Headlight LED

LED Headlight
Hi guys,
This is my first instructable. Sorry for any mistakes that may be done by me.
In this instructable, I am going to show how to install LED strip in your headlight.
It is quite simple and requires some electronic skills.
The project is quite inexpensive and the materials used can be found with a ease.
This DIY will give a fresh look to you car.

Materials and tools used.
1) LED strip. (Any colour that you like I have used yellow strip. Also check if it is legal to use colour LEDs in your state/country)
2) Transparent plastic pipe
3) Wires
4) Hot glue gun.
5) Screw drivers
6) Hot air blower or a hair dryer.
7) Wire cutter and Soldering iron

The first step is to remove all the wires that are attached to your Headlight. You may click pictures of the various wires or even tag them. (It may help you in case you forget the connections)
Now carefully unbolt the nuts and remove any screws holding the headlight assembly and remove the Headlight assembly from the car.

Now lets start pulling out the front transparent plastic/vinyl lens.
The first step is that you need to remove all the screws that hold the front lens.
The lens will be still stuck with the Headlight with some sort of glue. If you try to pull it or cut it, you might end up with damaging or even breaking your headlight assembly.
The trick here to seperate the plastic lens from the headlight assembly is to heat it with the help of hot air blow gun or with the help of a hairdryer, like I have used in this instructable.

Now carefully start heating one of the corners of the headlight assembly, where the transparent plastic will be glued with the rest of the headlight.
Now slowly start pulling the lens out of the headlight with the help of a screw driver.
DO NOW REMOVE THE EXCESS GLUE FROM THE LENS OR THE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY!!
Now continue in one direction in small areas to heat and pull the Headlight.
This is somewhat pain taking process but do it very slowly and carefully so that you do not damage or break the Headlight.

After heating and pulling out the entire front part of the Headlight you can easily remove the reflecting plastic that would be held in place with the help of a few screws.

This will seperate the entire headlight assembly into three parts.

Now the most interesting and innovative part of this DIY.
Now you need to cut the plastic tube in the size and shape that you need.
This will be your design for the LED strip light. You can do this by roughly placing the tube over the reflector.

Make sure of the design such that it does not obstruct the main beam of the Headlight. This may cause reduced illumination on the road when you turn on the headlights.

Another thing to remember is that you need to stick the tube in the futher steps, so make sure that you have enough support and area so that your design remains in the same position.

I have cut the tube in such a manner that it forms design as shown in the above picture.

Now its time to cut the LED strip.
You need to cut the strip slightly shorter in length of that of the plastic tube.
Be careful that you cut the strip only where it is marked, if you don't do so, some of the LEDs might not work.

Now carefully solder the ends of the strip with wires as shown in the above picture.

A Top Tip! keep the wires a little long then the tube. It would be very helpful in the next step

Now you need to pull the strip into the plastic tube that was cut in the previous steps.
This is very easy and will also test your soldering skills.

Now insert the wire which you have Soldered into the strip and start pulling the strip.

Be patient! there will be times when it will not get pulled very easily.
The trick to pull at this time is by pressing the tube flat where the strip is present, this should make your work quite easy.

There should be a little space left on both side of the tube.
You need to hot glue and seal the tube. This will make a waterproof seal and will also avoid short-circuit thus increasing the life if the LED strip (and also your car)
Now you can stick the LED tube on the front end of the reflecting plastic part of the headlight. Be careful that the LEDs in the tube face outwards. Also carefully plan where you will power the LED tube, so that not much of the wire can be seen.
You can stick it with the help of hot glue.
Find a place in the reflector where you can pass the wire in so that you can hide it and even supply power to it. I used the hole in the reflector where the bulb is placed.
If you have a power supply you can check if the LED tube is working or not.

Now remember LEDs are sensitive to the polarity of the current, so the positive should be attached to the positive wire only and the ground wire to ground only.

Now lets reassemble the Headlight.
carefully place the reflector to the transparent plastic and tighten the screws.
Be gentle do not show your strength or else you may crack the lens.
Do not forget to remove the wires out.

Now place the entire assembly on the remaining part of the Headlight.
Now with the help of the hot air gun or hair dryer start resealing the Headlight. slowly tighten it by appling gentle force just enough that the lens get attached to the headlight assembly. Hold it for a minute or so. The hot glue on the Headlight will cool and will reseal the lens and the headlight assembly.

Now Carefully place the Headlight on the car and bolt back the headlight.
Now power the headlight from the power of the ideal light present in the headlight of your car.
Simply cut the the wire and make a three joint and insulate it using a insulation tape.
Again be careful about the polarity.
Do the same with the other headlight and you are done.

Proudly tell your friends about the DIY and have fun.

The entire process should take about 2 hours for each headlight.

Comment and suggest if you have any ideas and suggestions are always welcomed.
Also share your own design with everyone else.

HAVE FUN AND THANK YOU.
Please note- I am not responsible for any damage caused to your car or the headlight. Do it at your own risk.