How to LED Tube Retrofitted Headlights

Patreon: www.patreon.com/dirtcheapdaily
In this episode of Dirtcheapdaily, Aaron completes a headlight retrofit with amber and white LED tubes to act as daytime running lights and turn signals. We didn't use a specific kit, just a couple LEDs from eBay. We didn't do a full HID projector retrofit because we plan to just install LED bulbs in the Halogen place.
This is a simple DIY that can easily be completed over the weekend or on a saturday. Plus you get that cool Audi looking headlight!

[@Dirtcheapdaily]

If you want to see what these look like at night, check out the video on the Dirtcheapdaily instagram or facebook feed! @dirtcheapdaily. Or use the hashtag: #thehashtagtoseetheledheadliggtsatnight

[@th3lostdorito414]

Dirtcheapdaily I was just wondering where you got that grill for the outback that you used for the video of got and 2004 outback and my grill is broken and can't find an aftermarket like yours. So I thought could assist my research

[@Dirtcheapdaily]

I made it! There’s a video on it. Search diy mesh grille. 👍🏻

[@th3lostdorito414]

Dirtcheapdaily awesome thanks

[@alvaroguillen7]

Can you check the lights on a regular battery?

[@BlackvinDiesel]

Dirtcheapdaily How in the heezy did you make that gold design on it???? Free hand???

[@josueher7518]

I LOVED how he cut the bullshit intro stuff ,and got right into doing it .. LOVED this diy 👌

[@Dirtcheapdaily]

+Josue Her thanks! I've realized most things don't need an intro

[@kitchosgarage]

Yep +1 for this

[@frankjeen5028]

Ik I already love this video

[@likeapuma251]

I love his quick edits too. He doesn't run your ears off on one subject. That, I do appreciate.

[@joestoz4216]

Honestly best intro I've seen

[@doodoobutter4406]

best intro. "alright you already clicked on the title so you know whats going on." xD

[@joshuaavila8317]

"Dirty cheap daily" was written in the head light

[@sambrandner]

Straight to the point, love it!

[@FahadAshraf1995]

Agreed. No wasting time with an introduction.

[@garymason2815]

That leopard print hot glue gun is ballin

[@trogdortheburninator9148]

After watching this, it appears you love the black caulk.

[@thomashowl6488]

i get it

[@grveshft]

Best comment ever.

[@chaddd41]

It's hard to find a good black caulk in a reasonable size. For my applications I need it to get hard right away. You can go downtown and buy some wholesale but bulk caulk is a lot to take. It's too much for me to use all by myself so I usually try and find someone to share it with me. My neighbors wife works with wood in her weekend DIY projects. She's always willing to take some black caulk.

[@TheLazyAmbitious]

I heard that he goes to the hardware store and takes two or three black caulks at a time.

[@grahamrushin4384]

@@chaddd41 i saw that spoof add with the decking caulk too

[@jaredshelton4718]

That intro tho. Why can't everyone be like that 😂.

[@austinpetemo]

Your girl did a kick ass job with the paint! Looks sick and is definitely one of a kind.

[@jdmmaster345]

Skipped the foreplay! Lmao that intro

[@artcore9886]

8:20 Somebody threw up their lungs in the background.

[@oldsilkhat7893]

lmao

[@Insane98]

I skipped on accident to this part and thought someone died.

[@battenuniversejr]

LMAO

[@TylerScranton]

Looks maaad. I'm digging that design that your wife did in them. Might have to try something out like this for my Forester in the future.

[@MyCatInABox]

6:23 That looks pretty damned good... Adds a nice little touch of detail that only people who will pay close attention will notice.

[@tinotendachizema307]

"you already have clicked the title so you know whats going on" lol nice intro bro loved the tutorial too

[@Uber100]

Man, that first line was so refreshing to hear on KZbin. Automatic like button.

[@jdm__tony2586]

just by how you started this video youre one of my fav humans

[@SupraHenry]

This is awesome. Doing it on my 06 sti. Didn't want to pay $400 for new headlights.

[@waterhead1029]

One guy is selling headlights hear on YT for 1300.00 USD. Obviously, there are none on the shelf for my vehicle.

[@Anontesla]

Ha thanks man!! My boss bought some for like 400$ the had leds in em now I’m gonna do it and just order new lenses from eBay too forget the sanding and polishing but HELL YA AND MAD PROPS TO THE WIFE LOVE THE ARTWORK INSIDE THE HEADLIGHT THAT WAS AWESOME NEVER SAW ANYTHING LIKE THAT !! Props to both of You

[@TeaBubblez]

You may experience some electrical bugs because you wired to two connections. Basically if there's current in the fog, it will also send current along the turn signal. To correct this, use 2 rectifier diodes

[@ZeroPlanet_]

Not sure who would give this a dislike but found this video to be so helpful on my next project...thanks man 🙏🏻

[@XoxJasonReynoldsxoX]

You instantly got a thumbs up for cutting the bullsh** and getting to the chase.

[@stevenwolfie]

Really good video! Been seeing it on my recommendations for a few months now finally watched the whole thing. Gave me ideas for my truck

[@Loveduhmusic]

That intro HELL YEAH wish every KZbin was like that.

[@T25Accent]

OMG that sneeze in the background at 8:22 HAHA! Awesome.

[@jo55435]

That intro got an automatic like 👍🏾

[@MrMacibelo]

Intro on point. We need lots of u on KZbin 😂

[@Brianhopp973]

White head lights ftw! Love that pattern your wife did makes me want to do that to my jdm bugeye lights

[@daijoubu4529]

I was sure these headlights had blinker fluids from the thumbnail

[@kollincollison7501]

says ChrisFix fan

[@jejeroy]

really creative i was not sure if its possible!

[@chriswf]

Dude straight to the point. I loved the video. Btw your wifes art is pretty cool too!

[@jpaugh4]

Your wife's art made those lights awesome.

[@FansSports]

Outstanding!! And your wife's artwork really nice!!!

[@ChaosFragrances]

I really don't think you should cheap out and go full eBay on these, because if they start to go out (which they probably will at some point) then you're left to reopen your headlights again to replace them, and then you risk not having a good seal on your headlights when resealing them. Morimoto sells switchback strips that are much brighter and will last a lot longer. Just my .02. Source: have opened my headlights several times to fix mistakes and it gets really old.

[@grgvms]

Totally agree with that. Had a pair of these and after 5 months on one, leds started to "blink". Guess those cannot handle more than 12V (as sometimes it can be more than 14V). I think the leds are kinda okay but cheap resistors can die easily. Same happen with cheap T10 led bulbs. I bought plenty of them on ebay and they always went to "blink" mode after a while. The only resolution was to replace the resistor.

[@GeneralWiskers]

I like the look of the morimoto products but their led strip lights don't bend, which means you can't do lights like this one or in my case my 350z headlights. Do you have any recommendations on high quality flexible led switchback that would work for my application?

[@SamIunboxings]

Gergő Vámos what resistor do I have to replace and with what resistor do I replace it with please help me out I'm having the same problems

[@jakl1313xxx]

@@GeneralWiskers I also have a Z. I have been experimenting w this also. Trial n Error has brought numerous "opening's and lessons learned on trying inexpensive LED light strips. I do not want to spend big $$ on LEDs I might be able to source myself. However, I am NOW building my own strips and LED bulb upgrades. Its going well and have working prototype LED Fog lights in my 07 Suburban. Using Cabinet LED Strips in Headlights now w a Resistance of 10ohms and they look good and are brighter than MOST others! I'm doing this to learn the "how tos", of building Custom LEDs for my vehicles that are BRIGHTER than others. Most of my Projects are COB LEDs. My end goal is to make different shapes to fit Z headlight and taillights and eventually start doing Addressable Sequence LED Mods. If I were to recommend a Switchback DRL Strip I would use Profile Pixel from Flyryde.com. Very clean n bright.

[@whengchung90]

That intro was pure gold

[@ggmmiillff]

Shes a keeper

[@BoxerTechGarage]

I'm going to be doing this on my second gen when my JDM projectors get delivered. Since you are going to be upgrading to LEDs for headlights, I would reconsider your red wire to your DRL relay for when the tube is lit white. It gives it a cleaner look that way and your headlights won't come on with the car in drive. If you're running LEDs in a 3rd Gen+ Legacy/ Outback or 1.5 Gen+ Forester, you need to disable your DRLs or else you're going to blow through bulbs every few months.

[@05tech]

Damn I Fkn love how you jump right into what the video is about.

[@Rexcation]

May have to do all this with my 2004 Outback. Same headlights so its verbatim to this vid. Great video!

[@blainedamage520]

Looks pretty nice . Might have to do something like that to the ol big eye

[@vicx05]

Best intro ever. Where can I learn more about the wiring? It was a little vague for a beginner here.

[@Dirtcheapdaily]

+Victor B you can look for videos about wiring in fog lights or other accessory lights

[@morecarstuff]

chris fix is great and also some basic knowledge about Voltage Current and Resistors will go a long way when you are troubleshooting. So look up "physics current " or something like that. This way youll also learn about parallel wiring.

[@robthesamplist]

What a faf for something you the driver will never see unless you like reflections or get out to admire your car every day with the lights on.

[@lsmalley]

Best part about this video was the intro.

[@laziboi519]

Just did this on my 2000 camaro looks great amber light not as bright as I wanted it to be but looks good

[@DadsGoneGolfing]

Looks good! I know you are doing it on a really low budget, but those lights should run on a relay. I think they would be much brighter. Might fix that hyper blinking too.

[@GodwillDemiGod]

World class Intro 🍾🍾 Thanks buddy

[@scrub_lord]

super helpful. eventually i plan on doing my 2011 outback

[@morecarstuff]

I SUBBED, as soon as he said "right you already clicked on the title so you know whats going on" brooooo. Im using this as my intro if i make vlogs. Loved it.

[@andresalvarez341]

You should have showed what they looked like at night. I'm definitely doing this to my car, thanks for the inspiration DCD 👍

[@Dirtcheapdaily]

you can check out my instagram for more pics/videos on all my projects!

[@mihailoj2762]

saw, but there's no blinking light (orange) :D

[@hattorihanzo8707]

That intro wins youtube.

[@dionhamilton3045]

Best into to video on the whole of KZbin . (There wasn't one)

[@kevinmeijer4534]

Thanks for the straight to the point intro.

[@andrewxt5812]

Looks good! Might have to do this to my 2nd gen outback when I buy JDM projectors.

[@safetyfirst5917]

Excellent video. Will have to do this on my Suzuki at some point

[@Honja999]

Thank you so much. Looks like I'm getting a ls400 now 😍

[@erickelly8704]

Your wife is awesome cool design and nice job i did the same mod years ago but never thought of that and in Chicago taking out yellow reflector would get u a ticket

[@edwardgordillo4577]

use load resistors to fix the hyperflashing

[@volksrod6926]

Edward Gordillo there shouldn't be hyper flashing as it sits. The filament bulbs are still in place, the load was actually increased

[@fpb3rd]

volksrod69 not if wired in parallel. Find a simple DC circuits resistance lesson

[@steflo4544]

That was pretty cool and the headlights looked great

[@katieducky23]

"You read the title so you know what this is about" I knew it was a good video after that statement.

[@elili8016]

Time to binge watch your videos

[@kdubbya]

Heat shrink butt connector on the park, scotch lock on the fog lol. Nice diy, I want to try this.

[@MrScottsubaru]

Very nice! Have been planning on doing this very mod for a while

[@abescobedo8921]

Creativity level 100

[@MarkVincentMiralles]

This is the kind of contect that I like. Keep it up!🙋🏿

[@heyitsvonage2768]

BEST INTRO I'VE EVER SEEN.

[@RadioWerwolf]

Try using Osram Diadem bulbs for blinkers. They are in silver color while not working but blink in orange.

[@Daviidx2]

Straight to the point nice

[@AlphaMachina]

Love how you're just totally scratching up your lenses all over that gritty ass table. It does look pretty nice tho.

[@Briggs420]

First thing I thought of too

[@stvnswld]

Great work! Love this

[@robertprice9052]

add LED bulbs and you will have an awesome mod. I am about to do the same thing to my daughters car. I want to put sequential lights in the read as well. Cool vid!

[@JustPerkinEnt]

I was wanting to do something similar to this but have the tubes inside of the headlight inserts

[@JosrRocks]

Dude your wife is awesome, it even says DirtCheapDaily right at the beginning of the design :)

[@AquaStevae]

You made this job way tougher than it needed to be. You should have left the internal bezels in, and installed the led strips that way. You also should have bought led strips which already have the 3m stickem already on them. These are extremely common.

[@MrUsefulhacks]

The flexible led will come out because when it will heat up the glue gun will melt

[@reyler5171]

sick hot glue gun

[@MrGruxel]

propably designed by his wife too ;)

[@wottusay3247]

Bahahaha my thoughts exactly Keep reppin it dirt cheap though, man

[@akrs6398]

I thought putting it back in the oven was gonna messup the shape of the tube but turned out great

[@JunpengChen]

Thumbs up for the intor

[@Hamad.Kuwaitt]

Very nice review and job

[@WrekHouse]

Great diy, my legacy has daytime running lights. Same concept could I attach the led tube to the drl wire?

[@SmokeyBaconDan]

Greatest intro ever 👌👌👌👌👌

[@Basih]

Great DIY.

[@benzonjhermogeno]

Nicely done

[@hidconceptcom]

Thanks for the video.

[@theoffroadmaster]

Looks really clean man and I love what your wife did on the beazel but would you be able to shoot me a link on witch of the 12v tubes you purchased please

[@Blue04Z71]

No projector retrofit? That would of been the ideal time to do it! Looks good though turned out nice. 👍🏻

[@fooku5o]

If you wear a rubber glove and spray your hand with soapy water it won’t stick and you get a smoother application

[@mx43racing]

laughed my ass off with that beginning.

[@tharoxinmortal4304]

Subbed just because of the damn intro

[@martrome7449]

I bought some of those they lasted 2 days. Hopefully yours are still running

[@Dirtcheapdaily]

Yup. Never had an issue and it’s been a year. I’d say that’s worth $7. Even if they went out tomorrow.

[@artcore9886]

How bright are they during the day, in sunlight? That's one thing i've heard about most Ebay LED strips is that they're not that bright in the day and get overpowered at night by the headlights.

[@Dirtcheapdaily]

+ART CORE take a look at the dirtcheapdaily Instagram feed.

[@javiercruz7388]

Awesome video man

[@buyetcruz8671]

thanks a lot i have knowledge about flexible tube and how to DIY my grill Good job Dirthcheapdaily More Power To You ^_^

[@unicornsqueezins7906]

Mmmm......baked headlight. Just like momma used to make.😉

[@bigjohnson8751]

Did my guy just hammer that thing off his radiator 🤯😂

[@40sikarios]

Bro that came out nice plus the gold design 👌🏼

[@Dirtcheapdaily]

+Gato X7 thanks!

[@osalcedoucmsae]

Hope all is well with the subi mods life!! Haven’t seen your videos in a while and I gotta say I miss my old legacy gt :( keep up the great work!!

[@prosciuttomasala3473]

Looks so sick. Thanks for sharing dude

[@ahmedwaleed3342]

subscribing cuz you wife is awesome and you appreciated her 👌👍

[@V22D]

that intro really got me by surprise

[@tb3atz719]

Lovely yo! Great! DIY super simple and effective

[@christiandeleo7737]

well done you and your wife... awesome.. subscribed

[@YCorey]

LOVED the intro.

[@DJkurupt702]

Thanks that video is saving me 250 bucks...I was gonna pay a guy to do for me