GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

UPDATED 04/26/14 Updated links, Added details of the "better" 7443 LED bulbs that I chose over my first LED set.

The Flasher :
Here is a quick video on how to change out the stock flasher module on the Vibe to make it LED compatible. This is far easier than splicing in resistors which can cause other issues, including corrosion in the the connections and intermittent lights.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipsGJmGesXc"

Here is one location to obtain the flasher:
CF18-08 LED Bulb Electronic Flasher
http://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo ... r/786/840/"

These are the stock flasher part numbers, use them to look up an LED compatible (No Load) version:
81980-34020
81980-02030
81980-53010
81980-50030

Instead of a set delay flasher, I used an adjustable delay flasher, so I could go faster than stock speed:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/380473089188?ss ... 1439.l2649"

The Bulbs :
(Make sure you get the color of your lenses, white lights are dimmer when used with a Colored lens!!)
I used the following site, not the brightest LED's on the block, but a great price, solid build quality, and excellent customer support.
http://www.carid.com/pontiac-vibe-led-lights/"
The Vibe uses CANBUS (CAN Bus) Compatible clearance lights for front clearance / turn 1157A and rear clearance / brake 7443. Far as I can tell the turn, backup, and interior lights make no difference. If you use a non CANBUS LED light for clearance, the dash lights up a like a Christmas tree, the ABS light flashes, the low tire, Traction Control, and one other light stay on steady. At first I thought the ECM was playing games, nope, Vibe freaked over the LED clearance lights. Might have been the type of LED light I tried, but, something to consider when looking for your LED lights.

Here is a thread on Vibe exterior light identification.
viewtopic.php?f=33&t=5438&p=470060"

Video showing several different types of LED lights (including the interior door and map) in action on the Vibe.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPNmsjZb1U0"

All the exterior lights I ordered from CARiD worked, however, I was not satisfied with the 7443 brake/clearance lights. The initial and replacement sets "HI" brake light was not much brighter than the "LOW" clearance light. Checked with several people and they noticed that it was hard to tell when the brakes were applied during the daytime. The CARiD LED lights work great for clearance, but the stock bulb were brighter for brake. The third brake light makes up for the dimness of the main brake lights. For most, the CARiD lights would be satisfactory, but I do a lot of work were the car is parked along the road. Therefore, I needed lights that shine a great distance alerting others to my presence. The CREE tipped LED lights do just that, several hundred yards (think of a CREE based LED flashlight)
UPDATE: Found a bulb that is bright without creating error codes on the dash:
7443/7440 HIGH POWER SAMSUNG LED RED TURN SIGNAL BRAKE TAIL STOP
Link to the the location on eBay:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/7443-7440-HIGH- ... 48&vxp=mtr"
When link expires, these are the specifications of the LED Brake / Tail lights I went with:
The 5630 series Samsung SMD LED provides very good color
Package Content: 2 x Samsung L.E.D. Chip Light Bulbs (12 5630 LED modules per bulb)
Brand: Synetic-USA
Type Size: 7443 / 7440
Light Color: Red
Power: 12V
Thee three tip mounted 5630 LED's are as bright as one CREE module, which is impressive, and fills the tail light assembly with light

Below image of the winning LED 7440 light, side SMD with end CREE light. Best of both worlds, SMD bounces off the reflectors in the tail light, while the CREE shines brightly to the rear getting the tail gating (radio edit ) attention.
[

NOTE the CARiD 7440 lights are ~$14 a set, the combo lights off ebay were $29 a set. I had to flip the wires on the base of the eBay set, the worker who made them had the wire leads on the wrong side of the base, otherwise they work great.

Used the following thread for some details. Wanted to provide updated information.
viewtopic.php?f=18&t=33711"

Great video, as always! So with the no-load flasher module what happens if the LEDs quit working? I assume you get no indication like hyper flashing? LEDs last nearly forever so it's probably not a big deal unless you get a wiring fault somehow.

Rayven01 wrote:So with the no-load flasher module what happens if the LEDs quit working? I assume you get no indication like hyper flashing? LEDs last nearly forever so it's probably not a big deal unless you get a wiring fault somehow.

That is the only problem you will not get any indication if their is an issue with the turn signal. Do the lights with the rest of your vehicle inspection.

In a garage or pulling toward / backing up to a wall works best for a quick one person light check. In the morning or late night, use turn signals checking them against the wall, same for the brake and clearence. Still have to inspect the license plate and third brake light since the other lights over power them.

Derf wrote:Still have to inspect the license plate and third brake light since the other lights over power them.

In my 06, the third brake light will illuminate the entire rear interior of my car, esp. the bottom of the window sill. You can also check the rear lights by facing the (removed) of the car toward a window at night, which is how I first noticed my 3rd light was out.

Perfect, i was looking for the best way to do this!

lannvouivre wrote:

Derf wrote:Still have to inspect the license plate and third brake light since the other lights over power them.

In my 06, the third brake light will illuminate the entire rear interior of my car, esp. the bottom of the window sill. You can also check the rear lights by facing the (removed) of the car toward a window at night, which is how I first noticed my 3rd light was out.

I made a little light guard for my 3rd brake light so I get little light leakage.


Very nice thread, and nice set up, too. I want to do a custom LED set up in a spare set of taillights that I've obtained, but this still looks good! Any video of the SMD/CREE dual bulb? And any reason for going for red signals instead of amber? Very reassuring that even the whitest of white lights will still be orange/amber/yellow, as it is a big pet peeve of mine when people put white bulbs into clear lenses for signals.

KITT222 wrote:

lannvouivre wrote:In my 06, the third brake light will illuminate the entire rear interior of my car, esp. the bottom of the window sill. You can also check the rear lights by facing the (removed) of the car toward a window at night, which is how I first noticed my 3rd light was out.

I made a little light guard for my 3rd brake light so I get little light leakage.
Very nice thread, and nice set up, too. I want to do a custom LED set up in a spare set of taillights that I've obtained, but this still looks good! Any video of the SMD/CREE dual bulb? And any reason for going for red signals instead of amber? Very reassuring that even the whitest of white lights will still be orange/amber/yellow, as it is a big pet peeve of mine when people put white bulbs into clear lenses for signals.

So it is... another "feature" of the Vibe. Still learning about the Vibe, used to my Taurus, were you had to get out to check the third brake light

As far as the Red vs Amber, I used the bulbs that I had for the demo. I was surprised how well the Red and White LED worked through the Amber lens. The white LED was true white, had no off yellow hue. Only the stock incandescent bulb on the passenger backup had the off yellow. If I had used amber LED's they would have been even brighter in the amber turn signal housing. The final turn signal lights are Amber. I will post a link to a walk around of the car when I get all the lights updated.

I also updated the posting, the CANBUS Clearance / Stop lights threw me. Especially since the rest of the car seemed to make no difference what light was installed.

I didnt know it was CANBUS bulbs we needed, great post going. I have LEDs in all interior lights, fogs, license plate, reverse lightsand my 3rd brake light so far. No issues with any dash lights for those ones.

Derf wrote:UPDATED 03/18/13 at bottom added video on different LED lights, and details on CANBUS compatibility.

The Flasher :
Here is a quick video on how to change out the stock flasher module on the Vibe to make it LED compatible. This is far easier than splicing in resistors which can cause other issues, including connection and intermittent lights.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipsGJmGesXc" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Here is one location to obtain the flasher:
CF18-08 LED Bulb Electronic Flasher
http://www.niceledlights.com/12w-led-par-38/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I used an adjustable delay timer, so I could go faster than stock speed:
http://www.robustbuy.com/led-lighting-g ... 7_730.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
When the ebay link expires, these are the stock flasher part numbers:
81980-34020
81980-02030
81980-53010
81980-50030
Use them to look up an LED compatible (aka No Load) version

The Bulbs :
(Make sure you get the color of your lenses, white lights are dimmer when used with a Colored lens!!)
I used the following site, not the brightest LED's on the block, but a great price, solid build quality, and excellent customer support.
http://www.carid.com/pontiac-vibe-led-lights/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
The Vibe uses CANBUS (CAN Bus) Compatible clearance lights for front clearance / turn 1157A and rear clearance / brake 7443. Far as I can tell the turn, backup, and interior lights make no difference. Here is a thread on Vibe exterior light identification.
viewtopic.php?f=33&t=5438&p=470060" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Video showing several different types of LED lights (including the interior door and map) in action on the Vibe, you be the judge.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPNmsjZb1U0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

If you use a non CANBUS LED light for clearance, the dash lights up a like a Christmas tree, the ABS light flashes, the low tire, Traction control, and one other light stay on steady. At first I thought the ECM was playing games, nope, Vibe freaked over the LED clearance lights. Might only be the type of LED light I tried, but appears to be issue to consider when looking for bulbs.

All the exterior lights I ordered from CARiD worked, however, I was not satisfied with the 7443 brake/clearance lights. The initial set I received the "HI" light was not much brighter than the "LOW" clearance light. Checked with several people and they noticed that it was hard to tell when the brakes were applied during the daytime. I am awaiting a replacement set to see if that corrects the issue. UPDATE got the replacement bulbs, no change, so looking at other options. The LED lights work great for clearance, but the stock bulb was a brighter for brake. The Third brake light makes up for the two main brake lights, so I will let it go for now until I can find a brighter brake light that is CANBUS compatible. For most, the CARiD lights would be satisfactory, but I do a lot of work were the car is parked along the road. Therefore, I needed lights that shine a great distance alerting others to my presence. The CREE tipped LED lights do just that, several hundred yards (think of a CREE based LED flashlight)

Below image of the winning LED 7440 light, a side SMD with end CREE light. Best of both worlds, SMD bounces off the reflectors in the tail light, while the CREE shines brightly to the rear getting the tail gating (radio edit ) attention.
[

NOTE the CARiD 7440 lights are ~$14 a set, the combo lights off ebay were $29 a set, and I had to flip the wires on the base the worker who made them had the wire leads on the wrong side of the base, otherwise they work great.

Used the following thread for some details. Wanted to provide updated information.
viewtopic.php?f=18&t=33711" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I don't think there is any better led flashlight without Finix. It's just my experience.

Derf wrote:UPDATED 03/18/13 at bottom added video on different LED lights, and details on CANBUS compatibility.

The Flasher :
Here is a quick video on how to change out the stock flasher module on the Vibe to make it LED compatible. This is far easier than splicing in resistors which can cause other issues, including connection and intermittent lights.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipsGJmGesXc" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Here is one location to obtain the flasher:
CF18-08 LED Bulb Electronic Flasher
http://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo ... r/786/840/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I used an adjustable delay timer, so I could go faster than stock speed:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/380473089188?ss ... 1439.l2649" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
When the ebay link expires, these are the stock flasher part numbers:
81980-34020
81980-02030
81980-53010
81980-50030
Use them to look up an LED compatible (aka No Load) version

Thanks for this great information!

Can you clarify something though... is the CF18-08 LED Bulb Electronic Flasher the same as the Adjustable Delay Timer, or would you use both units at the same time? It looks like it would be best to get the adjustable flasher as that just gives you more choice and it's even a bit cheaper, unless it still requires the other unit as well?

Only need one flasher module, not both.

I chose an adjustable delay flasher over one that had a factory set delay. So far, three months, the adjustable delay flasher module is working great.

I did notice that the adjustable delay module causes a bit of static over the radio when my Kenwood head unit is on a very weak FM radio station. I believe its just a lack of RF shielding in the flasher (that is probably why its cheaper than the set delay flasher)

Derf wrote:Only need one flasher module, not both.

I chose an adjustable delay flasher over one that had a factory set delay. So far, three months, the adjustable delay flasher module is working great.

I did notice that the adjustable delay module causes a bit of static over the radio when my Kenwood head unit is on a very weak FM radio station. I believe its just a lack of RF shielding in the flasher (that is probably why its cheaper than the set delay flasher)

Thanks!

I received my lights and flasher module a couple days ago and was able to install new breaklights and rear turn signal lights.

I bought the following in red, amber, and white: http://www.ebay.com/itm/400495257814?va ... 1439.l2649" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

So far with the red and the amber, to be honest it feels like the red seems less bright than my original bulbs that came with the car in 2003, but still pretty close.
For reference, here's a picture with the Breaks Off off and the Breaks On. The new LED light is on the passenger side.

Are these similar results to what you've had? I was really expecting it to be brighter than the original bulbs that to my knowledge were never replaced and for sure haven't been replaced since 2006.

Look way brighter than mine.

Results look pretty close to mine. The 2nd picture is about how my brake lights looked after changing. Two issues, LED lights are very directional so it takes a lot of LED's in different directions to fill in as well as the incandescent bulbs clear dome that sprays light in all directions; National Traffic Safety board limits the brightness of vehicle lights (however I doubt the eBay bulbs are really concerned with that level). One thing that I have noticed with most LED lights, up close they may not look brighter than an incandescent, but from a distance, the LED is more visible (mostly because of its focused beam) . Other than the longevity of the LED, the 2nd best feature is instant on, might be a small difference, but .2 seconds can add up at roadway speeds.

Interesting... I was just hoping that these would be brighter and I may have the option to tint my break lights very slightly, and still have the breaks be as bright as stock.

I definitely agree that they are faster to turn on and off. I installed the ones for the blinkers as well, and the different from one side to the other mid-install was very obvious.

I'm curious whether your NON canbus leds set off the dash lights before you updated the flasher. I have non canbus LED turn switchback signals that hyperflash but do not set off dash lights. I have not installed the flasher yet.

the only place I seem to need the CAN bus bulbs is in the front marker location, every other location, including the brake lights, didn't seem to be affected by the regular bulbs. The whole thing went to heck once I put in my front LED's. Dash dimming, signal indicators constantly on, etc. I experimented and found that the front markers require resistance to make the whole thing work properly, in other words, the car doesn't care what is going on, light wise, as long as the front bulbs are "normal". LOL

Havent had a chance to go thru this whole thread yet, but looks like a lot of useful info. Been trying to decide whether or not to do a switchover to LED for exterior lighting.

LEDs are the correct solution for everything.

After a long search to find my issues with my dash lights... ONE (I used the drivers side) rear brake/marker needs a set of resistors/decoder to not throw a warning. BOTH front signals need resistance to not throw a warning. The warning for me was dimming dash every time I pressed the brake pedal and constant turn signal dash indicator for the fronts. Resistance can be achieved through CAN BUS, resistors, or LED decoders. I wired in a regular bulb as it's a resistor that can easily be replaced when it goes bad.

I bought some extremely good led lights from http://www.marinesalvageantiques.com
I recommend it.