LED Tail light swap

Hey guys so, i have a 2013 Toyota Tacoma and it came with these basic Tacoma tail lights. Found some of the newer factory LED one’s with the chrome in it for sale on facebook marketplace. But they didn’t come with the harness with all the sockets for the bulbs... tried to re use the sockets that were on the basic tail light but they don’t fit. They’re made a little differently. So does anyone have the harness that comes with the factory LED tail lights ? Im sure those would fit just right, thank you guys

 

I'm pretty sure my swap to the LEDs used my stock tail lights everythings.

 

Looks like the plug that’s in the new led tail light would plug into the lamp socket for your park/brake light.. then twist the socket into the housing just like the reverse and turn sockets. Worth a try atleast

 

+1
Some aftermarket tail lights have LED turn signals as well. They plug in the same way.

Note the polarity. Filament bulbs don't care. LEDs work only one way. If the brake light doesn't turn on, unplug and flip the connector 180.

 

That grey plug you have is the same as what a light bulb would be. So that grey plug snaps into the socket on your truck, then the socket twists into the housing like normal. It works, i promise

 

Yes i know that plugs in just fine. I was referring more to the top turn signal bulb socket.. sorry. Like the grooves on it is different. So it doesnt twist and turn and stay tight.

 

I would have to take a picture later and better explain it

 

My stock harness on my 07 works for the 2015 OEM tail lights I got... Maybe you just aren't pushing them together quite right? And you have to look at the grooves, there's one big groove for each hole, you have to line it up, then twist. They will fit.

 

Didn't want to start a new thread for a related question - Will swapping TO the non LED housings require any other changes as far as connectors go? I want to get some non LED style housings because I can't stand the clear lens and round LED style.

 

Nope, the bulbs just plug into the harness you have for your factory LED lights.

 

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awesome. Thanks for the quick reply!

 

They are the exact same. I used the stock harness on my 07 for my 2015 lights and they lock in perfectly and seal fine. They'll work. Worst case you can get new harnesses if you're worried about it, but you won't have any issues. Tons of people have done that same swap before

 

where can you buy those harnesses? i cant find any for LED tail lights

 

Assuming the lights you're buying have all their sockets...it's completely plug-and-play. The 1st thing I did before I even left the dealership was swap out the LEDs for my base rig's incandescent lights. I simply can not stand the Ebay looking OE LEDs...although I've seen tinted ones that don't look bad.

My '15 TRD Sport...



Here's what I've discovered. There are 2 different runs of the base tails. From '05-'08 all Tacos had the incandescents. Then from '09-'11 they all had LEDs. Then '12-'15 the base models went back to incandescents.

IMO these 2nd run lights look a little better....a little more red and less prone to fading.

These tails are 7.5 years old. Every 2-3 months I hit with some McGuire'a PlastX.

 

Your truck has them already.

 

Those look good for 7 years. Do you use that on black plastic trim, too? I have used Rejex on plastic in the past but it doesn't work well on anything but smooth, shiny plastic.

 

I discovered that the PlastX works well on just about any smooth, non-porous plastic surface. But I would not use it on a porous surface at all....certainly not the trim.

 

So it works well on trim like the black bumper cover in your picture? It doesn't leave a white haze that requires heavy buffing or a brush to get out?

 

No..I would definitely not use it on the black bumper cover. It's textured. It's basically a wax for smooth plastic.

 

Plastx is an abrasive not a wax