DIY tail light dead LED remplacement

[jimtur]

Hello,

first, I'm a french canadian, sorry about the language error... :)

I had purchased last summer a 2012 A4 out of warranty. One tail light had dead LED. I decide to fix it by myself.
tools that you need :

- flat and phillips screw driver
- knife
- spare LED light (I don't have source for the LED, I take one from a salvage car)
- small soldering gun
- 5 minutes epoxy glue
- 1 hour of labor
- a precise hand...



1- remove the tail light of the car

2- remove the back panel and disconnect the wire connector



3- separate the lens of the back section, use a flat screw driver. Note that tail light have no glue between the lens and the back section, it's a hot plating process (melted plastic). You need to gently turn and the lens will separate the case. The lower section of the lens is more difficult to separate.







4- remove rear philips screws





5- take in memory the LED orientation (look in the middle of the LED)





6- remove the dead LED, use a sharp knife on the side of the LED for best result. Don't use a soldering gun, you may overheat the electric board and destroy the board.





7- reinstall the new LED, be very carefull, do not overheat the LED and the board, if not you can burn the LED, it's a precision job !!!





8- verify if LED is working, you can use a little toy power supply, voltage must be between 6Vdc and 12 Vdc. Depends of voltage, LED will be brightness ( 6V for parking light intensity and 12 V for brake/turn signal intensity)



9- clean the len with fresh water (don't use a towel, this one can create static inside the lens and may create durty). Reinstall the lens on the case with 5 minutes epoxy self mixing glue. Don't use liquid "super glue", when this glue come dry, some white spot appear inside the lens.





10- reinstall the back plate and put the tail light in your ride!
Enjoy.

[BMWBig6]

Excellent DIY and pictures, thanks for posting!

[Prof]

Thank you for this excellent DIY. Would you please provide the source of the new LED lamps.

Thanks

[kt883]

I realized after asking that he said he used a spare set of led lights and took the leds out


I dont think you will find a comparable led that can withstand the extreme heat//cold/duty cycle found in a car and match the colour

[skis4hire]

I don't think there is anything special about the OEM LEDs, many have operating temperatures of -40C to +100C
Depending on brightness, they are either cheap or very cheap.

Check this out:
http://www.digikey.com/short/7wfqrr

What you're looking for are "SMD LEDs" and it seems like this is a PLCC-4 or 4-PLCC package with a "flat top" lens.
You can find them on digikey or mouser, etc.

The key is finding the right color (the red ones vary in wavelength from 615nm to 640nm) and brightness (most are 600-2500 mcd "milli-candellas" some go up to 3500 or 4500).
~2000 mcd about $0.30/ea for the 3500+ mcd you're looking at $1-2/ea
I have no idea what the stock ones are though you'd have to experiment a bit or get a better part no from the stock ones.

[pf_lewis]

Very nice, I had a few LEDs go out in both sides of my 2010. Luckily within warranty- the dealer found that there was a recall on the tail lamp seals- They replaced both tail lights and told me the new improved ones had an actual thicker rubber seal. I haven't inspected them to confirm though.

[zxg01]

I'm curious but this should work for the outer light as well. I'd like to change the clear turn signal bulbs from red to amber.

[ch_mudassar]

Those who are looking for SMD LED here is the link https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/visible-leds/6655104/
I have done it after reading this thread. Job well done. Please freeze ur light first as that way cracking it opening will b much better. Just one more tip if u don't have a precision soldering iron please use a small copper wire and attack it to the last bit of iron and make it very pointy.
Make sure solder it same way you take it off as if you put it wrong way then whole side won't work. Lol I did put on wrong way first, had to redo it 😜
here how to do it more details

[skis4hire]

Those who are looking for SMD LED here is the link https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/visible-leds/6655104/

Thanks!

In case that site disappears, here is the info on those:

Osram Opto LS E6SF-V2BA-1-1, Power TOPLED Series Red LED, 633 nm, PLCC 4, Round Lens SMD Package

LED Colours Red
Package Type PLCC 4
Mounting Type Surface Mount
Number of LEDs 1
Forward Voltage 2.15 V
Luminous Intensity 1.6 cd
Number of Pins 4
Viewing Angle 120 °
Luminous Flux 4.65 lm
Lens Shape Round
Dominant Wavelength 633 nm
Dimensions 3.4 x 3 x 2.1mm
Series Power TOPLED
Lens Colour Clear
LED Material AlGaInP

[Quiet514]

Digi-Key Part Number 475-1322-1-ND
Price Break Unit Price Extended Price
1 0.51000 0.51
10 0.38800 3.88
25 0.32480 8.12
100 0.27980 27.98
250 0.24824 62.06
500 0.21212 106.06
1,000 0.16699 166.99

OSRAM Opto Semiconductors Inc.
Manufacturer Part Number
LS E6SF-V2BA-1-1-Z
Description LED RED CLEAR 4PLCC SMD
Lead Free Status / RoHS Status Lead free / RoHS Compliant
Moisture Sensitivity Level (MSL) 2 (1 year)

Cheap price! But, wait, one year moisture level? Can someone explain?

[skis4hire]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moistu...sitivity_level

Components must be mounted and reflowed within the allowable period of time (floor life out of the bag).

From what I can tell, this describes how long the LED can sit in ambient air before it absorbs enough moisture that it will be damaged during the high-temperature soldering process when you're mounting it to the tail-light.
Does not mean anything for how long it will operate.

[ch_mudassar]

been nearly 2 months and all is good so far no problems with light at all

[roman_tyk]

Guys any other hints about dissasembling cover of lamp? i am afraid about cracking it...some people recommend to use oven or fridge

[Mmolaik]

Thank you very much for the information. This will save us a lot of money. Mine have 5 blown LEDs on each side. I managed to find the LEDs bulbs on Ebay.com ($6 for a set of 20). I have ordered and will replace them when they arrive. Your post will be my guide.

[Mmolaik]

How did you make the tail light easy to open? Did you freeze or heat it as other members say or you just opened them with the screw driver. I have ordered the LEDs and will start the repairs when they arrive.

[Mmolaik]

Thanks for the info. How long do you put the light in the freezer?

[jimtur]

Thanks for the info. How long do you put the light in the freezer?

30 minutes is well.

[Andrew A4]

I'm glad someone figured out the parts to fix these lights. My inner left tail light had a couple of the LED's go out a few years ago, then a few more , and the other day the last of them bit the dust. So i'll be replacing all of them. And at only $0.61 each, it sure beats paying $300+ for each replacement tail light section.

[RAY68]

Hi

Here in aliexpress (SMD LEDS) ???

Regards



https://es.aliexpress.com/item/32969...archweb201603_