDs there, because if they should flicker or quit only while the car is moving and vibrating (as opposed to when I walkaround the car when it's parked), then the only way I'd ever find out would be when I get pulled over for it.

 

where did you pickup your 1 watt LED bulbs?

 

he got them from the same place i did..autolumination...as i stated above...if it's not flickering..it's not on...

 

I have a single LED festoon ("SuperStar", IIRC) from Autolumination in my rear dome light. It works intermittently. But because it's inside the car, I can tell when it's working and when it's not - you'd never know if your licence plate bulbs are out or flickering - unless they happen to do it when you walk around the back.

 

I have two WLED-WHP from superbrightleds.com i like them because they are much more white then blue unlike their 6 led bulb.

 

^^ I just got them too, cause my 6 LED ones went out.


But holy crap they are Bright and White! I finally found something that will emulate the LEXUS license plate lights.


The 6 LEDS were too blue and had a ricey look, but these are nice, and bright with a white hue to them.

 

Can you guys post some pics of the Lic. plate with WLED-WHP and the 1 watt LED bulbs. Which one is better WLED-WHP or 1 watt LED.

 

Hey, can you give the link the item on the website you purchased? I'm thinking I want these for my license plates lights. Also, has anyone changed the inside dome light to a HID looking white LED light? Are they too bright looking in the car?

 

X2!!!

 

www.superbrightleds.com

 

I've been running a pair of those LEDs for my license plate for nearly a year now with no problems, and they look fantastic - about as close to the late-model Lexus lighting look as you can get without actually running a custom cold-cathode setup like some TL guys have done.

 

Awesome! Just bought a set last nite! cant wait to get them!

 

I saw them on Drigo's ride first and loved them. I got mine from autolumination. Same as he did. Sweet lights

 

I got the Hoen W5W "city-lights" and they look pretty damn close to the Lexus' and 08 BMW's.

 

the w5w is the LED version, right? their incandescent version isn't suggested for the tsx because of its 100 degree temp instead of the stock 80 degree

 

I'm the one who got that "recommendation" from Hoen. I'd like to hear if the Hoen incandescents create any problems or meltdowns. I doubt they will, actually. I imagine that Hoen customer service is obligated to say what they say to cover their butts, much like SUV's and mountain bikes have labels on them that say "warranty void if used off road" and any mod has "for off-road use only" on the packaging.

For now, I've put in a set of regular wattage super white 194 bulbs that I got for $1.50 each. The light through the blue glass is white, but pretty dim. I'll probably switch to the Hoens if I don't hear about any problems here for a few more weeks.

 

I want to order a pair of those WLED-WHP bulbs from SuperBrightLEDs.com but I'm in Canada and they have a $25-minimum purchase for shipping outside of the U.S.

 

^^ What? That sux!

Maybe you can order some other LED's for your car like the for the doors or the Dome lights

 

I just bought these LEDs and cannot get them to fit into the housings....are they not the right size for the license plate lights

 

nevermind, i took the housings out and used my hulk force and pushed down as hard as I could. to those doing this, def. take the housings out

 

It seems to me like most of you are putting in LEDs that emit light from their tips. This works OK, I take it? The reason I ask is because the way the bulbs go in, it's the sides of the bulbs that face the license plate.

 

I just got mine put in this morning, it was getting to bright so I'll check later on tonight to see how they look. I had the tectoyz leds in there before.