parker lights

[dannywss]

Has anyone actually changed the parker lights? I have no idea how to change it. Is it as easy as getting a HID installed?

I start to hate that yellowish colour and i am getting my adjustable HID for foglight that why i wanna get it done same time.

Any info will be nice.

[DJKOR]

Has anyone actually changed the parker lights? I have no idea how to change it. Is it as easy as getting a HID installed?

I start to hate that yellowish colour and i am getting my adjustable HID for foglight that why i wanna get it done same time.

Any info will be nice.

I've managed to change mine to some white LED's (the photo makes it seem a bit more blue than it is). Since I had to access the wiring for the parkers when I installed my HID's (for the relay circuit), I though I may as well open up the other side and swap the bulb there. Accessing it is kind of annoying, but if you change it to LED, chances are you won't be doing it again. With all the design work behind the scenes at Toyota, I'm surprised that this was their best solution for accessing the parkers.

I didn't take any photos during the procedure (sorry), but I went down just then to take some photos as a guide. Mind the dirt; I haven't got around to cleaning the unseen areas yet.

-Firstly, the way I did it was to remove the screw underneath the car that holds the under guard to the wheel arch guard (photo 2 taken facing the rear). When you look at the area, you can easily figure out the screw I'm talking about and how it all goes together.

-Secondly, remove two of the clips holding the arch guard to the wheel arch (photo 3, and the top circle in photo 4). The lower one is a twist and turn, the upper one pops out in the centre followed by the remainder of the clip.

-Thirdly, lift the arch guard up a bit and you will then find a screw holding the bumper in place. You will find it hidden around the location of the second circle in photo 4. Unscrew that and put it aside.

- Then carefully unclip the side of the bumper and with a combination of having the bumper sitting to the side a little (for obvious reasons, don't force it to the point that it looks like it's going to bend) and pushing the wheel arch towards the inner of the car (more forgiving if you push it hard), you can access the parkers; providing your hands and wrists aren't too large. Having a torch is quite helpful at this point in time so you can figure out where you are going to have to send your hand to.

I'm not too good with detailing instructions, so excuse me if it seems a little non-descriptive. Was it as easy or easier than installing the HID's? In general, I would say that it was probably easier. In my case though, my HID setup was a bit more detailed, and since I was also accessing the parkers for the HID's, I'd say that based on the "swear factor", both tasks were a pain in the rear end.

Edited May 13, 2008 by DJKOR

[dannywss]

thanks! this instruction is just enough for me, at least i know where about to start and know what i will be facing.

For the led, which did you used? T10? I will be opening up mine as soon as i confirm the led.

Looking at your parker light changed, made me anxious to change mine..

hrm.. mayb i should get purple hey?

Edited May 14, 2008 by dannywss

[DJKOR]

thanks! this instruction is just enough for me, at least i know where about to start and know what i will be facing.

For the led, which did you used? T10? I will be opening up mine as soon as i confirm the led.

Looking at your parker light changed, made me anxious to change mine..

hrm.. mayb i should get purple hey?

The original bulb is the standard T10 5W type. Ideally, I would have used the 1W Luxeon type T10 LED replacements (photo 1) as I have used them before and they are really bright. However I have had several of these type burn out due to heat, so I don't really trust them anymore. They come with a larger heatsink now, but even still, I don't trust them yet. Because I was going to swap nearly all my bulbs in the Aurion for LED, I had a few different types at home already which let me find out what could and couldn't be used.

For the parkers, you can't use an LED replacement that is too large. The type shown in the second photo (eBay Link) was way too wide to fit into the housing, so I couldn't use that there.

I did however have a 5 LED surface mount version as well (eBay link), shown in the third photo, and that managed to fit fine. So if you are in search for an LED replacement, try not to get one which that is wider than 12-13mm. Most T10 LED's out there have the same style base, as you will see in all those attached pictures. As a general guide, I'd try not to pick one that has LED's that stick out wider than the top of that base.

Also, don't get those T10 repacements that have just one large LED; the ones that Repco and the like sell. They are fairly dim, and will not be satisfying. As for the colour, I'd suggest sticking with white. In my photo, mine look rather blue. In person though, it's actually a pretty clear white. It also appears as bright as the original bulb when looking at it. Due to the characteristics of LED's however, it doesn't project as far, but the visual intensity is there. Just be aware that if you use an LED that looks more blue than anything else, the police might not approve of that as it says on the Queensland Transport website that blue lights are only allowable on emergency vehicles.

[dannywss]

hrm.. i started looking around in ebay, a lot of T10 led is not recommended to be put near the headlight.. Your link doesnt seems to work, so i am wondering which led that u are using now? I will just buy that.

[Aurion ZR6]

http://www.besthongkong.com/index.php?cPath=10_81

http://www.besthongkong.com/index.php?cPath=10_60

The Best place to purchase led lights for a car, delivery is from Hong Kong Air Freight in 2-3days.

I use this company all the time.

Go and have a go, worth ever cent in my book.

Edited May 19, 2008 by Aurion ZR6

[dannywss]

woo.. now i m really messed up.. they cost from aud1 to aud15 each? hrm... in the site of besthongkong.com, the one that suits will cost like aud15 a pair?(without postage) not cheap... not cheap...

[DJKOR]

hrm.. i started looking around in ebay, a lot of T10 led is not recommended to be put near the headlight.. Your link doesnt seems to work, so i am wondering which led that u are using now? I will just buy that.

Okay, I've updated the links in my post so you can see exactly what I was referring to. I just purchased off eBay since that's how I've done it in the past. As for the heat issue, With the Aurion because of the location of the parkers, standard LED's and SMD LED's will be more than okay. The level of heat they will receive from the headlights are not that much. My sister had the SMD variety (which are smaller and you would think would be more sensitive) on her old Excel, and those were located just next to the actual headlight bulb itself. She even eventually changed her headlights to HID's and the LED's showed no signs of giving up.

[dannywss]

Thanks DJKOR, i bought it.. waiting for arrival and install!

[dannywss]

Hi,

I am looking for Victoria Aurion owner whose aircon controller look like the picture below..

Reason is, mine is the ugly one without the display, and would like to find out if i bought that part from Toyota, would it work on my aurion SX6. So, i would like to meet, swap and try it out if it works. Will pay some money and a beer for the trouble.

If your model of aurion has this part, please please let me know by message and we try work something out.

Thanks!

[CAP]

You can also use Philips Blue Vision parker bulbs for about $10 a pair and they give a nice white light. I've had mine for 5 years now, still good.

[-DAvo]

in terms of sizing, does anyone know if these will fit into the aurion parker housing?? i put LED ingto the parker similar to this and they just dont seem bright enough..

[DJKOR]

in terms of sizing, does anyone know if these will fit into the aurion parker housing?? i put LED ingto the parker similar to this and they just dont seem bright enough..

They will fit... just. I fitted an eBay set just like those to dharsh's Aurion. Definitely brighter.

[-DAvo]

ok, so ive just changed the LED's in my centre console (the t5 bulbs near the gearstick, WOW much nicer look! :P) but now im wondering, has anyone here changed the bulb that lights up the "auto" on the front driverside window control? is it a matter of sticking a flathead screwdriver in the edge of the housing and prying it open? not too keen on removing the entire door trim...

[DJKOR]

... but now im wondering, has anyone here changed the bulb that lights up the "auto" on the front driverside window control? is it a matter of sticking a flathead screwdriver in the edge of the housing and prying it open? not too keen on removing the entire door trim...

I haven't changed mine because it's not something that I think would be noticeable enough to justify changing it.

It's actually a surface mount LED. I wouldn't recommend changing it unless you are good with a soldering iron.

To access it, you need to take the door trim off. After that, you could probably figure out the rest.

[-DAvo]

... but now im wondering, has anyone here changed the bulb that lights up the "auto" on the front driverside window control? is it a matter of sticking a flathead screwdriver in the edge of the housing and prying it open? not too keen on removing the entire door trim...

I haven't changed mine because it's not something that I think would be noticeable enough to justify changing it.

It's actually a surface mount LED. I wouldn't recommend changing it unless you are good with a soldering iron.

To access it, you need to take the door trim off. After that, you could probably figure out the rest.

thanks for the speedy reply mate, guess its not as easy as i envisioned :P oh well!

thanks again :)

[httttt]

I finnaly did my parkers and the rear license plate. I have to say that I really enjoy the difference!!!

FYI the get to the parkers you need to turn them (see first attached pic). This is an easy mod.

See 2nd pic to see the difference. The photo makes them look blue but they are white.

[Pilot89]

I finnaly did my parkers and the rear license plate. I have to say that I really enjoy the difference!!!

FYI the get to the parkers you need to turn them (see first attached pic). This is an easy mod.

See 2nd pic to see the difference. The photo makes them look blue but they are white.

haha makes sense. going to change my parkers to blue leds, took me a while to figure out how to access them but couldnt get them out of the housing, guess they must just be really stiff :s

ah well guess ill go try again

[stedyedy]

my 5c

if you turn your wheels to full lock it gives you SOOO much more room to work with

[Pilot89]

my 5c

if you turn your wheels to full lock it gives you SOOO much more room to work with

yeah figured that out, got bright blue LEDs in now, just wonder how long itll be till i get pulled over for them, coz im not sure if its legal or not in Australia

[DJKOR]

...coz im not sure if its legal or not in Australia

Definitely illegal. Blue lights are reserved for emergency vehicles only.

[Pilot89]

...coz im not sure if its legal or not in Australia

Definitely illegal. Blue lights are reserved for emergency vehicles only.

well that sucks, look really nice.

[tbriggs]

Hey guys,

how many SMD leds do you recommend for the parker replacements? I've just changed interior and number plate lights with the 5 SMD led versions, would they be bright enough? I guess they shouldn't be too bright either....

Tristan

[DJKOR]

Hey guys,

how many SMD leds do you recommend for the parker replacements? I've just changed interior and number plate lights with the 5 SMD led versions, would they be bright enough? I guess they shouldn't be too bright either....

Tristan

The 5 SMD ones should give sufficient light for parker use. If you want something bright, you can try one of the ones that use 25 SMD LED's like this:

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/2pcs-T10-168-194-25-SMD-SMT-LED-HID-White-Wedge-Bulb_W0QQitemZ190387978756QQcmdZViewItemQQptZAU_Car_Parts_Accessories?hash=item2c54020204

I have used them before and these fit into the parkers just perfectly.

In my opinion though, all the SMD style ones are a bit of a hit and miss when it comes to the parkers. The reason for this is that they are a bit more sensitive to heat and do have a tendency to die a little easier. After you change them a few times, you start to get fed up of it.

What I use, despite them not being the brightest ones out there, are the ones with a single 10mm LED. They are bright enough to be noticed which is what I care about really since when your head lights are on, they are only there for looks. The reason I go for these ones is that they have a higher tolerance for heat and then to last and last when used as the parkers. The ones I'm referring to are these ones:

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/2-X-T10-194-168-501-White-LED-Side-Light-Car-Wedge-Bulb_W0QQitemZ190384987818QQcmdZViewItemQQptZAU_Car_Parts_Accessories?hash=item2c53d45eaa

Yeah they sure look crap, but they have a much larger chance of lasting.

If you want something with a bit more brightness in the parkers, try to steer clear of the SMD ones if you can. Just because of that heat issue I was referring to above. Even ones with 5mm or 3mm LED's would be worth a try. For my current car, I have ordered and just fitted T10 LED replacements that use 9 x 3mm LED's. I'm curious to see how these ones go, and to show that I am not overly confident in them, I bought 3 pairs just in case. These are the ones I got:

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/2pcs-Super-Bright-White-9-LED-Wedge-194-T10-168-Accord_W0QQitemZ320504343985QQcmdZViewItemQQptZAU_Car_Parts_Accessories?hash=item4a9f8c2db1

[tbriggs]

Thanks for the info. I'm tossing up between LED or getting the osram nightbreakers for the headlights then using the phillips 5w parker globes that come with it, apparently they are white-ish...