Comprehensive LED Upgrade Guide with Photos

[Miami305]

I would look at those pages and check to see what the product codes are. Somewhere on the page will be something like this.

Manufacturer Part Number	‎EX-PLA9005

They might all be the same and just from different sellers that describe them a little differently. I don't remember if it is the Lasfit bulbs but these might be the ones that make you remove the desiccant packet that is in the headlight housing. The Lucas L2's I just put in do not need you to remove them, but they are considerably more than the lasfit.

Thanks - weirdly all from "lasfitauto" seller and I can't find one spec different lol. Then when I google the #'s some specs dont match up with the lasfit site. This is exhausting lol!

 

[eebling]

Thanks - weirdly all from "lasfitauto" seller and I can't find one spec different lol. Then when I google the #'s some specs dont match up with the lasfit site. This is exhausting lol!

These are not the best photos and not even taken in the same spot, so not the best for comparisons, but the dim orangish headlights are the stock S, and the two bright white images are the Lucas L2's installed, one with High beams on. A major improvement from the OEM headlights. They were like $180 for the L2's, I think they go up to L4's but those are extremely bright and not intended for road use. Many people use them but I purposely went with the L2's as to not piss every driver off on the road that is anywhere near my car at night.

 

[eebling]

These are not the best photos and not even taken in the same spot, so not the best for comparisons, but the dim orangish headlights are the stock S, and the two bright white images are the Lucas L2's installed, one with High beams on. A major improvement from the OEM headlights. They were like $180 for the L2's, I think they go up to L4's but those are extremely bright and not intended for road use. Many people use them but I purposely went with the L2's as to not piss every driver off on the road that is anywhere near my car at night.

and as you can see, no black or dark spots that are visible from the drivers seat with the L2's, some have complained about after market LED lights that have dim or dark spots in the beam

 

[Miami305]

These are not the best photos and not even taken in the same spot, so not the best for comparisons, but the dim orangish headlights are the stock S, and the two bright white images are the Lucas L2's installed, one with High beams on. A major improvement from the OEM headlights. They were like $180 for the L2's, I think they go up to L4's but those are extremely bright and not intended for road use. Many people use them but I purposely went with the L2's as to not piss every driver off on the road that is anywhere near my car at night.

those look great - thanks - I do see it's 5000-6000 lumens per pair for lasfit and 13,000 for the l2 - you don't feel they are too bright? Also - enough of an upgrade to go from $40 to $180?

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[eebling]

those look great - thanks - I do see it's 5000-6000 lumens per pair for lasfit and 13,000 for the l2 - you don't feel they are too bright? Also - enough of an upgrade to go from $40 to $180?

I cant compare to the Lasfit since I haven't seen them in person. I think the Lucas L2's are perfect brightness for around town and darker roads. I have yet to get flashed by oncoming traffic so don't think they are too bad on other drivers. Have driven right towards some police cars and no problems. It's funny when driving because they do look very pure and bright white but not like a crazy bright flashlight.!? Haha, I dont know how else to describe them. I bought the t60 torx socket needed to adjust the headlight beam height, but they were identical to the factory height when I installed them and didn't have to lower them. Unless I get flashed by a lot of oncoming traffic, I wont need to lower them at all.

 

[eebling]

those look great - thanks - I do see it's 5000-6000 lumens per pair for lasfit and 13,000 for the l2 - you don't feel they are too bright? Also - enough of an upgrade to go from $40 to $180?

The other thing to consider is I think it was the Lasfit that wont fit inside the headlight housing without removing a desiccant packet that is installed from Kia to reduce moisture in the lamp assembly. I personally did NOT want to remove it, so that factored in to paying more for the Lucas brand. It may or may not be a big deal, but They put it in for a reason, they would have left it out to cut down on cost if it was meaningless or useless I would think.!

 

[Miami305]

The other thing to consider is I think it was the Lasfit that wont fit inside the headlight housing without removing a desiccant packet that is installed from Kia to reduce moisture in the lamp assembly. I personally did NOT want to remove it, so that factored in to paying more for the Lucas brand. It may or may not be a big deal, but They put it in for a reason, they would have left it out to cut down on cost if it was meaningless or useless I would think.!

thanks, between these boards & the fb groups lots of people said it fits and lots said it didn't - sigh. May go with the version in the OP to try out and see how we feel, then decide if we want to compare to some of the others.

 

[eebling]

thanks, between these boards & the fb groups lots of people said it fits and lots said it didn't - sigh. May go with the version in the OP to try out and see how we feel, then decide if we want to compare to some of the others.

Ya I see conflicting reports of the Lasfit fitting and not fitting. Only one way to know for sure....

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[Andrewh2020]

I think others addressed your question but the SX comes with all LED’s except the license plate lights and reverse lights. For my 22’ SXP NF/T, I upgraded those to LED bulbs for a complete LED package for the rig. Others who got a lower trim level did not get all LED’s throughout and therefore are upgrading themselves to LED bulbs.

I thought about buying my bulbs from Amazon or going less expensive but for a 50k vehicle, I wanted to make sure I got a name brand at my local Auto Zone and spent $50 total. I think it was worth it for the license plate lights which are actually brighter and nice looking but the reverse doesn’t seem much brighter only looks nicer, more crisp light.

Are you able to replace the license plate bulbs from the outside or did you need to take the tailgate panel off? Also did you have any issues with cameras after switching reverse bulbs to led? Just curious

 

[Andrewh2020]

Are you able to replace the license plate bulbs from the outside or did you need to take the tailgate panel off? Also did you have any issues with cameras after switching reverse bulbs to led? Just curious

Just saw that license plate bulbs are easy . 1 screw each side.

 

[eebling]

Just saw that license plate bulbs are easy . 1 screw each side.

Ya super easy but seemingly soft screw heads so avoid a power tool, use a hand screwdriver or just go real slow/careful with a power drill with a screw bit in. The heads got worn down a bit using the power tool so switched to hand power.! Much whiter and brighter with LED

 

[Andrewh2020]

Ya super easy but seemingly soft screw heads so avoid a power tool, use a hand screwdriver or just go real slow/careful with a power drill with a screw bit in. The heads got worn down a bit using the power tool so switched to hand power.! Much whiter and brighter with LED

Very nice. That's what I'm looking for

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[eebling]

Very nice. That's what I'm looking for

Here is a comparison to the factory and the LED.... They are ridiculously bright. Haha

 

[Gus309]

Forgive me for the ignorant questions— but hoping someone can help. I am ill equipped to upgrade the headlights by myself. Will a regular mechanic take this on? Would the dealership upgrade them? Any idea on cost? Thanks for any insight.

 

[Andrewh2020]

Ya super easy but seemingly soft screw heads so avoid a power tool, use a hand screwdriver or just go real slow/careful with a power drill with a screw bit in. The heads got worn down a bit using the power tool so switched to hand power.! Much whiter and brighter with LED

If you don't mind me asking, how do you get the clear plastic piece that contains the bulb out after un screwing it?

 

[Patsfan29]

Forgive me for the ignorant questions— but hoping someone can help. I am ill equipped to upgrade the headlights by myself. Will a regular mechanic take this on? Would the dealership upgrade them? Any idea on cost? Thanks for any insight.

Any mechanic should be able to. I doubt the dealership woukd because it would be an aftermarket part they sell and not willing to risk it possibly doing something to the system. Aside from the headlight cost, if would assume a shop woukd charge there hourly fee, which shoould be on more than 1 hour. Also, never assume your questions are ignorant, everyone here is mostly on top offer advice, been there done it tips and answer to their best. Helping is what makes this community great

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[eebling]

If you don't mind me asking, how do you get the clear plastic piece that contains the bulb out after un screwing it?

I actually used the screw itself and stuck it partially back into the hole and used it to get a little leverage to pop it out. Try putting the screw in like a quarter of the way and push it side to side as you pull downward a little to help get a "grip" on the housing to pop it out.

 

[WolfGrayKirkland]

I think others addressed your question but the SX comes with all LED’s except the license plate lights and reverse lights. For my 22’ SXP NF/T, I upgraded those to LED bulbs for a complete LED package for the rig. Others who got a lower trim level did not get all LED’s throughout and therefore are upgrading themselves to LED bulbs.

I thought about buying my bulbs from Amazon or going less expensive but for a 50k vehicle, I wanted to make sure I got a name brand at my local Auto Zone and spent $50 total. I think it was worth it for the license plate lights which are actually brighter and nice looking but the reverse doesn’t seem much brighter only looks nicer, more crisp light.

Can you share which exact reverse lights are and which ones you purchased? Or alike model?

 

[CMANDR07]

I used these :
Amazon.com
No issues whatsoever and I found them to be a big improvement from the halogens.

These also worked great for me. I tried Lasfit's earlier version that worked for the 2020 and 2021 models, but they seemed to have changed the connector in the 2022 model and after 2 separate pairs that did not work, Lasfit declared them incompatible. This latest update worked like a charm on my 2022 EX. You have to make sure that the poles are aligned properly, positive and negative. If one doesn't light up, turn it around in the socket and see if that fixes the issue.
Happy

 

[WolfGrayKirkland]

Am I correct here is saying if I am getting an SX. Model the only lights that are not LED are back up white lights and rear license plate lights?