Sylvania 168/194/2825LED Parking Lights Photos

update: tutorial has moved here.

So I replaced my yellowish OEM parking lights with Sylvania LEDriving Part No. 168/194/2825LED bulbs (6000K) to match the LED headlights. While the bulbs aren't cheap, they are top quality (OSRAM), and since they are around the same price on A_mazon and at A_dvance Auto Parts, I decided to give these a shot once a 35% coupon became available (so $36 for 4 bulbs).

Anyways, the installation process is pretty simple, but I took some before & after pics with my DSLR (same settings) so you can see the difference (I tried to match the DSLR settings with how my eyes perceived the colors), plus some installation pics since the manual sucks.

Before/after pics (first one is animated!):


Installation process:

DISCLAIMER: This is just a guide, so you are on your own here if something goes wrong. If there are any errors, just let me know, I'll do my best to fix them. If you aren't comfortable working with/around electricity, or don't respect this power, please ask for help. There are many areas in the engine bay (e.g., orange-wrapped high-voltage cables) that can really ruin your day, so be careful! On top of that, make sure you read the Nissan LEAF manual so you have as much information as available.

1. Make sure the vehicle is turned off, and capacitors have been discharged (you can hear a whine for 10 minutes or so after you turn the car off).
2. Read the Nissan LEAF manual just so you know what their instructions are.
3. Pop the hood.
4. Each headlight assembly has a large round access door, which has to be turned 45" or so, in order to remove it. Pay attention to the little triangle marking the original position. Make sure none of the wires going into this access door get stuck on the 'ribs'.
   
5. You should now see a plug with red/gray wires (in my 2013 at least). Twist this plug gently until you feel the socket coming loose (doesn't take much effort). Once loose, gently pull the light socket assembly out of the headlight assembly.
   
6. CAUTION: if these bulbs were turned on recently, they might be extremely hot. Between that and wanting to avoid touching these bulbs with your fingers, even when cold (skin oils, etc.), I recommend you use a glove, even a piece of paper towel, when handling this bulb!
7. Gently pull the bulb out of the socket, it shouldn't take much effort.
8. Insert new bulb into socket, and verify the rubber o-ring is still on the socket (in case you drop the socket in the engine bay, etc.).
   
9. Insert light socket assembly back into the headlight assembly. It should go in smooth, if it doesn't, you aren't holding the socket at the right angle.
10. Test headlights and verify the bulb is functional. Only proceed to next step once you have the bulb working.
11. Replace access door, paying attention to the little triangle marking on the door. Again, verify the wires leading to the headlight don't get damaged/stuck on the ribs of this door.
12. Repeat this process for the other side.
13. Don't forget to make sure you didn't leave any tools, old bulbs, etc. anywhere in the engine bay before you close the hood!
    
    That's it! This is an extremely easy process, but hopefully these details help the folks not comfortable replacing a light bulb.

I also plan to post some pics for the dome light, which was a much bigger pain to figure out.

credit goes to asimba2 for mentioning the existence of these bulbs.

Looks good and I'm glad you're happy with the result. Now it's time for the fog lights.

How legal is it to have front parking lights that look just like headlights - not amber, but blue?

LeftieBiker said:

How legal is it to have front parking lights that look just like headlights - not amber, but blue?

Click to expand...

Just to clear up a few things. These bulbs aren't amber, they just look it compared with the white headlights, and partly because of the fast shutter configuration. If you look at the animated pic (first one), you can see the amber parking lights on the outer edge, which I won't change (color wise). Also, these aren't blue, just 'cool white'.

asimba2 said:

Looks good and I'm glad you're happy with the result. Now it's time for the fog lights.

Click to expand...

Still on the fence about what to do, as I'm trying to figure out if I'm brave enough to take the headlights apart and build my own LED DRLs (similar to what this guy did with his Chrysler 300). It doesn't help that the LED headlights are so expensive to replace, or I would by a 2nd set as a practice run.

thanks for this, i replaced my 2 front parking lights with the LED's and they look much, much better!!

thanks for the link to Advance Auto, they had them in stock close to my home.

Great! Hope you were able to use the coupon!

Price is now down to $5.99 on Amazon when purchased as an add-on item.

Good pics, I bought my parking lights from superbrightled and very happy with it. I find the dome light an easier project than this though.

I have already ordered 30W LED bulbs for my fog lights and if they get here today or tomorrow I'll tackle that! Since I already did the LED high beam I can't stand leaving the fogs halogen.