We need Brighter CHMSLs (3rd Brake Lights)

vibolista · Post by **vibolista** » Tue Dec 22, 2009 12:42 am

I know I've read some posts about our third brake light... but can't find much on how to make it brighter. Not fancier, just brighter.A couple of days ago, I came up behind a Vibe in daylight, at a stop light and noticed how dim the CHMSL or 3rd Brake light actually was, compared to a few other vehicles around it. During the day, it doesn't show up very well, so it's not an attention grabber, like, say some SUVs that have a long string of very bright LEDs across the back window. That might explain why a few weeks back, while I waited to make a right turn into traffic from a stop sign on a sunny day... a driver behind me, that I had already noticed was really close and on a cell phone, gave me a nudge. Even while flashing my brake lights at her. No damage, and I supposed that it was just another incident caused by cell conversation distraction.But then I saw how dim the Vibe's 3rd light really is compared to many others vehicles. Has anyone done an LED replacement for that upper brake light? How about the regular brake lights, as well.

Wolfman213 · Post by **Wolfman213** » Tue Dec 22, 2009 1:01 am

Wow!! Not too many people know about CHMSL! That's awesome!!!On to the subject at hand. Whelan, i believe, has an LED setup in his CHMSL, just can't remember where he got it from. I was thinking about creating one as well. He is also working on some LED tails, but since he's a Matrix that won't help us any. Never fear though!!! I'm actually going to be working on a LED retro for the tails. I've just come into some hard times with money and a roommate moving out on me to proceed with it. Once i get those in order, I will be getting going on the tails. The big thing is I'm going to try and setup a microprocessor for the turn and brake light. The turn will scroll from inside to outside. The brake will flash a random pattern for 1 or 2 seconds then go solid.

vibolista · Post by **vibolista** » Tue Dec 22, 2009 2:43 am

Ok, then a work already in progress! I'll do some more searching to find Whelan's posts on the LEDs. That's who I thought did the LED's too, but I wasn't getting anywhere with the search feature.Thanks Wolfman, hope your roomate situation gets fixed up soon. I think this is a safety issue for us Vibers, especially since so many seem to get rear ended.

Whelan · Post by **Whelan** » Tue Dec 22, 2009 2:44 am

As a matter of fact I did. I went to thexenonstore.com and worked with the owner Dave in regards to a LED tail. He made all kinds of stuff for the Mazda 3 and after some emails I sent him my whole 3rd lamp assembly. After about a month and a half he had a template and made me one for free. I just paid shipping of my original. I installed it and it worked perfectly, I added some extras to make it a little more stable and some foam to finish the look off. It still to this day works perfectly. However people who ordered the first and second batches from him faired well, apparently he has fallen off the earth. He doesn't reply much and it is hard to get products from him now. Not sure if he just lost interest or what but there are a few people who have them, as they fit both the Vibe and Matrix. The 3rd lamps were the same.People have gone to Ebay and gotten the ones from the Hyundai and Kia SUVs to work, mine is custom made and fits like a glove right now. It has 3 rows of over 50 LEDs and is REALLY bright, lights up faster than my other lamps, and the backboard is black. I actually ended up taking the red lens cover off because it looks stealth and clean without it. Just black/clear bulbs. I had pictures on here but my account expired and I gotta take some new ones anyways. Here is the picture from his site of mine.

vibolista · Post by **vibolista** » Tue Dec 22, 2009 3:15 am

Wow Whelan, you are quick! Thanks for the response. Have you compared your LED output to a regular CHMSL? It does look brighter. Now we have to try to resurrect this Dave guy at thexenonstore or, maybe learn the ways of the LED board. Wonder if it can be a DIY project? What extras did you add to make it more stable, other than the foam?

Whelan · Post by **Whelan** » Tue Dec 22, 2009 3:27 am

Others shipped out were more stable mine was not entirely there yet as it was the first one and he was playing with stability items. It came with two metal tabs that I had to do a little extra epoxy work to hold in place. Then once mounted I got some small gray foam and cut it to shape to fit around the edge for protection against vibration and a clean look. I have pics of that somewhere too. But it looks 1000x better when the hatch is open.As for brightness. It's VERY bright, comparable if not brighter than other stock LED 3rd lamps. It is definitely even brighter than the 09+ Vibe/Matrix lamp. In other words, these LEDs are not your garden variety Radio Shacks.

vibolista · Post by **vibolista** » Tue Dec 22, 2009 3:46 am

Just tried to contact- thexenonstore.com -via email on their web site... and no connection... got the "No, Server Error: 501 Error Number" thing. Too bad... so I guess the store's gone, not just Dave. Your CHMSL looks like a nice piece.

06pvibe · Post by **06pvibe** » Fri Dec 25, 2009 6:14 am

http://thexenonstore.com/3rdledbrake.ph ... nstore.com[/email]

vibolista · Post by **vibolista** » Sun Dec 27, 2009 3:04 pm

That's the site that gave me the Levi Jeans error (501). Email was undeliverable. We need to track this guy down!!!

Blueridge9 · Post by **Blueridge9** » Mon Dec 28, 2009 3:59 am

Quote "...3rd brake lights..... Not fancier, just brighter......I came up behind a Vibe in daylight, at a stop light and noticed how dim the CHMSL or 3rd Brake light actually was, compared to a few other vehicles around it. During the day, it doesn't show up very well, so it's not an attention grabber...." - VibolistaVibolista, I totally agree. Until you get a fix here's a suggestion to prevent getting rear ended.When I am in rush hour traffic and have to brake suddenly I also turn on the HAZARD LIGHTS so the car behind me has fair warning. So far it has worked very well especially on cloudy or rainy, foggy days when visibility is reduced.Whelan, Thanks for sharing the photo.06pVibe, Thanks, the link just worked for me and looks like a 3rd light for matrix/vibe is only $39.50 http://thexenonstore.com/3rdledbrake.php

06pvibe · Post by **06pvibe** » Mon Dec 28, 2009 5:15 am

Quote, originally posted by Blueridge9 Â»06pVibe, Thanks, the link just worked for me and looks like a 3rd light for matrix/vibe is only $39.50 http://thexenonstore.com/3rdledbrake.phpNo prob. I've had their LED 3rd in my Mazda3 HB for about 3 yrs now w/no problems. I ordered one for the Vibe a few days ago.

vibolista · Post by **vibolista** » Mon Dec 28, 2009 8:01 am

The website worked fine, but their email didn't. So, how would I find out if they are still there? Any one know if they are up and running?

Old Tele man · Post by **Old Tele man** » Tue Dec 29, 2009 4:37 am

FWIW...I just tried the same e-mail contact and got an immediate, automated, reply stating the "...Due to the increased volume of emails during the holiday season responses may be slow. - Devin." ...so, it sounds like maybe they're having "holidays" with relatives just like the rest of us (ha,ha)....I asked if they also had lamps for the 2009-2010 Vibe/Matrix.

ramenboy... · Post by **ramenboy...** » Tue Dec 29, 2009 5:08 am

you can also try ebay... that's where i got my third brake LED a few years ago. mine has only 2 rows as opposed to whelan's 3, but its still LED, and its still brigh

JetBlack09VibeGT · Post by **JetBlack09VibeGT** » Tue Dec 29, 2009 5:19 am

I am surprised this isn't a bigger issue industry wide. I was driving behind a newer Camry today and the center brake lamp was made of 5 linear red dots, each probably no bigger that 3/4" in diameter, not very bright especially compared to the LED taillights. I noticed the Corolla was the same too. I too wish they were brighter and more red like those on the back of my G6. Has anyone torn apart the lamp to see if you can install a brighter LED replacement bulb and are the bulbs in it red with a clear lens like the aforementioned Camry or clear bulbs with a red lens?

vibolista · Post by **vibolista** » Tue Dec 29, 2009 6:56 am

Quote, originally posted by JetBlack09VibeGT Â»I am surprised this isn't a bigger issue industry wide. I too wish they were brighter and more red like those on the back of my G6. Has anyone torn apart the lamp to see if you can install a brighter LED replacement bulb and are the bulbs in it red with a clear lens like the aforementioned Camry or clear bulbs with a red lens? Is our CHMSl brake light LED? It looks like just one bulb... reflected out to the left and right. Too cold to go out and tear into the thing right now... but if anyone has a picture of the inner workings of our Vibe/Matrix 3rd brake light... it would be nice to see. Blueridge I will arm that blinker more often! Good idea, until I can get some brighter stop lights going back there.

star_deceiver · Post by **star_deceiver** » Tue Dec 29, 2009 9:36 am

http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=39473For the 09-10's

ramenboy... · Post by **ramenboy...** » Wed Dec 30, 2009 12:21 am

Quote, originally posted by vibolista Â»Is our CHMSl brake light LED? It looks like just one bulb... reflected out to the left and right. Too cold to go out and tear into the thing right now... but if anyone has a picture of the inner workings of our Vibe/Matrix 3rd brake light... it would be nice to see...you're right. the center brake is only one bulb, both the after market LED replacement that i have or whelan has are 2 or 3 rows of leds. it plugs directly into the bulb socket, so no modification is required. whelan's got a pic posted above

Whelan · Post by **Whelan** » Wed Dec 30, 2009 1:05 am

The new Vibe/Trix uses a 3 bulb LED that is pretty bright, not as good as mine I think but still better. Most 3BLs nowadays are LED.

ramenboy... · Post by **ramenboy...** » Wed Dec 30, 2009 1:46 am

cool thanx, but vibolista i think has a 1st gen vibe... so no LED

vibolista · Post by **vibolista** » Wed Dec 30, 2009 2:06 pm

Quote, originally posted by ramenboy... Â»but vibolista i think has a 1st gen vibe... so no LEDDef have a first gen and it looks a little like yours, ramenboy! Will still be working on a solution to a brighter CHIMSL. Guess the 2nd gen Vibe 3rd brake light wouldn't fit a 1st gen.Maybe I can find a bright LED that would replace the stock light. Or add some LEDs back there. I will also try to get a hold of the xenonstore after the first of the year. It's only next week.

ramenboy... · Post by **ramenboy...** » Sat Jan 02, 2010 9:32 am

Quote, originally posted by vibolista Â»Def have a first gen and it looks a little like yours, ramenboy! nice choice!

Blueridge9 · Post by **Blueridge9** » Sat Jan 23, 2010 12:50 am

Don't get RIPPED OFF like I did!I bought the Pontiac Vibe LED 3rd brake light from Xenon Store online on Dec. 28, 2009 via Paypal for $39.50. I was stunned that they shipped a delicate LED circuit board to me without ANY bubblepack, just in a thin priority mail box with some crumpled newspaper! I have bought books for less than $10 online that were better packaged than this $40.00 purchase. There was no receipt inside either.When I took it to my mechanic he said this is defective/not working and it would not light up. He is very knowledgeable about LEDs and has installed many of them. I regret buying this.Now I am FRUSTRATED and trying to get them to refund my money.http://thexenonstore.com/3rdledbrake.php

lovemyraffe · Post by **lovemyraffe** » Sat Jan 23, 2010 12:53 am

If you paid with PayPal, they will protect your purchase. If necessary get PayPal involved.

Blueridge9 · Post by **Blueridge9** » Sat Jan 23, 2010 12:56 am

You are right.Thanks, I will get Paypal involved if the Xenon store does not reply to the email I sent them this morning. Xenon's phone number has a recording that says they are not in service at this time and to try back later.Paypal has a "resolution center" on the website so I found & entered the transaction number for Xenon and opened a "dispute".

06pvibe · Post by **06pvibe** » Sat Jan 23, 2010 10:46 am

Quote, originally posted by Blueridge9 Â»Don't get RIPPED OFF like I did!I bought the Pontiac Vibe LED 3rd brake light from Xenon Store online on Dec. 28, 2009 via Paypal for $39.50. I was stunned that they shipped a delicate LED circuit board to me without ANY bubble pack, just in a thin priority mail box with some crumpled newspaper! I have bought books for less than $10 online that were better packaged than this $40.00 purchase. There was no receipt inside either.When I took it to my mechanic he said this is defective/not working and it would not light up. He is very knowledgeable about LEDs and has installed many of them. I regret buying this.Now I am FRUSTRATED and trying to get them to refund my money.http://thexenonstore.com/3rdledbrake.php Mine arrived this past Wednesday, 01/20/10, after waiting quite a while (about 1 month) and with no communication. This part was certainly disturbing to me. It arrived in exactly the same manner as you described, except that mine works. (Try flipping the connector around as LEDs are polarity sensitive.)What it doesn't do is fit the housing. The board seems to be too big for some as of yet undetermined reason. I'm pretty sure that even if he/they are going under as a business that I could modify the board to fit in any case. I wrote Devin and asked what might be the problem. That was Wednesday as well and I am STILL waiting for an answer. This too is disturbing.In fairness, Devin has a cottage industry business that he runs out of his basement. He offers these, plus a few other things that he has made deals w/the manufacturer's for the rights to sell on his site and make a small profit from.Perhaps he has family problems (maybe someone is sick, or perhaps he is having marital or financial problems?) or that he is become less-than-enchanted w/his business and what it has brought him? I don't know for sure. I only know that when I bought the one for my Mazda, the shipping was quick (same packaging however) and I had no problems installing it or using it. It still works GREAT after +/-3 yrs of service. I only hope I can get this straightened out, one way or another.

06pvibe · Post by **06pvibe** » Sun Jan 24, 2010 12:27 am

My How-To install thread.....http://forums.genvibe.com/zero...84132

We need Brighter CHMSLs (3rd Brake Lights)

We need Brighter CHMSLs (3rd Brake Lights)

Re: (Wolfman213)

Re: (Wolfman213)

Re: (Whelan)

Re: (vibolista)

Re: (Whelan)

Re: (vibolista)

Re: (06pvibe)

Re: (vibolista)

Re: (Blueridge9)

Re: (Blueridge9)

Re: (vibolista)

Re: We need Brighter CHMSLs (vibolista)

Re: We need Brighter CHMSLs (JetBlack09VibeGT)

Re: We need Brighter CHMSLs (vibolista)

Re: We need Brighter CHMSLs (vibolista)

Re: We need Brighter CHMSLs (ramenboy...)

Re: We need Brighter CHMSLs (Whelan)

Re: We need Brighter CHMSLs (ramenboy...)

Re: We need Brighter CHMSLs (vibolista)

Re: We need Brighter CHMSLs (ramenboy...)

Re: We need Brighter CHMSLs (Blueridge9)

Re: We need Brighter CHMSLs (lovemyraffe)

Re: We need Brighter CHMSLs (Blueridge9)