LED tail light DIY
 

Installing the sonar LED tail lights on the e53 is very easy. it may appear difficult at first if you have never done any work back there (like me) but once you take a look its all simple. This should help give you an idea of how easy it is and convince you to order them :thumbup:


-Step One:

pop out reflectors on both sides to reveal the screws, and remove them

http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp38/xmt2007x/1.jpg

- Step two:
pop out plastic caps to reveal two more screws, and remove them as well

http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp38/xmt2007x/2.jpg

- Step three:

open lower trunk lid and pop out the black plastic covering. you can start at the arrows or the opposite side, i found the arrows easier.

http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp38/xmt2007x/3.jpg

be careful not to break the plastic tabs!

http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp38/xmt2007x/4.jpg


- step four:

once the plastic covering is removed, begin to remove the bolts holding the trim/insulation. you do not have to remove the insulation.

http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp38/xmt2007x/5.jpg

push the other plastic part up to reveal more bolts to remove:

http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp38/xmt2007x/6.jpg

http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp38/xmt2007x/7.jpg

-step five:

remove the three bolts holding the cargo tail lights, and unplug the connector for the reverse light. dont forget to remove the reverse bulb and put it in your new unit (and rear foglight bulb for european models)

http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp38/xmt2007x/8.jpg

reattach everything and test to make sure the reverse lights work before putting everything back.

http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp38/xmt2007x/9.jpg

step 6:

remove three bolts holding the tail light in and connector, and replace with the new sonar led tail lights. don't forget to put in your turn signal bulb (only bulb you will need). and if you have a cd changer/nav/amp on the drivers side be careful not to let the bolt drop, its a hassle to get it out.

http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp38/xmt2007x/10.jpg

OEM unit to give you a better idea of what three need to be removed.
http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp38/xmt2007x/11.jpg

Test to make sure everything works, and your all set!

A few things to look out for:
-damage to the tail lights (mine as well as another members arrived chipped)
-LEDs do not flicker (shouldnt happen on models 02 or before, for later models a capacitor is needed)
-LEDs light up! (the pins in the LED connector might not all be exposed, causing the unit not to work. I also had this issue as well)
If you do have any issues, the sellers usually have great service and will ship out new units (hopefully) lol.

Step 7:
ENJOY your new, updated look :thumbup:

mt,
Very nice write up. Well explained with good pics :thumbup:

Q: How do you remove the small plastic caps in pic 2 without damaging them?

Would have been nice to see cose up pics of the final product (on & off).

Foomph

Thanks for the knowledge,look forward to doing this soon.

LOL.... You dont have to take out everything like you did, all you need is to remove this panel and take out the inner lights.
Much faster and less work . :lmao:

http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp38/xmt2007x/3.jpg

and the expert speaks...

Tom, I was about to say the same!

haha tom your right i did notice that. but i found it easier to work with everything out of the way, it only took like 2 extra minutes :nanana:

and x foomph, i had those two small caps removed with this tool i found in my tool box (i don't even know what to call it). it looked like a pocket knife and had like 15 different pieces of metal which got thinner and thinner. i used one of the thinnest ones to pop the two caps out. so i guess just find something really thin.

the reason there is no pictures is because i received a defective unit (one chipped and one didnt work at all) now i have the chipped LED tailight in and the OEM one on the right, so its ghetto :D. i'll take some pictures when the new unit arrives.

That is a feeler gauge and it is used to set the gap on a spark plug, points, etc....

Feeler gauge - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

;)

wow good call haha. i thought my description made no sense. thanks :thumbup:

Cool, thanks guys. So best I have a feel round for a feeler gauge when the time comes.
mt, GL with replacement unit.