busyb02

Hi all, I'm fairly new here, and never did an intro; but I'm Brad, and I bought a 2010 TSX at the end of December 2011. I've been doing a little customization here and there...

Here's what I've done so far:

Splash Guards
Black gloss vinyl wrap on the roof/antenna
LED lights for the full interior, and tag lights

I ordered cut-to-spec LED panels from exLEDusa. I got the 5000K color temp because I wanted closest to pure white, and it's quite close to the color of the HID lamps, and matches well with the dashboard lighting. I think the standard warm colored lights give more of a comfort feel, whereas these lights give a cool, crisp, clear look to the interior.

and of course, PICS







This is the complete kit. (left to right, top to bottom) Back seat dome panel, trunk module, vanity modules, map panels, door modules, tag modules.



Standard bulb



LED module



Tag light. For those who are about to change their tag lights, note the angle at which the clear cover connects to the lamp housing. Don't try to mount it straight on, you'll end up frustrated like I was .





The fog lights are on in this picture, hence the tinge to the light from the front end



I now drive an Acura UFO





The door lamps cast light forward and downward as there are 2 panels connected at a right angle. They light up the wheels nicely when the door is open



5000K matches pretty well

Now for the tint... and considering getting my emblems black chrome and tinting the tails (sans the reverse light area, I'd leave that white). Don't know if the latter 2 things would make the car look tacky to me though.

PyroDave

very well done, i really like the LED's. i may have to ditch my EBay ones for those if i get another TSX in a few months. and yes i spent literally 20 minutes trying to make the back fit. i was so frigging frustrated. PS: you should be in the photo subthread, not here, but whatever

swarlos

looks nice man! Digging the blacked out roof on the car. Custom LEDs look quality. any more plans for the car?

busyb02

Thanks man! Yeah they are really nice LEDs and the map/dome lights have brightness control which I really like. I'd definitely recommend them! Is there a way I can move the thread or is that a mod only thing? Sorry for clogging up the main page lol...

Thanks man! The next thing is the tint. Going for 35 on the doors and 30 for the rear. I want to get some gunmetal wheels and maybe black chrome on the emblems ... I saw someone talking about spray tinting them but not sure how well that would work. The black chrome emblems and tinted tail lights are kind of up in the air, but the window tint and wheels are definite plans.

ejongjin

Looks soooooooooooooo nice!!

TSXy Luster

whoa! If that's minimum brightness, I can't imagine what maximum brightness will look like haha.

busyb02

Max brightness is like walking into a wal-mart lol... As for the map/dome lights, in pictures theres more of a halo so that could affect how it comes across, but in reality its about the same brightness as the standard bulbs when set to minimum, but more effective coverage and visibility because of the spread of the leds and the color. Trust me I dont like super bright lights inside... dont want people all in my business haha. The map and dome are the only adjustable ones though so the doors and trunk are def brighter than the original, but they look so nice. The tag lights are indirect so they are just perfect. I really like how the door lamps light thr ground... its like im hopping in a hovering spacecraft

mrstak

iTrader: (1)

busyb you have no idea how long i've been wanting to install these lights. i've had them since last year but haven't had a car to install them on...i'm counting down the hours now till i can see these babies in action.

TSXy Luster

I think I'm going to have to order these lights soon

Do let us know if/when you get a reply back about the vanity lights.

mrstak

iTrader: (1)

Vanity lights are part of the package now. I believe they changed the light package to include every light.
Map/Dome/Courtesy/Vanity/License/Trunk

In OP's LED bulbs pic, the vanity ones are at the top right under the exLED sticker.

They've also got another bulb coming out...stay tuned. It's not for the interior lighting.

TSXy Luster

I know the vanity lights are included, but OP said they didn't install/work properly so he contacted them for inquiry.

REVERSE LEDS???!!!

busyb02

Def post pics when you do!

I most certainly will. I'm probably just going to keep the standard warm colored bulbs in at any rate because the LED color isn't suited for the natural light look my fiance will want to see for makeup or whatever. I dont really use the vanity mirrors anyway... except for when i'm doing my blush and mascara

If they're coming out with fogs I need to pre-order lol... That's the only other lighting element I really want to change.

mrstak

iTrader: (1)

Oh really? They didn't work? Err oh OP...did you try flipping them around? Don't LEDs have polarity? Or centering the edges with the clips on the visor? Sometimes if the connection isn't good it won't work. At least for my ebay ones they were like that.

TSXy Luster...

TSXKid2010

DAMN I'm really liking those LEDs....holy shit like really liking them. Good job man! Can't wait to see what you got planned for the rest!

TSXy Luster

This is why nobody wants to play guessing games with me

ed_423

looks good!

busyb02

Yeah man I tried flipping, rotating, shifting, everything... No dice. All good though, I'm still satisfied with what I do have. Just gonna see if i can exchange them for something else, maybe fogs.

opboarding

I like the blacked out roof! I would totally do that to mine if I had a lighter colored TSX.

TSXKid2010

Also....REMOVE DEALER PLATE FRAME, pl0x.

TSXy Luster

he loved dealer. he rep dealer. no harm. no foul.

PyroDave

if you can get it exchanged for 4 more Courtesy(door) lights. but have it be blue LED. i would buy them off you, those are really what i want =D

mrstak

iTrader: (1)

how much are the vanity lights? he hasn't updated the site with them yet.

MoaarLow

Looks great, I think the black roof will look 10x better wl tints to blend it,
The LEDS are ridiculously bright and i LOVE them. I might have to look into a set,

LED reverse are a pretty cheap and cool Mod, check my thread i have before and after pics.

Mind saying how much you paid for the roof and antenna wrap? Im preparing for it myself. I think black roofs on white cars is just gorgeous.

busyb02

Haha I know, but yeah I don't mind repping this dealership. They deserve a little ad because they're great on customer service. It's funny, I just found out one of my cousins actually bought a TL from them back in August and the first detail he told me was how he went with them over another popular local dealer because they were bending over backwards to gain his business. They did the same for me and for my mom when she bought her TL. I dont like to advertise for brands, but I feel like good service is somewhat of a rarity so it should be rewarded.


Speaking of good service, Jin, the seller I deal with from exLEDusa has been very easy to work with. He's sending a replacement set of vanities, and I made a last second request to get them in the 3500K color temp (as I said I'd want a warm color for the vanity lights), and he's shipping them out probably as we speak!

The 4 vanity and 4 door (courtesy) modules together are going for $25. The site now has the kit price updated to include that additional $25 so you'd be getting the full kit if you ordered at the current listed price. He just hasn't updated the pictures as of yet.

Sorry man! He's replacing the faulty ones. He does have Blue LEDs, and I'm sure hed sell just the door lamps to you if you contact them http://www.exledusa.com/index.php?di...view&page_id=1.

Another thing is, they can mix and match colors if you're doing a kit, and I believe they also do multi-colored LEDs on the same module if you desire. I saw a video he put up with a map light with all 6000K white LEDs except for 3 that were red, green and blue. I thought about doing something weird like blending from one end to the other on the maps and dome going 5000 to 6000 to and Blue, but I went the plain route lol...

Your LED post was one of the first I saw on here. Def looks nice man! If you're looking to get brightness control and more balanced coverage than festoon LEDs you should go with these fore sure. The roof wrap I got for $265 after tax. They used 3M 1080 Gloss. I agree 100%, white with a black roof and tints looks awesome! You planning on going gloss or matte? Ive seen some people with the matte roof on white, but to me it doesn't achieve the panoramic look... To each his own though

ceb

If he likes it he should keep it but it needs to be replaced as it is cracked.

busyb02

From

To


Just got this done

ed_423

not bad, i like the smoked reflectors.

robpp

iTrader: (2)

looks good. is it PAINT or FILM

busyb02

Thanks! It's film. I saw the spray stuff, but this worked better for cutting out the white areas like I wanted. Also tried doing just the front face of one of the chrome letters and it actually looked pretty cool... It looked pretty good having the dark face with the silver edges around, so I might do that, but not really sure how well the film would hold up on those letters if it had an exposed edge... Still debating it..

MoaarLow

Appreciate the kind words. Overall im pretty happy wl the LEDS. i think my door and rear dome can be a little brighter. Just trying to figure out if its worth doing all over or if i should just be satisfied

But YES GLOSS FTW. i think the matte and CF look okay too but i agree wl the whole panoramic look! Its kinda Dull, I think the Gloss Black just flows so sick. It might be comming up! you definitely pushed me to get it done! Happy Modding and keep us Updated

petsheep

Great post! You've inspired me. Had my '12 for about 2 weeks now and I wanted to change out the interior lights. Seems like an easy single purchase kit. Will be ordering soon. Great job!

ceb

Can I assume that these LED's are plug-n-play and don't cause any errors? No wiring changes required?

I also assume that they go off entirely when off?

busyb02

Awesome man! If you have any questions about them feel free to ask. They also have youtube video of the map and dome light installation but the others arent too difficult.

Yep they're plug-n-play. I didnt have to do anything with any wires, only thing I did was pull the fuse under the hood (It was #16 in mine, and it's a 7.5A) for the interior lights just to be safe. I used needle nose pliers to remove all the bulbs. One odd thing I found was that all the interior lights, and the trunk were on that same fuse BUT the driver and front passenger doors are on a separate one... I just held the button in while I pulled and replaced the door bulbs and I didn't have any shorting issues. The trunk light housing disconnects altogether so that will make installing that easier.

When they go off yes they turn entirely off. If you're wondering if they fade in and out like the standard bulbs, YES they do! Looks very cool

ceb

Thanks.

Early LED's would continue to glow even when off. they'd throw errors and require resistors and never worked right. They also never dmmed right.

How does the brightness control work? Any way to bump up the brightness of the interior blue ambient lighting? While it illuminates the cup holders, it really isn't bright enough to help you find the cup holders.

busyb02

The brightness control on these looks like a little screw head. You just turn it with a very small screwdriver and it cycles from dim to max brightness to off, and it's repeating. As for the factory blue LEDs I honestly don't know... I would think that would take some more intensive surgery though lol...

ceb

Thanks! I figured as much with the existing LED's too but I might just change my opinion of LED's and get a set of these if they really don't cause any electrical issues.

busyb02

Just got my replacement vanity lights in today, and got them installed! They look great. The color is very much like those high-end mirrors used at department stores or in nice hotel rooms. It's more intense than the stock bulbs, but not blindingly bright. Here are some comparison pics:


Left=Stock, Right=exLED

Both exLED, 3500K vanities vs 5000K maps


Side by side comparison Left to right: 3500K exLED, 5000K exLED, Stock bulbs


Also got some of these lens caps in to test. Just got the clear and a couple blue to see how they affect light dispersion and color.



I found that they magnify the light. They just fit right over the LED blocks on the panels





These snap-ons give you a lot more color options. You could get the 5000K (pictured) and pop on any color you feel like, then interchange if you want to go for something different without having to purchase a new set of LED units. I only got the clear and blue, but I saw on their website that they have a wide variety of colors you can select from when you order.

I love the way these things make the car look

opboarding

ooo nice. are the 3500k pretty much the same color temp at oem, just brighter? Im liking the snap on things, ill have to look into these if i want to make the door lights blue someday.

busyb02

As far as I can tell this is correct. The color looks just slightly cooler than stock, but this may just be an illusion due to the higher intensity.

Yeah the snap ons I think are a great option. I was just thinking if people have the TSX SE with the red accent lights, they could add a little red to the rest of the interior with some caps.

Another interesting idea I plan to try is putting color caps on the ground-facing panel of the door lights. I'd have it shine 5000K at the car, and maybe blue or cyan at the ground. You really dont see the ground facing panel from plain view, you just see the light on the ground... Could be an interesting effect

TSXy Luster

Awesome update!

Can you do a pic of one light with just one blue lens cap and see how much blue it actually shines?
I know I was interested in the lens caps they have, especially those warm white looking ones.
How many lens caps did you get per $6.99?

And now I'm wondering if the vanity lights are worth it or not.... would be nice not to be blinded by surprise when I actually do end up using the vanity mirror the one time in my life.