DIY Flexible LED Strip Installation in My Subaru

We decided to demo Flexibl strip Led’s on a 2006 Subaru Impreza. Our goal was to mimic the Audi style headlights, with out extensive modifications. In other words we did not want to make any modification that would not be easily removable. So these are the steps we took.

Step 1:

We began with the 48cm LED flexible strip, and laid it over the headlight to see where we would need to cut the LED flexible strip, to best fit the headlights.

When cutting the LED flexible strip it is important to remember that you have to cut the LED’s in groups of 3, but watch out for the power wires, pictures below, you can NOT cut them. So we would recommend exercising caution when cutting the LED flexible strip.

Also note, after cutting the LED flexible strip hot glue needs to be applied to the cut to prevent water from damaging the internal wiring of the LED flexible strip. Other sealants such as silicone can be used.

Step 2:

Now that we have the LED flexible strip cut to the size we wanted, it is necessary in our case to apply double-sided tape to keep the LED flexible strip in place. Depending on the application, we would also recommend using ZipTies as a form of mounting the LED flexible strip.

Make sure you test fit the LED flexible strip before taping anything down! We adjusted the LED flexible strip with the hood closed, to make sure the install looked as clean and unnoticeable as possible.

Step 3:

In our application, we decided to replace the parking light bulbs with these new LED flexible strips. It is possible to retain both the LED flexible strip, and OEM Parking Light Bulbs but we decided not to. As far as powering the LED flexible strip, all that is needed is a 12v Source. So the power wires where spliced directly into the Parking Light Harness.

Note: Make sure you double-check the polarity so you don’t have to redo the splice!