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      05-31-2011, 10:26 PM   #1
BSM 135i
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Review/DIY Cree SMD LED Reverse Lights

I received my Cree SMD LED reverse lights in the mail today, i got them from Ebay seller 909_bmw HERE. They are only listed for 3 series but i talked to the seller and made a deal to test fit them on my 1er to see if they worked and where error free like the 3 series.

First impressions:
The LED's feel and look very solid and not like some cheap China LED's.




Install:
Installation should take you no more than 5 minutes to do both sides, they work and fit perfectly and there are NO ERRORS. But I did notice that upon start up of the car they blink for a couple seconds (like my LED sidemarkers) due to the electrical system doing a bulb check. But this doesn't bother me at all and if you're really bothered by it you could get rid of it by coding out the bulb check.

Looks: They put out a 6K'ish brightness and look REALLY good compared to the stock ugly yellowish bulbs. WELL worth it IMHO

DIY (Pictured is for the driver's side taillight, passenger side will just be the exact opposite):
You first need to remove the tail light cover, which is held in by 4 tabs and easily pops out by pulling.




Next you will need to remove the wiring harness, start off with the connector on the left then the clip on the right holding the harness in place


The clip on the right looks like this (exactly the same as the ones on our cowl under the hood)


Now you need to release the 2 clips holding the panel holding the taillight bulbs


Once removed you will be replacing the bulb on the far right


Cree SMD LED installed (it don't matter which way you install the bulb, works both ways)


Now just replace everything in reverse order and enjoy


VIDEO:


THANKS!

Last edited by BSM 135i; 06-03-2011 at 05:38 PM..
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      05-31-2011, 10:56 PM   #2
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Looks good JR!
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      05-31-2011, 11:29 PM   #3
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Thanks Ben! I'm lovin' these lights, they look really good with my LED license plate lights.
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      06-01-2011, 02:59 AM   #4
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Very cool. Do you have a comparison shot? Like stock vs. the Cree LED against a wall?
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      06-01-2011, 10:17 AM   #5
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Awesome! Ordering as we speak... there is a side-by-side shot on ebay.
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      06-01-2011, 01:52 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Shazmonkee View Post
Very cool. Do you have a comparison shot? Like stock vs. the Cree LED against a wall?
was gonna take some shots, but bogart pointed out that there's side-by-side shots on the Ebay listing...
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Originally Posted by bogart View Post
Awesome! Ordering as we speak... there is a side-by-side shot on ebay.
Nice! post pics!
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      06-01-2011, 02:00 PM   #7
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My first thought when I saw the price was they're expensive!! But looks like a decent LED they are using. (same as LUX etc).

I wonder how 24 or however many of these would look for the DEPO angel eyes!!

Imagine the price though
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      06-01-2011, 02:12 PM   #8
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They are well worth it.... and the price is for the pair, so $25/led shipped, not so bad. I've seen them in person on onefastman's ride. It's pretty cool how they flicker and flash upon startup.
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      06-01-2011, 02:21 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by aacabriolet View Post
My first thought when I saw the price was they're expensive!! But looks like a decent LED they are using. (same as LUX etc).

I wonder how 24 or however many of these would look for the DEPO angel eyes!!

Imagine the price though
i think decent is an understatement, these things are SOLID and are heavy compared to regular bulbs or any other LED bulb i've seen
Quote:
Originally Posted by bogart View Post
They are well worth it.... and the price is for the pair, so $25/led shipped, not so bad. I've seen them in person on onefastman's ride. It's pretty cool how they flicker and flash upon startup.
yeah VERY well worth it IMO, and he even has a best offer option on them so you can offer a price and see if he'll take it
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      06-01-2011, 02:32 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BSM 135i View Post
i think decent is an understatement, these things are SOLID and are heavy compared to regular bulbs or any other LED bulb i've seen
Yeah well that would be down to the metal heatsink which the bright LED obviously needs.

How much did you offer?

BTW thanks for the DIY and pics
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      06-01-2011, 03:06 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by aacabriolet View Post
Yeah well that would be down to the metal heatsink which the bright LED obviously needs.

How much did you offer?

BTW thanks for the DIY and pics
i made a deal with him to test fit them on my 1er to see if there where also no errors like the 3 series for a discounted price (that i shall not say ), there are some guys on e90 that made offers and he took them. try it out, you never know
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      06-01-2011, 07:02 PM   #12
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I had some like that a couple of months ago, but got tired of everyone asking why my reverse lights flicker like a cop car's strobes. I finally started telling people it was a safety feature to get peoples attention before you back up. LOL Thanks for the post!
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      06-02-2011, 01:16 PM   #13
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lol nice! so you uninstalled them?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Riley1524 View Post
I had some like that a couple of months ago, but got tired of everyone asking why my reverse lights flicker like a cop car's strobes. I finally started telling people it was a safety feature to get peoples attention before you back up. LOL Thanks for the post!
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      06-02-2011, 01:31 PM   #14
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To the op. Was just thinking it would have been nice if you kept a stock bulb in one side and a new LED in the other side
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      06-02-2011, 02:03 PM   #15
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I just got them off ebay but they were much larger and had a ton more led's

I didnt think they would fit at first but they did
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      06-02-2011, 02:28 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by onefastman View Post
I just got them off ebay but they were much larger and had a ton more led's

I didnt think they would fit at first but they did
You'll probably find the one with lots of LEDs produce less Lumens output than this single LED

Pics?
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      06-02-2011, 02:45 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BSM 135i View Post
lol nice! so you uninstalled them?
Yeah, they eventually started throwing the "bulb out" code. Looks nice though
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      06-02-2011, 02:53 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Riley1524 View Post
Yeah, they eventually started throwing the "bulb out" code. Looks nice though
Unfortunately that's the case with all these "error free"/CANBUS type LED's..they all go eventually. mine lasted a few months. I just took them out today, noticed they smell quite burnt and the one looks quite brownish where the chips were. Yours the same?

Last edited by aacabriolet; 06-02-2011 at 03:14 PM..
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      06-02-2011, 03:32 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by aacabriolet View Post
Unfortunately that's the case with all these "error free"/CANBUS type LED's..they all go eventually. mine lasted a few months. I just took them out today, noticed they smell quite burnt and the one looks quite brownish where the chips were. Yours the same?
Yup, you just don't know what kind of quality your getting when buying l.e.d's these days.
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      06-02-2011, 04:00 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by aacabriolet View Post
To the op. Was just thinking it would have been nice if you kept a stock bulb in one side and a new LED in the other side
there's a side by shot comparison shot in the Ebay listing....
Quote:
Originally Posted by onefastman View Post
I just got them off ebay but they were much larger and had a ton more led's

I didnt think they would fit at first but they did
could you point out the ebay listing...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Riley1524 View Post
Yeah, they eventually started throwing the "bulb out" code. Looks nice though
Quote:
Originally Posted by Riley1524 View Post
Yup, you just don't know what kind of quality your getting when buying l.e.d's these days.
where yours the same exact Cree LED's that i got?
Quote:
Originally Posted by aacabriolet View Post
Unfortunately that's the case with all these "error free"/CANBUS type LED's..they all go eventually. mine lasted a few months. I just took them out today, noticed they smell quite burnt and the one looks quite brownish where the chips were. Yours the same?
Which LED's did you have? could you point them out?
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      06-03-2011, 01:48 PM   #21
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Just got mine in the mail today from James and BMW Illumination on ebay... they look awesome! Very fast shipping.
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      06-03-2011, 05:35 PM   #22
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pics!
Quote:
Originally Posted by bogart View Post
Just got mine in the mail today from James and BMW Illumination on ebay... they look awesome! Very fast shipping.
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