OK, so I really wanted to get some new lights put in because a bunch of lights went out in my dash when I kept taking out all the lights so I could readjust my gauges. I finally got the nerve to just buy one pair of LEDs from LEDautomotive.com just for the sunroof buttons and I'm sad to say I'm very unimpressed. They are blue, but they don't show as bright as the stock ones. I can barely even see the bottom sunroof open button, and it is not even shown in the pictures.

http://s204.photobucket.com/albums/b...t=DSCN0436.jpg

http://s204.photobucket.com/albums/b...t=DSCN0440.jpg

They look alrite, but for the work put into it it doesn't really seem worth it to solder the tiny resistors. It seems like a 2 man job too, unless you're really good with small objects... I held the resistor with tweezers and another friend soldered it for me (YAY bioengineering majors). hehe anyways... I was wondering if any of those who have gone thru autolumination.com have had similar results. I don't believe that it could be a problem with the soldering since it shouldn't even light up if improperly soldered I believe.
Any one find any buldbs that will fit these side buttons that don't require soldering? I know Jonathan put a diy up, but that was for the climate control only, and I don't really want 4 different colors in my car.

http://s204.photobucket.com/albums/b...t=DSCN0442.jpg

Note that the gauges are a little brighter than what I would like to get. The camera just makes it seem a lot brighter than it actually is.

http://s204.photobucket.com/albums/b...t=DSCN0438.jpg

I got quite a rainbow as it is. I was wondering if there are any lights as similar to the brightness in the shiftgate, which I got at v-leds.com. They were great, and even show pretty nicely in the daytime even though it gets some pretty good hotspots. This guide looks awesome, but it seems like a little too much work for me
http://www.n4te.com/images/acura/leds/guide/
I had a hard enough time getting the small resistor into the dash, its going to be impossible to push all the resistors in sticking out like that with my clumsy hands.

So pretty much I have these questions,
Are these pictures what I expect from LEDautomotive.com?
LEDs that don't need soldering for all the buttons?
LEDs that are competitive with LEDautomotive.com?

In addition, the 194 lights for the map lights, and trunk I have are really weak. I was wondering where should I go to get some fairly cheap ones that will light up my car effectively.

I got these at pepboys
http://s204.photobucket.com/albums/b...t=DSCN0439.jpg

and They're terrible. Anyone got suggestions? I'm thinking of getting two pairs of 6 LEDs from

http://s204.photobucket.com/albums/b...t=DSCN0439.jpg

They're cheaper than autolumination.com. I'm getting the 2nd pair for trunk/liscence plate. Should I go brighter for these?

 

If you're looking for a solder-free solution for all your lights, check out www.oznium.com or www.superlumination.com. Look at the festoon type bulbs, #74 bulbs and 194. Superlumination has a ton of options for your interior lights.

I've ordered lights from ledautomotive and they're good products and Nate is very helpful, but it is not by any means the only option and some sites do have brighter lights.

I wasn't satisfied with plug n play lights for the dash, most premade ones aren't that bright because most states have laws for brightness of interior lights; plus the LEDs go in straight, to get the most out of them they need to be bent a little, the premade ones will break if you try to bend them. I ended up making my own for all my lights and used much brighter LEDs, at least 13k mcd.

 

I used LEDs i bought from ebay for the sunroof and tcs buttons. they are 12000 mcd i believe, i dont really remember. however i also used the LEDs from ledautomotive.com for the climate control. they are all about equal brightness as my gauges. here are the pics:

 

Ethier 8k or 13k Mcds LEDs will be fine. You could use 5k even if you wish. No amount of brightness will matter if you dont align the leds right when installing them in buttons that require light on a 90 degree angle, hence why your sunroof button is not completely illuminated. In saying that though, I now install 2 leds in the sunroof button for a better setup.

02TLSfan is right when using premade led bulbs cannot be bent without damage and most aren't suitable for all installs as they just dont fit or are only rated for 12volts. Over time they will begin to flicker and die if you have power surges in your vechicles electrical system (which is most cars). Not to say some do get lucky.

No one ever said it was easy to install LEDs. I certainly have never said it was easy. I gave up on using tiny resistors and went the route of using regular size leds with lots of practice on how to install them without interfering the placement back in the vechicle. My installs are now hard wired in place as if an install is done correctly, those LEDs will probably outlast the car. Though I have experienced some failures with leds due to the voltage surges in some members cars. No two cars are alike.

 

So its just not aligned right?

 

I end up leaving the LED sticking up out of the holder about 1/4" so there is room to bend it to 90 degrees, although sometimes a little twisting is required as well. I think I am going to go the route of OntarioTL and stop messing with the holders and just connecting them directly, those tiny SMD resistors drive me nuts. I try and use LEDs that are at least 13k mcd in brightness, I've only found a couple places that have 13k mcd 3mm blue LEDs and I have to order them from Hong Kong.

 

just curious, would http://www.oznium.com/corvette-c5-led these just fit into our car buttons? like sunroof, vsa etc?

 

They will fit, any bulb like that or labeled #74 will fit, but as stated above, they are not quite bright enough and you cannot bend the bulbs to the necessary 90 degrees to illuminate the switches and buttons properly. I think these only use about 4-5k mcd LEDs, like most others on their site.

 

do you know of a site that would have some direct fits and are pretty bright?

 

I don't believe #74 will fit for all buttons as some bulbs are even smaller than that. Climate control and clock are fine, but I think the buttons like Reset/Select, dimmer, Cruise, etc are slightly smaller.

As for direct fit and brighter bulbs (even 360 degree viewing angle would be nice), well....if they had them, myself and a few others wouldn't be in the buisness of doing LED mods in the first place. In the few years that I have been doing LED mods, I have noticed new LED products are comming out everyday...so you never know....it might just happen if there is enough demand for it. I just wish they would get away from the 12volt series and step-up to a proper 14.4V setting for vehicle applications.

 

^True, I forgot the #74s won't fit in switches. And, yeah, the makers of those things should know a car doesn't actually put out 12 volts when its running.