2010 Vibe - LED DRL Success! again.

[MaSlade]

Hey there GenVibe community,

As most of you may know, it's almost impossible to find modifications to do to the 2nd gen Vibes. However, I always have the will, and eventually find a way.

http://store.ijdmtoy.com/Porsche-Cayenn ... ddl_7f.htm

This strip acts as a Daytime Running Light (xenon white) and the "Switchback" feature changes the strip into a turning signal(amber).

The only difficult part about this mod was having to fabricate the lower grille to fit the LED strips. I know there are some individuals that hate the idea of cutting up and ruining stock parts, but I like to live dangerously. Luckily it turned out better than I was anticipating.

It took me ~2 hours to install/wire.

Any questions? Feel free to ask :] Hope this serves well!

*Note: LED highbeams are purely aesthetic and should only be used as a DRL bulb. Only use LED highbeams if you have HIDs or anything with a brighter light source.*







Here's the lower grille I chopped up. Decided to install them on the center rails as it had the most room and wouldn't intrude with anything.





I used high-strength double-sided outdoor mounting tape. It's very durable, weatherproof, and it becomes rock solid after a few minutes. It adheres with pressure, so screwing up isn't a hassle.





On the bumper:







On the car:





Nighttime after I wired everything:









Daylight Picture:




Thanks for looking,

Slade

[tpollauf]

Awesome mod you got there Slade Do you have them wired into the turn signal circuit so they switch over to Amber & flash? Record a mini-clip showing the transition from one mode to the other and post it up on You tube. Again ... GREAT mod

[MaSlade]

Awesome mode you got there Slade Do you have them wired into the turn signal circuit so they switch over to Amber & flash? Record a mini-clip showing the transition from one mode to the other and post it up on You tube. Again ... GREAT mod

Unfortunately it got a little too dark out for me to finish up wiring the turning signal mode, but I will definitely finish this up as soon as I can!

To be continued...

[KITT222]

Very nice! I can't say I don't approve, since I did something similar to my Vibe. No switchbacks, though. It looks good!

[MaSlade]

Finally got around to making a video!

Unfortunately I got home late from work, so it was dark out. Will try to get a day-time video tomorrow morning Very pleased with the results!

[vibenvy]

Looks good Slade !

My TRD strut brace arrived yesterday ! Now I just need to find the time to install it ...

[MaSlade]

Alas, one thing was overlooked in the strips.

Silly me assumed they were weatherproof, and they most definitely were not.

Looks like I need a new pair because every other light shorted out making it look really silly. The switchback idea was also good at first, but I think I'm going to stick to my guns and have straight DRLs as opposed to a switchback style.

Holy cow, it's been a while since I've updated anything; sorry! Busy busy busy.

Slade

[KITT222]

They looked good while you had them. A bit bogus that they weren't weatherproofed. I always think that if I got an 09/10 I'd have to do custom signals, like how the current Altima has them, or do an LED strip in the headlight under the light buckets.

[MaSlade]

Agreed. But they were affordable, so no harm no foul.

You have some good ideas, so it would definitely look awesome. I havent had the guts to open up the headlights because they're plastic welded. Requires you to cut the headlight to open and I'm currently too chicken

If I can find a cheap replacement I would do some work!

[KITT222]

Headlamps shouldn't be plastic welded. When I did my retrofit all I needed to do was bake them open in the oven, and the glue became tacky enough to let go. I know at least one other person has done 09/10 headlamps the same way (member lowincash). It isn't that hard once you've done it once.

[vibenvy]

I know at least one other person has done 09/10 headlamps the same way (member lowincash). It isn't that hard once you've done it once.

I remember lowincash saying the guy he had do his retrofit had a really hard time getting the headlights open.

[MaSlade]

Headlamps shouldn't be plastic welded. When I did my retrofit all I needed to do was bake them open in the oven, and the glue became tacky enough to let go. I know at least one other person has done 09/10 headlamps the same way (member lowincash). It isn't that hard once you've done it once.

I've baked a couple headlights before, so maybe it's just a matter of "how" to bake them? I did my first retrofit on my Dad's Miata and holy cow, what a difference. You can see a lot better and it looks great, too. Fortunately I have a new pair of headlights coming in for some retrofitting goodness. Can't wait!

[MaSlade]

*Update: 12/29/2013*

More pictures! I know we all like pictures.

After months of being lazy, I finally managed to snag a new pair of DRLs for cheap and made sure to weatherproof them myself Along with the DRL swap, I even spent a good 5 hours respraying my grille/lip, and fandangling a new Home Depot Lip. My back is still killing me!

The pair of DRLs I have now are a little different. Instead of individual bulbs emitting light in their own space, it's kind of like a lighting panel; the lights are embedded together and create one uniform light. The yellow color of the panel kind of threw me off, but I had some spare tint lying around and it helped heaps in hiding it.

Just like my last pair, I have them wired to the high beams. That way they light when the high beam DRL mode turns on and also when they're fully engaged.

First picture after install:



DRL mode engaged:



With headlights/fogs; COD LEDs hardly noticeable:



With Highbeams on:



And a glamour shot:

[KITT222]

Very nice! I think the thin ones look a bit better. Hopefully the yellow tint of them won't be too noticeable. In pictures it looks good, but I also know that cameras do weird things with light.

[Infinity-x]

The 09 headlights are permasealed. They do not come apart with baking as easily as most headlights do. You pretty much have to set a high temperature and leave them in for around 30 minutes just to even have a chance at it.. even then, you are bound to ruin your headlights from the brute force required. I got mine apart (well one.. the other headlight on my car is aftermarket) and far away the headlight looks crystal clear but up front you can see the entire lens has tiny bubbles from where it was actually starting to fry and melt!

You're better off going to ebay and buying the "aftermarket" Eagle Eye brand ones. They are better quality and the sealant comes apart like cake. It turns to liquid basically after 5-10 mins in the oven.

I've got my headlights retrofitted and I can say it is DEFINITELY worth it.

[MaSlade]

You're better off going to ebay and buying the "aftermarket" Eagle Eye brand ones. They are better quality and the sealant comes apart like cake. It turns to liquid basically after 5-10 mins in the oven.

I've got my headlights retrofitted and I can say it is DEFINITELY worth it.

Now I'm not sure if I bought the Eagle eye brand, but I did get an after market set off of Amazon. They should have a similar weak seal, so I'm hoping I can bake and remove.

Just saving up for a retrofit set now. *fingers crossed*