My attempt at upgrading to LED light bulbs - turn signals, side marker, reverse lights - 2025 Forester

[MikeinPDX]

I'm always looking for ways to make my Subaru lights brighter. I ran across some videos touting the LED bulbs from a company called Lasfit.com and it sounded like they were brighter than the OEM bulbs. Their website said they had turn signals, side marker and reverse light bulbs to fit the 2025 Forester. A full set of eight bulbs was about 140 dollars and I decided to order the whole package.

The bulbs arrived promptly and I went to work upgrading my Forester. The first problem I ran into is that Subaru decided to make the front side marker lights non-replaceable starting with the 2025 model. They did the same with the reverse lights in the tailgate. There used to be pull off panels on the inside of the tailgate that gave access to the reverse lights, but they are gone for 2025. I think you could access the bulbs by taking apart the tailgate, but I'm not sure if the bulbs could then be replaced or if they are integral to some large assembly.

Then I went to work on the turn signal bulbs. I decided to replace the front and rear on the driver's side first, so I could compare the brightness to the OEM bulbs on the other side. Fortunately, the turn signal bulbs are still easily replaceable. There are good videos showing how to remove the rear light housing and of course the front turn signal bulbs are super easy to find and replace. BTW, the rear side marker bulbs (in the corner light housing) are replaceable and it appears that they are already LED bulbs.

I waited until dusk to test the new bulbs and was terribly disappointed. They were EXACTLY the same brightness as the OEM tungsten bulbs and had exactly the same flashing characteristics. Some bulb designer went to a lot of trouble to imitate the OEM bulbs!

Lasfit.com has a 30 day return policy, so I went to their website and started the return process. They immediately refunded the full price to my credit card and told me to keep the bulbs, so I have to give them credit for that!

I wish I'd been able to find this information online before starting this project, but few people seem to care about these bulbs. I hope this post saves someone some time!

Mike in Washougal, WA

 

[Dr. Mandrill Balanitis]

Thank you for your report. It is valuable!
I had been considering replacing the conventional bulbs in my 2000 and 2003 Foresters. Accessing them is easy. Since you saw no real brightess advantage over conventional lamps, especially considering the cost, I will stay with the conventional lamps. It would take many years of replacing them to offset the cost of LEDs.

It's shameful that Subaru has chosen to make lamp replacement difficult - requiring a visit to and expense of a visit to a dealership or outside shop.

Many manfacturers are going that way.

 

[Mark Monte]

I agree, it is useless to change the lights if they are already LED, or not designed to be replaced individually. The size of the wire used at the factory, determined by design and engineering, that is what controls the amps that are delivered to the circuit, not just the fuse. In order to actually increase the ability of the circuit to handle a greater load, the amount of amps at 12 V, one would have to re-wire the circuit with a bigger, fatter wire --and that is simply not practical to do so.

 

[Dr. Mandrill Balanitis]

LED lamps typically require less amperage than standard incandescent lamps. That allows a reduction in the wire gauge which reduces costs and a little bit of weight. The LED lamp assemblies might weigh a bit less than standard lamp assemblies. Auto manufacturers are always pursuing cost and weight reductions so that MPG standards can be met. Also, more profit.

Unfortunately many of those cost and weight reduction efforts result in a less reliable and less owner or independent garage repair friendly vehicle. That is why I keep my 2000 and 2003 Foresters well maintained by my local independent garage that specializes in the maintenance and repair of imported vehicles.

 

[Dr. Mandrill Balanitis]

LED lamps typically require less amperage than standard incandescent lamps. That allows a reduction in the wire gauge which reduces costs and a little bit of weight. The LED lamp assemblies might weigh a bit less than standard lamp assemblies. Auto manufacturers are always pursuing cost and weight reductions so that MPG standards can be met. Also, more profit.

Unfortunately many of those cost and weight reduction efforts result in a less reliable and less owner or independent garage repair friendly vehicle. That is why I keep my 2000 and 2003 Foresters well maintained by my local independent garage that specializes in the maintenance and repair of imported vehicles.

Also, vehicle manufacturers can reduce the size/ampere capacity/weight of the alternator and the battery because there is less amperes being demanded to run the car's electrical system - another contributor to better MPG and reduction of cost. In a new car, there are actual benefits to using LED lamps (not so much because of the cost when replacing them). Retrofitting an older car with LED lamps might not be a worthwhile thing to do.

 

[Train Dan]

LED lamps typically require less amperage than standard incandescent lamps. That allows a reduction in the wire gauge which reduces costs and a little bit of weight. The LED lamp assemblies might weigh a bit less than standard lamp assemblies. Auto manufacturers are always pursuing cost and weight reductions so that MPG standards can be met. Also, more profit.

Unfortunately many of those cost and weight reduction efforts result in a less reliable and less owner or independent garage repair friendly vehicle. That is why I keep my 2000 and 2003 Foresters well maintained by my local independent garage that specializes in the maintenance and repair of imported vehicles.

Yessir, that is the truth. I have seen vehicles that start life with incandescent bulbs, and LEDs offer too little resistance to function correctly, which leads to rapid flashing turn signals.
Saving weight is critical to meet CAFE standards leads to crazy stuff.
Dan