Complete LED package

For some reason "full" LED package which comes with GT-Line trim is not... Completely full. There are some places where Kia decided to save some money and use "classic" halogen bulbs instead of LEDs. And they are not so expensive to replace. So I decided to do that.

First, all my previous vehicles were equipped with xenon or LED headlights. I would say that the good headlight is a must for me when buying a new car. To be honest it's not so bad in Forte, because of the lens, but still can be improved. In addition cold, white light gives car more premium-ish look. Almost GT I would say...

The headlights on Forte are almost identical to headlights which I had on my Hyundai i30 (FD) back in 2011, except LED strip. The bulbs used in the lamp are HB3 (or 9005) type. In my every car I usually replace all halogens to LEDs right after the car purchase. I'm a big fan of Philips bulbs, because of their quality. Unfortunately I didn't find any Philips LEDs in HB3 type anywhere. So I decided to go with "Amazon's choice" chinese bulbs - Auxito M3 Series 9005 HB3.

Many people left their positive feedback on Amazon for these bulbs. In addition the price is not so significant. So it looks like a bargain upgrade. There is no need for a screwdriver to replace headlight bulbs. If you have thin fingers (like mine) you'll be able to do that without even disassembly anything.

As it was suggested by others on this website, it's better to start with the passenger side. There are plenty of space and you can do everything easily and understand how it works.

So everything you need if just to turn to the left the headlight cover. Then disconnect the wires from the bulb and remove the bulb turning it to the left one more time.

Now, when you've replaced a bulb on the passenger side you know how to do that on the driver's side. Just repeat the operation with your thin fingers.

You can see the difference on the photos. For me it's significant. I like how the headlights look now. Almost GT like... But have we improved anything on the road?

So the brightness is definitely much higher than the stock bulbs. But as you can see on the photo, there are some shadow "spikes" in the light area. I drove for a couple of miles after the installation and for me they are not critical. I almost not see these "spikes". They are only visible when you move close to the wall. So I would say I'm satisfied with this upgrade.

Now, getting back to completing our "full" LED package. The license plate bulbs are also not LEDs. This time there is a good replacement from Philips - 194WLED.

To replace the bulbs you need a cross screwdriver. There is only one screw on the lamp. Then use something very thin (like credit card) to pop out the lamp itself. No need to disconnect the wires. You can take out the bulb out of the lamp with just a left rotation.

Then assemble everything back and see the difference. This is definitely a worth upgrade. Philips knows in light.

And the last "classic" bulb which makes me nervous every time I use the car is a trunk bulb. Our choice is Philips 6418WLED.

In order to replace the bulb in the trunk you need a small flat screwdriver or knife and a credit card. So you push a small "tongue" on the lamp and use a credit card to pull off the lamp. Then disconnect the connector.

Now when you have a lamp in your hands you can see the difference in bulbs length between stock and Philips. This is not the problem. The one side of the connector is made of copper and you can adjust it with your fingers to fit the length of Philips bulb.

Now assemble everything back and see the difference. Finally we have "complete" LED package in Forte GT-Line. Simple upgrade which gives you a little bit more satisfaction from your car. Thanks everyone for reading this and safe travels. Love your cars!

Total:

• LED headlight bulbs: $31.99
• LED license plate bulbs: $14.91
• LED trunk bulbs: $8.49

Costs: $55.39
Mileage: 357 mi