So weird thing happened. One of the lights for my license plate wasn't working, so I thought it was burnt. The previous owner had put some pretty cheap LEDs in there. I had a few LED bulbs left over from changing all the interior bulbs, so after removing the connectors (which was a bit of a pain), I plug the new LEDs in. Tried them before hooking the connectors back up, and they were working. Clip them back in, and they're not working. I unclip them and try them again after checking they are well plugged in and test if they work before clipping them back, and only one is working. Clipped them back in and none work again.

I couldn't get them to work for the life of me. So after a while of trying, I put some halogen bulbs in there and they work fine now. Anyone know why I would get this problem? I had changed the license light in my previous car (Acura RSX) and never got a problem like this.

 

This is what I always do:
Turn on your parking light while they're out of the lens and dangling by the electrical connectors, and ensure they're working.
Then while they're on, clip them back into the lens. Also gives you some light while working.

See at what point it stops working at and work from there.

 

the metal tips on the LED's might not be making contact with the plug if there is too much pressure on it once you put the lens back into place.

 

^^i agree
i had major issues with LED's for my license plates too. I tried a few different brands(some highly recommended on this forum). Constantly work/not work/flicker/etc. It drove me nuts...esp knowing how much of a pain it is to change them.

I was in the same boat as you saying "screw this", and putting halogens back in.
Every time i put the halogens back in, they fit nice and snug, and i wouldn't get any issues/flicker at all....

UNTIL i tried one more LED that someone on this forum told me to try.
I'm using the Sylvania white LED bulbs that can be bought at any autozone. They are about $10 a piece if i remember correctly, but worth every penny. They fit nice and SNUG like the old halogens. Had them for over a year now, with zero issues. Best thing is they are super bright! They light up the entire bumper and ground, along with the plate. Couldn't be happier. I'll never buy a different LED...

 

This is basically what I have:



They're supposed to be error free, but they are chinese-made. Guess I could spend a few bucks on the Sylvania ones. But I'll check first what guitarplayer16 said, to see where exactly the problem arises.

 

"CAN BUS" and "Error-free" bulbs are meant for German cars that have 'sophisticated' systems in detecting electrical anomalies in cars. Our TL's don't have such systems.


You basically hit the nail on the head.. you bought crappy Chinese bulbs and they're not working properly. I'm not shocked to be honest


I run these: https://www.theretrofitsource.com/le...placement.html

but I see TRS is also stocking these:
https://www.theretrofitsource.com/le...led-bulbs.html

and https://www.theretrofitsource.com/le...lbs-51204.html

so take your pick

 

Thanks for the input. Not really shocked either, I've tried many chinese-made LEDs and had to replace some occasionally. Weird thing is I'm also using these inside the car, and they all work fine. Well, a mix of these and other flatter ones. Only problem was the license plate...

I'll check this over the weekend and get back to you guys. I don't have a garage to work in and it gets dark fast now.

 

Remember the lic plate ones go through rougher service as they can come lose due to opening and shutting the trunk. Also bigger temperature swings, etc. I would say the trunk is the biggest issue for these.

 

Pic for reference...

 

Wow, that is bright!

 

^^^Sylvanias FTW!
For a stock/OEM replacement. Can't be beat ...

 

Ok so I think I may have found one, if not the reason, why the LEDs I have don't work so well. After putting the parking lights on, I wiggled the bulb a bit and depending on the position, it will be on or off. So either the lead part of the bulb is slightly too thin or the connectors of the license lights have a slightly bigger opening. Either way, they don't snap in perfectly.

I wanted to try the other bulbs I used inside the car which are flatter, but the shape didn't fit these connectors (a bit too wide). I'll try some other ones I have, but I may have to buy the Sylvania ones.

 

Save yourself the aggravation already
Just get the Sylvania from autozone
If you don't like them, just return them!

But they'll fit nice and snug. Trust me.
Been through all the crap you've explained...

 

agree, you need new bulbs!

 

It happens all the time with cheap bulbs. I have some for my plate lights and they used to go on/off all the time until I tweaked the connect part a bit. Same for the reverse light, happens often, but those lights get shook quite often with the opening and closing of the trunk.

 

Are they really a pAIN? I just gave the LEDs to my honda dealer when I was getting some oil and ATF done and they charged me a whopping 6 dollars lol And I haven't had any issues with random EBAY bulbs for a year.

 

I paid $20 for a good pair of bulb and not worry about it goes flickering or goes out. I am sick and tired of cheap Ebay bulb.

 

At first it is...
But after a few time of swapping crappy bulbs, you get the hang of it

 

$6 is expensive considering it takes me a whole 10 minutes at best as 96SC4 pointed out. It's only "complicated" the first time around. I don't even know why people bother going through the outside for these haha

 

So I don't know where to find some Sylvania bulbs. No Autozone in Canada. Would Philips work? I can get some of those. Only way to get some Sylvania would be to order online through eBay for example, but the shipping costs are ridiculous! Or drive a few hours to cross the border...

 

Canadian Tire, NAPA, Carquest, whatever tuner car shop you have around you.

 

They didn't have any at Canadian Tire, only Phillips. I'll try to check elsewhere.

 

Update on this subject even though it's been a while, thought some might want to know this.

So I found another option other than the Sylvania bulbs which ended up costing less. Got myself some of these:


They're a direct replacement for the bulb assemblies of the license lights. Works for other Honda/Acura cars as well. And let me tell you, they are incredibly bright! Here's a shot I took last night.

 

 

For those looking for the brightest of the brightest:
https://acurazine.com/forums/third-g...bright-898094/

https://acurazine.com/forums/third-g...ighter-909696/