Sons new Carbon Edition turbo comes with regular interior light. Have you guys changed to LED's ? Anybody got a link to the right ones ? And how hard are they to install? I have done them on my 2018 Honda CR-V.

 

Agreed, interior lighting really sux even in daytime...I'm gonna start wearing a flashlight around my neck.

 

Another thread today offered one solution.
My suggestion WAS going to be to remove one bulb and check what type/style of
bulb it is.
IF it's a 194 bulb for example, do a search for LED bulbs for 194.
Often many choices for common types of bulbs, 194/1157/2157 etc.
Often a brighter LED or colored LED is available for each type.

My 2¢

 

Search for “Mazda CX-5 LED interior lights” at Amazon.

 

I would find the size of the bulb in the manual, and then find a matching LED paying attention to color temperature (warm white, 2700-3100K), lumens (generally higher is better at my preferred color temp--with the warmer colors, lumen intensities are lower for the same power output) and if available CRI (higher is better) Festoon lights have some alternate designs, and for my 2014, I eventually settled on a design that had festoon plugs, but a panel style lighting grid. But I went through a couple over the years, finding a good one in 2018, for which I have lost the link.

This is an example of the panel style lighting grid, but not the ones I bought some years ago.


This example has a color temperature of 6000K which is very high, and in my opinion, ugly. Women do not appreciate it either, when they are used to incandescent mirror lights which are very warm, under 3000K with high CRI. Incandescent generally run at 100 CRI and LEDs run ~80, with the best running about 93

 

Has anyone installed the optional Mazda LED interior lighting kit?

https://www.mazda-parts.com/oem-part...-kit-kb7wv7050

Need more interior lighting when opening the door at night. The kit also includes a connection in the rear hatch that also turns on the LED lights..

 

I installed the red Mazda kit on my MX5 which also provides ambient lighting and has a switch so you can turn it off if desired. That one is subtle, but it makes a big difference on a dark night when entering or exiting (my wife can easily find her purse in the foottwell) and I have been well pleased with it.

 

Thanks, was it very difficult to wire it in? The install manual is 39 pages long.and shows quite a bit of dashboard, and other interior panels, needs to be removed/reinstalled.

 

It was easier on the MX5 except for crawling under the dash. There isn't much room there - it makes the CX5 seem like a limo.

 

It's very easy to change most of the interior bulbs to LED. Use the Sylvania Bulb Finder https://www.sylvania-automotive.com/bulb-finder.html. All you need is a flat screwdriver to remove the plastic covers.

I also attached a small, rear facing CR battery keychain LED using VHB tape between the two LED spot lights up front, so I can leave a light on without using the car battery. Lights up the entire interior.