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Automotive LED accent lights

BruceRPA

BruceRPA

AK Subscriber
Subscriber
:puke: I don't like them cheezy new fangled things! :no:

Take an otherwise nice looking car, add some of those cheezy Christmas tree lights, especially the over-use of too many of the gaudy aftermarket kind, and voila! You now have a gaudy, cheezy looking kiddie-car that looks like it came right off of the cover of the latest J C Whitney catalog. Some of the OEM LEDs aren't much better lately either. :thumbsdn:

OK, that's just this old farts opinion. Truth be known, I said pretty much the same thing about those awful looking 5 MPH Botox laden bumpers when they were mandated back in the 70s. The designers did eventually get much better at hiding those hideous things. I guess that I will get used to those LEDs because I am sure that they are here to stay. Although it would help if the over use of them would quiet down a bit. There are a few OEM vehicles that use them in an understated way that are tolerable. At least I don't giggle and gag so much anymore when I see them.

Do you like them? What catches your eye about them? What vehicle's OEM designer has made the most tasteful use of them in your opinion?
 
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It depends on what they're installed on. I hate them on the new Impala and the Sierra. They look great as the "light blade" on the Cadillac ATS and CTS.
 
Jailtime said:
It depends on what they're installed on. I hate them on the new Impala and the Sierra. They look great as the "light blade" on the Cadillac ATS and CTS.
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IMHO, It mostly depends on how and where they are installed. When the result looks like they were designed by Revlon for a 14 year old girl's first attempt on her own at applying makeup, the statement that they make is, well, just cheezy. If they do nothing more than say OH! LOOK AT ME! LOOK AT ME! SEE WHAT CAN DO! I"M SPECIAL" , well yeah, ya are alright, but not in a kindly sort of way.

Just like so many other things that are new, they will take some time for me to get used to them. I don't think that I will ever like the over use or poorly implemented integration of them into an OEM design. I don't find that pasting them on a vehicle simply because you can, helps to add to the eye appeal of the vehicle. I do recognize that it is just my rather understated conservative taste clashing with others embracing a more flamboyant style. To each his or her own. Don't mind the snickers.

The interior use of them can be quite nice, as in mhardy6647's case. Although, again in MHO, as long as they are not overdone. I like being able to see the cup holders and be able to find other stuff inside the vehicle at night. I don't want a light show, just a tasteful and functional implementation of ambient lighting.

Gotta go now. It's time to Simonize the Desoto.
 
All they do, IMHO, is exaggerate the already semi-offensive "Enraged Toaster" look so many new cars have today.
 
Our Accord coupe has a single LED that isn't part of backlighting...it's even a blue one,and is mostly unseen...it's just a single blue dot between the sunvisors along with the sunroof switch and dome lights...it's purpose far from being immediately obvious,is actually to light the console/cupholder area at night....it takes a trip on an unlighted road[and putting a finger over it]to even notice the effect,it's actually just enough light to see around the interior at night.a very subtle and well done effect that probably cost about a dime to add to the design
 
I did some judicious application of LED's for my interior, front/rear turn signals and rear taillights/brake lights.

It worked out well without being gaudy.
 
Look at it on the bright side (hah!)... gives you another convenient place to go and raid an LED from when you need it for fixing something more important, like a flashlight. :thmbsp:


John
 
Rodzilla said:
Our Accord coupe has a single LED that isn't part of backlighting...it's even a blue one,and is mostly unseen...it's just a single blue dot between the sunvisors along with the sunroof switch and dome lights...it's purpose far from being immediately obvious,is actually to light the console/cupholder area at night....it takes a trip on an unlighted road[and putting a finger over it]to even notice the effect,it's actually just enough light to see around the interior at night.a very subtle and well done effect that probably cost about a dime to add to the design
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We have a CRV and a Ridgeline that have that same LED. It is nearly invisible but it dos the job that it is intended to do, just as you describe. That is a perfect application for interior LEDs.

Celt said:
My '10 Focus has about a half dozen of them scattered all over the interior in six selectable colours...including my favourite..."OFF". :)
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I have a Mini Cooper (Clubman S for those that might care) that has a similar bunch of LEDs scattered around the cabin. They can be set to a similar number of colors as yours can be. There is also a random setting that makes it seem like you are inside of a slow motion pinball machine. With the brightness set to minimum using a steady blue or white light, they are only moderately distracting on a dark night. I use the same setting as you do.
 
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Lots of them in San Jose:

wheel-well-led-lights-blue_3.jpg
 
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