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Tesla Model S Side Marker Bulb Replacement

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True. I'll report if they make me change them to Amber.

California VC: ILLEGAL COLOR OF SIDE MARKER LIGHTS: If present, must be yellow in the front and red in the rear (25106, 24003 VC).

Edit.........

I don't have a front plate either!
 
Well, being the cheap...er... "value-minded" guy I am, not to mention my preference for a Prime item... I went ahead and bought the Amico units from Amazon that I linked above.

They are also 360 degree coverage units, and have reviews saying they worked well and were already brighter than the incandescents they replaced... so for less than $4 each, I'll give em a shot.

I'll let the folks here know how they work out...

They sucked. Too dim.

On the hunt again...
 
I just got a set of these from Ebay:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/230974520136

They work fantastic! They are very bright even in bright sunlight, they are as bright as the forward turn signal leds are.

I've also recently purchased those bulbs and installed them yesterday. Very happy with the results. Since eBay links don't work forever, it should be noted these use Samsung 5630 LEDs. I have similar units on another car and they are brighter then your typical 5050 SMD.

No need for a resistor either. The MS does not use the old style flasher module which relies on bulb current draw to dictate the flashing rate. Just install and enjoy! :smile:
 
Just installed those Samsung LED units from Ebay... very bright, and a good fit.

A note for others: The video in the initial post in this thread instructs to twist the socket "towards the back of the car", and demonstrates this from the passenger side perspective.

As there is a "leg" that protrudes from the socket can be oriented 180 degrees opposite in some installations, the leg may be moving towards either the front or back of the car.

So for clarity you should rotate the socket clockwise from your perspective outside the car looking at the housing.

That makes the top "edge" of the socket move towards the back of the car, regardless of what orientation the "leg" is in for the drivers side. It's the opposite for the passenger side... the top edge is moving towards the front of the car.
 
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I installed these:
High Power 5630 Chip LED T10 921 License Plate Interior SMD Light Bulbs White | eBay

It was fairly easy (some hand and arm flexibility required, and I have skinny arms which helped, lol), and they work great. I got white LEDs, but you can get amber too.

When you're installing them, make a mental note, by feeling with your hand, of which way the lighting assembly is oriented before you remove them. In my car, VIN 2596, the assemblies were protruding towards the rear of the car, on both the driver and passenger sides.

Also, the cavity where the lighting assembly is is different on each side of the car (again, I have an early model VIN 2596). On the passenger side, the cavity was mostly empty, and it was easy for me to fit my hand inside and pull the assembly out. On the passenger side, there was some fluid tank there, probably the washer fluid tank. The cable going to the lighting assembly was also attached to the tank with some kind of clip. So there was less room for my arm and I couldn't pull the assembly completely out of the car because of the clip. It might have been possible to remove the cable from the clip, but I couldn't see it. I could only feel it. And after trying a few times, I couldn't get it, and I didn't want to damage it obviously, so I left it there. Instead, I stuck both my hands in to replace the bulb, which was kind of difficult, but it worked.
 
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Worked great, thanks for the video.

I bought bulbs from JTECH on Amazon:

Jtech 2x T10 Yellow 3W 6 SMD5630 Super Bright 194 168 2825 W5W LED Car Lights Bulb


http://www.amazon.com/Jtech-Yellow-...03829733&sr=8-3&keywords=jtech+yellow+t10+led

They are just as bright if not a little brighter then the stock bulbs.

My installation word of advice, put your suspension in "Very High" so you have a prayer of putting your arm in there!

-m