LED UPGRADE 2017+

[Ksull72487]

Well guys I want to say I have a 2019 Chevy Sonic RS. And the first thing I did aside from maintenance etc was upgrade the bulbs.

SeaLight is the brand I chose to clean up the look. Also since we have the DRL running lights stock and LED front side markers. The upgrade really pulled the look together.

LowBeam - H11 I highly recommend an HD. The newer Sonics use projectors and HIDs usually do better in them. I have a LED from SeaLight and so far so good although slightly dimmer or the reach isn’t quite as good. Not bad or enough for me to say halogen was much better.

High Beam - 9006 Reflective Housing LED works great.

Fogs - SeaLight sells Yellow and White LEDs I went with white.

Interior - 924s and one festoon bulb.

License Plate - 924 a pack of 10 of these is $8.99

Reverse - 921 on my Hatchback (much brighter and no yellow).

Brake Lights - So we are unlucky with the newer Sonic. You’ll need 4 7443s just to Cover the brake lights.

Everything I bought is from SeaLight. Is working great. Available on Amazon. I also did the upgrades in stages to test reliability. It started with high beams and low beams only.

Bare in mind. Try to stick with the same brand bulb. When it comes to LEDs colors can vary dramatically. Some brands saw 6,000k when it’s 6,500k. So the color is off now. SeaLight did pretty good for me.

SeaLight doesn’t sell a Amber Signal bulb. I’m not looking to upgrade them although. The way I figure the bulb out hyperflash tells me you have a bulb out. If you add a resistor you now have two problems. Heat and the hyperflash bulb out warning won’t work anymore. I may do it down the line. Using a resistor for a signal or a canbus system is cheating. The idea is you pull more power to make the car think the bulb is working. I’ve never been fond of it. Bulbs are usually short lived as well in my experience or problematic etc.

With a BMW that used Canbus you could recode the computer when upgrading to LED. That is the correct way to do it. Not with Canbus Friendly Bulbs or resistors. I don’t think the Sonics Body Control Module can be recoded although for the signals. So my guess is you’ll have to buy a resistor. Don’t fall for that built in stuff. Resistors get so hot you will replace that bulb more often than a regular one. An LEDs number one enemy is heat and they generate a lot of it, with resistors even more. I always try to buy non Canbus LEDs or LEDs with out resistors for that reason. You want a separate resistor always if you absolutely have to cheat the system. Food for thought!!!

People don’t know this stuff. We don’t need a canbus friendly bulb with a resistor to cheat the system. You buy that bulb it’ll gurantee fail fast. So try to buy ones with out the resistors.

With our Chevys we are lucky although. GM isn’t using Canbus. So LEDs are easy. Your only issue is the signal and with a seperate resistor it should work reliably but you’ll never know when your blinker fails.

Also people seem to think LEDs last 50,000 hrs or more. Whether that be in a TV or household bulb or car. They don’t. Heat kills them. And with LEDs they don’t just go out. They get dimmer and dimmer and dimmer. Or maybe a diode or two fails. You need to be attentive to that. Otherwise you won’t see. I keep the stock low beams in my glove compartment for that reason.

 

[JTee2017]

Well guys I want to say I have a 2019 Chevy Sonic RS. And the first thing I did aside from maintenance etc was upgrade the bulbs.

SeaLight is the brand I chose to clean up the look. Also since we have the DRL running lights stock and LED front side markers. The upgrade really pulled the look together.

LowBeam - H11 I highly recommend an HD. The newer Sonics use projectors and HIDs usually do better in them. I have a LED from SeaLight and so far so good although slightly dimmer or the reach isn’t quite as good. Not bad or enough for me to say halogen was much better.

I have been a fan of Sealight LEDs for several years now. . .. since 2015 or so.
However- - -

I tried several brands of LED H11 bulbs including two from Sealight ( which work well in my 2017 Colorado and 2019 Acadia), but in our 2017 Sonic with the projector housings , there is a problem.
The Low beam light pattern seems to cast a bit dimmer small square pattern of light just above the cut off line. You can see this best if you turn on the low beam and view the lights shining on a wall or sheet of card board 3 or 4 feet away. There is no "patch" of light above the cut off line using the same Sealight bulbs in the Colorado or Acadia.

This small square "patch" of light above the cutoff is enough to shine enough light upward and into the eyes of an oncoming driver. I've gotten flashed. Even adjusting the headlight cutoff pattern downward does not help since then the light throw is insufficient.

Could you check your light pattern and see if there is a similar small patch of light emitted above the cut off line? I think it may be intentional when halogen are used to provide some upward light to see reflective road signs at night since the Sonic lights are so low to the ground being a small vehicle.

 

[Ksull72487]

I have been a fan of Sealight LEDs for several years now. . .. since 2015 or so.
However- - -

I tried several brands of LED H11 bulbs including two from Sealight ( which work well in my 2017 Colorado and 2019 Acadia), but in our 2017 Sonic with the projector housings , there is a problem.
The Low beam light pattern seems to cast a bit dimmer small square pattern of light just above the cut off line. You can see this best if you turn on the low beam and view the lights shining on a wall or sheet of card board 3 or 4 feet away. There is no "patch" of light above the cut off line using the same Sealight bulbs in the Colorado or Acadia.

This small square "patch" of light above the cutoff is enough to shine enough light upward and into the eyes of an oncoming driver. I've gotten flashed. Even adjusting the headlight cutoff pattern downward does not help since then the light throw is insufficient.

Could you check your light pattern and see if there is a similar small patch of light emitted above the cut off line? I think it may be intentional when halogen are used to provide some upward light to see reflective road signs at night since the Sonic lights are so low to the ground being a small vehicle.

Yes it’s a tiny patch. And honestly it’s been on my to do list. I don’t think it’s scattering that much light it’s really dim. But you are correct. Tiny tiny patch above cut off line. What was your answer????? I honestly thought Chevy put a weird projector in it to create that.

Been happy with everything else except the low beams. Nobody’s flashing me cut off is their but like you said. Small patch above cut off line. I have been contemplating going HID on Low beams at same color temp as they generally do better anyways in projectors especially stock ones.

Glad you raised this question. This isn’t the first time I played with lights I usually do it so it’s DOT or better. I’m a truck driver so I’m meticulous. That was noticed immediately. I even notice it on Highway it reflects off the signs. Either Chevy used a weird projector in these newer lenses and it may be intentional or HID is better way to go. The amount it projects above cut off line is really small although. I haven’t been flashed. Generally HID does better in a stock projector.

With out knowing what the dish is like behind the projector it’s difficult to say why it’s there. So far I’m happy. But if anybody discovers a better option for are newer projector low beams I might be intrested. Never been flashed although cut off is enough. The spot above is really dim. You can adjust the sea lights as well I would think light left and right not above. It’s just difficult to see how the damn bulb is oriented in that projector I may try with quarter turns Tommorrow to see if I can get rid of it.

 

[JTee2017]

Yes it’s a tiny patch. And honestly it’s been on my to do list. I don’t think it’s scattering that much light it’s really dim. But you are correct. Tiny tiny patch above cut off line. What was your answer????? I honestly thought Chevy put a weird projector in it to create that.

I was a bit curious, so I took a picture of the projector inside with my endoscope.
I think I can see why there is that patch of light.
The cutoff shade is kind of a wedge shaped piece of textured shiny plastic.
With the LED on the endoscope light source shining inside the projector, you can see a shiny spot on the bottom side of it.
It is this spot of light that I think then gets reflected up and out the lens.
If the "wedge" shaped cutoff shade was flat black or not shaped that way, I believe there would not be a problem with the light patch we are seeing.
So one way to attempt a remedy might be to apply some flat black paint or apply a piece of flat black tape to the wedge where the shiny reflection occurs.

See picture below. . . .

 

[Ksull72487]

I was a bit curious, so I took a picture of the projector inside with my endoscope.
I think I can see why there is that patch of light.
The cutoff shade is kind of a wedge shaped piece of textured shiny plastic.
With the LED on the endoscope light source shining inside the projector, you can see a shiny spot on the bottom side of it.
It is this spot of light that I think then gets reflected up and out the lens.
If the "wedge" shaped cutoff shade was flat black or not shaped that way, I believe there would not be a problem with the light patch we are seeing.
So one way to attempt a remedy might be to apply some flat black paint or apply a piece of flat black tape to the wedge where the shiny reflection occurs.

See picture below. . . .


View attachment 15227

Okay we are going to be good friends on this forum . I been wondering what the projector looked like. This also goes to show the issue with projectors designed for Halogen bulbs etc. Most cars with a projector will gladly accept a LED or HID. HID is usually better for projectors. LEDs can be quite weak in them and probably why I’m not flashed that, and our cars being lower.

I may experiment. The other option is a 6500k HID. As the bulbs are similar to a Halogen bulb and the output is better. Not sure what it would do.

 

[JTee2017]

Okay we are going to be good friends on this forum . I been wondering what the projector looked like. This also goes to show the issue with projectors designed for Halogen bulbs etc. Most cars with a projector will gladly accept a LED or HID. HID is usually better for projectors. LEDs can be quite weak in them and probably why I’m not flashed that, and our cars being lower.

I may experiment. The other option is a 6500k HID. As the bulbs are similar to a Halogen bulb and the output is better. Not sure what it would do.

Some had had the innards of this projector melt when trying HIDS.
After viewing this, I can see why. That plastic "wedge" shaped cut off shade being made of plastic might surely warp with a 55 watt HID. .. not sure if a 35 watt would.
I'm actually OK with the Sealight LEDs I've tried. Just that "patch" is not normal and I have gotten flashed. I think I have 3 generations of Sealight LEDs on hand now and two or three other brands as well. So I can try several .

I may try seeing if I can slip a piece of tape onto the bright reflected spot on that cut off shade. Not sure when I can get to it but hopefully soon.

The Sealights work in our other two vehicles just fine. They do not apparently have the wedge shaped shade. Maybe I'll try the endoscope in one of those.

 

[Ksull72487]

Some had had the innards of this projector melt when trying HIDS.
After viewing this, I can see why. That plastic "wedge" shaped cut off shade being made of plastic might surely warp with a 55 watt HID. .. not sure if a 35 watt would.
I'm actually OK with the Sealight LEDs I've tried. Just that "patch" is not normal and I have gotten flashed. I think I have 3 generations of Sealight LEDs on hand now and two or three other brands as well. So I can try several .

I may try seeing if I can slip a piece of tape onto the bright reflected spot on that cut off shade. Not sure when I can get to it but hopefully soon.

The Sealights work in our other two vehicles just fine. They do not apparently have the wedge shaped shade. Maybe I'll try the endoscope in one of those.

Let me know how it works out. I have been happy with the SeaLight brand. I started with the Highs and Lows. Just did the whole car. Leaving blinkers stock. Unless you can recode the BCM I’m not a fan of using resistors to cheat the hyperflash. Plus you loose the warning when one does fail. I’ll let you know if I play with it first and come up with a solution.

Glad you mentioned it cuz for weeks every time I stared at the garage door. I’m like it’s not normal but it’s close. Better than say a HID or LED in an old Caprice lol. But I have also done other cars with projectors this is the only car factory I seen this on.

And yes cheap projectors they do burn up with HID or get pitted. 35 watts is only way Id go if I did it. It’s difficult to say what Chevy used so glad you mentioned this. Replacing the bowl or headlight assembly is a bitch for a lighting change. LEDs will throw heat to the back end. Less snow melted but better heat dissipation of course at the sacrifice of the LED lifespan. But for the prices SeaLight Charges 50,000 hrs would be a good bang for the buck but tolerable if it’s less and they seem to be a quality over seas brand. Morimoto started that way. Now they charge more lol. The only bulb that worries me is their 194 bulbs for interior and license plate. Plastic housing. I see the license plate bulbs going. Only time will tell. Interiors will probably last forever since they don’t see much run time.