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Wipac Smoked LED Side Light Kit Defender review
The Wipac Side Light Kit is one of those upgrades that aren’t essential but can make all the difference in reliability and improve the looks with a simple swap. This kit includes all eight 73mm lights of your Defender. It’s an easy swap as all lights come pre-fitted with connectors and it’s just a matter of removing the old ones and installing these. So if you are looking to improve the looks, and save on power usage, this kit is surely worth your consideration.
Over the years, Rafiki our Defender has undergone many transformations. Now, with a new round of improvements coming up, we found it was time to enhance the looks of our overland vehicle. As we are slowly working towards a more sleek design with fewer distractions, we couldn’t wait to install the Smoked Kit from Wipac. The LED lights would not only improve visibility and longevity but are also part of the visual improvements we have in mind for Rafiki.
What is the Wipac LED Side Light Kit?
The Wipac LED Side Light Kit is a direct replacement kit for your Defender’s front side lights, indicator lights, and stop/tail lights. With this easy-to-install kit you can replace your normal bulbs and colored covers for one sealed LED unit, improving reliability and enhancing the looks of your vehicle. The kit is available in a colored and smoked version. We opted for the latter to create a more modern and sleek overall look of Rafiki.
The kit is E-marked and SAE-approved, making it road-legal in Europe and North America. All lights come fully equipped with AMP-type connectors, making them easy to install on Defender vehicles from after 1995. It’s truly plug-and-play. Besides that, the kit comes with stainless steel screws for all lights, making rusty old screws a thing of the past. Lastly, the kit includes an LED flasher relay unit to accommodate the conversion to LED, to make sure the flasher speed stays consistent and correct.
What you get?
- 2 front side lights (white)
- 2 front indicator lights (amber)
- 2 rear stop/tail lights (red)
- 2 rear indicator lights (amber)
- Adjustable LED flasher unit relay
- All lights come with pre-installed connectors for an easy swap
Pros
- Plug-and-play conversion
- LED lights for increased reliability and visibility
- Fully IP67 waterproof (tested in river crossings)
- E-marked and SAE-approved
- Complete with pre-installed AMP connector plugs
- Stainless steel screws included
- Smoked covers for increased modern looks (color version available too)
- No more need for spare bulbs
Cons
- The kit does not contain a number plate light, fog light or reverse light, but they are separately available, see list below.
- No side indicator lights (on the wing) from Wipac are available to complement the kit.
- You can’t replace the (originally bolted on) light covers in case a unit breaks. However, you can contact Wipac for a replacement unit in case you break one.
Would we buy it again?
We loved this upgrade right from the start. It was so easy to replace the old lights with these fully sealed LED units that we should have done it years ago. They provided us with instantly brighter lights and sleeker looks. Besides that, they ended our never-ending struggle with moisture in the front side lights.
It is truly a simple conversion that is worth its money. We would definitely buy it again.
Additionally to the Side Light Kit, we also installed Wipac’s LED Headlamp Conversion.
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We write our reviews after extensive testing and with you – an adventurous overlander – in mind. We hope you appreciate our information, and feel free to reach out if you have any questions.
Pro tip
We also got the Wipac number plate LED light and Wipac LED NAS-style reverse and fog lights (95mm). The latter looks very sleek, however, we haven’t been able to fit them as of yet. The fitment of these requires the removal of the old lights, which we can’t access due to the installation of an auxiliary tank and storage compartment. As soon as we come across a suitable workshop we will find a creative way to install them for sure.
Deluxe Kits are available that include not only the side lights but also the LED lights mentioned above. If your kit doesn’t have them, Wipac has provided us with reference numbers to make your kit complete. See below:
- Clear fog (S6087LEDR1)
- Clear reverse (S6080LEDR)
- Colored fog (S6079LEDR1)
- Colored reverse (S6080LEDR1)
- Smoked fog (S7050LEDR1)
- Smoked reverse (S7051LEDR1)
- Optional fitting plinths (S6083)
Get yourself some side indicator lights (the small ones on the wing) as well, to fully complement the looks and to completely convert your setup to LED. Wipac has provided us with reference numbers for these side repeaters too. See below:
- Colored side repeater (S8010LED)
- Clear side repeater (S8011LED)
- Smoked side repeater (S8012LED)
Need to replace a light?
Broke a light? On request, Wipac has provided us with a parts number list to source a replacement. You can contact Wipac to order a replacement unit. It’s not necessary to replace the entire kit, luckily.
Coloured Kit
- S6060LED (Side Light Clear)
- S6061LED (Indicator Coloured)
- S6062LED (Stop & Tail Coloured)
- Optional: S6079LEDR1 (Fog Coloured)
- Optional: S6080LEDR1 (Reverse Clear)
- Optional: S8010LED (Coloured Side Repeater)
Clear Kit
- S6060LED (Sidelight Clear)
- S6063LED (Front Indicator Clear)
- S6064LED (Rear Indicator Clear)
- S6065LED (Stop & Tail Clear)
- Optional: S6087LEDR1 (Fog Clear)
- Optional: S6080LEDR1 (Reverse Clear)
- Optional: S8011LED (Clear Side Repeater)
Smoked Kit
- S7001LED (Side Light Smoked)
- S7002LED (Stop & Tail Smoked)
- S7003LED (Indicator Smoked)
- Optional: S7050LEDR1 (Fog Smoked)
- Optional: S7051LEDR1 (Reverse Smoked)
- Optional: S8012LED (Smoked Side Repeater)
Check out these product shots
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Hi there adventurer! A quick heads-up: This product is provided (for free or at a discount) to us in support of our adventures. This review contains opinions of our own and is not influenced by the collaboration. We know the importance of high-quality gear and truthful reviews, you will rely on it on the trails, and so do we. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions. Thank you and stay adventurous!
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