View Full Version : LED Light Bulbs - Exterior
Has anyone managed to find LED replacement bulbs (eg signal, brake...) that will actually fit AND work well in our funky bulb sockets?
Most standard ones are too short and won't fit.
Kai@e34.de
07-07-2005, 07:43 PM
forget about it. these LED bulbs are either too dark or illuminate insufficient.
Mobius
07-07-2005, 08:39 PM
forget about it. these LED bulbs are either too dark or illuminate insufficient.Not true. Good LED bulbs are quite bright - I wouldn't use them to replace the brake light, but they're more than bright enough for parking and turn.
Unfortunately, the issue is (as I've recently discovered) the sockets on the rear light clusters (with the exception of the brake light) are wired with the incorrect polarity. That is, the body of the bulb base is wired (+) and the contact at the bottom of the bulb is wired (-). LED bulbs require correct polarity as LEDs are, after all, diodes.
You'll have to do some hacking of the wiring on the taillights to fix this. Really odd move on BMW's (Hella's, I suppose) part.
www.superbrightleds.com has everything you need.
genphreak
07-07-2005, 08:40 PM
whether anyone will bother with the e34 though... who knows... I'm waiting for a set at the back- I have clears and I don't like the indicator light much when it flashes, plus they are made like crap- one of the studs broke on mine (with literally no pressure on it) and the seals are crap. Sure am glad I kept the originals! :) GP
genphreak
07-07-2005, 08:50 PM
Not true. www.superbrightleds.com has everything you need.Nice one Mobius, I bet a lot of people will be into these... do I hear a group buy coming.... ? Perhaps we could get 100+ qty pricing!
Not true. Good LED bulbs are quite bright - I wouldn't use them to replace the brake light, but they're more than bright enough for parking and turn.
Unfortunately, the issue is (as I've recently discovered) the sockets on the rear light clusters (with the exception of the brake light) are wired with the incorrect polarity. That is, the body of the bulb base is wired (+) and the contact at the bottom of the bulb is wired (-). LED bulbs require correct polarity as LEDs are, after all, diodes.
You'll have to do some hacking of the wiring on the taillights to fix this. Really odd move on BMW's (Hella's, I suppose) part.
www.superbrightleds.com has everything you need.
REVERSE POLARITY! That's why. I didn't bother checking the polarity :)
Kai@e34.de
07-07-2005, 09:54 PM
Not true. Good LED bulbs are quite bright - I wouldn't use them to replace the brake light, but they're more than bright enough for parking and turn.
http://www.superbrightleds.com/products/other/1142_KnockOut.jpg
see the problem? they illuminate straight forward, not back and not sideways to the reflector. all you will see from outside is a small bright spot in the middle of the lamp. but try it out, u'll see.
not to mention all the warning you wiill get on the dash. Check control will think all the lights are out.
Actually, there is no worry about the hotspot. See? Not your standard LED lamp. Strangely enough, I have pulled brake and signal lamps out and the CCM is none the wiser. Of course if you burn out your license plate light, it yells :|
"The unique design of our 24 LED bulbs feature 18 LEDs aiming out the end plus 6 radially mounted LEDs aiming out the sides. This produces a more complete and even lens fill than conventional LED bulbs"
http://www.superbrightleds.com/products/car/1157_r24_rotated.jpghttp://www.superbrightleds.com/products/car/1157-r24-on-noframe.jpghttp://www.superbrightleds.com/products/car/1157_R24_Diag3.gif
That's weird, I have tried those LED lights and the CCM shows lights out, maybe just my car.
Marshy
07-08-2005, 01:01 PM
Now that's an intelligently designed LED bulb. Had I not seen that I'd have trotted out the line about them being a point source of light in a cluster designed to reflect light form the side & back of an ordinary bulb.
So... interesting, interesting...
infinity5
07-08-2005, 01:07 PM
sometimes when i leave my lights on the dash will instantly tell "lights on?", other times it willt ake 3-4 full seconds for the message to come on.. its every odd.
uscharalph
07-08-2005, 01:56 PM
I'm perfectly happy with the stock bulbs.
Jon K
07-08-2005, 04:56 PM
sometimes when i leave my lights on the dash will instantly tell "lights on?", other times it willt ake 3-4 full seconds for the message to come on.. its every odd.
Sometimes I will get LOW BEAM (HID) and F/Fog Light (HID) sometimes i wont. On or off. I have a theory for this... i took the ccm apart and its all resistors... resistors lose Q over both time and in heat. Thus, the ccm trips as the resistors become less or more resistant and or the car is hotter / weather is hotter.
Kai@e34.de
07-08-2005, 05:04 PM
Sometimes I will get LOW BEAM (HID) and F/Fog Light (HID) sometimes i wont. On or off. I have a theory for this... i took the ccm apart and its all resistors... resistors lose Q over both time and in heat. Thus, the ccm trips as the resistors become less or more resistant and or the car is hotter / weather is hotter.
sure, because the resistance of a H1 55 watts bulb is not the same as the one from the ballast box, so the ccm think they're out. try to find a LKM-L from the manufacturer Loewe, not Hella! should solve the problem.
Jon K
07-08-2005, 05:12 PM
sure, because the resistance of a H1 55 watts bulb is not the same as the one from the ballast box, so the ccm think they're out. try to find a LKM-L from the manufacturer Loewe, not Hella! should solve the problem.
No. I am saying. with my light switch off, sometimes i get the LOW BEAM fault, sometimes not. the CCM doesn't check until you turn them on. Also, with my old CCM i'd get BRAKE LT CIRCUIT, even after replacing the brake light switch.
infinity5
07-08-2005, 11:16 PM
Interesting jon, that makes sense
Kai@e34.de
07-08-2005, 11:47 PM
No. I am saying. with my light switch off, sometimes i get the LOW BEAM fault, sometimes not. the CCM doesn't check until you turn them on. Also, with my old CCM i'd get BRAKE LT CIRCUIT, even after replacing the brake light switch.
wrong, at least the LKM-L checks _all_ lights already when they're switched off. definately. although, how i said, try to get an LKM-L from Loewe (mostly used in newer E32). at least in the ECE models, this LKM-L gives no error message with HID installed on the low beam. also, the LKM checks the lights. not the CCM.
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