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Thread: Led lights flicker

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    Led lights flicker

    Hello friends,

    I installed Philips led lights in the front 4 parking light spots and a Philips led dome light awhile ago. The lights all work fine when the car engine is off. Just recently I noticed that when the engine is on, the lights flicker. It’s most noticeable with the dome light. It doesn’t flicker on and off. It flickers dimmer then brighter very quickly.

    It’s difficult for me to test as a single person but I think the flicker goes away as rpms go up.

    My fully charged battery voltage with car off is12.43 volts

    My battery voltage with the engine idling is 14.51 volts.

    I tried to do the diode test where I’d measure for ac voltage while the engines running but I think my multimeters a little to Jank to handle the waveform the numbers were all over the place.


    The positive alternator terminal is fairly corroded looking.

    Any and all advice would be appreciated.

    I’d also like to mention that the flickering is a minor annoyance and with the exterior lights isn’t really noticeable at idle unless you are looking for it


    Last edited by mohammad; 01-02-2022 at 11:50 AM.

  2. #2
    Senior Member dspace9's Avatar
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    That is very annoying, sorry to hear this. I don't have any advice.

    I'm on my own too, so I use a building with a lot of glass, & lots of parking up front, back in to check the working status of my lights. Back in and get a good look. It's not that the LEDs are supposed to flicker right? Because they seem to flicker on other cars I've seen. Best of luck maybe go back to your originals.

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        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 42.2 mpg (US) ... 17.9 km/L ... 5.6 L/100 km ... 50.7 mpg (Imp)


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    Quote Originally Posted by dspace9 View Post
    That is very annoying, sorry to hear this. I don't have any advice.

    I'm on my own too, so I use a building with a lot of glass, & lots of parking up front, back in to check the working status of my lights. Back in and get a good look. It's not that the LEDs are supposed to flicker right? Because they seem to flicker on other cars I've seen. Best of luck maybe go back to your originals.
    I’ve only put leds in the front, I’ve discovered that I’ve never noticed the very minor flicker before because when you first start the car and the green cold coolant light is on. The idle rpm is higher, this higher rpm basically makes the minor flicker go away.

    I imagine the wave form of the alternator output could be what’s causing the issue. I wonder if a new battery would act as a better buffer and fix the issue. Honestly it’s fairly minor and the cars almost never at idle while driving, as fummins always says. Why fix it if it isn’t broken?

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    Senior Member dspace9's Avatar
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    So no flicker as you drive around at night? How do you like the performance of the upgraded lights compared to the originals?

    I like the design of the headlights lamp part on my Mirage. Maybe it's a new car type of thing they all have now, but the lights project outward a good 10 or 25 degrees wider area is lit up at night in front of you. Than compared to my old 80s and 90s cars.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 42.2 mpg (US) ... 17.9 km/L ... 5.6 L/100 km ... 50.7 mpg (Imp)


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    Quote Originally Posted by dspace9 View Post
    So no flicker as you drive around at night? How do you like the performance of the upgraded lights compared to the originals?

    I like the design of the headlights lamp part on my Mirage. Maybe it's a new car type of thing they all have now, but the lights project outward a good 10 or 25 degrees wider area is lit up at night in front of you. Than compared to my old 80s and 90s cars.
    yeah its only a very fast alternating bright then slightly dimmer flicker whenever the engines at idle when engine rpm is higher the lights operate as expected.

    Ive only got led front parking lights and a dome light at the moment, i just change em out as they burn, ive got led headlights ordered but they havent come in yet.

    the parking lights are definitely much brighter, i can see the orange side marker lights reflect off the cars parked next to me and i can see the front parking light bounce off the roof of the parking garage. Overall parking lights dont help me see.

    The dome light flicker bothers me most as the dome light is the only one i really use while the cars idling and its the most noticeable one.
    Last edited by mohammad; 01-03-2022 at 02:44 AM.

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    There should be a big domelight in the middle of the roof, like in an old American car, big middle domelight. And one more light in the trunk. Shouldn't matter what side of the trunk the luggage is to find stuff at night.

    I'm glad the headlights are at least "pretty good" in my Mirage, because the other week I saw a deer nightime driving, in the corner of my eye, then my mind goes where is the deer's buddy, and sure enough, another deer. Where there is one there is more, so I am very happy with the projection effect of the lights on my car.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 42.2 mpg (US) ... 17.9 km/L ... 5.6 L/100 km ... 50.7 mpg (Imp)


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    Quote Originally Posted by mohammad View Post
    ...
    The dome light flicker bothers me most as the dome light is the only one i really use while the cars idling and its the most noticeable one.

    I can only imagine how your dome light looks like.

    this is the only picture I can find at the web

    Name:  X-tremeUltinon LED interior car light 12826HCRIX1 (e).jpg
Views: 386
Size:  29.7 KB

    If it flickers.. I doubt it's authentic Philips.. my 2 cents..

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    Quote Originally Posted by Mitz View Post
    I can only imagine how your dome light looks like.

    this is the only picture I can find at the web

    Name:  X-tremeUltinon LED interior car light 12826HCRIX1 (e).jpg
Views: 386
Size:  29.7 KB

    If it flickers.. I doubt it's authentic Philips.. my 2 cents..
    Mitz just check rockauto, Philips make a bulb that’s drop in replacement for our dome light.

    Also all 5 of the leds I’ve purchased are Philips brand, they are from 2 different sellers and they all flicker slightly at idle.

    By flicker I mean brighten and dim rapidly. Not the on and off kind of flicker.

  10. #9
    Just to clarify: is the flicker worse when the DRLs are on compared to when you switch on full headlights?

    That's the case with my brother's car - he put LEDs in his Scion xB.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 63.2 mpg (US) ... 26.9 km/L ... 3.7 L/100 km ... 75.9 mpg (Imp)


  11. #10
    OK, found it. In your other thread, you say:

    only the DRL bothers me at the moment, the other lights dont really bother me much.
    Sounds like it's the same situation as my brother's car: Something in the DRL circuit is making the LED flicker. Now I understand why you were asking if the DRL was PWM controlled.

    His is so bad that people comment on it (jokes about lighting for dance parties and/or people with epilepsy triggered by flashing!)


        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 63.2 mpg (US) ... 26.9 km/L ... 3.7 L/100 km ... 75.9 mpg (Imp)


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