HID to LED Conversion

[socialninja]

When I purchased the car, I really hated the lights. I knew that the LED lights give the car a distinctive look and I really wanted them. I had the same dilemma. I really considerd the project for a while and I took a gut shot on the euro lights.
The euro lights are not identical to the US ones. The main problem is the Modules, especially the side mounted one. You Definitely have to get the headlights with the modules already on the light. It took me 7 modules to figure it out. So in my opinion, I'd go with the euros only if the modules came with the headlight. To be safe, just get a pair of the US ones. The question is, is it worth it to you to change the lights. It's not that easy to take off the bumper. The total times I took it off was 3. Each time it took me 8 to 10 hours to do what I wanted. In the end. Yes! It was totally worth it. The lights give it a totally different look. That's the way it should of came from the factory.

I really wanted the LEDs... conversely, the HIDs have grown on me. I had my grill done at my dealership minor collision shop. I’m a disabled veteran and pulling the grill is no longer an option for me. Besides, I wanted to make sure that it was done properly. I told them that LEDs were next, but... I’m at a crossroads The HIDs, have just grown on me. I’m not beyond buying another Continental and starting over. That 3.0, AWD is screaming for me. Perhaps if my dealership calls me with a Coach model with suicide doors...

 

[Tony16]

I really wanted the LEDs... conversely, the HIDs have grown on me. I had my grill done at my dealership minor collision shop. I’m a disabled veteran and pulling the grill is no longer an option for me. Besides, I wanted to make sure that it was done properly. I told them that LEDs were next, but... I’m at a crossroads The HIDs, have just grown on me. I’m not beyond buying another Continental and starting over. That 3.0, AWD is screaming for me. Perhaps if my dealership calls me with a Coach model with suicide doors...

I want to thank you for your service. I'm an Air Force veteran myself. I'd say if the autobody shop has to rewire you headlight harness then you might have a problem. Lots of reputable shops wouldn’t touch that type of job. It would have to be a "do at and your own risk kind of deal". It mainly has to do with liability. If the headlights short out and you crash, then they're responsible. Unless you have a friend who would pull the bumper off for you and you do the rewiring, then you would be responsible if anything happens. Other than that, it’s a cut and dry install. If you can swing it, I’d say do it. If not get the Coach Door

 

[Jaskim06]

Good Afternoon Continental Forum


I recently purchased my 2019 Continental and wanted to upgrade to the LED Headlights. I searched eBay and found a pair of European headlights for a good price. The only thing I see different is that there is no orange on the corner light which i can do without. I’ve been searching this forum and I haven’t see anyone who has tried this yet. I thought It would be helpful if I created this thread for my first post and did a step by step instruction on how to do this. I'm super verse in automotive mechanics and I have no problem removing the bumper and Installing the lights. My issue is that I might have to rewire the Harness. The reason why I say that is that when I plugged in the headlights with the car and headlights off. The lights lit up. When I put the Headlights on, the signals lit up (steady. I included some pictures on my recent test. Hopefully I can get some assistance from the Forum who would have the Wiring Diagram for the Harness. I need the HID and the LED schematics. and for a long shot, I would need the European LED Harness. That’s if it differs from the US version. This should be an interesting spring project and I think we can all benefit from this.

Youtube my friend. Somebody somewhere has done this and usually if it works they make a video and share it on there. I use it for alot of info that you just can't get from many places. Some of this stuff like wiring is very important to get right and done properly for success and no issues. Try youtube and see what you can find. Even if it's not for your particular model of car I'm sure it can still give you an idea of what you need and how to do it. I know there's alot of info and videos about town cars and swapping LEDs in them for all kinds of lights and places. Brake, fog, head lights, dome lights and door lights. They make connectors now that just take a stripped wires and slide them in and pull down the lil leavers and its good to go. Just tape up and you're set. Best is soldered and sealed but it's your job you do it the way you want. Hope you find the answer. Youtube has saved my butt a few times.

 

[socialninja]

I want to thank you for your service. I'm an Air Force veteran myself. I'd say if the autobody shop has to rewire you headlight harness then you might have a problem. Lots of reputable shops wouldn’t touch that type of job. It would have to be a "do at and your own risk kind of deal". It mainly has to do with liability. If the headlights short out and you crash, then they're responsible. Unless you have a friend who would pull the bumper off for you and you do the rewiring, then you would be responsible if anything happens. Other than that, it’s a cut and dry install. If you can swing it, I’d say do it. If not get the Coach Door

We actually got around that. They swapped my grill and installed the LED grill emblem. They have a guy that they bring in to do the wiring. He’s sharp. Anyhow, we blazed a path and formed a partnership. I snapped pix throughout the process. I would go the same route again. BUT, hopefully grow from your experience and locate complete American spec sets. I’m a bit more concerned with modifying the computer programming. This has really been a fun experience. I’m a father of 7. This is the first car I’ve had in years. I’m having to learn new tricks, from my tuner car days, which was a leap from my Camaro muscle car days.

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[socialninja]

I want to thank you for your service. I'm an Air Force veteran myself. I'd say if the autobody shop has to rewire you headlight harness then you might have a problem. Lots of reputable shops wouldn’t touch that type of job. It would have to be a "do at and your own risk kind of deal". It mainly has to do with liability. If the headlights short out and you crash, then they're responsible. Unless you have a friend who would pull the bumper off for you and you do the rewiring, then you would be responsible if anything happens. Other than that, it’s a cut and dry install. If you can swing it, I’d say do it. If not get the Coach Door

Sorry, I didn’t finish... I get such a reaction, when I pull in the dealership, I was hoping to establish a means for others to comfortablly do some mods. So, I shared my sources with a point man at the shop, just as I’ve tried to share everything on here. Here in San Antonio, nobody changes anything on this beautiful car, that begging for mods.
I really do want that Coach edition though! Anyhow, next on my list is a wrap. I’m looking at the lines, and talking to different shops, but I haven’t found the right person yet.

 

[B1n2fra]

When I purchased the car, I really hated the lights. I knew that the LED lights give the car a distinctive look and I really wanted them. I had the same dilemma. I really considerd the project for a while and I took a gut shot on the euro lights.
The euro lights are not identical to the US ones. The main problem is the Modules, especially the side mounted one. You Definitely have to get the headlights with the modules already on the light. It took me 7 modules to figure it out. So in my opinion, I'd go with the euros only if the modules came with the headlight. To be safe, just get a pair of the US ones. The question is, is it worth it to you to change the lights. It's not that easy to take off the bumper. The total times I took it off was 3. Each time it took me 8 to 10 hours to do what I wanted. In the end. Yes! It was totally worth it. The lights give it a totally different look. That's the way it should of came from the factory.

So if I buy the euro headlights with the modules ( I planned on buying lights with modules to make it easier anyway) would the modules still need programming. And what kind of programming are you talking about. I was thinking swapping a few wires around for the turn signals would be all that was needed. And do you have the diagrams for both us and euro lights. Led and non led. I was waiting on you to finish your swap before I tackled this myself so I could have more info to go off of. And plus I could find a decently priced drivers side headlight at the time. For some reason the drives side light is harder to find than the passenger side. I guess there were alot of front left collisions on these cars. lol

 

[Jaskim06]

We actually got around that. They swapped my grill and installed the LED grill emblem. They have a guy that they bring in to do the wiring. He’s sharp. Anyhow, we blazed a path and formed a partnership. I snapped pix throughout the process. I would go the same route again. BUT, hopefully grow from your experience and locate complete American spec sets. I’m a bit more concerned with modifying the computer programming. This has really been a fun experience. I’m a father of 7. This is the first car I’ve had in years. I’m having to learn new tricks, from my tuner car days, which was a leap from my Camaro muscle car days.

7 kids? Bless you sir!! Bless you!! Between the marines and 2 lil ones under 3 and 2 grown up almost drinking age, son following me in the Corps, my hairs about gone and my patience is on the brink of death!! Lmao. Thank you both for your service. I'd be in a mental ward from 7 kids!!!

 

[Tony16]

So if I buy the euro headlights with the modules ( I planned on buying lights with modules to make it easier anyway) would the modules still need programming. And what kind of programming are you talking about. I was thinking swapping a few wires around for the turn signals would be all that was needed. And do you have the diagrams for both us and euro lights. Led and non led. I was waiting on you to finish your swap before I tackled this myself so I could have more info to go off of. And plus I could find a decently priced drivers side headlight at the time. For some reason the drives side light is harder to find than the passenger side. I guess there were alot of front left collisions on these cars. lol

Hey B1. I’m glad you want to take up the project. So I can see that you’re looking for guidance on the project. I really can only tell you what I did.

The Headlights MUST and I mean MUST come with the Modules. The reason being is that there is no rhyme or reason to the specific 2 letters on the end of the Model number to make the headlights function properly. For Example, FG9T-13B626 Is the model number for the Headlight Module. One is FG9T-13B626-AE then one is FG9T-13B626-BJ etc. If you get the headlight with the modules attached then you’re a head of the game.

Now you said that you’re looking for a matching pair of euros. I had a tough time finding a drivers side headlight. I did buy it with no modules. How I made it work was that I ended up buying a 3rd headlight. I found a passenger one with modules attached. It was cheap enough to where it was a gamble that it might work. And it did! So if you find a Driver headlight with no modules, you might want to explore 2 passenger headlights and take the modules off of them to get the drivers side to work. I used TX automotive (eBay) for the lights. They seem like that have decent prices and they don’t remove the modules.

The turn signals are easy. I got away with just taking the signal positive and splicing it into the harness. It actually worked with no load capacitors. So that was a plus.

I do not have the Diagrams for the euro lights but I purchased a manual off of eBay for the North America continental that helped me with locating the correct wires to splice. I got the book for $20 so it was a bargain. I know that there are people on the forum who have the CD rom for the Continental, but I’m not sure if they will give you the PDF’s. Its easier to buy the manual. I did find that the Euro LED's and the North American LED's kinda followed the same wiring diagram. To be honest, It was a lot of trial and error.

So for the programing, I had to use the ForScan to reprogram the Headlight Control Module. I had no High Beams when I installed it. To be honest, I just took the As Built data from a black Label and plugged in the codes. It worked like a charm! I got my high beams to work! Also wherever the steering wheel turns, the light gets brighter on that side. It’s cool.

Here is a negative. To adjust the lights were horrible. I had to adjust them about 10 times before I got it right. The lights give off a very sharp beam. If it’s too high, you can be blinding on coming drivers or if it’s too low, you can't see what’s in front of you. The HID’s are better at light dispersal, In my Opinion.

The second negative was that I couldn’t get the Fogs to work. I tried everything! I even tried to hotwire the fogs to the on off switch of the car. No Bueno! I ended up buying 6 Inch long, thin fogs and opening up the OEM fog housing to remove the lights. Then I had to attach the new fogs and reseal the housing using Silicone. WOW! That was a project in itself. I’ll attach some pictures to this thread.

I wish you the best of luck. If you need anymore advice, Just reach out.

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[B1n2fra]

Hey B1. I’m glad you want to take up the project. So I can see that you’re looking for guidance on the project. I really can only tell you what I did.

The Headlights MUST and I mean MUST come with the Modules. The reason being is that there is no rhyme or reason to the specific 2 letters on the end of the Model number to make the headlights function properly. For Example, FG9T-13B626 Is the model number for the Headlight Module. One is FG9T-13B626-AE then one is FG9T-13B626-BJ etc. If you get the headlight with the modules attached then you’re a head of the game.

Now you said that you’re looking for a matching pair of euros. I had a tough time finding a drivers side headlight. I did buy it with no modules. How I made it work was that I ended up buying a 3rd headlight. I found a passenger one with modules attached. It was cheap enough to where it was a gamble that it might work. And it did! So if you find a Driver headlight with no modules, you might want to explore 2 passenger headlights and take the modules off of them to get the drivers side to work. I used TX automotive (eBay) for the lights. They seem like that have decent prices and they don’t remove the modules.

The turn signals are easy. I got away with just taking the signal positive and splicing it into the harness. It actually worked with no load capacitors. So that was a plus.

I do not have the Diagrams for the euro lights but I purchased a manual off of eBay for the North America continental that helped me with locating the correct wires to splice. I got the book for $20 so it was a bargain. I know that there are people on the forum who have the CD rom for the Continental, but I’m not sure if they will give you the PDF’s. Its easier to buy the manual. I did find that the Euro LED's and the North American LED's kinda followed the same wiring diagram. To be honest, It was a lot of trial and error.

So for the programing, I had to use the ForScan to reprogram the Headlight Control Module. I had no High Beams when I installed it. To be honest, I just took the As Built data from a black Label and plugged in the codes. It worked like a charm! I got my high beams to work! Also wherever the steering wheel turns, the light gets brighter on that side. It’s cool.

Here is a negative. To adjust the lights were horrible. I had to adjust them about 10 times before I got it right. The lights give off a very sharp beam. If it’s too high, you can be blinding on coming drivers or if it’s too low, you can't see what’s in front of you. The HID’s are better at light dispersal, In my Opinion.

The second negative was that I couldn’t get the Fogs to work. I tried everything! I even tried to hotwire the fogs to the on off switch of the car. No Bueno! I ended up buying 6 Inch long, thin fogs and opening up the OEM fog housing to remove the lights. Then I had to attach the new fogs and reseal the housing using Silicone. WOW! That was a project in itself. I’ll attach some pictures to this thread.

I wish you the best of luck. If you need anymore advice, Just reach out.

Wow. Make it sound harder than I anticipated it to be. What was the deal with the fog lights. Is this a side effect of swapping the headlights. I still haven’t gotten the Forscan application. So that should be my first thing to do and play with it to figure out how everything works. I’ve been talking to Nick the car guy who does all kinds of forscan things trying to get some knowledge from him, as he has modded his Ford Fusion allot

 

[G-709587]

Wow. Make it sound harder than I anticipated it to be. What was the deal with the fog lights. Is this a side effect of swapping the headlights. I still haven’t gotten the Forscan application. So that should be my first thing to do and play with it to figure out how everything works. I’ve been talking to Nick the car guy who does all kinds of forscan things trying to get some knowledge from him, as he has modded his Ford Fusion allot

I tried to diagnose the fog lights 3 times and came up with nothing. I'm not sure if the Modules are sending power to the fog lights. I came to the conclusion that the euros might have a different power output for the fog lights in the overseas Continental. To be honest I never liked them anyway. I was happy to gut them and replace them with a system that matches the daytime running lights. I was trying to get close to the look of the concept model. So if you're going to attack the mod, just keep that in the back of your mind.

As for the Forscan, it's free to download. They give you 3 months free and then you would have to subscribe. You will definitely need it to change the high beam configuration when you do the install by going into the Headlight control Module (as built)If you haven't gotten the obd2 forscan plug yet, please get the hardwired one. The Bluetooth version doesn't give you all the modules. I think they have a mod sheet on the forum you can play with before you program the headlights. I changed a few things like put the heated and cooled seats icon on my touch screen and also changed the splash screen to Black Label. So did you find any lights yet? I saw a few on ebay yesterday.

 

[Tony16]

Wow. Make it sound harder than I anticipated it to be. What was the deal with the fog lights. Is this a side effect of swapping the headlights. I still haven’t gotten the Forscan application. So that should be my first thing to do and play with it to figure out how everything works. I’ve been talking to Nick the car guy who does all kinds of forscan things trying to get some knowledge from him, as he has modded his Ford Fusion allot

So I tried to diagnose the fog light issue about 3 times. My conclusion was that the modules that power the lights don’t power the Fogs. I think it has to do with how the Euro Continental's are built. They might have a different configuration when powering the Fogs. I actually like my design better. I had no problem gutting the fogs and installing the new ones in its place. The new fogs match the Daytime running lights much better. When I purchased the car, I’ve been trying to get it to look as much as the concept car as possible. It’s too bad they don’t make aftermarket parts that mimic the Concept.

In regards to the Forscan system. If you haven’t done so already, you’ll need to get the OBD2 hardwired plug. The Bluetooth version isn’t that great and it doesn’t give you all the modules. You have to tap into the Headlight Control Module (As Built) when doing the MOD. This will ensure you that you get your high beams working correctly. To get acquainted to the Forscan system, I'd say do some minor mods. I learned how to use it by Changing my splash screen to Black Label and putting the Heated and Cooled seats Icons on my touch screen. I know you’ve been watching nick the car guy. He has some good advice when it comes to the ford brand, but you might want to search the forum for the ForScan codes that apply to the Continental.

 

[OmegaLincoln]

I have the adaptive HID and my complaint would be the fogs don't seem very bright. @Tony16 yours seem a lot brighter than mine.

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[Tony16]

I have the adaptive HID and my complaint would be the fogs don't seem very bright. @Tony16 yours seem a lot brighter than mine.

I thought so too. I never liked the Fog light brightness. I guess I should post this in a different category, but oh well lol.

Its real simple to take apart the fog light housing. Its 3 screws that hold it into the bumper. Once removed, you then take it and don’t think I’m crazy, but you have to put it in the oven. This is a proven method for removing the lens from the housing. You set your oven to 215 degrees and put a wood block on the grate. When the oven reaches the proper temperature, you stick the fog light in the oven on the wood for approx. 12 minutes. The fog light won’t melt. It’s ABS Plastic and it can withstand high temperatures. Once it’s done, you take a plastic shim and start removing the housing from the lens. At this point it’s extremely hot and you have to be careful. If it doesn’t come off, don’t be afraid to give it another 12 minutes. It takes time for the glue to loosen.


Once the housing and lens is removed and it has cooled down, you just take a torque screwdriver and remove the fog light assembly. Once all that is removed, I took the new fog and placed it to see how it would fit. I thought the best place for it would be to the upper part of the fog light housing. It was thin and long enough to get it in the housing with no issues. I then angled it to how the original fog light assembly was. Once it was set the way I wanted it, I silicone it to the upper part housing. I drilled a hole in the back of the housing to exit the positive and negative wires out the rear of the housing. I silicone that. I then I re installed the lens to the housing with silicone. It takes about 24 Hours for everything to dry.


I wired the fogs so when the car is on, the fogs are on. The original fogs did pretty much the same thing. What you lose is the Lincoln embrace. But since I did the Headlight Mod, I had no fogs so I really didn’t care at that point. lol


I attached a picture if the fogs that I purchased.

 

[Tseg]

How has Lincoln addressed heating the LED's when snowy? I have a Jeep that I installed LED's and when there is lots of snow around freezing, snow just cakes on the headlights.

 

[OmegaLincoln]

Baking it ? L O L That sounds like a lot of work. I did my 2017 F150 lights. It was straight forward and a little less than an hour changing the bulbs to LED. I did the bambi hack as well so the fogs can be on at the same time with the high beams. Changing out the fogs and license plate lights made a huge difference in brightness.

 

[Tony16]

How has Lincoln addressed heating the LED's when snowy? I have a Jeep that I installed LED's and when there is lots of snow around freezing, snow just cakes on the headlights.

I have no Idea. I hope these headlights work good in the Ice. I'll know in January.

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[Tony16]

Baking it ? L O L That sounds like a lot of work. I did my 2017 F150 lights. It was straight forward and a little less than an hour changing the bulbs to LED. I did the bambi hack as well so the fogs can be on at the same time with the high beams. Changing out the fogs and license plate lights made a huge difference in brightness.

Just set it and forget it! L O L. It was a lot of work. But well worth it. I definitely couldn’t live without any type of fog lights. Especially after doing all this work. It seems like your F150 was a piece of cake. This system is so complex that I would of welcomed an easy swap like that. I hear that those LED bulbs flicker. I would of did that with my car, but I wanted the Concept look.

 

[OmegaLincoln]

Just set it and forget it! L O L. It was a lot of work. But well worth it. I definitely couldn’t live without any type of fog lights. Especially after doing all this work. It seems like your F150 was a piece of cake. This system is so complex that I would of welcomed an easy swap like that. I hear that those LED bulbs flicker. I would of did that with my car, but I wanted the Concept look.

For whatever reason Ford was lazy on the light upgrades that year. They did everything but the fogs and license plate lights. So the fogs/plates were soft white while the lamps were bright white. I didn't think it looked very well. So all I had to do was the bulbs. Which were easy to access.

The bambi mode was a forscan thing.

 

[Jeyaar456]

Interesting vid. Looks a bit of work.

 

[Fivestarzay99]

Any idea where I can buy that adopter they use in that video. The HID to LED adopter. That’s all I need. And I email them and they not responding.