Eagle Eyes - Jlevi LEDs

Jlevi LED Tailights

Are these still flickering at start up or did they fix that yet?

Also, does the outer ring light up when braking or do I need to jumper the connector for that.

Thanks

it's a hit or miss for that. but generally, no. the outer rings do not light up.

Originally Posted by sillieidiot

it's a hit or miss for that. but generally, no. the outer rings do not light up.

Is the connector on the light 8 or 6 pins? The blank pin 4 illuminates the outer ring in the OEM version. People jumper this to work when the brakes come on.

I was going to get the OEM version since I heard flicker and fitment issues. Its a new LCM for me though for OEM ones. I also think, though dont know for sure, you can get the outer ring to work by running wires to pin 20 and 38 of the LCM.

EE are a lot cheaper, but I dont want them looking like a rice level install.

the connector is whatever your car uses now. should be 6 pins. you can't jump them like that to get them to illuminate i believe. there's a DIY to make them turn on as well, but i think there's some soldering required. not sure, i just faintly remember looking at the thread. i think high voltage made the DIY.

there isn't any fitment issues really. the only problem i can think of is how it looks in the trunk. it has ugly ass small bulbs to light your trunk. and they suck.

but on the outside they look perfect. looks almost the same.

Originally Posted by sillieidiot

the connector is whatever your car uses now. should be 6 pins. you can't jump them like that to get them to illuminate i believe. there's a DIY to make them turn on as well, but i think there's some soldering required. not sure, i just faintly remember looking at the thread. i think high voltage made the DIY.

there isn't any fitment issues really. the only problem i can think of is how it looks in the trunk. it has ugly ass small bulbs to light your trunk. and they suck.

but on the outside they look perfect. looks almost the same.

6 pin on the EE LED tail, good info, the OEM is 8 for the outer ring signal under hard braking.

yea but the OEM uses different connectors. they are thinner vs. the sockets you have now

Originally Posted by sillieidiot

yea but the OEM uses different connectors. they are thinner vs. the sockets you have now

ya the OEM retro fit kit has an extra cable to address the pin issue. Even on the OEM retrofit LEDs, the outer light isnt illuminated (empty pin), they splice it to the brake light pin to get it to function when brakes applied.

One advantage to the new LCM for early 01 cars may be to run wiring to the appropriate pin to get the LEDs working per production cars (this may work on 09/2001 cars too). But as we've discussed, Seattle BMW technicians cannot be paid to determine this prior to install.

Im getting all the WDS info together for a indy shop. Maybe they can tell me.

sounds good. good luck man. in the mean time, i'll go check my buddy's car (he has EE's and same year car as yours) and see if the outer ring is lit up. i only remember it coming on for the parking lights as it should.

Originally Posted by sillieidiot

sounds good. good luck man. in the mean time, i'll go check my buddy's car (he has EE's and same year car as yours) and see if the outer ring is lit up. i only remember it coming on for the parking lights as it should.

... production outer ring comes on when you brake hard too. Warns drivers you are braking hard.

? i know the OEM comes on when you break hard. but i'm just going to confirm if it's the same for EE or are they just on for parking lights or don't come on at all.

Originally Posted by sillieidiot

? i know the OEM comes on when you break hard. but i'm just going to confirm if it's the same for EE or are they just on for parking lights or don't come on at all.

Oh.. Im not sure if you could even get the OEM ones to turn on when you brake hard. Im trying to find this out for the OEM ones. It would require running 2 wires.

Wanted to know if EE are 6 or 8 pined though. If they are 6 pined, then they didnt exactly copy the OEM ones and resistors to fool the ECM.

well considering how everything just hangs on on the back of the EE tails, they could have had it enabled as well. I don't think they modeled their circuitry exactly like the OEM else they would be so cheap lol

since the normal brake LEDs do operate in parking light mode and for braking, it's possible that the outer ring does that regardless of the pins involved (by just having the outer ring circuit connected to the other LEDs). and I can see that they just use the 6 pins for direct plug n play. the resistors/capacitors are located externally for these replicas so no need for 8 pins in the first place.

and considering your car only has 6 pins to begin with, i don't see why they would have the need to make an 8 pin.

I think the cost difference is more about the Chinese labor, materials, and production controls.

Here is what controls the rear tails outer ring on the production cars. Left side shown.

Pin Type Desc / Signal type Connection/Measuring notes
------------------------------------------------------------
20 A Signal, dynamic brake light actuation, left Tail light, left
5 A Signal, left brake light Tail light, left





So another question I have is if I run that wire to a replacement LCM with new software, will it work? =] If this doesnt work, there is less reason to by the OEM ones.

yea that's all taken into account, but the circuit boards themselves are quite different. i've seen both of them. basically the chinese versions are just strips of pirannha LEDs (if you don't know what they are, it's basically just a strip of superfluxes) that are tied together on a board to make them look like the OEM. where as the OEM is one single board (one for turns and ones for brakes) with all the LEDs on them and resistors and such.

in theory, it should work as the LCM controls that. so if you hook it up to the diagnostic and see that the dynamic braking function is activated. by running the wires it will work. other than that, i don't see how it wouldn't unless the LCM you got wasn't a newer one.

but are you enabling the outer ring for the use of the dynamic braking function? or do you want to just enable it so that it's on when you brake all the time? if you're going with the latter, i don't see why you should go OEM in the first place

Originally Posted by sillieidiot

...
but are you enabling the outer ring for the use of the dynamic braking function? or do you want to just enable it so that it's on when you brake all the time? if you're going with the latter, i don't see why you should go OEM in the first place

I want to use the dynamic braking, but I cant check the LCM until I install it. I cant install the LCM until I map my vehicle to it. If I map my vehicle then its not returnable. =)

Decisions.

oh i see. then yea you'll have to update the LCM for sure to get that to work.

but honestly, i think the function is rather useless. i'd much rather have what SUVs and trucks have where under hard braking the lights flash. i think that is a better indicator than just the outer ring coming on as well

Originally Posted by sillieidiot

oh i see. then yea you'll have to update the LCM for sure to get that to work.

but honestly, i think the function is rather useless. i'd much rather have what SUVs and trucks have where under hard braking the lights flash. i think that is a better indicator than just the outer ring coming on as well

Its pretty funny SUVs have that. SUV its like... Im stopping... eventually... please apply your brakes while I rear end the car in front of me.

I was almost rear ended twice in a weekend recently. Once by a Cadi SUV, he missed my by turning into the oncoming traffic.

I talked to the Indy shop, they gave me tips on wire routing to do it right. I am going to get the OEM retrofit and run the wires. They had no idea if it would work, best just to try. Im ordering the OEM kit I guess. I am getting a euro LCM though, since I want the fog light switch. The new LCM assembly comes with the faceplate so... it wont be a total loss...

Ill take pics of the process and post them if its sucessful.

cool sounds good. i guess i should get around to doing the rear fogs retro soon. i'll probably do it when i get my trunk back from paint

So has anyone wired some EEs so they have an outer ring light up when braking normally?

Originally Posted by TommyB

So has anyone wired some EEs so they have an outer ring light up when braking normally?

They wont, the circuit is totally different.

I did just get my LCM reprogrammed today so I am going to see if the dynamic braking of the OEM kit is going to work.

Im running the leads tonight off the LCM backshell, a freind is going to hold a voltmeter while I activate the ABS.