Detailed the gen 3.5 and installed LED license plate lights [pics inside]

[islandboy57]

I detailed the gen 3.5 last weekend and used a clay bar over the whole car (damn it's smooth now) and today I washed and waxed it again. I ordered a bunch of LEDs for my Camry and had two extra, so I put them in the gen 3.5 which I drive occasionally; it's my mom's car.

Pics!



















Those decals on the right hand side of the bumper are from Hawaii's annual safety inspection. Someone asked me before why I put bumper stickers on my car the last time around I posted pics

Anyway.. Just wanted to post some pictures. I got the LEDs from superbrightleds.com and they're much better than the ones I previously had from eBay

[shajbot]

Darn your car (or ur mom's) is clean man. Claybar doesn't work for me though idk, just doesn't seem to wow me when I swerve it over a surface nor i even notice anything.

[islandboy57]

Originally Posted by shajbot

Darn your car (or ur mom's) is clean man. Claybar doesn't work for me though idk, just doesn't seem to wow me when I swerve it over a surface nor i even notice anything.

Thanks

I used a clay bar on my gen 5.5 too and the difference was just as noticeable as it was on my mom's gen 3.5 It's like running your hand against new glass. I love it . What brand clay bar did you use? I always use Mother's brand just because I can find it on sale from time to time. I only clay bar once a year if that..

I wash the car, clay bar it, wash (or just rinse) again, then polish/wax it with Turtle Wax ICE liquid synthetic. Works wonders!

[shajbot]

yeah i used mother's too but like i said, it doesn't make anything noticeable...so i threw it the first time i got it. sticking to soap and turtle wax though.

[angel_rolla]

did u just change the bullb? what sz?

[gladis]

They should be 168s, the website has a compatibility chart.

I love the look! I think I might do that sometime. I've heard good things about superbrightleds, how was your experience with them, and what did you change on your car?

[tran.man48]

hmm, I think I might do this...
islandboy, do you know if there are any problems passing safety inspection with these installed?

nice car btw, looks like its brand new...

[islandboy57]

Originally Posted by gladis

They should be 168s, the website has a compatibility chart.

I love the look! I think I might do that sometime. I've heard good things about superbrightleds, how was your experience with them, and what did you change on your car?

Yep, 194/168 size bulbs. http://www.sylvania.com/ConsumerProd...lacementGuide/ is a good place to check the bulb size. They're right for the most part, except my gen 5.5 has a 74 in the glovebox and something else in the trunk. They're not 194/168 like Sylvania says.

SuperbrightLEDs shipped very quickly and I'm happy. I spent $35 on eight bulbs (two "warm white" and six "cool white") so it's not exactly cheap, but they look to be of better quality than my cheapo eBay LEDs. Time will tell how long they last!

On my gen 5.5, I changed the parking light bulbs (to "warm white"; the whiter bulbs are too blue next to my headlights which are Sylvania Silverstar Ultras), my license plate lights, and also my map lights. Next stop: dome light, trunk light, and glove box light

Here's some pics, my car is a bit dirty but I took some quick shots tonight:











The license plate lights look more directional and more blue [I was fussing with EV compensation and WB but gave up ] than they actually are. They light up my license plate evenly. I highly suggest a $5 WalMart clear license plate cover which looks especially nice with LEDs and helps the light look nice and even.

[islandboy57]

Originally Posted by tran.man48

hmm, I think I might do this...
islandboy, do you know if there are any problems passing safety inspection with these installed?

nice car btw, looks like its brand new...

Nope, no problem. They're not ricey blue LEDs so even if they do notice by chance, it'll just look Lexus-style

And thanks! If you see a really nice looking beige gen 3.5 with a middle aged woman driving, that'd be my mom . OR if you see a guy in his early 20s having fun with the V6, that would be me!