I replaced both the front and rear dome lamps in a 1998 Suburban with these, and WOW! What a difference. These are VERY bright, and were VERY easy to install. It took less than 1 minute for each lamp, from start to finish. I would describe the color as "daylight" (blueish tint, guessing around 6,000K color temperature), as compared with the yellowish original lights (guessing around 2,000K color temperature). It is MUCH easier to see inside. I have upgraded all of the original interior incandescent lights with LEDs and the difference is almost literally "night and day". With the original bulbs, it was very difficult to find anything that was dropped on the seat or on the floor of the rig. With these, it is almost like being parked outside on an slightly overcast day in that it is plenty bright enough to see everything, with the more bluish tint, like you would generally see with 8-foot fluorescent tubes in a garage.
I have a lumen sensor and I compared the before and after numbers. I do not have the paper with me, with the exact numbers, but the original bulbs were only around 200 lumens, measured at 6" from the light. The new ones were close to 2,000 lumens, at the same 6". Roughly 10X the amount of light, and the higher color temperature makes for higher contrast, also.
The large LED panel fit nicely inside the rectangular dome light casing in the Suburban. I just let the panel rest on the inside of the plastic lens/cover, rather than use the double-stick foam tape which is on the back of the lights. Being LEDs, they do not create enough heat to be a problem, and resting the lights on the plastic cover gives nice, wide dispersion. Even after having them on for about 30 minutes, I could put my hand on the plastic lens and it was somewhat warm, but no where near enough to melt, and, even though the LED panel was resting directly on the lens, it was not as warm as it was with the old, original festoon tube. If you don't know, a festoon is a bulb looks like a tiny fluorescent tube light, or like the clear glass fuses with metal caps at each end.
We have a mountain cabin, in the forest, where there is no electricity. When it's dark, it's DARK. We had always needed to get a flashlight to see anything in the car. With these, a flashlight's batteries can be saved for outdoor use.
I especially like the fact that each LED panel came with connectors for three different bulb formats. Since LEDs have to be mounted with the correct polarity (i.e. red positive to red positive, and black negative to black negative), you can easily see which way to install the connector. If you do not know which contact is which, in the car's bulb socket, you can just try it one way, then, if it doesn't work, you just unplug the wiring harness and plug it back in the other way. Some of the sockets are in are in hard-to-access locations, so it is very convenient to be able to switch the plugs at the connectors, instead of climbing back into the car, upside-down, trying to get my head under the dashboard, craning my neck, and squinting to try to see the socket that is now about 3" in front of my face.
All in all, these are wonderful. I wish these had been available, years ago!
UPDATE:
I traded in the '98 Suburban for an '07 Suburban, which had the original overhead bulbs. I had been spoiled, so I bought several more of these to replace all of the overhead bulbs in the '07. Just to make sure people know know, these are too large to fit in the smaller space, in the front. That is, the ones between the driver and passenger's heads and almost above the dashboard. They easily replaced the remaining 5 lights, including the 2 just behind the driver's head, the 2 between the 2nd and 3rd row seats, and the one over the cargo area.
I have attached a photo of the '07 Suburban. The bright ones, on the left, are these new replacement LEDs. The ones on the right are still the original "OEM" bulbs. Even this picture does not fully illustrate the remarkable difference.
I just need to get another set of these, but not quite as big, to replace the front ones. Meanwhile, these new LEDs, which are located behind my head, provide more light on the dash area, than than the OEM bulb right above the dash! I'll never go back to OEM bulbs!
| Brand | Cutequeen |
|---|---|
| Light Source Type | LED |
| Item Package Quantity | 2 |
| Color | white |
| Voltage | 12 Volts |
| Auto Part Position | Right |
| Operating Life | 50000 Hours |
| Manufacturer | JIANXIN |
| Item Weight | 0.352 ounces |
| Package Dimensions | 3.5 x 2.7 x 1.7 inches |
| Item model number | JIANXIN-08-01-09-02 |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Manufacturer Part Number | JIANXIN-08-01-09-002 |
| Mirror Lighting Type | automotive-interior-dome-light-bulbs |
