That's good to know. I held off at first because of the Hong Kong location. I've got a couple sets on the way now.

 

looks nice. What's the measurement of these in mm?

 

35mm tip to tip

 

Thanks. I was looking on the seller's eBay store and found an item that appears identical except it wasn't specifically marked for the Mini. The bonus is that it's $12.99 instead of $15.50 for not being marketed to wealthy Mini owners

Here's a description of the two items:

 

good job can't tell if the vender's any good, go for it!

 

nice job,.,.. i am going ot ebay now

 

I ordered mine on 02/18 and received them just 1 week later. I'll probably install them in a couple weeks when the weather hopefully breaks.

 

?? Same vendor, just another listing

 

thats weird

 

i think a lot of eBay vendors list the same item multiple times but with different pricing structure; sometimes shipping is included, sometimes extra, and sometimes the description title is different.

 

i emailed the vendor to ask clarification if the 2 items they listed were the same since the descriptions were identical but price and title were different. Since they chose not to reply, I found another vendor (enkmall_uk)that sold a similar bulb except with a heatsink in the back so that might be even better since the license plate bulbs stays on for extended periods. These are 36mm canbus bulbs with built in resistor. Bulbs were $8 shipped. Took exactly 10 days to arrive. Bulbs are not superbright but maybe slightly brighter than stock. I don't like them overly bright so perfect for me.

 

Modded the plate bracket to allow the plate and cover sit flush. Heres a photo. (Anybody figure out a good way to take a night pic )

 

Tripod and longer exposure time...

 

Easy

 

These LEDs don't seem to have heat sinks. Do you find they get hot at all? The AZNOptics do have heatsinks but I don't think they do any good.

 

running the same bulbs in the 2009 no problem

 

... you have to solder in a 1k resistor across the 2 bulbs ends (on the back is fine). this will absorb the left over voltage fluctuations seen in the car after you start it up.

"better" leds for cars will have this feature built in, but at a cost (usually 3 to 10x the cheapies)

i bought cheapies, and did the solder thing. resistors are pennies at Radio Snack. I only had to do it to the Boot light and license plate lights i think. cant remember if i had to do it to the overhead light or under dash lights, dont think so...

 

Very cool writeup. I ordered two pair with heatsinks: http://www.ebay.com/itm/170627654829...84.m1497.l2649.

 

Thanks,,
you should be OK if you follow my footsteps.

 

Got them installed. Look really good. The thing that stunk was I had a heck of a time getting the lenses seated/installed properly. I broke the plastic tab on the right of each one. So I had to order two new ones. Since I ordered two pair, I also replaced the boot bulb, which happens to be a festoon.

I also ordered LED replacements for the interior bulbs. Swapped out the two bulbs in the floorboard and the two at the bottom of each door. Will get some pics when I get a chance.

 

I did the LED licence plate swap in..and even tho my Amazon vendor stated they were "error" free, I still get a bulb warning...

Can I get some more detail on fixing this "error". ? thanks!

 

I guess I was lucky. Mine don't give errors. If yours do, they don't have the proper resistance built in. The MINI's CAN BUS thinks a bulb is burned out. Try a different kind, or see if you can get your money back.

Mine are similar to these: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Error-Free-L...3364ad&vxp=mtr. This might be a better deal; has four in a pack: http://www.ebay.com/itm/4-x-No-Error...9aa22e&vxp=mtr.

Try search terms like "mini cooper license plate led" and "can bus festoon led."

 

Thanks for the link, mine look EXACTLY the same.. I paid nearly double though..son of a! lol

its one of those things where I could live with warning light, but ...

 

--

 

I just replaced the non-LED license plate bulbs on my 2010 Mini Countryman because I couldn't find a thread on this site that explained the operation. Here is what I did:

1. Purchase your new bulb(s). I got mine at O'Reilly's Auto Parts for $5.

2. Pop out the case that houses the bulbs by gently prying with a thin, flat metal tool like a screwdriver between the case and the body of the car. Be sure to first pry on the outer sides of the case(s) you are working on; pry against the left side of the left case, and the right side of the right case. This is because there is a small metal tab on the inner side of each case that you shouldn't bend.

3. Remove the bulb from the case by gently rotating 90 degrees the white cylinder (that you exposed by popping the case out) that attaches the bulb to the bulb wire. This will allow for the two plastic tabs that lock the bulb to the cylinder to slip free.

4. Switch your new bulb with your old. If the new bulb does not easily slip into the cylinder, you've purchased the wrong replacement bulb.

5. Insert the cylinder into the case and rotate gently to re-"lock" the plastic tabs.

6. Push the case back into its original place, inserting the outer side of the case into the car body first.