[Fsilver]

Hi,

I recently got a 2012 premium (I think it’s known as GD?) and would like to swap the factory yellow T-10 (5W) wedges/position lights with white LEDs that match the factory HID low beams, which I believe are 6000k. A salesman told me that if swap them with a t-10 LED it would cause the car to malfunction and that I would need to install a resistor before doing that. Is this accurate info? Even if the LEDs have the same voltage and wattage, I cannot install it or I might damage the electrical circuit?
Has anyone tried installing LED T-10’s on a 2012 before?
Thanks in advance for all help,
Fernando

[CraigB]

Welcome Fsilver

No resistors are necessary for the park lights, they can easily be swapped out for a set of T10 LED bulbs 

[Fsilver]

Thanks for your reply! Would you please know of any advertised on ebay that would work? All the ones I found have less 5w of power consumption so I am not sure if they will work... thanks!

[CraigB]

They don't have to be 5W, a 5W LED would be super bright.

I use Philips W5W in my own PHILIPS T10 W5W LED Car Wedge Tail Side Parking Light Globe 12V - AU STOCK | eBay

Supercheap also sell some cheaper brands Enduralight Interior Globe T-10 Wedge LED White | Supercheap Auto

[The Gonz]

From one Fernando to another, any mention of LEDs requiring load resistors has to do with turn indicator lamps. If using a standard flasher unit, a certain amount of current must drive the oscillations. Not enough current draw from your indicator lamp will cause the flashing to race.

I changed all my exterior and interior lamps to LED (except high and low beams) and also changed the flasher unit to an electronic type that doesn't care about the reduced current draw, so I was able to install all LEDs without load resistors. This results in true low current consumption and cooler operation.

[Fsilver]

Thanks for your reply! I think I might get the cheap ones from supercheapauto (which is where the bloke told me they wouldn’t work and end up selling me a Narva “Ultra blue” for the same price as your Philips and the only blue thing apart from the bulb color when off is their name as they are yellow).

Fernando, you mentioned that you changed your interior ones as well, right? Do you remember which size the festoons are? Are they all 31mm? I have swapped the dome with some cheap chinese ones and ended up blowing the fuse so I want to get some for the dome that are bright but won’t blow another one.

Thanks very much guys, you’re awesome!

[CraigB]

Festoons are 31mm in the GD, I've gone through several types before finding ones that would last and the JDM brand have been faultless 2X iJDM 2018 12V 31MM FESTOON LED CAR UTE INTERIOR DOME MAP LIGHT BULB GLOBE BMW | eBay

LED's using 5050 and 7020 chips have been notoriously unreliable in my tests, 3030 and the preferred "2835" chips are much better and use 1/4 of the power that a 5050 chip draws while also being able to produce twice the lumens.

[BrendonL]

I use these in my PD ( also available in 31mm ) and it is really bright and lasting well so far.
FESTOON - 28MM EXTREME OUTPUT– iilumo

[The Gonz]

Fernando, you mentioned that you changed your interior ones as well, right? Do you remember which size the festoons are? Are they all 31mm? I have swapped the dome with some cheap chinese ones and ended up blowing the fuse so I want to get some for the dome that are bright but won’t blow another one.

I have a vague recollection that they're mostly 31mm but a few might have been 38. In any case, where space permitted, I used panel LEDs wired in using a spring loaded festoon adapter, so the size wasn't a concern. Most of these I already had for a long time having bought them in a $ shop in KL on one of my conference speaker gigs. 

1X T10 48SMD COB White Panel LED Car Interior Panel Light 12V 4W Dome Lamp Bulb | eBay

[CraigB]

I have a vague recollection that they're mostly 31mm but a few might have been 38.

It's a GD Gonz, all festoons should be 31mm, they were in mine anyway except the glovebox which was a T10.

[The Gonz]

I have a vague recollection that they're mostly 31mm but a few might have been 38.

It's a GD Gonz, all festoons should be 31mm, they were in mine anyway except the glovebox which was a T10.

Ah, yes, lost that detail along the way, thanks.

[Fsilver]

Hi guys, just thought about giving you some updates on this.

All interior festoon lights are actually 28mm. I bought a few from iilumo.com (28mm festoon extreme output) and got happy with the result, although I would prefer the high output instead of the extreme ones for the map lights but when I put in two high outputs ones and wait for them to dim and turn off automatically they keep slightly on so I am not sure if that is a circuit issue from my car or if the LEDs are faulty (the high and extreme ones have different shapes as well so my guess is that my car doesn’t like the high ones).

I have also put the white LED T10’s from iilumo in the parking light position (wedges) to match the factory HID xenon’s and although the result is visually beautiful, I think the output (130 lumens) is a bit too much and might affect drivers in the opposite direction so, being afraid of getting a fine I ordered some philips led ultinon which are 50 lumens and I hope they are not as strong as the iilumo ones because I hate the idea of having to go back to the halogens as it looks absolutely ugly to have yellow wedges and white’ish xenon low beams.

I will update you once I get the philips’ and can even post pictures if a good soul teach me how to do it here.

Cheers

[CraigB]

Interesting that the festoons were all 28mm, maybe mine being Euro built is why they were all 31mm maybe we get whatever is laying around the factory at the time

The Philips park lights you're getting should be the same colour as mine I'd expect




To add pictures use the "Click here to add an image to this post" link below the text/post box.

[BrendonL]

Hi guys, just thought about giving you some updates on this.

All interior festoon lights are actually 28mm. I bought a few from iilumo.com (28mm festoon extreme output) and got happy with the result, although I would prefer the high output instead of the extreme ones for the map lights but when I put in two high outputs ones and wait for them to dim and turn off automatically they keep slightly on so I am not sure if that is a circuit issue from my car or if the LEDs are faulty (the high and extreme ones have different shapes as well so my guess is that my car doesn’t like the high ones).

I have also put the white LED T10’s from iilumo in the parking light position (wedges) to match the factory HID xenon’s and although the result is visually beautiful, I think the output (130 lumens) is a bit too much and might affect drivers in the opposite direction so, being afraid of getting a fine I ordered some philips led ultinon which are 50 lumens and I hope they are not as strong as the iilumo ones because I hate the idea of having to go back to the halogens as it looks absolutely ugly to have yellow wedges and white’ish xenon low beams.

I will update you once I get the philips’ and can even post pictures if a good soul teach me how to do it here.

Cheers

I use the high out put t10s in my map lights and haven’t notice them stay on slightly after dimming. I use the extreme out put t10s in my plate lights and noticed they are probly a little too bright but not directly facing traffic so haven’t bothered changing them.

[Fsilver]

Hi all,

Just back with an update on this one…

After trying the iilumo T10 white (130 lumens) and finding it too bright, I have bought these ones which are advertised as 150 lumens although I think that due to their design, look less bright. I have taken the attached pictures showing the result which I am still not 100% satisfied with as seeing the pictures it seems that they should be a little more white to match the OEM xenon (which I have no idea how many kelvin the temp is).

I have purchased a few different ones and will update you with pics as soon as they arrive (including internal lights).

Before I forget, anyone who might be thinking if canbus t10’s work on 2012 i30s, they do with no mod needed.

Thanks!

[CraigB]

Quite blue those park lights, more like 6500 k to 7000 k.

Should have bought the Philips bulbs I linked earlier which are 6000 k

[Fsilver]

To be honest, I bought those philips ultinon and ended up putting them on my licence plate as I didn’t like them much as parking lights (I prefer the ones that have no cover on the LED square). I am now waiting for some other from iilumo but if they are not right I think I might need to go with the Philips ultinon anyway.

To be updated…

Thanks for your help.

[CraigB]

The Philips one's have the cover to prevent them from being to bright and it makes them look more like a normal bulb without having the LED chip visible.