Lariat Window/Sun Visor LED Swap - Write up with photos

[smoreho2]

Does it void the warranty?

absolutely

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[raymaines]

absolutely

Cool! The bulbs are in my Amazon Cart as we speak.

 

[tciotti2003]

Just got my package in today in regards to swapping out the festoon incandescent bulbs in the window visor. I just hated having the nasty yellowish look while the rest of the vehicle had nice clean crisp lighting and old school visor bulbs. I currently do not know if all the models have the lighted window/sun visor, but for those who do, here is my writeup.

First off I couldn't find any posts here on MTC yet (I suck at searching the forums on here so its possible there is already posts showing this), but this is my attempt at a solid writeup for you to follow...so I hope it does not suck.

I bought a variety pack of Festoon style LED bulbs on amazon due to not knowing what size bulb I would end up needing. From the research I did, it appears that a lot of Fords used the festoon bulbs for the window/sun visor so that was the direction I went (but also had other style/sizes in variety pack). But I wanted the variety pack in case its an odd size and I have other uses for the other bulbs.

The bulb I ended up using is a 29mm Festoon LED bulb. It appears the 28mm may work as well. I measured the bulb just before I posted this and it was right around 1-1/8" bottom of metal cap to top of the metal cap of the bulb....which converts to 28.5mm...(I am unsure the correct way to measure the festoon style) but you will need 4 total, 2 for each side (Driver/Passenger)

So this first photo is just the pre color.

the second is where to place the pry up tool to get under the plastic lens. I was extra careful for this as I did not want to break any of the clips and I was unsure where they were located. Along with that, it is directly against the mirror and did not want to scratch that either.

The third is just a quick photo of where you can see the plastic clip edges. There is 1 on top, 2 on the side and 1 on the bottom (same as the top). The opposite side bulb will have them in the same locations but reversed to left/right hand side.

4th is just a view from the underside of the lens. Note the box edge that all the plastic tabs are located on... when pushing the lens back into place after the install it was a tiny bit of a struggle to snap back into place. Make sure to push down and in and towards the sides of the truck. Then it will snap in. Otherwise the middle of the lens (where I placed the pry up tool from the first photo....bows out toward you and does not sit flush). There should be a solid secure snap where it will sit flush again.

photos 5 and 6 show the old bulb and what the socket that holds the bulb looks like.

photo 7 shows the new and old bulbs next to each other

8 is the new bulb in. Note: I mistakenly put the bulb all the way in the socket first without checking to make sure it was on. The LEDs I got are directional so if it did not lite up one way, flip it around. I found it easiest to just tap the bulb to the connectors (without pushing it into place) and if it lit up, then securely push it into place. if not, I flipped it around and when it lights up... then pushed it in.

9 is the old and new bulb with lens on (attempt at a comparison)

and the last photo is both swapped out

I hope that if there are others that want to do this that it is useful and again, sorry if I suck at this. Let me know if you have any questions or anything! They are definitely bright and a lot better looking than the yellowish incandescent!

I probably missed it but what tool did you use to take the lens cover off. As another member already stated. I too am really good at breaking this kind of stuff

 

[dusty1787]

I probably missed it but what tool did you use to take the lens cover off. As another member already stated. I too am really good at breaking this kind of stuff

Sorry for the delay. No fancy tool needed, just a plastic trim/edge tool. I think most are available at auto parts stores or amazon. Pretty much it is just a sturdy piece of plastic with a thin edge to help pry up the lens

 

[tciotti2003]

Thanks for the reply and information

 

[A.Bursell]

Thanks for the tips and pictures -- very helpful and made this easy. Just popped mine in. I went with Diode Dynamics, I'm a big fan of their products. Little more expensive, but they are good quality with a real warranty. They have some that are twice as bright, but I wanted closer to stock. I used 28mm length.

https://www.diodedynamics.com/28mm-smf1-led-bulbs.html

 

[dusty1787]

Thanks for the tips and pictures -- very helpful and made this easy. Just popped mine in. I went with Diode Dynamics, I'm a big fan of their products. Little more expensive, but they are good quality with a real warranty. They have some that are twice as bright, but I wanted closer to stock. I used 28mm length.

https://www.diodedynamics.com/28mm-smf1-led-bulbs.html

Looks great. Im glad my post was able to help you! I will have to look into the Diode company. Only started hearing about them since I joined MTC and as of the last few months more frequently. I have been a big fan of Morimoto but they still dont have anything for the Maverick but the 3rd brake light assembly for $200. So I will look more into the Diode company, thanks for reference!

 

[Old_Norm]

Great write up. But say goodbye to the handsome dude or pretty dudette in the mirror.
Very bright light can make some details hard to see, while strengthening shadows and making other details very prominent and less attractive. Softer shadows hide imperfections in the skin, and may make some features (nose, ears, eye bags) look less prominent.

 

[Morley2778]

Nice, I swapped to lariat visors and did this upgrade too, muuchhhh better

I'm want to do this mod. How difficult was the swap of the visors? How did you wire them up? I can't seem to find anywhere that has pictures or info on this mod

 

[Hybrid25XLTAWD]

when upgrading mine, I think I'll go with this brand:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09W2Z5737/ref=ewc_pr_img_1?smid=A3IRWXE7MBLWWJ&psc=1

seems like a lot of manufacturers "overclaim" the lumen output..based on what I've read, these bulbs *should* be beteen 900 & 950lm, but manuf. is claiming about 500...while not as high as others' claims, it's nice to see someone not jus tpulling numbers from where the sun doesn't shine

 

[Ryom]

I can't remember the last time I used the visor mirror, but I do think that having a pair of RED LEDs to save your nighttime vision would be handy if you need a spot of light at night but don't want to nuke your corneas with the bright white overhead interior lights.

 

[A.Bursell]

when upgrading mine, I think I'll go with this brand:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09W2Z5737/ref=ewc_pr_img_1?smid=A3IRWXE7MBLWWJ&psc=1

seems like a lot of manufacturers "overclaim" the lumen output..based on what I've read, these bulbs *should* be beteen 900 & 950lm, but manuf. is claiming about 500...while not as high as others' claims, it's nice to see someone not jus tpulling numbers from where the sun doesn't shine

I got mine from Diode Dynamics and they claim to be a true measured 16 lumens. They are on the verge of being too bright. I don't know how accurate those other measurements are, but don't forget that you are basically staring into these lights when you use them and you really don't want them too bright.

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