Lower Grill LED Strips
09-19-2009, 09:24 PM
#1
Racer
Thread Starter
Lower Grill LED Strips
So i finally decided to do this mod. I got the LEDs from Ebay. Took a long time to get them since they came from Hong Kong but i think the wait was well worth it. Here is a DIY incase anyone is interested in doing this. Let me know what you guys think.
1- First i tapped into the parking light on the passenger side. I used the Red wire for the positive.
2- I took out the lower grills without removing the front bumper. It was a little difficult but i was able to get them out without breaking anything
3- I used a plastic strip i picked up from Lowes to use as the backing for the strip since the strip itself was too flimsy.
4- Cut a total of 4 same lenght strips and make notches where it fits the grill.
5- Attached the self adhesive strip onto the plastic strip.
6- Attach to the grill using zip ties.
7- All the strips in.
8- Used hot glue to keep the wires in place so you cannot see them from the front.
9- This is how i routed the wires.
10- This is where i grounded it.
Ground for the right side.
Ground for the left side. I used the same wire for positive. ran it from the front all the way to the left side and tapped it to the positive wires from the LEDs.
11- All wires are hidden under the plastic covers.
12- Everything back in.
13- LEDs off in the sunlight.
14- LEDs on in the sunlight.
15- LEDs at night.
Let me know what you guys think?
1- First i tapped into the parking light on the passenger side. I used the Red wire for the positive.
2- I took out the lower grills without removing the front bumper. It was a little difficult but i was able to get them out without breaking anything
3- I used a plastic strip i picked up from Lowes to use as the backing for the strip since the strip itself was too flimsy.
4- Cut a total of 4 same lenght strips and make notches where it fits the grill.
5- Attached the self adhesive strip onto the plastic strip.
6- Attach to the grill using zip ties.
7- All the strips in.
8- Used hot glue to keep the wires in place so you cannot see them from the front.
9- This is how i routed the wires.
10- This is where i grounded it.
Ground for the right side.
Ground for the left side. I used the same wire for positive. ran it from the front all the way to the left side and tapped it to the positive wires from the LEDs.
11- All wires are hidden under the plastic covers.
12- Everything back in.
13- LEDs off in the sunlight.
14- LEDs on in the sunlight.
15- LEDs at night.
Let me know what you guys think?
09-19-2009, 10:07 PM
#2
Thats a very very nice install man, very impressive, im thinking of taking this one step furter and tapping into the turn indicators so they flash when ur blinker is on.
09-19-2009, 11:45 PM
#6
Moderator
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I think you did an awesome job installing everything and doing something different, but it's nothing I would ever do to my car.
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09-20-2009, 01:37 AM
#9
09-20-2009, 11:32 AM
#14
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Don't listen to them man! The lights look great and make your car unique! If you could message me where you found those lights that would be awesome! I wouldn't do what you have but I want to get the Audi headlight kind of look with them! : ) Great job with the lights again!
09-20-2009, 11:38 AM
#15
Racer
Thread Starter
Don't listen to them man! The lights look great and make your car unique! If you could message me where you found those lights that would be awesome! I wouldn't do what you have but I want to get the Audi headlight kind of look with them! : ) Great job with the lights again!
09-20-2009, 01:04 PM
#16
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You know, I looked at your thread yesterday and I wanted to think about it before I posted. Well executed mod. I don't know if I would have done it to my TL, but it is a clean look.
09-22-2009, 10:01 AM
#27
Drifting
iTrader: (13)
Interesting.
Great installation and documentation. As mentioned, I think they should be attached to the back of the grilles to hide them a bit. Those LEDs may not be powerful enough for daylight use, although they look bright at night. Hiding the strips behind the grille would stealth them and make them only come out at night to play. I also liked your idea about using the plastic strips with black zip ties and the hot glue---looks clean.
Your wiring is nice and simple, although I would have run a switch to the dash to give me more control. I consider these more like "show lights" than driving lights and would not want them completely tied into my running lights. It would be a bit more complicated wiring, but gives added some functionality.
As for the complete look and feel? My opinion is that the grilles should be for fogs/driving lamps and the LEDs should be garnish--headlights, running liights, interior, etc. The Audis are using high power LEDs in the headlights that look nice and I would consider doing something similar. Just not into body lighting, I guess.
Thanks for sharing your ideas and efforts.
Great installation and documentation. As mentioned, I think they should be attached to the back of the grilles to hide them a bit. Those LEDs may not be powerful enough for daylight use, although they look bright at night. Hiding the strips behind the grille would stealth them and make them only come out at night to play. I also liked your idea about using the plastic strips with black zip ties and the hot glue---looks clean.
Your wiring is nice and simple, although I would have run a switch to the dash to give me more control. I consider these more like "show lights" than driving lights and would not want them completely tied into my running lights. It would be a bit more complicated wiring, but gives added some functionality.
As for the complete look and feel? My opinion is that the grilles should be for fogs/driving lamps and the LEDs should be garnish--headlights, running liights, interior, etc. The Audis are using high power LEDs in the headlights that look nice and I would consider doing something similar. Just not into body lighting, I guess.
Thanks for sharing your ideas and efforts.
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AyFeltaTL (08-17-2012)
09-22-2009, 10:36 AM
#28
Racer
Thread Starter
http://www.tobefast.com/efx-headlight-mesh-pr-4248.html
10-02-2009, 07:19 PM
#36
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My car is the same color and I did the same thing.. but different LED though.. here is some picture.. i took it with my phone so the quality is not that great.
WITHOUT FOGLIGHT ON
WITH FOGLIGHT ON
WITHOUT FOGLIGHT ON
WITH FOGLIGHT ON
10-31-2009, 01:46 PM
#38
Drifting
I just installed the Oznium headlight strips on the lower grill- one 12" strip per side. I followed many of zsamer's instructions but wired my lights so they act like daylight running lights instead.
I wound up buying the following from Oznium:
------------------------------------------------------
2 x Linear Light 3 foot Extension Cable = $3.98
2 x Side Emitting "Headlight" LED Strip - Neutral White, 1 Foot = $29.98
------------------------------------------------------
Subtotal: $33.96
United States Postal Service (First-Class Mail): $4.20
CA Tax 9.25: $3.14
Total: $41.30
Some other tips:
*removing the black plastic lower grills was the hardest part of the job; however, you can use a butter knife and carefully disengage the 8 clips from the front- this works best on the outer clips that can't be reached from behind the bumper.
* The LED strips have some 3M double stick tape that seems to work very well. I attached the strips the the large middle rib and there is plenty of material for the strip to fasten too.
* You can wire these strips in sequence like a strand of xmas lights. You'll want to start at the Passenger side lower grill and work toward the driver's side. You can snip the extra wire end on the passenger led strip.
* These oznium lights are plug-n-play and easy to install. You'll want one extension cable between the LEDs light strips and then you can use the other to go from the driver strip up into the engine compartment. From there, you need about 2' of wire to tap into the underhood fuse box.
* Like zsamer, I glued the wires on the lower grill before snapping the grills into place. There are two bulkhead supports behind the bumper that you can wrap the extra wire around for a clean install behind the bumper.
I'll attach some photos that I took in middle of the day. The LEDs are brighter than they look in the photos. The sun is shining in the direction of the strips. The strips will be much brighter at night and other times of the day and look good with the black backdrop.
The parts:
Where I tapped in for power:
Final underhood install:
Front view lights off:
Front view closeup:
Front view lights on:
Front view lights on (closeup):
I wound up buying the following from Oznium:
------------------------------------------------------
2 x Linear Light 3 foot Extension Cable = $3.98
2 x Side Emitting "Headlight" LED Strip - Neutral White, 1 Foot = $29.98
------------------------------------------------------
Subtotal: $33.96
United States Postal Service (First-Class Mail): $4.20
CA Tax 9.25: $3.14
Total: $41.30
Some other tips:
*removing the black plastic lower grills was the hardest part of the job; however, you can use a butter knife and carefully disengage the 8 clips from the front- this works best on the outer clips that can't be reached from behind the bumper.
* The LED strips have some 3M double stick tape that seems to work very well. I attached the strips the the large middle rib and there is plenty of material for the strip to fasten too.
* You can wire these strips in sequence like a strand of xmas lights. You'll want to start at the Passenger side lower grill and work toward the driver's side. You can snip the extra wire end on the passenger led strip.
* These oznium lights are plug-n-play and easy to install. You'll want one extension cable between the LEDs light strips and then you can use the other to go from the driver strip up into the engine compartment. From there, you need about 2' of wire to tap into the underhood fuse box.
* Like zsamer, I glued the wires on the lower grill before snapping the grills into place. There are two bulkhead supports behind the bumper that you can wrap the extra wire around for a clean install behind the bumper.
I'll attach some photos that I took in middle of the day. The LEDs are brighter than they look in the photos. The sun is shining in the direction of the strips. The strips will be much brighter at night and other times of the day and look good with the black backdrop.
The parts:
Where I tapped in for power:
Final underhood install:
Front view lights off:
Front view closeup:
Front view lights on:
Front view lights on (closeup):
10-31-2009, 03:38 PM
#39
Racer
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@lacostaracer
that is super tight, i am looking to do something like that
do you have any nighttime shots of it? also, i am a complete noob at car modding, so far all i have are tinted headlights, i have 0 knowledge of the front part of the car or any electrical stuff.
how hard do you think it would be for me to do this?
that is super tight, i am looking to do something like that
do you have any nighttime shots of it? also, i am a complete noob at car modding, so far all i have are tinted headlights, i have 0 knowledge of the front part of the car or any electrical stuff.
how hard do you think it would be for me to do this?
10-31-2009, 04:06 PM
#40
Drifting
^ I just installed them today so I'll take some night shots later on. The lights are pretty bright so they will be very noticeable at night.
The install is not that hard and a noob can do it. It took me about 2 hours to complete the job and the hardest part was removing those grills. Use the butter knife from the front to make things a little easier. I'll post night shots when I can. You'll need some wire strippers, a 10mm socket, screw drivers (straight for popping out plastic fasteners), and the add-a-circuit that you can get from a car parts store. This mod was a lot easier than replacing the license plate lights with LEDs.
The install is not that hard and a noob can do it. It took me about 2 hours to complete the job and the hardest part was removing those grills. Use the butter knife from the front to make things a little easier. I'll post night shots when I can. You'll need some wire strippers, a 10mm socket, screw drivers (straight for popping out plastic fasteners), and the add-a-circuit that you can get from a car parts store. This mod was a lot easier than replacing the license plate lights with LEDs.