New Led License Plate lights Project

noregret4life · 09-05-2007

Well my Festoon LED bulbs in my license plate lights keep burning out and i am pretty fed up with changing bulbs

So i decided to make a project out of this and build an LED replacement that will last.

Key things to have:
White light,
Bright enough to light up the plate,
Stable for long life,
Fit into the original housing,
Perhaps avoid the use of resistors.

I have found a number of LED options. Some of which are as powerful as 3W from a single LED. I think that this will provide more then enough resistance to bypass the "bulb-out malfunction"

However, any suggestions or ideas are welcome

**etyu** · 09-05-2007

I use a pair of HyperWhite non-LED lamps/bulbs given to me by Scott (available at PepBoys). The lamp/bulb is blue in color and gives out a white light when lit. Color temp may be a tad less than 4000K but is acceptable. It has lasted more than 17 months on the 280 and I'm using it now on the 55.

Price is also reasonable.

noregret4life · 09-05-2007

trip to pepboys tomorrow! Thanks Eddy.

I am just so sick of messing with these LED bulbs. They look great, but are such a pain to keep up. Last few weeks they started strobing. Which was an interesting effect, yet not what i want to be dealing with every 3-4 months.

**etyu** · 09-05-2007

You're quite welcome, Lenny.

**Zeiser50** · 09-06-2007

Lenny,
i've done it few months ago.
Here is the result (oem on the left, led on the right):

Or

And the final result in the dark

I have to check this evening (at home) where i've bought these bulbs:

However, the resistor was needed (to bypass bulb default detection).

This resistor has been installed inside the trunk (you can see it on the left side of the image, gold color)

No problem with the bulb so far ....

**Ynot** · 09-06-2007

You guys are crazy, I'm trying to take out my lights back there completely and you guys are trying to get it as bright as possible.

Baron7700 · 09-06-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ynot

You guys are crazy, I'm trying to take out my lights back there completely and you guys are trying to get it as bright as possible.

agreed. The less people who can see my plate the better! To bad it may be sllllightly illegal, you know.

More power to you guys, I used to do all the installs myself on my other cars, but im nervous pullin panels and stuff off on mine, myself. I guess the difference tween a guy who can get the job done and cant, is confidence (and maybe some talent

)

noregret4life · 09-06-2007

Zeiser50, I've already had the LED setup for almost 2 years now. But the issue is always with the LED bulbs burning out. I have had similar bulbs to what you show in your pictures. After about 2-3 months those bulbs burn out. No matter the setup or car's make/model, everyone on forums complains that these bulbs burn out.

For those of you who are trying to "provide as little light as possible" why not install a dimmer? quick and easy solution to lowering light in the back.

Baron7700 · 09-06-2007

ey, i dont care all that much.

I should really just go down to my DMV which is about 5 mins from my house, and get a black DARE license plate with white lettering. Looks great on black cars. But its 50 bux and im lazy.... sigh.

*I also dont know how i would go about changing my registration which is usually a pain in PA*

quaidorsay · 09-02-2008

Noregret,

Did you get the LED License plate lights to work?

If so how?

Because I bought the LED's but for some reason they won't light up. Originally I bought them to change my previously blown license plate lamps. But all I get is nothing other than the continuous error license plate (left and right) failure/malfunction. Do I have to tell the computer to reset or something so power is sent to the new 12v LED lights? I tried swapping the ends for +/- but no luck other han a little light emitting but not much or nothing at all.

Entirely bizarre.

Please let me know if you have any ideas.

Regards,

Joey

noregret4life · 09-03-2008

If you bought the direct replacement LED bulbs, festoon style, then your SLK's lighting computer will not read them as "present". The load on them is very small, and the computer thinks the bulbs are burned out.

What you need is resistors on each side of the license plate wires. Check in my section Noregret Customs

http://www.slkworld.com/noregret-cus...html#post47213

The tuturial will explain it all. See the PDFs attached in the 1st post.

quaidorsay · 09-04-2008

Thanks Lenny for the reply,

I can get the 5 Watt (27 or 33 ohm resistor) but it will be ceramic/cement based? does that matter?

Another thing is how many resistors do I need in total (2 or 4).

Reading your diagram I believe it is to be 2.

Im not good with electronics so this seems more complex than your tutorial shows it to be. I was wondering if I will require a multimeter to determine negative and positive of the resistor (if there is any)

Regards

joey

noregret4life · 09-05-2008

5w 27 ohm will be fine. even 33 is ok too.

Yes you will need 2 in this case.

ceramic are do the job, but are not the best to deal with.

#1 Ceramic do not dispense heat well. and resistors get really really hot!
#2 Ceramic do not have mounting holes, or loops. meaning that its difficult to keep them away from wires, plastic or other things that can melt.
#3 they usually come with wires at the ends, not terminals. meaning those can snap off over time.

The above are exact opposit on aluminum housed. I suggest looking into the DALE models. They have them in aluminum which solve all the issues above.

I tried both, and decided the ceramic are not the best choice for me... but then again, i have ALMOST ever bulb sitting on a resistor

**UK-C200** · 4 Weeks Ago

Hey noregret - if you are still playing with LED's, got a couple of questions/comments...

1] Using a resistor will defeat the "bulb out" sensors, regardless of the state of the LED's - may be worth mentioning in your tutorial.

2] 5w SMD thick and thin film resistors are now pretty cheap - you know what the temperature rating on the sockets are? Looks like they will handle up to 267C (the resistors), and I'm wondering if using a ceramic blade mount LED with a 5w 33ohm would work? (smaller "all in one" package) I've seen a couple of "new" LED's over on the C63 forums (ie the "more money than sense folks") where it looks like standard SMD LED's paired with SMD resistors - at - get this - $50 us apiece..)

3] Was also wondering about loading at the fuse rather than the bulb, but since the car seems to know left from right, I'm thinking this will not work?

noregret4life · 4 Weeks Ago

Hey UK-C200

1] Thanks for #1 above, i just need to find some time to redo the tutorials.

2] There is no doubt in my mind that this is possible and may be already done out there. thing is, its pricy. I will not be paying $50 a bulb that may or may not work. For that money i can buy 1 resistor that will work along 10 LED bulbs over the next 2 years of switching

I guess you can use me as an example. I have tried almost all of the bulbs out there and settled on the KISS concept... [Keep It Simple Stupid] The resistors i have are aluminum housed and easy to connect, and mount. work well with heat, and have not had 1 fail yet in the last 2+ years they have been on the car. LEDs however have been failing and i have limited myself to the following:

The licenseplate led Strip that i have is amazing. its a 30cm strip of LEDs and has been working flawlessly for just about a year or more. The BEST license plate solution i have found. Best brightness, easy to install, and CHEAP as heck!

Instead of making a christmas tree of my SLK, i decided to actually install resistors and REMOVE bulbs i did not see a point in having or did not match in color. LEDs are tough to match in color temperture so having 3-4 different colors sucks in my opinion.
- I removed the front parking lights [the ones in the headlight housing]
- And removed the [US Spec] front bumper lights [running lights]
There is no need for the parking lights as i always have my headlights and fog lights on at night. and same goes for the running lights on the bumper, even with my clear lenses, i think they don't match well with my HIDs or 8000k HID fog lights.

3] I wish it was that easy. However MB uses a "lighting computer" or aka module that governs all the "system critical lights" in our SLKs as well as all the other newer models. What this means is that the so called "fuses" are digitally controled rather than physically. Meaning... there is no fuse to change, or tap into for a resistor.

Think of it as a central hub with a 12v supply running into it, CAN BUS to communicate errors, and out of it runs all the wonderfull wiring to the rest of the lights it controls. Taping with a resistor before the module won't do anything, so tapping after is the only choice.

Bottom line, best advice is... don't waste your money on crazy LED bulbs, get yourself a set of aluminum housed resistors, and install all the LEDs you like or as i did Remove all you don't need/like.

mtiede · 4 Weeks Ago

LEDs have been failing? Hmmph. I thought they were supposed to last like forever.

**UK-C200** · 4 Weeks Ago

Hehehe :-) I'm like you - KISS is good - was just amazed that people were willing to pay $50 for something that "might" work. It was pitched as a "MB LED for SLK Side Lights" which is what caught my attention in the first place. For the C63's "eyelids", it's four LED's, so $200 - seemed really stupid to me as well since I could do the same for $10 and an hours time. :-)

I figured that whatever MB was using would be more complicated than just loading a fuse, but figured you'd have tried it if it was possible - I'm also into asking for advice from experts!

noregret4life · 4 Weeks Ago

mtiede, LEDs do last for 100,000 under ideal conditions. There are no such conditions in a car. With voltage varying in every outlet, AMP spikes, Crank AMP spikes, Ohm variations... it is rather difficult to match thing unless you run them traight from the battery or already have a good resistor built into the bulb. For example, the LED strip i used on my trunk... Its been going storng no issues. But those festoon bulbs with 9 LEDs.... would last at most 1.5-2months before bulbs went out or started to flicker.

UK-C200.... glad we're on the same page. If i had the cash to throw around. Sure i would work on some crazy concepts. But that is unfortunately not the case

Thing is... i still come out on top even though i'm on a budget with every project i've ever done. People usually don't believe me when i tell them how much i spent on a project.

09-05-2007	#1 (permalink)
noregret4life Elite SLK World Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: NJ Vehicle: '05 SLK350 Posts: 1,092 Country: Thanks: 1 Thanked 17 Times in 11 Posts	New Led License Plate lights Project Well my Festoon LED bulbs in my license plate lights keep burning out and i am pretty fed up with changing bulbs So i decided to make a project out of this and build an LED replacement that will last. Key things to have: White light, Bright enough to light up the plate, Stable for long life, Fit into the original housing, Perhaps avoid the use of resistors. I have found a number of LED options. Some of which are as powerful as 3W from a single LED. I think that this will provide more then enough resistance to bypass the "bulb-out malfunction" However, any suggestions or ideas are welcome

09-05-2007	#2 (permalink)
etyu Founding Member #2 / Ambassador Of Good Will Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Orange County, CA Vehicle: 2008 SLK 55 Posts: 5,279 Country: Thanks: 376 Thanked 277 Times in 168 Posts	I use a pair of HyperWhite non-LED lamps/bulbs given to me by Scott (available at PepBoys). The lamp/bulb is blue in color and gives out a white light when lit. Color temp may be a tad less than 4000K but is acceptable. It has lasted more than 17 months on the 280 and I'm using it now on the 55. Price is also reasonable. __________________ *Eddy* To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Pewter/Beige, PIII package, Airscarf, Hands-Free Communication System, Lighting package Designo Black Leather Cover on e-brake handle, ( To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Bill T), SmartTop v1.0, Kleyman 3BFM (NoRegret Custom), Green Air Filters, *Mod. R170 ant.*, EuroClear sidemarkers w/PIAA PlasmaIon lamps, chromed front & rear turn indicator lamps, PIAA SuperPlasmaGTX front parking lamps, bilateral rear fog lamps enabled.

09-05-2007	#4 (permalink)
etyu Founding Member #2 / Ambassador Of Good Will Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Orange County, CA Vehicle: 2008 SLK 55 Posts: 5,279 Country: Thanks: 376 Thanked 277 Times in 168 Posts	You're quite welcome, Lenny. __________________ *Eddy* To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Pewter/Beige, PIII package, Airscarf, Hands-Free Communication System, Lighting package Designo Black Leather Cover on e-brake handle, ( To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Bill T), SmartTop v1.0, Kleyman 3BFM (NoRegret Custom), Green Air Filters, *Mod. R170 ant.*, EuroClear sidemarkers w/PIAA PlasmaIon lamps, chromed front & rear turn indicator lamps, PIAA SuperPlasmaGTX front parking lamps, bilateral rear fog lamps enabled.

09-06-2007	#5 (permalink)
Zeiser50 Elite SLK World Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Paris Vehicle: SLK 55 AMG Other Toys: Bike : '84 Z1300-6 Posts: 506 Country: Thanks: 6 Thanked 18 Times in 14 Posts	Lenny, i've done it few months ago. Here is the result (oem on the left, led on the right): Or And the final result in the dark I have to check this evening (at home) where i've bought these bulbs: However, the resistor was needed (to bypass bulb default detection). This resistor has been installed inside the trunk (you can see it on the left side of the image, gold color) No problem with the bulb so far .... __________________ To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. ------Michel------ -SLK 55 AMG 2005-

09-06-2007	#6 (permalink)
Ynot Founding Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Colorado Vehicle: 06' MBZ SLK Posts: 2,795 Country: Thanks: 135 Thanked 35 Times in 30 Posts	You guys are crazy, I'm trying to take out my lights back there completely and you guys are trying to get it as bright as possible. __________________ 06' SLK 350, Iridium/Ash all pkgs. 6-spd, 19" DCR. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

09-05-2007	#3 (permalink)
noregret4life Elite SLK World Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: NJ Vehicle: '05 SLK350 Posts: 1,092 Country: Thanks: 1 Thanked 17 Times in 11 Posts	trip to pepboys tomorrow! Thanks Eddy. I am just so sick of messing with these LED bulbs. They look great, but are such a pain to keep up. Last few weeks they started strobing. Which was an interesting effect, yet not what i want to be dealing with every 3-4 months.

09-06-2007	#8 (permalink)
noregret4life Elite SLK World Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: NJ Vehicle: '05 SLK350 Posts: 1,092 Country: Thanks: 1 Thanked 17 Times in 11 Posts	Zeiser50, I've already had the LED setup for almost 2 years now. But the issue is always with the LED bulbs burning out. I have had similar bulbs to what you show in your pictures. After about 2-3 months those bulbs burn out. No matter the setup or car's make/model, everyone on forums complains that these bulbs burn out. For those of you who are trying to "provide as little light as possible" why not install a dimmer? quick and easy solution to lowering light in the back.

09-06-2007	#9 (permalink)
Baron7700 Elite SLK World Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Pennyslvania Vehicle: 2006 Slk 350 Other Toys: Lots of ATV's Posts: 1,599 Country: Thanks: 3 Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts	ey, i dont care all that much. I should really just go down to my DMV which is about 5 mins from my house, and get a black DARE license plate with white lettering. Looks great on black cars. But its 50 bux and im lazy.... sigh. I also dont know how i would go about changing my registration which is usually a pain in PA

09-02-2008	#10 (permalink)
quaidorsay SLK World Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Sydney Vehicle: purrrr fect. Posts: 41 Country: Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Noregret, Did you get the LED License plate lights to work? If so how? Because I bought the LED's but for some reason they won't light up. Originally I bought them to change my previously blown license plate lamps. But all I get is nothing other than the continuous error license plate (left and right) failure/malfunction. Do I have to tell the computer to reset or something so power is sent to the new 12v LED lights? I tried swapping the ends for +/- but no luck other han a little light emitting but not much or nothing at all. Entirely bizarre. Please let me know if you have any ideas. Regards, Joey

09-03-2008	#11 (permalink)
noregret4life Elite SLK World Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: NJ Vehicle: '05 SLK350 Posts: 1,092 Country: Thanks: 1 Thanked 17 Times in 11 Posts	If you bought the direct replacement LED bulbs, festoon style, then your SLK's lighting computer will not read them as "present". The load on them is very small, and the computer thinks the bulbs are burned out. What you need is resistors on each side of the license plate wires. Check in my section Noregret Customs http://www.slkworld.com/noregret-cus...html#post47213 The tuturial will explain it all. See the PDFs attached in the 1st post.

09-04-2008	#12 (permalink)
quaidorsay SLK World Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Sydney Vehicle: purrrr fect. Posts: 41 Country: Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Thanks Lenny for the reply, I can get the 5 Watt (27 or 33 ohm resistor) but it will be ceramic/cement based? does that matter? Another thing is how many resistors do I need in total (2 or 4). Reading your diagram I believe it is to be 2. Im not good with electronics so this seems more complex than your tutorial shows it to be. I was wondering if I will require a multimeter to determine negative and positive of the resistor (if there is any) Regards joey

09-05-2008	#13 (permalink)
noregret4life Elite SLK World Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: NJ Vehicle: '05 SLK350 Posts: 1,092 Country: Thanks: 1 Thanked 17 Times in 11 Posts	5w 27 ohm will be fine. even 33 is ok too. Yes you will need 2 in this case. ceramic are do the job, but are not the best to deal with. #1 Ceramic do not dispense heat well. and resistors get really really hot! #2 Ceramic do not have mounting holes, or loops. meaning that its difficult to keep them away from wires, plastic or other things that can melt. #3 they usually come with wires at the ends, not terminals. meaning those can snap off over time. The above are exact opposit on aluminum housed. I suggest looking into the DALE models. They have them in aluminum which solve all the issues above. I tried both, and decided the ceramic are not the best choice for me... but then again, i have ALMOST ever bulb sitting on a resistor

4 Weeks Ago	#14 (permalink)
UK-C200 Elite SLK World Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: London, UK & Baton Rouge, Louisiana Vehicle: 04 RHD C200K Coupe, 06 LHD SLK-350 Other Toys: Nacra F18 Posts: 576 Country: Thanks: 37 Thanked 124 Times in 78 Posts	Hey noregret - if you are still playing with LED's, got a couple of questions/comments... 1] Using a resistor will defeat the "bulb out" sensors, regardless of the state of the LED's - may be worth mentioning in your tutorial. 2] 5w SMD thick and thin film resistors are now pretty cheap - you know what the temperature rating on the sockets are? Looks like they will handle up to 267C (the resistors), and I'm wondering if using a ceramic blade mount LED with a 5w 33ohm would work? (smaller "all in one" package) I've seen a couple of "new" LED's over on the C63 forums (ie the "more money than sense folks") where it looks like standard SMD LED's paired with SMD resistors - at - get this - $50 us apiece..) 3] Was also wondering about loading at the fuse rather than the bulb, but since the car seems to know left from right, I'm thinking this will not work?

4 Weeks Ago	#15 (permalink)
noregret4life Elite SLK World Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: NJ Vehicle: '05 SLK350 Posts: 1,092 Country: Thanks: 1 Thanked 17 Times in 11 Posts	Hey UK-C200 1] Thanks for #1 above, i just need to find some time to redo the tutorials. 2] There is no doubt in my mind that this is possible and may be already done out there. thing is, its pricy. I will not be paying $50 a bulb that may or may not work. For that money i can buy 1 resistor that will work along 10 LED bulbs over the next 2 years of switching I guess you can use me as an example. I have tried almost all of the bulbs out there and settled on the KISS concept... [Keep It Simple Stupid] The resistors i have are aluminum housed and easy to connect, and mount. work well with heat, and have not had 1 fail yet in the last 2+ years they have been on the car. LEDs however have been failing and i have limited myself to the following: The licenseplate led Strip that i have is amazing. its a 30cm strip of LEDs and has been working flawlessly for just about a year or more. The BEST license plate solution i have found. Best brightness, easy to install, and CHEAP as heck! Instead of making a christmas tree of my SLK, i decided to actually install resistors and REMOVE bulbs i did not see a point in having or did not match in color. LEDs are tough to match in color temperture so having 3-4 different colors sucks in my opinion. - I removed the front parking lights [the ones in the headlight housing] - And removed the [US Spec] front bumper lights [running lights] There is no need for the parking lights as i always have my headlights and fog lights on at night. and same goes for the running lights on the bumper, even with my clear lenses, i think they don't match well with my HIDs or 8000k HID fog lights. 3] I wish it was that easy. However MB uses a "lighting computer" or aka module that governs all the "system critical lights" in our SLKs as well as all the other newer models. What this means is that the so called "fuses" are digitally controled rather than physically. Meaning... there is no fuse to change, or tap into for a resistor. Think of it as a central hub with a 12v supply running into it, CAN BUS to communicate errors, and out of it runs all the wonderfull wiring to the rest of the lights it controls. Taping with a resistor before the module won't do anything, so tapping after is the only choice. Bottom line, best advice is... don't waste your money on crazy LED bulbs, get yourself a set of aluminum housed resistors, and install all the LEDs you like or as i did Remove all you don't need/like.

4 Weeks Ago	#16 (permalink)
mtiede Founding Member #7 Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Western New York Vehicle: 2006 SLK 350 Posts: 1,642 Thanks: 100 Thanked 55 Times in 45 Posts	LEDs have been failing? Hmmph. I thought they were supposed to last like forever.

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)

4 Weeks Ago	#17 (permalink)
UK-C200 Elite SLK World Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: London, UK & Baton Rouge, Louisiana Vehicle: 04 RHD C200K Coupe, 06 LHD SLK-350 Other Toys: Nacra F18 Posts: 576 Country: Thanks: 37 Thanked 124 Times in 78 Posts	Hehehe :-) I'm like you - KISS is good - was just amazed that people were willing to pay $50 for something that "might" work. It was pitched as a "MB LED for SLK Side Lights" which is what caught my attention in the first place. For the C63's "eyelids", it's four LED's, so $200 - seemed really stupid to me as well since I could do the same for $10 and an hours time. :-) I figured that whatever MB was using would be more complicated than just loading a fuse, but figured you'd have tried it if it was possible - I'm also into asking for advice from experts!

4 Weeks Ago	#18 (permalink)
noregret4life Elite SLK World Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: NJ Vehicle: '05 SLK350 Posts: 1,092 Country: Thanks: 1 Thanked 17 Times in 11 Posts	mtiede, LEDs do last for 100,000 under ideal conditions. There are no such conditions in a car. With voltage varying in every outlet, AMP spikes, Crank AMP spikes, Ohm variations... it is rather difficult to match thing unless you run them traight from the battery or already have a good resistor built into the bulb. For example, the LED strip i used on my trunk... Its been going storng no issues. But those festoon bulbs with 9 LEDs.... would last at most 1.5-2months before bulbs went out or started to flicker. UK-C200.... glad we're on the same page. If i had the cash to throw around. Sure i would work on some crazy concepts. But that is unfortunately not the case Thing is... i still come out on top even though i'm on a budget with every project i've ever done. People usually don't believe me when i tell them how much i spent on a project.