After 2 months, I've finally started my 2003 clear taillight conversion. I always hated the amber taillights on the 99-01's. I read that the OEM tails needed to be cut and modded to fit in the 99-01's, so I bought a set of Depo's for $140 from ebay seller: coco701111. I heard Depos were a direct fit, and they're like 25 cheaper than OEM.

I took one housing off today to see if I could do it, and I succeeded in taking it out (the screws are kind of hard to reach).

Will keep you guys updated and might write a DIY (surprised there isn't one yet)! Definitely will post pictures along the way!

 

OEM tails do not need to be cut to fit, they are a direct replacement.

 

Good Luck! Those tails happen to be the exact same ones that I was looking at for one of my friends yesterday.

 

I bought my OEM tails for $120, they fit perfect, and have resale value unlike the DEPO ones.

 

The reason there's no DIY is they're a direct replacement. No 'conversion' needed.

 

a diy never hurts, think of all the noobs who ask where the screw are or "do the lights fit" i for one think there should be a diy for everything. So just let the guy contribute

 

The 'do the lights fit' has been answered over and over again as has the fact there's no cutting or trimming needed. I never said the guy shouldn't contribute and I don't care if the guy takes some pictures however it's not a 'conversion' to remove some trim, undo some nuts and an electrical connection to install the lights.

 

If the guys profile is right, he's only 16. Removing and installing the tail lights is a good mod to start with and document.

 

good first mod for your car, by far one of the best things i did for my 99 when i had it..... good luck with the mod, it will be fairly easy to complete, just take your time and be patient..

 

these are a must for 99-01 owners. i remember years ago when i first bought my 2000 TL the following day i went and bought these. not much of a conversion just a 5 min swap

 

yea guys i'm 16 and i don't know anything about cars. this is like a big step for me

 

Yea it shouldn't be that hard at all for you. Just peel back the trunk lining and you will see what you need to do. A very simple DIY could be made that could guide noobs through the process.

 

haha... but at least your taking it step by step... i had my 03 since i was 16 too

 

does anyone know where I can buy the amber bulbs for the turn signal? Should I just buy them from the dealer (stock 03 turn signal bulbs)? Or could I get them at pep boys etc? Is there a specific part number or brand? thx

 

Why wouldn't you just reuse the ones you have in there.

Look up a bulb guide for the bulb number and get the chrome amber ones if anything. Then the clear part will actually be clear and not have any orange in it when it's not lit up.

 

co1063:

They should be the same bulbs, if you purchased the 2003 kit from HondaAcuraworld.com you would have you get new bulbs, with the depo it is a direct swap..

 

but i think using my current clear bulbs is illegal since my housing is clear now. i thought you needed amber signals. does the depo ones come with amber bulbs?

 

I wasn't aware you had clear bulbs in there behind the old amber lens. Most places require the turn signal to be amber. Like I mentioned earlier, look into the chrome amber bulbs. They are chrome looking on the outside so it still looks clear, but they light up amber.

 

i'm not sure, but thats what i've heard from everyone on here that the stock 99-01 bulbs are clear. am I wrong?

so where would i get these chrome ones? are they just the stock 2003 ones?

 

There are a couple places online for the chrome bulbs. I got burned and the a**hole sent me two completely smashed bulbs about a month after I paid, now I need to go pull out my lights again and switch the 02-03 harness for my 00 one.

I might add, you cannot get just regular amber bulbs for the 99-01 harness, they aren't made. You either need to get some chrome bulbs, leave in your clear ones (which is what I have been forced to do for over a month), or get an 02-03 harness, but since your lights are DEPO that wont matter.

 

so will the stock 03 ones fit my DEPO's? if not, please recommend a site/store where i can purchase some.

 

Honestly, just get Depo from ebay. Dont need no harness, bulbs still work, ( I need to upgrade, get amber bulbs ). And call it a day!

 

The stock ones will fit considering that those lights are for the TL from 01-03. You can probably get the chrome amber turn signals from http://autoluminations.com or http://v-leds.com . Good Luck!

 

You could always just throw them in there and try them out. If they're clear buy the chrome ambers, if they light up amber your good.

 

so are the stock 03's chrome amber? im pretty sure the 03 tl's dont have that fried egg look, right? so i can just buy stock 03's from my dealer and pop them in?

 

Wrong. 02-03 have orange bulbs that do not fit in the harness for the 99-01 lights. The 02-03 bulbs are circular at their base, while the 99-01 are wedge shape or something like that.

Also, the 99-01 bulb is clear. You will not find the right bulb in the actual amber color, therefor you are forced to buy them online.

 

The OE bulbs for the turn signal for the 02-03 tails is a 7528 (Sylvania). The thing that got me was that the socket for the 99-01 isn't made to fit the socket hole on the 02-03 tails. For some stupid reason they changed the bulb type and socket type for the turn signal. The 99-01 bulb for the turn signal is a 7440 bulb. Technically, the harness should be changed for it to fit EXACTLY. But you can make the 99-01 harness work. You have to rig the socket in the hole as it is bigger than the hole in your original 99-01. If you do it this way, there IS an amber 7440 bulb. I don't remember the number off hand but Kragen auto has the bulb.

 

the depos came with an amber bulb that I put on and it looks fine (i think the stocks 03s use this bulb). no ugly fried egg effect. anyways, i'm done the conversion. pics are here: https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1938172 thanks for all the help