Originally Posted by
DeLorean03
Hey guys (:
To Jawn: Honestly, they are kinda "lost in the white light." I'll admit - the indicator lights are totally visible, but they don't "stand out" as much as they used to. The amount of light these things give up is just insane. It really is almost "too much." I know thee pictures don't really show it, but man, I am sure glad I went this route.
To Farrar: You're welcome, sir. I know a decent number of owners have gone the 6 cluster LED route, which I will admit, works well. I just wanted to see what these SMD lights were capable of, and they don't disappoint. Well worth it - especially being about the same price as the 6 cluster LEDs.
As stated earlier, these lights do have a certain polarity, which could make installation of these a real chore. To solve that problem, here's what I did:
I took the red door light lens out and removed the LED installed in there. While these lights will not fit the door light socket, the bulb wire terminals will touch the contact points, allowing the SMD light to at least come on. Once it came on, I removed the bulb and put a "+" on the bulb body. The bulb body, when put in contact with the bulb socket in the door faced two directions - the ground and the sky. I put a "+" on the side of the bulb facing the sky. I did this with all 5 of the SMD lights.
Ok, go through the process of removing the binnacle. Set the binnacle on a flat surface with the bulb sockets facing you. Do it in such a manner that the door ajar light is still on your left, even though you're facing the inside of the binnacle with the paper-thin circuit board facing you. So basically you're viewing your binnacle with the lights in their normal orientation, but you're facing the lights from behind instead of from the front like you would normally be doing if the binnacle was installed in your car. I know I've rehashed the same thing a couple times, but that step is vital to making installation nearly hassle-free.
Now, here's the crucial step: install the two dash lights CLOSEST to the door ajar light and the trip meter light to where the "+" you put on the bulbs is FACING you (pointing up to the sky, facing you, however you want to say it). The remaining two dash lights: install with the "+" facing away from you (or facing the surface the binnacle is resting on as you do the installation). Hook up BOTH ribbon connectors as they are both required for testing all the lights. Press the headlight switch and look into the binnacle - you should hopefully be able to tell that they are all on. If you can't tell, uninstall one at a time while the headlight switch is engaged, and hopefully you can see the light get brighter or darker. If you can tell they are all on, put your car back together and enjoy!
I know it's not the most "fool proof" method, but it worked for me, and hopefully it'll be the same for you too. This is how I did it with the lights I ordered, and it worked. If something was not clear, please say something, and I'll try to clarify. Take care everyone!