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JCW Bulbs upgrade

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  #1  
Old 08-23-2015, 10:16 PM
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Bulbs upgrade

I replaced the parking and fog bulbs with these. All are working great with over 500 miles. I hated the stock pale/dull yellow bulbs for both. The LEDs for the parking lights are bright!

You can see the stock vs LED Xenon white parking bulb difference in the 2nd and 3rd pix. Also shown is the LED parking and rally yellow fog lights together. There is a clear segmentation of the new colors compared to stock where both blended together when on at the same time.

Nokia H8 2500K hyper (rally) yellow for the fog lights  - $16.95/pair on Amazon Nokia H8 2500K hyper (rally) yellow for the fog lights - $16.95/pair on Amazon

ASTAR 5730 SMD LED (10 per bulb) 2825 Xenon white for the parking lights - $14.99/pair on Amazon ASTAR 5730 SMD LED (10 per bulb) 2825 Xenon white for the parking lights - $14.99/pair on Amazon









 

Last edited by minimofo; 08-23-2015 at 10:21 PM.
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Old 08-27-2015, 08:48 PM
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Quick update...the LED bulbs for the parking lights threw an error code "Bulb malfunction". I contacted JDM ASTAR who quickly replied that the correct/better bulbs to use are these error free ones: JDM ASTAR Extremely Bright Error Free PX Chipsets 194 168 2825 W5W T10 LED Bulbs,Xenon White https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QXUFCAY/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_OK93vb6EX30Z1

They quickly sent out the replacement bulbs and refunded the first pair. Great service! I put the new pair in today and the error code went away...plus being slightly brighter and less heat also 👍




 
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Old 08-28-2015, 12:47 AM
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or you can code the bulb checks off and then you dont have to worry about getting canbus friendly LED bulbs. i have converted everything to LED other than the fog lights and headlights(HID), no LED replacements will have the proper beam to actually function as fog lights and im not giving up HID to go LED for headlights.
 
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Old 09-02-2015, 08:40 PM
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I didn't want to mess with the coding or messing with the codes. Error free bulbs work just as well. All bulbs except the 2 front map lights and footwell lights (coming in the mail since I didn't order enough) are now nice and bright 6000k xenon white LEDs. The single backup LED light now does wonders since I have dark tinted lens cover and windows...much brighter now to see through the back at night when backing up.

Correct, why waste $ converting the stock HIDs to LEDs. I don't see the value in that, not to mention mine are dynamic/turning HIDs for the JCW.



















Huge difference of stock vs LED 6000k white...











 
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Old 09-03-2015, 05:46 PM
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Last edited by malibujoey; 05-24-2016 at 03:57 PM.
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Old 09-03-2015, 06:06 PM
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Originally Posted by malibujoey
NICE AS USUAL ****. ALWAYS ENJOY READING YOUR WELL DOCUMENTED POSTS.

Couple questions:

1. I want to covert my fog to LED but concerned with code issues you say these bulbs have zero code issues?

2. Are you a professional garage? hahaha Just your pictures are really well taken and it does look pretty immaculate in there.

3. Notice you use a radar detector - which brand and model do you like? Curious
1. I did not change the fogs to LEDs but to these very bright rally yellow bulbs: JDM H8 Nokya 2500k Hyper Yellow Head/fog Light Bulbs https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0031R61DO..._0Uo6vbC64MFHZ. They're the only bulbs I've kept as halogens since I did not find any LED H8 bulbs in the rally yellow tint that I like.

2. Thanks ;-) I'm just a bit OCD with garage organizing.

3. I was a committed user of Valentine1 for 15 yrs until I switched to the Escort Passport Max with Escort Live (annual subscription and iPhone app) via BT module in 2013 and never looked back. It's saved me thousands of $. I now have 3 Passport Max setups in 3 of the 6 cars. However, all cars have integrated mounts and hidden direct wires, so I just pull a radar out of one car and plug in another when I need to. Each car is set up with: a Kuda leather integrated mount with a ProClip iPhone adapter-holder with Lightning charger and a Blendmount radar mount under the rear view mirror.
 
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Old 09-03-2015, 08:13 PM
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Last edited by malibujoey; 05-24-2016 at 03:57 PM.
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Old 09-03-2015, 08:28 PM
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Originally Posted by malibujoey
So being your anonymous of course I have to ask: have you ever been able to detect the cop before he detected you?

I live in LA and Texas. In Texas they make a living off sitting there and hitting you with radar. But I've memorized where their traps are. So I've avoided them. In LA, they have better things to do. hahaha Unless you're out in the desert where the CHP uses doppler which I doubt you can evade doppler. It's a sweep over a wide radius. Not a gun direction.
Yes absolutely! That's the beauty of Escort Live social app. I see other users reported cop sightings and traps miles ahead. Some people like to use Waze which is free but does not have as many reporting as Escort Live. It also makes laser shifters pretty much unnecessary since reports of laser hits are shown on the app via the cloud.

Escort is hq'ed in Ohio where a number of the key companies who make traffic sensors and radar devices are also hq'ed. Field testing here is ridiculous so I would say it's a great place to prove how effective detectors are. I have friends who have the Passport Max in Texas and are super car owners as well.

I refuse to drive without my Passport Max - period.
 
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Old 09-04-2015, 10:15 AM
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Last edited by malibujoey; 05-24-2016 at 03:56 PM.
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Old 09-04-2015, 11:35 AM
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@Minimofo.

Can you please post the link for what you purchased for the license plate and reverse light?

 
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Old 09-04-2015, 11:37 AM
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Your links on OP are backwards.
 
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Old 09-04-2015, 12:20 PM
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Last edited by malibujoey; 05-24-2016 at 03:56 PM.
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Old 09-04-2015, 12:23 PM
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Originally Posted by malibujoey
NICE AS USUAL ****. ALWAYS ENJOY READING YOUR WELL DOCUMENTED POSTS.

Couple questions:

1. I want to covert my PARKING to LED but concerned with code issues you say these bulbs have zero code issues BECAUSE THEY'RE CANBUS FRIENDLY
(what's that) ?

2. Did you use the same bulb to replace the other lights - lic plate, interior etc?

3. Are you a professional garage? hahaha Just your pictures are really well taken and it does look pretty immaculate in there.

4. Notice you use a radar detector - which brand and model do you like? Curious
1. i've been buying jdm astar branded led bulbs off amazon...excellent customer service. had a couple that were bad, no biggie...quick free ship returns and replacements. canbus is marketing hype. just a simple circuit built into the bulbs to fake the current consumption so the car thinks the bulb is fine. otherwise known as "error-free" bulbs. they also run cooler than non-error-free bulbs. all mine work just fine as advertised. note: only the exterior lights need error-free bulbs, not the interior lights like courtesy, footwell, map, and trunk. however, i ordered a batch of the error-free so used for both interior and exterior to run cooler. here are what i got for which bulbs:

2. see #1.

3. nope

4. passport max (2 of them both with remote bluetooth unit) and passport max2 (built-in bluetooth)...all used with escort live social app for iphone.
 
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Old 09-04-2015, 12:27 PM
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they use planes in certain areas in ohio and escort live app allows users to report that too.

of course nothing is 100% protection but with passport max crazy range, great false alarm filtering, traffic sensor filtering (some freeways in ohio have a traffic sensor on K-band every other mile), user reported and actual database contained speedtraps, and auto learn/auto lock-out of false signals...all are excellent features.

here's what i'm looking at on my phone right now...




Originally Posted by malibujoey
COOL REC MINI ****!!!! I'LL CHECK THEM OUT NOW! If they catch doppler which some people may not know, sweeps an area from miles. Cop doesn't have to have sight of you - just has to I.D. the blip on the screen.

I had one cop in California in a bi-plane fly over me and I.D. me on Pacific Coast Highway while his buddy was having lunch then at his leisure pulled on the freeway and went after me.

In California they have some nasty methods to get you. But I do things like travel fast in a pack, confuses who to I.D. or run in stretches in the suburbs. I have a general idea where they are and aren't. In Texas the DPS or their version of highway patrol is not so interested in speeding as the small towns. They don't use doppler but a gun. And will wait for you on Sunday morning on a stretch. So obvious now, I laugh every Sunday I drive the speed limit down an open stretch knowing they're somewhere and sure enough! hahaha Such a ridiculous ritual.

But a good detector would really do wonders. Can't afford a ticket!!!! At any cost!



You can see 2 real (blue) reported speed traps.
 
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Old 09-04-2015, 12:33 PM
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Originally Posted by Ovrclck
@Minimofo.

Can you please post the link for what you purchased for the license plate and reverse light?

see my reply above listing all LED bulbs i bought for which location.
 
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Old 09-04-2015, 12:34 PM
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Originally Posted by malibujoey
YEAH I noticed that too Over. My impression was **** used the same light for all of them. But I was curious too. Also he said there were no code issues.
see my list i just posted.

correct, all are burning bright and nice...no errors, nothing.
 
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Old 09-04-2015, 12:44 PM
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Last edited by malibujoey; 05-24-2016 at 03:58 PM.
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Old 09-04-2015, 12:48 PM
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Originally Posted by malibujoey
nice. THANKS AGAIN ****!!! You get NAM POSTER OF THE YEAR AWARD! hahaha really thanks. You can tell on a holiday Friday I've got nothing else to do but surf the net for stuff on my JCW. I'LL USE YOUR BULB LINKS AND BUY SOME.

SO I'M CURIOUS:

Do these postings on the iPhone interface FOR THE RADAR DETECTOR come from 1. radar postings from other users 2. or radar and sighted postings?

I'm checking into the Passport Max right now. 5 bills from their web site. Looking for a deal. I had got in collision in my JCW in Malibu start of year so insurance took a 15% hit and got a BS small ticket speeding ticket in Texas which will go away if I get no more. So can't afford tix.
you're welcome. glad the info is useful.

both - that's what the app sees when users report (hit a button on the app) and from the known database that escort maintains. the database is constantly updated. also, the passport max learns that if you pass by a speedtrap 3x, it's considered a known speedtrap location and will update the database in the cloud so other users will see it as well. user reported is typically like when i pass a patrol car who has pulled someone over - i hit report and it shows up as a red icon in the app so others know "hey, a cop was sighted within the last 30 mins...slow down!"

trust me i can't drive without my passport max and escort live app EVER!
 
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Old 09-04-2015, 01:02 PM
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Bulbs upgrade

Originally Posted by minimofo
see my reply above listing all LED bulbs i bought for which location.
Thanks man. I ordered the license plate bulbs.
 
  #20  
Old 09-04-2015, 01:08 PM
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Here's one of my Audis setups:

- Passport Max mounted with Blendmount's amazing mirror mounts.

- Escort Live BT unit on dash near info display with direct wire to the Max.

- Kuda matching leather mount and ProClip iPhone cradle (charges phone and syncs with Audi MMI).












Here's my install of the direct wire and Escort Live BT module in the overhead panel of the Mini and the Blendmount mirror mount. For the Mini, I wired it such that everytime I open the car door to get in - the Max auto turns on and when I leave it times out and shuts down within 15 mins by itself.















And here are some older pix of my Lambo's setup with the Valentine One which has been swapped out for the Passport Max2 (built-in BT), but I'm using the same Kuda matching leather mount with the iPhone 5S cradle (charges and syncs to info system).













 
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Old 09-04-2015, 02:19 PM
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Last edited by malibujoey; 05-24-2016 at 03:58 PM.
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Old 09-04-2015, 02:29 PM
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Old 09-04-2015, 02:40 PM
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Originally Posted by malibujoey
ALSO I NEED AN IPHONE CLIP FOR MY JCW - WHICH BRAND DO YOU USE? can't find any that clip to the vent because they're circular.
Joey, my friend Steven makes custom mounts for our MINI's.

Check it out and let me know what you think?

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1900556293502339/
 
Attached Thumbnails Bulbs upgrade-11060047_672114616256726_4387421640994275520_n.jpg   Bulbs upgrade-11214244_672114676256720_2484486737910805526_n.jpg  
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Old 09-04-2015, 03:11 PM
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here's the kuda leather mount. there are 2 different models:

http://www.kudausa.com/kuda-custom-l...7-13-k481.html

that then combines with a pro-clip of your choosing (link example for iphone 6 with a case):

http://www.proclipusa.com/phone-hold...th-a-case.cmsv

personally, i use this model for all my iphones:

http://www.proclipusa.com/phone-hold..._leftorright=0

install is easy:

1. mount the kuda mount.

2. mount the proclip cradle to the kuda mount with 4 small screws.

3. route and hide the wire to the other end/usb/adapter/etc for power and/or signals.
 
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Old 09-04-2015, 03:13 PM
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here are the blendmount mounts for the detector itself. it's model specific and detector specific. just choose the options.

http://www.blendmount.com/mini-mirror.html
 


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