Light emitting diodes are the latest trend in automotive lighting because they use less energy, produce less heat, and last much longer than traditional halogen bulbs. But you don't have to buy a fancy new car to experience the benefits! This is a summary of how I upgraded my 2003 BMW to beautiful and efficient LED lighting technology.
Unlike halogen bulbs, LEDs produce light in one direction and heat in the other. You can see that the high quality tail light circuit board below has a large amount of copper to dissipate heat and sustain an extremely long life.
Because LEDs consume so much less power, they trick the car into thinking that a bulb has burned out. Instead of installing large resistors in parallel (to equalize the load by generating heat) I modified the wiring harness to run the outer ring of lights at full intensity, eliminating the bulb out warning and the flickering effect.
HID Xenon and halogen bulbs are still the best option for projecting light onto the road ahead, but with the latest surface mount technology, LEDs are now bright enough to be used as daytime running lights and turn signals. Their compact size allows them to form shapes that can give any vehicle unique style or instant brand recognition.