Changed to LED Lights for Interior and Rear License

[chance72]

Just finished changing all of the stock bulbs to LED. I got all the LED bulbs from ebay (different sellers). I think I ended up spending about $25 or so for the whole car.

The map, dome, and tailgate light use the same bulb. The courtesy door and license plate use the same bulb. The vanity uses its own bulb.

License stock and LED comparison:

License all LED:

Courtesy door stock:

Courtesy door LED:

Map stock and LED comparison:

Map all LED (but two different bulbs, left is whiter, right is bluer):

Vanity stock and LED comparison:

Dome stock and LED comparison (blurry):

Dome all LED:

Whole car including the tail gate light. As you can see, the courtesy door and map lights are bluer if you compare it to the dome lights. I like the bluish look because it makes it look more "high tech", but it's kinda hard on the eyes when you're trying to read something. So I switched the map lights.

I switched out to the whiter map LEDs (same as the dome lights):

The whiter dome lights match better with the vanity lights:

Map and dome lights match now. But the courtesy door light is still bluer. I may look for a whiter one later.

 

[Bob2525]

I had done the same to mine. Made a huge difference. Got them at superbrightleds.com Good web site for automotive matching.

 

[chance72]

I had done the same to mine. Made a huge difference. Got them at superbrightleds.com Good web site for automotive matching.

That's odd. I did a whole bunch of searching and don't remember ever looking at that site. That is a pretty neat site.

 

[chance72]

BTW, here are the bulbs I picked up, compared to the stock bulbs.

License. This one is a bit long so it barely fits with the cover on. Can also be used in the doors.

Courtesy Door. This one is a short bulb. I wanted to try a different bulb. The cavity in the door is pretty deep, so the above bulb would fit easily.

Map/Dome/Tailgate. One thing to note. This bulb fits nicely in the map and tailgate. For the domes, I did have to bend the tension tab a bit to get these to fit.

Vanity

I'm probably also going to change the reverse light bulbs to LED.

 

[sts7049]

those look good. maybe it's just the picture, but they seem awful bright. how much brighter are they in real life?

 

[metsfan999]

Nice. This is my first post on this forum. I'm coming from a 2008 Subaru Legacy which was real fun to mod and drive. Had a 3rd kid and it was time to "upgrade." I did this on my Subie but it was easy to match the bulbs through Sylvania's website. For the CX-9, not so much. Anyway you can post the exact bulb numbers for interior and exterior not including headlights obviously. Thanks! Much appreciated!

 

[Bob2525]

those look good. maybe it's just the picture, but they seem awful bright. how much brighter are they in real life?

THe LEDs make a significant improvment at night. They are quite a bit brighter, but in my opinion, not too bright. THey are perfect!

 

[chance72]

THe LEDs make a significant improvment at night. They are quite a bit brighter, but in my opinion, not too bright. THey are perfect!

I agree with everything Bob said. It's not blinding or anything like that. I think the camera exaggerates it just a bit. If you get a bulb that has the bluish color, it'll look a little less bright compared to a whiter light.

If you're on ebay, you can easily pick up a pair of bulbs to try it out yourself. That's how I did it. You can find a pair for around $5 or so with free shipping. Just pay attention to the picture samples. For the initial map bulbs that I bought, the description said "hyper white" but the picture did show the light being more on the bluer side. I thought it was due to the camera, and it would really end up being more white. But it really did come out bluer when I got the bulbs.

I don't know if all the other sites say where their bulbs are from, but I bought all my bulbs from US ebay sellers, and most of the bulbs did come in packaging that said it was made in china...if that matters to anyone. But all in all, I'm happy with the bulbs I got.

Nice. This is my first post on this forum. I'm coming from a 2008 Subaru Legacy which was real fun to mod and drive. Had a 3rd kid and it was time to "upgrade." I did this on my Subie but it was easy to match the bulbs through Sylvania's website. For the CX-9, not so much. Anyway you can post the exact bulb numbers for interior and exterior not including headlights obviously. Thanks! Much appreciated!

Welcome!

I did use the sylvania site to find the bulb numbers. http://www.sylvania.com/en-us/applications/automotive-lighting-systems/Pages/lrgallbulbs.aspx?year=2013&qual=56&model=631&make=59

Superbrightleds.com is useful as well.

A few of the numbers differ between those two sites, but these numbers will be found in ebay descriptions for the corresponding bulbs:

• Map/Dome/Trunk: 3175 or 3022
• Courtesy Door/License Plate: 2825 or 194
• Vanity: 6614F (both sites don't include the vanity for some reason)
• Reverse: 921

 

[metsfan999]

Welcome!

I did use the sylvania site to find the bulb numbers. http://www.sylvania.com/en-us/applications/automotive-lighting-systems/Pages/lrgallbulbs.aspx?year=2013&qual=56&model=631&make=59

Superbrightleds.com is useful as well.

A few of the numbers differ between those two sites, but these numbers will be found in ebay descriptions for the corresponding bulbs:

• Map/Dome/Trunk: 3175 or 3022
• Courtesy Door/License Plate: 2825 or 194
• Vanity: 6614F (both sites don't include the vanity for some reason)
• Reverse: 921

[/QUOTE]


Thank you very much, Sir!

 

[Rawyzf]

Thanks for this info, just did this on the 9-7x. Might have to do it for the CX9 as well.

I went with Green LED in the Saab .

 

[metsfan999]

This may be a stupid question but how do i access the bulbs in the license plate? I checked manual but prying with a screwdriver seemed like i would break it. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

 

[metsfan999]

no worries. i figured it out. its actually pretty easy.

 

[Fredsta170]

I also just upgraded my interior lights to LED as well as my low beam to 6000k , ride looks great very happy

 

[LeilaniRL]

chance72, did you put the covers back on when you replaced the license plate lights?

 

[Bob2525]

Yes. They make small enough LED bulbs that you can place the covers back on. Looks a lot better with the LEDs...

 

[chance72]

chance72, did you put the covers back on when you replaced the license plate lights?

Bob2525 is correct. The covers will fit back on, and should be put back on to protect your bulb. Though, putting the cover back on is more a pain in the butt than taking it off.

 

[ArkanDan]

I also changed out most interior bulbs/lamps to LEDs in our 2011 CX-9. The dome lamps gave a bit of a problem. The listings all call for 31mm "festoon" lamps. As noted they are a really tight fit and I didn't want to do bending and forcing so I ordered 28mm "festoons" and they slipped right in and are staying put.

 

[100$ GUY]

OP, or someone who has bought leds at ebay, how is the quality?
Since where I used to buy all my high quality expensive leds changed its policy, now I have to look for other sites, so wonder if ebay is the solution wanted.
There seems to be too many options there, it is really boring to browse not really knowing which one to buy.

 

[ArkanDan]

I've gotten my LEDs pretty much exclusively from E-Bay. Have had mostly good luck with cost and quality (that being a personal view) and others may not concur. The prices are all over the spectrum as are the various designs and specs. I've replaced many of our household lamps and lots of automotive lamps. Other than fitment, I watch for the "bright white" light output and lumens number. I prefer the "white" light as opposed to the "soft white" (yellowish) light. Being retired and naturally "frugal" I do shop around and have the time and curiosity that allows me to do that.

 

[100$ GUY]

I've gotten my LEDs pretty much exclusively from E-Bay. Have had mostly good luck with cost and quality (that being a personal view) and others may not concur. The prices are all over the spectrum as are the various designs and specs. I've replaced many of our household lamps and lots of automotive lamps. Other than fitment, I watch for the "bright white" light output and lumens number. I prefer the "white" light as opposed to the "soft white" (yellowish) light. Being retired and naturally "frugal" I do shop around and have the time and curiosity that allows me to do that.

Hello ArkanDan, you got experience indeed. I do prefer the white look too, 5000K. Could you share the links to the leds you bought, if by any chance you got 921, 168 and 7443 red leds.