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- 2018, Mazda, CX-5, Snowflake Pearl, Grand Touring
Hi All,
Been following this thread for a little while and have been trying to figure out what I could do for my '18 Touring as far as LED conversions go for the turn signals, interior lights, etc.
As many of you know, the Touring doesn't come with all the cool bells and whistles that the Grand Touring does. The turn signals are the ugly amber incandescent bulbs and the interior lights are incandescent fuse type bulbs. I'm able to report that I've been able to successfully convert almost all of the bulbs to LED now with the exception of the front side marker bulb (which is to follow). TL;DR below!
Interior Lights:
I picked up a set from iJDMtoy, they sent me a link which included a full conversion of the interior
http://store.ijdmtoy.com/Premium-SMD-LED-Car-Interior-Lights-Package-For-p/smd-mazda-cx5.htm
I also converted the vanity lights which wasn't really a great idea as the blindingly bright white LED does not flatter the look of your face in the mirror. Overall, the interior lights give off a nice luxurious whiteish tone that helps to make the car look like it's worth more than it is, but, probably doesn't offer more light than your standard interior bulb. Consider looking for a warmer light temperature per your preference. I don't really care though-- it looks fancy! Simple installation instructions can be found on youtube or with a quick google search. Just need a small enough flathead and some tape to keep from scratching the plastics. I also threw in the rear license plate LEDs for good measure.
Tail/Stop Lights:
I went ahead and went with the 7443 HP48 Red bulb from Diode Dynamics.
https://www.diodedynamics.com/tail-light-leds-for-2013-2018-mazda-cx-5-pair.html
Because this is not a turn signal, it requires no resistor-- simple plug and play installation. I tried for a brighter HP11 but the bulb is too tall and it didn't look too much brighter than the HP48 (I forced it in and didn't really see much of a difference).
Front Turn Signals:
The big one. The one people always have questions about. I went with Diode Dynamics dual color switchback (amber/white) 7443 HP24.
https://www.diodedynamics.com/7443-hp24-switchback-dual-color-led-pair.html
This did require a resistor kit (to prevent hyperflash) that I hooked up with the provided vampire wire taps. The job was a bit difficult, but, with small hands the job was manageable from under the hood. The wires that needed tapping were the red/white which serves as power to the flasher wire (checked for intermittent 12V on and off reading) and blue (will check and edit later if wrong) for the ground wire. One resistor per bulb. Mounted with double sided tape on a flat surface close to the plugs away from contact with other wires. The look is amazing-- it makes the headlight look like one entire piece (hard to really explain) since it's uniformly LED white all across. The switchback mechanism is great.
Rear Turn Signals:
A lot of the research I did mentioned that there was no space for a resistor in the rear-- which is very true. Behind the tail light assembly there is absolutely no space. It is flush against the body. Further digging led me to the idea that there HAS to be space "inside." What does this mean? Pop open the trunk, lift the floor mat, and carefully take the trim off from the center and peel some of the trim off the sides to reveal the wiring that comes from inside and goes out to the tail light assembly. See this video that goes over trailer installation (https://youtu.be/2aLBMQMDI7M) and look through the CX-5 shop manual (https://www.dropbox.com/sh/jsfodu8z5090obv/AACCIk5AVaPA8-I_OWeUbZ_Za?dl=0 go to Workshop Manuals -> Body and Accessories -> Interior Trim -> Trunk End Trim and Trunk Side Trim Removal) for reference. That being said, I used another 7443 bulb, however, I opted for Red and also went up in brightness to the HP11 that I originally wanted to use for the Stop/Tail light.
https://www.diodedynamics.com/tail-light-leds-for-2013-2018-mazda-cx-5-pair.html
I wired the resistors (yep, more resistors) to the green/white and black wires-- the only wires attached to the turn signal fitting.
All in all, I'm very happy with the conversion over to LED. I didn't want to go with iffy off brands you'd find on ebay for my exterior lights nor did i want to spend an arm and a leg on the fancy VLEDs that need no resistor. I'm sorry I didn't make a DIY guide or a step-by-step documented installation procedure for this.. with a little know-how and some determination, you can convert over to LEDs too! More power to you if you can solder wires for a better connection! I can't solder to save my life.
TL;DR:
- Yes, you need one resistor for each turn signal you replace.
- No, there is no Flasher Relay to avoid using resistors-- the turn signals do not use a relay, instead, have a weird body control module thingy. I tried my best to locate the clicking sound from the turn signals.
- 7443 size LEDs were used all around for the front switchback turn signals, rear tail/stop lights, and rear turn signals.
- Yes, they are adequately bright
Somewhere in this forum, a month or two ago, I posted a DIY for LED turn signals. For the life of me, I can't find it now.
The bottom line is this; only one (1) resistor is necessary per side, not per bulb. I posted some pictures also, showing that there is plenty of room to install that resistor in the back tail light housing. I screwed them down against the sheet metal to help dissipate heat build up.
Had I waited until I was ready to install my trailer wiring, I would have screwed the Resistor down on the trunk floor since I had the panels off to expose the wires. I just added a hitch and the wiring last week. But the location I used in the taillight housing worked out fine.
I noticed that someone used double sided tape to affix the resistor to the body. The tape acts as an insulator between the body and the resistor, preventing the dissipation of heat and eventually the double sided tape will fail due to extreme heat should the flashers ever need to be used for extended periods of time.
Every light in my 18, CX-5 GT is an LED. I did the same with my 16 MX-5 a couple of years ago.
Sorry I cannot find my original post on this forum.
If you can find my posting about the LEDs, it will be self explanatory.