HYUGA PA LED – A Full LED Conversion Kit For The 5th Gen 4Runner: Install & Review
I recently replaced every light on my 2016 4Runner with the HYUGA PA LED Full Replacement Pack including interior and exterior and I must say, I wish I had switched to LEDs a long time ago. These were worth the wait because they are bright! Among other benefits that an LED conversion provides, the wow factor is on full display with these lights after sundown.
In total, this kit replaced 23 different bulbs for both the interior and exterior of the vehicle. Once completed, I gained an appreciation for how much thought went into the safety, comfort, and design of the 4Runners’ lighting systems. Whether you’re ready to complete a full swap-out of the vehicle’s lights or prefer to pick and choose, HYUGA PA LED offers everything you need to get started from individual LED bulbs to various kit combinations.
In this article, I will cover some of the basics about LEDs, go through the entire installation process (interior and exterior), show before and after photos, and an overall review.
Find It Online:
- Hyuga Direct: Check Price
HYUGA PA LED Full Conversion Kit
What is a LED?
Pictured above is a side-by-side example of a factory bulb with its LED-like-for-like replacement.
LED = Light Emitting Diode. Because LEDs do not have filaments like traditional incandescent light bulbs, LEDs do not lose efficiency to heat. As a result, LEDs use about 10% fewer watts to equal the same light output as traditional incandescent and last about 200% longer than our factory-installed incandescent light bulbs.
With most LEDs, you’ll find them to be a bit larger than the factory incandescent bulbs. This is because of their physical design which is similar to that of a microchip. The semiconductor material or diodes in the microchips produce visible light through the LEDs.
Although the LED structure is differently shaped than what you’re replacing I thought HYUGA PA LED did a really good job of taking space into consideration for the installation process. Some more detail on that later.
What’s Included
Everything arrived in four (4) total boxes, with sleek packaging and individually labeled which was a huge help during the installation process. It helped keep me organized and I didn’t have to worry about misplacing the LEDs during installation or time leading up to the installation.
All of the interior bulbs + rear taillight fixtures + the front turn & marker light came in one box individually labeled.
The headlight, fog light, and high beam each came individually packaged and labeled.
Each of the larger LEDs was individually packaged into their own Styrofoam cutouts.
Installation
Allocate about 4 hours for installation if you are planning on completing them all at once.
Tools required:
- Philips Head Screw Driver
- Auto Trim Removal Tool (optional although highly recommended, or a flat-head screwdriver)
- 10mm socket wrench with extension head
Rear LED Installation (Back-up & Turn Signal):
My install instructions describe and photograph the driver side of the vehicle, but for the rear fixtures, the same instruction is transferrable to the passenger side.
Use the trim tool to pop open the door to the left of the stow-away spot for the factory jack. Inside you’ll find two small studs (circled in yellow), use the 10mm socket to remove the nut. Secondly, unplug the wiring harness. Please remember to unplug the wire harness!
Now you are ready to remove the entire fixture. It’s not as complicated as you might think.
Just get a decent grip on the exterior fixture, a few wiggles and pulls, and the entire thing comes right off.
Side note – This is a perfect opportunity to take a few extra minutes to clean those rarely exposed spaces on your car.
There are two lights that are replaced inside these fixtures, the turn signal, and the reverse/backup light. With the convenience of labeled packaging knowing which bulb is straightforward, also amber colored replaces amber and white replaces white. It’s a simple plug-and-play installation and as with a majority of the lights on the vehicle a small twist to unlock and remove the harness from the fixture.
Once the LEDs are in place the reassembly is as simple as the removal. Align the fixture to the vehicle and give a solid push until you hear a click, replug the wiring harness and the two bolts that were removed. This is a good opportunity to check functionality before moving on to the other side of the vehicle.
Head Light LED Installation:
Accessible from the hood, the headlight is in the furthermost position to the outside of the vehicle. The headlight is behind a plastic waterproof cap that can be removed with a small twist to the left.
Once inside, you’ll be able to see/reach the headlight. Gently rotate the bulb to unlock and remove it. There is a little plastic lock on the bulb, use your screwdriver to aid in the release of the stock bulb.
The HYUGA PA LEDs have a lot of size to the wiring harness due to their design. All of it does fit inside the headlight space but take caution while finding the right position. The back of the LED has a fan, ensure that the fan has adequate room to breathe by not crowding it with the rest of the wiring harness. HYUGA PA LED includes small zip ties in the packaging to assist with this installation and fitting.
I personally did not use them for the headlights but the option is there for you. The female end of the adapter on the LED has a small +/- symbol to assist with the power connection. The connection can be successfully made in any orientation but to ensure power to the unit align the + with the black wire on the male end of the connection (wire harness that’s part of the car).
High Beam/Daytime Running Light LED Installation:
Accessible from the hood, the high beam is beside the headlight (to the right when looking into the engine bay under the hood). Simply twist the harness to the left to unlock and remove the bulb. Use a screwdriver (as needed) to aid in popping the little plastic lock on the harness to remove the factory bulb.
The female end of the adapter on the HYUGA PA LED has a small +/- symbol to assist with power connection. The connection can be successfully made in any orientation but to ensure power to the unit align the + with the black & white wire on the male end of the connection (wire harness that’s part of the car).
Unlike the headlight, the high beam does not have a water-sealed container on the fixture. This does provide more space for the HYUGA PA LEDs and their wiring harness. For the high beams, I did use the provided zip ties to help organize the wiring harness and prevent unwanted movement.
Fog Light LED Installation:
The photos of this installation are on the driver’s side of the vehicle. Before starting the Fog Light LED install, be sure to turn your wheel to the inside of the fender that you’ll be working on as this opens up a lot more space to work with. For this part of the installation, extra space is critical.
Using the 10mm socket and your trim tools remove the screws and plastic connector pins from the wheel well fender. Once complete you’ll pull that back (towards the wheel) to open up as much space as possible to access the lights.
The fog light is mounted pretty low and is pretty easily accessible from the wheel well. As with the other lights, a simple left rotation will unlock the bulb mount and then you’ll be able to release the bulb from the wiring harness. Just like with the headlight or high beam, use a screwdriver (as needed) to help release the plastic clip from the harness and bulb.
The fog light LED wiring harness from HYUGA PA LED has a lot more space in this area than inside the previous lights inside the engine bay. Use the included zip ties to clean up the harness as desired. I did not choose to use zip ties for my fog light LED installs.
The female end of the adapter on the LED has a small +/- symbol to assist with the power connection. The connection can be successfully made in any orientation but to ensure power to the unit align the + with the white wire with a black stripe on the male end of the connection (wire harness that’s part of the car).
Return the LED to the fog light hole and simply rotate to the right to lock the unit back into place.
Front Marker Light LED Installation:
The marker lights are the little lights on the underside of the side mirrors. They turn on when you press the unlock button on the key fob to provide some peripheral light to the vehicle exterior when entering.
Begin by removing the backside of the side mirror. This can be done by gently lifting at the crack closest to the vehicle, once you get the first connection to lift, slowly work your way along the bottom of the mirror to the outside. To properly expose the bulb inside, remove the front piece inside by removing the screws.
Simply pull out the factory bulb and replace it with the LED. Reassemble the side mirror by returning the screws and then gently placing the exterior cap back onto the side mirror.
As always check functionality before completing reassembling the side mirror.
License Plate LED Replacement:
The license plate replacement is super straightforward. Simply remove the two screws on each fixture and you’ll be able to easily pop them out of the door.
A quick pull to remove and push to insert and within minutes you have LEDs shining on your license plate!
I mentioned this earlier for the taillights, but I had the opportunity to clean this area while I have everything taken apart. Over the years these plastic covers have taken a beating from the outdoors.
Interior LED Installation:
Using the trim tool, pop out the hatch fixtures. I did this with the hatch open, but it would be just as simple with the door closed. Just depends on your level of space in the back. Unplug the wiring harness to separate the fixture from the door for easier installation.
Swap the factory bulb with the LED. No tools were required as it was easy to pinch the bulb with my fingers and pull it out. Insert the new LED one end at a time. The fixtures is designed to pinch the LED in place.
Then close up the fixture and return to the hatch by inserting back into place until you hear a click.
LED Door Replacement:
Use the trim tool to pop out the light fixture. Unplug the wire harness from the fixture for easier installation.
The fixture separates into three (3) different pieces. Remove the factory bulb by pinching with fingers and pulling. Insert the new LED with a firm push.
Reassemble the fixture, plug it back into the wire harness, and return to the door. Repeat this on all four (4) doors of the vehicle.
LED Front Map Replacement:
In a similar fashion, use the trim tool to pop out the plastic cover on the front map fixture. There are two lights in this one for the driver’s seat and one for the passenger. As with the other interior lights, remove by pinching and replace with the LED.
LED Vanity Mirror Replacement:
These are the lights that are behind the sun visors on each side of the vehicle. Use the trim tool to pop out the plastic cover. As with the other interior lights, remove by pinching and replace with the LED. Could not be simpler!
LED Rear Dome Replacement:
Use the trim tool to remove the fixture from the roof of the car. Then remove the bulb harness from the fixture by pinching in the clips on the sides. You will be able to easily remove the factory bulb by pinching between fingers to remove it.
The HYUGA PA LEDs for the rear dome have two components that plug into each other. The large LED chip has a 3M adhesive on the back that will be used for installation.
I recommend inserting the “look-alike” bulb with the spring into the power supply first.
Plug the two components together (black to black, red to red). Reassemble the fixture by clipping the power supply piece into the large piece that clips into the roof of the car. You need to reassemble before you remove the 3M adhesive backing so that you can maximize the surface area for the LED.
Return the plastic cover to the fixture, then clip back into the roof of the car by gently pushing back into position.
Before and After Shots:
The next series of shots will display before and after the lights. I did my best to photograph at the same locations and at the same time of day to make the best visual comparisons.
Headlights and Fog Lights
After:
High Beams
Before:
After:
License Plate
Before:
I conveniently needed my factory bulbs to be replaced as one was blown.
After:
Reverse Lights
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After:
Interior Light Show
Before:
After:
Headlights – Location 1, Narrow Lane
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After:
Headlights – Location 2, Open Field
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After:
High Beam – Location 1, Narrow Lane
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After:
High Beam – Location 2, Open Field
Before:
After:
Front Side Shot
Before:
After:
Final Thoughts:
The fog lights are yellow and really shine yellow on off-road surfaces. I will say the yellow is drastically reduced on black pavement roadways.
The license plate lights are very bright for their intended purpose. They will cast a broad stroking light onto the ground that extends past the car and has a very definitive crisp line on the pavement when driving at night. I personally think it’s overkill for a license plate. I have a RIGd Supply UltraSwing on the back of my 4Runner which helps reduce the splash of these lights.
Please drop some comments below. I know this was a really extensive write-up and review with a lot of photos. If I missed something or anyone would like more detail on a particular step leave a reply and I will do my best to respond.
It’s been a few months…how do you like these lights now that you’ve had some time with them?