So it was relatively warm today, nice and bright, etc. and I decided to give the whole tail light removal thing another go. Once I popped the first one off, it is really quite simple. Below are pictures:
Remove the nuts from these two posts:
Once the nuts have been removed, you should be able to push the lights out by by hand by applying pressure on the side of the light pressing in and toward the back of the car. Warning, they will pop loose with "urgency". Other than the two nuts holding the tail light in place, there's a clip that the back side of the pointy part of the assembly (that points toward the front of the car) slides into.
Here's the back side of the tail light that shows the clip.
Backside of the tail light assembly. The brown plug is the reverse light.
Light removed...I had to shave some of the plastic off of to allow the slightly larger sized bulb to fit.
Crappy shot of the comparison of new light on drivers side, and old light on passenger side...still haven't tried it out as I'm waiting for it to get dark outside. Fingers crossed that it makes a huge difference!
The swap took all of 30 minutes once I figured out what I was doing. Skill required for this job is minimal...just have to be careful not to manhandle things too much and you'll be golden. Hope this helps anyone who is thinking of removing the tail lights in the future.
OK. It's dark now. I tried it out. No big difference. Sonuva...
I really want to get some light behind my car when reversing so I don't run over errant children or small woodland creatures. I may tap into the reverse lights and hide some light strips somewhere...dunno. My Prius lit up the northern hemisphere when in reverse. WTFBBQ.
These are what I put in the reading lamps for the back seat. There are 5 LEDs on the bulb.
and the reverse lights I installed are Stage 2 LEDs (led921_6wW). I couldn't find an image for these on Diode Dynamics site, but the bulbs look really similar to these:
The Following User Says Thank You to Dweezil For This Useful Post:
I bought the Sylvania Silverstar Bright White 921 Bulbs, and it made a difference. When it comes to outdoor brightness they don't tend to do much. However let me say that the 2 LED bulbs that I isntalled on the license plate, really make the car stand out and are white instead of the blue cheap LED bulbs.
BTW *Dweezil* Thanks for the removal of the Tail Lamps, I was the one who posted the how to on the HID installationg back in July when the car first came out, but couldn't figured out how to remove the Tail Lamps. Once again we are all working together towards eliminating having to pay stupid labor costs at the Dealer for things we can all do!
The Following User Says Thank You to 13'Altima For This Useful Post:
I bought the Sylvania Silverstar Bright White 921 Bulbs, and it made a difference. When it comes to outdoor brightness they don't tend to do much. However let me say that the 2 LED bulbs that I isntalled on the license plate, really make the car stand out and are white instead of the blue cheap LED bulbs.
BTW *Dweezil* Thanks for the removal of the Tail Lamps, I was the one who posted the how to on the HID installationg back in July when the car first came out, but couldn't figured out how to remove the Tail Lamps. Once again we are all working together towards eliminating having to pay stupid labor costs at the Dealer for things we can all do!
Hey...your youtube video is what gave me the confidence to do the HID conversion. Thanks...and nice choice in car color BTW...Looks just like mine! I bet if I put brighter license plate bulbs on the car, it'll light up the area behind my car better. Maybe THAT is the solution over actual reverse lights!
McTommy...
I think I'm going to live with the LED reverse lights for now, but I am definitely going to look into the CREE solution. Thanks for the suggestion.
I bought the Sylvania Silverstar Bright White 921 Bulbs, and it made a difference. When it comes to outdoor brightness they don't tend to do much. However let me say that the 2 LED bulbs that I isntalled on the license plate, really make the car stand out and are white instead of the blue cheap LED bulbs.
BTW *Dweezil* Thanks for the removal of the Tail Lamps, I was the one who posted the how to on the HID installationg back in July when the car first came out, but couldn't figured out how to remove the Tail Lamps. Once again we are all working together towards eliminating having to pay stupid labor costs at the Dealer for things we can all do!
How does another "How to" video for the tail lights sound to you?
The Following User Says Thank You to amc14 For This Useful Post:
Looks like altima uses the same backup light as my highlander, if I have time this weekend, I might try to swap them and see how it looks before ordering another set.
Looks like altima uses the same backup light as my highlander, if I have time this weekend, I might try to swap them and see how it looks before ordering another set.
I put in similar LED lights and had similar results. though one of the ones I received didn't work so I had to ship both back and am still waiting for the replacements
I put in similar LED lights and had similar results. though one of the ones I received didn't work so I had to ship both back and am still waiting for the replacements
You DID flip them around and tried plugging them in both ways, right? They only work plugged in one way...at least mine do.
I put in similar LED lights and had similar results. though one of the ones I received didn't work so I had to ship both back and am still waiting for the replacements
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dweezil
You DID flip them around and tried plugging them in both ways, right? They only work plugged in one way...at least mine do.
Also, the contacts at the bottom of some units might arrive a little off, so they may not appear to work even when plugged in the right way, or may work sporadically because the contacts are barely touching and can be jarred loose. This happened with one I was installing for the license plate. It wouldn't turn on either way, or it would stop working when I reconnected it to the trunk lid because it got knocked off the contacts.
I just lightly adjusted the contacts into place with my finger, and it was good to go.
The AutoGuide.com network consists of the largest network of enthusiast-owned enthusiast-operated automotive communities.
AutoGuide.com provides the latest car reviews, auto show coverage, new car prices, and automotive news. The AutoGuide network operates more than 100 automotive forums where our users consult peers for shopping information and advice, and share opinions as a community.
Other than the two nuts holding the tail light in place, there's a clip that the back side of the pointy part of the assembly (that points toward the front of the car) slides into. 
I bet if I put brighter license plate bulbs on the car, it'll light up the area behind my car better. Maybe THAT is the solution over actual reverse lights! 
Linear Mode
