My plug and play LED light upgrade

russap5 · Feb 10, 2009

First, thanks to whattheheck for being a pioneer in this area.
Second, before ordering any bulbs please remove your current ones and measure them! Many E39 have different size bulbs for no apparent reason..
Third, measuring allowed me to get bulbs that are ALL plug and play. No soldering or cutting away plastic. No alterations.

Now I realize people have soldered and cut away in order to fit 2 bulbs for the brightness, but I contacted autolumination/superlumination (same place) and got the brightest bulbs I could in the correct sizes I needed. I find that every light is plenty bright, except for the lower one in the trunk, which for me was a spade type 194. This one I may mess with to replace with a bigger bulb.

Here is what I needed, and most likely what you will need:

All bulbs are $9.99 and if you use superlumination.com, orders over $100 get 10% off with coupon code "10percent" :M5thumbs:

<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 12"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 12"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CDrew%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><link rel="themeData" href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CDrew%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_themedata.thmx"><link rel="colorSchemeMapping" href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CDrew%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_colorschememapping.xml"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w

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ontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><style>  </style> (2) trunk (44mm and 194 type spade)<o

></o

>
White/type 194/T10 Wedge/ "SMT Tower II" 9 LEDs<o

></o

>
White/44mm/ "9 SMT LED Festoon"<o

></o

>
<o

> </o

>
(2) c-pillar (44mm)<o

></o

>
White/44mm/ "9 SMT LED Festoon"<o

></o

>
<o

> </o

>
(1) visor (44mm)<o

></o

>
White/44mm/ "12 SMT LED 360 High Flux"<o

></o

>
<o

> </o

>
(4) footwells (39mm)<o

></o

>
Blue/39mm/ "9 SMT LED Festoon"
-- I found these TOO blue for my liking. See pics below.
<o

></o

>
<o

> </o

>
(1) glovebox (39mm)<o

></o

>
White/39mm/ "9 SMT LED Festoon"<o

></o

>
<o

> </o

>
(4) map lights (ba9s)<o

></o

>
White/type BA9S/ "5 SMT LED ba9s"<o

></o

>
<o

> </o

>
(2) Tailights (39mm) special chip<o

></o

>
White/ "3 Chip SMT LED" w/ warning cancellation
--- I did not change these, but this is what you would need if you want to do yours.

SMT LED 360 High Flux - the 44mm will actually come with 12 LEDS unlike the one shown

9 SMT LED Festoon - used in the majority of the car

Type 194 spade bulb for my trunk (some will only need 44mm festoon, check yours before ordering)

Type BA9S for map lights. This is the biggest that will fit.

Sorry for the crappy pics, i'll get a dslr one of these days.

Thanks for looking! Easy easy mod. Just swap bulbs! :cheers:

mmzcee · Mar 7, 2009

No errors?

Are you running license plate LEDs as well?

looks great.

russap5 · Feb 10, 2009

No errors at all. I don't think the interior lights can cause errors. I didn't do the license plate lights as I said before. I don't see the need to illuminate my plate any more than it is..

mrjoe60 · Sep 9, 2008

how did you do the map lights? not the middle map/dome light but the little ones on each side?

Hdhntr23 · Feb 5, 2009

mrjoe60 said:
how did you do the map lights? not the middle map/dome light but the little ones on each side?

+1

mrjoe60 · Sep 9, 2008

guess there called reading lights....anything plug in play? i want them red..

timmay77 · Feb 22, 2008

Very nice. Superlumination is a great company to work with. I used their LED's throughout my whole car including the license plate bulbs which do not through codes.....

Great work!!

Kevin The Clean 1 · Mar 11, 2010

russap5,

This is a nice small project that I still need to complete/try out on mine someday. Thanks for providing some pictures...

russap5 · Feb 10, 2009

Man it took a long time for people to look at this thread.. Thanks for the kind words!

The map lights are just plug and play like the other bulbs. As in my first post, this is the bulb to use:

Type BA9S for map lights. This is the biggest that will fit.

HmmmM5 · May 6, 2010

russap5 said:
First, thanks to whattheheck for being a pioneer in this area.
Second, before ordering any bulbs please remove your current ones and measure them! Many E39 have different size bulbs for no apparent reason..
Third, measuring allowed me to get bulbs that are ALL plug and play. No soldering or cutting away plastic. No alterations.

Now I realize people have soldered and cut away in order to fit 2 bulbs for the brightness, but I contacted autolumination/superlumination (same place) and got the brightest bulbs I could in the correct sizes I needed. I find that every light is plenty bright, except for the lower one in the trunk, which for me was a spade type 194. This one I may mess with to replace with a bigger bulb.

Here is what I needed, and most likely what you will need:

All bulbs are $9.99 and if you use superlumination.com, orders over $100 get 10% off with coupon code "10percent" :M5thumbs:

<link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CDrew%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><link rel="themeData" href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CDrew%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_themedata.thmx"><link rel="colorSchemeMapping" href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CDrew%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_colorschememapping.xml"><style>  </style> (2) trunk (44mm and 194 type spade)<o></o>
White/type 194/T10 Wedge/ "SMT Tower II" 9 LEDs<o></o>
White/44mm/ "9 SMT LED Festoon"<o></o>
<o> </o>
(2) c-pillar (44mm)<o></o>
White/44mm/ "9 SMT LED Festoon"<o></o>
<o> </o>
(1) visor (44mm)<o></o>
White/44mm/ "12 SMT LED 360 High Flux"<o></o>
<o> </o>
(4) footwells (39mm)<o></o>
Blue/39mm/ "9 SMT LED Festoon"
-- I found these TOO blue for my liking. See pics below.
<o></o>
<o> </o>
(1) glovebox (39mm)<o></o>
White/39mm/ "9 SMT LED Festoon"<o></o>
<o> </o>
(4) map lights (ba9s)<o></o>
White/type BA9S/ "5 SMT LED ba9s"<o></o>
<o> </o>
(2) Tailights (39mm) special chip<o></o>
White/ "3 Chip SMT LED" w/ warning cancellation
--- I did not change these, but this is what you would need if you want to do yours.

SMT LED 360 High Flux - the 44mm will actually come with 12 LEDS unlike the one shown

9 SMT LED Festoon - used in the majority of the car

Type 194 spade bulb for my trunk (some will only need 44mm festoon, check yours before ordering)

Type BA9S for map lights. This is the biggest that will fit.

Thanks for looking! Easy easy mod. Just swap bulbs! :cheers:

Great info. I see that you listed 1 bulb (White/44mm/ "12 SMT LED 360 High Flux"<o

></o

>) for the visor above (for pic 1). What bulb did you use for the 2 round lights underneath the rear view mirror?

Are there 4 lights in the rear (not sure what they are called, but 1 round and 1 trapezoid shape on each side)? I see that you listed 2 bulb for the c-pillar ((2) c-pillar (44mm) White/44mm/ "9 SMT LED Festoon"). Did you replace the bulbs for all 4 or just 2?

russap5 · Feb 10, 2009

HmmmM5 said:
Great info. I see that you listed 1 bulb (White/44mm/ "12 SMT LED 360 High Flux"<o></o>) for the visor above (for pic 1). What bulb did you use for the 2 round lights underneath the rear view mirror?

Are there 4 lights in the rear (not sure what they are called, but 1 round and 1 trapezoid shape on each side)? I see that you listed 2 bulb for the c-pillar ((2) c-pillar (44mm) White/44mm/ "9 SMT LED Festoon"). Did you replace the bulbs for all 4 or just 2?

I believe you are speaking about the "map lights". There are 4 in the car: 2 on either side of the visor light, and two in the rear on the c-pillars. See my post right before yours for the correct bulb for map lights.

(4) map lights (ba9s)<o

></o

>
White/type BA9S/ "5 SMT LED ba9s"<o

></o

>

davidc · Aug 18, 2010

russap - what color are your bulbs? in the pics it looks a bit blue. I was looking to get the whitest I could find. are these bulbs the brightest ones they carry?

thanks

Very nice. Superlumination is a great company to work with. I used their LED's throughout my whole car including the license plate bulbs which do not through codes.....

Great work!!

timmay77 what bulbs did you use for license plate lights that didn't throw a code?

lugnuts · May 6, 2009

I may have to try this one.

russap5 · Feb 10, 2009

davidc said:
russap - what color are your bulbs? in the pics it looks a bit blue. I was looking to get the whitest I could find. are these bulbs the brightest ones they carry?

thanks

These were the brightest bulbs I could do that would fit. Basically, the most LEDs per bulb I could get to fit. They are very very white. My door footwell lights are blue though, because I bought blue bulbs. Everything else is as white as can be.

xr4tic · Aug 24, 2006

davidc said:
timmay77 what bulbs did you use for license plate lights that didn't throw a code?

I'd like to know this as well, one of my Umnitza plate bulbs burned out, and I refuse to pay $30 for another pair.

dhl93449 · Jan 23, 2008

Interior bulbs are pretty easy for LED conversion.

Here are my prototype full LED fogs fitted to my E24 M6. Each lamp has 100 low angle (8-10 degree) LED lamps, arranged to stagger the beam 90-100 degees horizontal, and 8-10 degees vertical. These are old pics, I have just upgraded the lamps to newer 1800 candela white. Total effect is close to 75 W halogen, but with under 5 watts total power.

Quinten · Mar 17, 2010

Just wanted to bump an old thread and thank russap5 for his guide. I replaced all my interior bulbs with their LED version, but oddly enough, the map reading lights on either side of the rear view mirror wouldn't work. The LED bulbs work (I tested them all before fitting), but they just won't come on once fitted. The BA9S isn't directional is it? The same bulbs worked perfectly fine in the rear map reading lights...

Oh, and I tried replacing the sunvisor lights (2x festoon on either side), but they flickered enormously when moving the visor, so I undid those again.

edited to add Seems that not all wiring is created equal and read several reports of Ford/BMW/Mazda owners who have problems with the polarity on map reading lights.

"S62" · Jul 7, 2010

Nice DIY Russap5, im thinking about doing it. I also have my V1 in the same place yours is except for its to the left of the rearview mirror

captain_anonymous_2003 · Apr 5, 2009

Reviving an old thread, I am having the same problem with the map reading lights in the front, the rears work just fine. I imagine it's the polarity thing for me. Is it possible to simply reverse the polarity on the back of the PCB or can pins be swapped in the connector for the map reading lights?

If anyone has any information on this it would be gratefully received.

liquidsmoke · Nov 1, 2010

With LEDs it would usually mean theyre sensitive to polarity. Not like a normal bulb.

My plug and play LED light upgrade

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