JetTurbo
geezer
- Location
- South Florida, USA
- Car(s)
- 2018 GTi Autobahn 6M
Background
After about 80k miles - 2-1/2 years, my 42 draft design LED License plate light bulbs failed,
by morphing to low power strobes,
i.e. They started constantly flashing. :eyebulge:
While the 42dd festoon bulbs lasted almost 10 times longer
than the superbrightleds.com bulbs and the Blesk
error canceling bulbs that I tried,
I am looking for a lifetime solution.
Decided to replace the fixtures with LED specific designs.
First I tried to offer Pyspeed the same amount of money the eBay knockoffs were selling for - No go.
The lights
So then I bought a pair of LED fixtures for the practically the same amount Pyspeed refused
from theJumbodepot, an Asian eBay seller with a similar product. (actually $34.90 shipped)
theJumbodepot ships via standard mail from Hong Kong – very slow, allow five-six weeks :yikes:
Taking into consideration the time zone differences, theJumbodepot’s email communication was exceptional.
Every email inquiry I made of them always received an automatic reply as soon as I sent it,
followed by a personal, lucid reply, always within one business day.
These are the only markings on the packaging on the LED fixtures from theJumboDepot.
This is what came in the LED fixture kit from theJumboDepot.
No instructions included.
I am guessing the extra two pieces that connect to the harness
are paralleled extra load to satisfy lamp out sensor.
I ignored the extra pieces and installed just the fixtures.
The original fixtures were caked with grit when I removed them.
oe license light fixture, removed, backside view
same oe fixture after cleaning
I was concerned about the exposed connections in the harness supplied with the LED fixtures.
So I grabbed some silicone adhesive and sealed up the harnesses for the new lights.
Cut off the harness part I did not need while I was at it.
Be sure to test polarity in the car before sealing this connection
They do work fine.
They are plug and play. The fixtures are sensitive to polarity, they only work one way,
but the supplied harness’s connecter to the fixture is not polarized,
so you can reverse it there if need be.
Test them before locking them into the bumper.
No bulb out warnings, they light up and stay lit as expected.
I did some testing, both fixtures are needed to satisfy the circuit sensor.
Unplug one fixture and the remaining light is not enough draw,
so the circuit will fault and go dead.
They are Very, very bright. Too bright for my taste.
So I decided to dim them down. Thought about tint spray.
Decided to try Lamin-X protective film to reduce the output - easier to remove if it did not work out.
Bought a 4” x 8” uncut/bulk film in Charcoal (30%)
My film order from LaminX arrived in two working days via USPS!
Cut with scissors, follow instructions on package to apply.
When I was installing and testing them I grabbed a couple of comparison pictures,
one regular fixture on the left, one with tint film added on the right.
This was shot before installing them in the bumper with the lights dangling from the harness
Comparison one regular and one tinted installed
note the difference in the light levels at the body colored indents at the sides of the plate
Comparison one regular and one tinted installed
Now let’s see how long these last. I am pleased with the result so far.
Here are both fixtures with a single layer of charcoal (30%) tint film.
Finished – two the JumboDepot LED license lights, both with Lamin-X charcoal (30%) tint film
Been running them about a month now - so far so good. :wink:
After about 80k miles - 2-1/2 years, my 42 draft design LED License plate light bulbs failed,
by morphing to low power strobes,
i.e. They started constantly flashing. :eyebulge:
While the 42dd festoon bulbs lasted almost 10 times longer
than the superbrightleds.com bulbs and the Blesk
error canceling bulbs that I tried,
I am looking for a lifetime solution.
Decided to replace the fixtures with LED specific designs.
First I tried to offer Pyspeed the same amount of money the eBay knockoffs were selling for - No go.
On 9/10/10 1:27 PM said:
The lights
So then I bought a pair of LED fixtures for the practically the same amount Pyspeed refused
from theJumbodepot, an Asian eBay seller with a similar product. (actually $34.90 shipped)
theJumbodepot ships via standard mail from Hong Kong – very slow, allow five-six weeks :yikes:
Taking into consideration the time zone differences, theJumbodepot’s email communication was exceptional.
Every email inquiry I made of them always received an automatic reply as soon as I sent it,
followed by a personal, lucid reply, always within one business day.
These are the only markings on the packaging on the LED fixtures from theJumboDepot.
This is what came in the LED fixture kit from theJumboDepot.
No instructions included.
I am guessing the extra two pieces that connect to the harness
are paralleled extra load to satisfy lamp out sensor.
I ignored the extra pieces and installed just the fixtures.
The original fixtures were caked with grit when I removed them.
oe license light fixture, removed, backside view
same oe fixture after cleaning
I was concerned about the exposed connections in the harness supplied with the LED fixtures.
So I grabbed some silicone adhesive and sealed up the harnesses for the new lights.
Cut off the harness part I did not need while I was at it.
Be sure to test polarity in the car before sealing this connection
They do work fine.
They are plug and play. The fixtures are sensitive to polarity, they only work one way,
but the supplied harness’s connecter to the fixture is not polarized,
so you can reverse it there if need be.
Test them before locking them into the bumper.
No bulb out warnings, they light up and stay lit as expected.
I did some testing, both fixtures are needed to satisfy the circuit sensor.
Unplug one fixture and the remaining light is not enough draw,
so the circuit will fault and go dead.
They are Very, very bright. Too bright for my taste.
So I decided to dim them down. Thought about tint spray.
Decided to try Lamin-X protective film to reduce the output - easier to remove if it did not work out.
Bought a 4” x 8” uncut/bulk film in Charcoal (30%)
My film order from LaminX arrived in two working days via USPS!
Cut with scissors, follow instructions on package to apply.
When I was installing and testing them I grabbed a couple of comparison pictures,
one regular fixture on the left, one with tint film added on the right.
This was shot before installing them in the bumper with the lights dangling from the harness
Comparison one regular and one tinted installed
note the difference in the light levels at the body colored indents at the sides of the plate
Comparison one regular and one tinted installed
Now let’s see how long these last. I am pleased with the result so far.
Here are both fixtures with a single layer of charcoal (30%) tint film.
Finished – two the JumboDepot LED license lights, both with Lamin-X charcoal (30%) tint film
Been running them about a month now - so far so good. :wink:
