Tail, Turn, Brake Add-On LED Light Kit for Pickup Trucks
Improve the visibility of your Pickup Truck's rear with Boogey Lights TAIL - TURN - BRAKE add-on led strips.
Boogey Lights® TAIL - TURN - BRAKE add-on led strips are an easy and inexpensive solution to improving the visibility of your truck's rear. This product is NOT vehicle specific. It will work on any vehicle that has 12vdc power available and of course, enough room to mount them. These are two individual LED strips. One is used for the left and one is used for the right. They're typically installed in the open space between the tail gate and the top of the rear bumper. Most pickup trucks will have one to two inches of flat mounting space there. This is an ADD-ON tail-turn-brake light product. It is not intended to replace your existing factory installed tail-turn-brake lights. SOLD AS A PAIR. One light kit = two LED strips. One for the LEFT. One for the RIGHT.
READ THIS BEFORE ORDERING!
Successful installation requires reading the written installation directions. While our How-To Videos offer helpful overviews, they do not replace the detailed documentation. Reading the instructions carefully is essential for proper fit, function, and long-term performance. Most support calls we receive stem from customers who don't read this information. Please take our advice and read the directions. We promise, you'll be happy with the results if you do.
FAQS | Frequently Asked Questions
While we encourage you to read all of the information presented on this product page (including the information on the navigation tabs), below are the most frequently asked questions we get about this product. In many cases, the answers to these FAQs will refer you to other sections of this product page for more details on the topic.
Will these work on my Pickup Truck?
Which color configuration should I select?
Are these difficult to install?
Are these "Plug and Play"?
Will these work for running lights, brake lights and turn signals?
How do these lights attach to my pickup
Can I wire in my Turn Signal to a AMBER LED instead of RED?
Do you offer an option to add REVERSE lights?
Do I need an LED controller to operate these lights?
Do you have any videos showing these lights in action?
LED Length
3 DIODE RED VERSION:
- 15 LED Strip: 12.25" long x .5" wide x .25" high, 2.2 ounces
- 30 LED Strip: 22.25" long x .5" wide x .25" high, 3.1 ounces
- 45 LED Strip: 31.75" long x .5" wide x .25" high, 4.3 ounces
- 60 LED Strip: 41.25" long x .5" wide x .25" high, 5.4 ounces
- 15 LED Strip: 12.25" long x .75" wide x .25" high, 2.2 ounces
- 30 LED Strip: 22.25" long x .75" wide x .25" high, 3.1 ounces
- 45 LED Strip: 31.75" long x .75" wide x .25" high, 4.3 ounces
- 60 LED Strip: 41.25" long x .75" wide x .25" high, 5.4 ounces
- 15 LED Strip: 12.25" long x .75" wide x .25" high, 2.2 ounces
- 30 LED Strip: 22.25" long x .75" wide x .25" high, 3.1 ounces
- 45 LED Strip: 31.75" long x .75" wide x .25" high, 4.3 ounces
Did we mention they are SOLD AS A PAIR?
Colors
RED: This is the default setting as it is the most popular and easiest to install. The RED LED strip has 3 diodes of RED. Typical wiring configuration is one diode to Running Lights and two diodes to turn/brake lights. Will work on both a four way flat plug and a 7 way RV style plug. Note that both the turn signal and brake light share the same circuit. To the best of our knowledge this is universal for any pickup truck made for sale in North America.
REDW: This color uses the same configuration as the RED but adds a fourth diode of bright WHITE for use with the reverse signal. It will work with the 7 way RV style plug only. The four way flat plug does not support an output for the reverse signal. Note that the REDW color configuration is only available in the 12", 22" and 32" length options. Not available for the 42" option. Note too that this strip is wider (.75") than the RED so make sure you have room to mount it.
REDA: This color uses the same configuration as the RED buts adds a fourth diode of dot compliant AMBER. It's offered for those who wish to connect their turn signal circuit to the AMBER diode instead of the RED diode. If you choose this color configuration be aware however that neither the 4 way flat or 7 way plugs will support this configuration because they both combine the brake and turn signal circuit. If you want to isolate the turn signal just for amber, you'll need to pull the turn signal circuit from another location on your truck. For some trucks, this can be done by tapping directly into the turn signal circuit in the tail light assembly on each side. This assumes of course the turn signal only circuit is available in that assembly. If not, you'll have to pull the turn signal circuit from another location on your truck. Note too that this strip is wider (.75") than the RED so make sure you have room to mount it.
Plug Style
None. Select this option if you don't need a plug. You're either supplying your own plug or will be direct connecting the LED strips to your truck's wiring system in which a plug isn't required.
4 Way Flat. Select this option if you want us to include a 4 way flat plug with your kit. If you select this option, we include both a male and female 4 way flat. See photos below and in the product photo gallery.
7 Way RV Style. Select this option if you want us to include a 7 way RV round style male plug with your kit. If you select this option, we include one 7-way RV standard plug. See photos below and in the product photo gallery.
12vdc Power Considerations
These lights are not vehicle specific. They'll work with any 12vdc vehicle that has a sufficiently sized circuit. Keep in mind that adding additional LEDs to your pickup truck's tail/turn/brake light circuit MAY exceed your vehicle's rated amperage for that lighting circuit and throw an error because the lighting control module (LCM) 'thinks' there is a problem with your electrical system due to the increase in amperage draw. It's a safety feature offered in most modern vehicles manufactured today. We emphasize the word 'MAY' because in our experience, this isn't typically an issue for pickup trucks like it can be for some RVs/Trailers/Campers. It is however possible. In these cases the work around is to add 3 or 4 independent relays to the circuit to make them work. The relays draw milliamps and won't cause the LCM to error out.
How Many Amps? Scroll down to see an amperage chart for each LED configuration (RED, REDA, REDW). You'll need to multiple the number of LED chips in each LED strip (this number is listed for each LED strip length offered) times the approximate amperage draw for the configuration you select to determine the approximate total amperage draw for the LEDs you're adding. See example below.
These LED strips are simple 12vdc lights. There is no 'intelligence' built into the strip itself. Just the LEDs in the configuration you select. How you wire them to your 12vdc power source will determine how the LEDs behave.
Example: 2 - 22" RED Heavy Duty LED strips. These strips have 30 RED LEDs each. To calculate the approximate amperage draw of adding these two LED strips will be as follows:
- 12.5vdc: 2 x 30 x .015 = .9 amps
- 13.5vdc: 2 x 30 x .018 = 1.08 amps
What is RED + AMBER (REDA)?
The REDA LED Strip uses our single color RED tri-chip technology with the addition of a fourth diode that is AMBER. Designed primarily for motor vehicle tail-turn-brake applications, that fourth AMBER diode can be wired to the left and right turning indicator circuits. The remaining three RED diodes are wired such that one diode connects to the running light circuit and the remaining two diodes connects to the brake circuit.
HEADS UP! The standard 4 way or 7 way style plugs do not have separate turning indicator and brake light circuits. Both are setup such that the Brake light and the Turning Indicator share the same circuit (see wiring diagrams). If you're buying the REDA version of this product thinking you'll use the Amber diodes for your turning indicator you will have to pull the turning indicator circuit from another location other than the 4 way / 7 way plug.
What is RED + WHITE (REDW)?
The REDW LED Strip uses our single color RED tri-chip technology with the addition of a fourth diode that is WHITE. Designed primarily for motor vehicle tail-turn-brake with reverse light applications, that fourth WHITE diode can be wired to the reverse lights. The remaining three RED diodes are wired such that one diode connects to the running light circuit, one to the turning indicator and one to the brake circuit. Note that if you're buying the REDW version of this product you cannot use the 4 way flat plug; you have to use the 7 way plug or hard wire the reverse lights in some other way. The 4 way flat plug does not offer access to the reverse light circuit.
Product Appearance Note
For the HEAVY DUTY LED Strips, the PVC molding and polyurethane/epoxy coating that protects the LED strip itself may have some imperfections in the material surrounding the LED strip due to the manufacturing process. It's unavoidable. We build and warranty these products for their performance in tough, outdoor environments on all kinds of heavy duty vehicles; not for their cosmetic perfection. For most applications, these LED strips are never seen as they're usually mounted to the bottom of a vehicle out of sight. You only see the glow from the LEDs and even then, only when it's dark. For this product however, because of where they are mounted you will see the LED strips themselves; especially in day light. If you're looking for a super-bright, tough, easy to install add-on TAIL/TURN/BRAKE light, this product is ideal for your application. If however you're very particular on how something looks and/or are expecting a perfectly formed hardened plastic look when viewed up-close in the light of day, the Heavy Duty (HD) product is probably not for you.
Video
Here's a short video of these lights in action. This is on a Ford F150.
DOT Compliance
The AMBER and RED single color LED strips are DOT COMPLIANT. They conform to applicable provisions of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 108 requirements. Click on the button below for more information on this issue.
Product Appearance Note
For the HEAVY DUTY LED Strips, the PVC molding and polyurethane coating that protects the LED strip itself may have some imperfections in the material surrounding the LED strip due to the manufacturing process. It's unavoidable. We build and warranty these products for their performance in tough, outdoor environments on all kinds of heavy duty vehicles; not for their cosmetic perfection. For most applications, these LED strips are never seen as they're usually mounted to the bottom of a vehicle out of sight. You only see the glow from the LEDs and even then, only when it's dark. For this product however, because of where they are mounted you will see the LED strips themselves; especially in day light. If you're looking for a super-bright, tough, easy to install add-on TAIL/TURN/BRAKE light, this product is ideal for your application. If however you're very particular on how something looks and/or are expecting a perfectly formed hardened plastic look when viewed up-close in the light of day, this product is probably not for you.
INSTALLATION
These lights are not vehicle specific. They'll work with any 12vdc vehicle that has a sufficiently sized circuit. Adding additional LEDs to your pickup truck MAY may exceed your vehicle's rated amperage for that lighting circuit and throw an error because the lighting control module 'thinks' there is a problem due to the increase in amperage draw. We emphasize the word 'MAY' because in our experience, this isn't typically an issue for pickup trucks like it can be for some RVs/Trailers/Campers. It is however possible. In these cases the work around is to add 3 or 4 independent relays to the circuit to make them work. The relays draw milliamps and won't cause the LCM to error out.
Assembly Required
Installation Overview
You can download our Tail-Turn-Brake ADD-ON LED Light Installation Instructions before purchasing. If you're adding relays (typically not needed for a pickup truck), you can download the Relay Wiring Diagrams as well. We suggest mounting the ADD-ON Tail-Turn-Brake light in the space between the bottom of the tail gate and the top of the bumper. The Heavy Duty LED strip has a 32 power lead. We include additional power lead wire to extend as needed. We like to mount the LED strip such that the power lead comes out at each end and bring the two power leads together in the middle. See diagram below. If you're not sure on where to mount, we strongly suggest DRY MOUNTING these LED strips first to make sure the product fitment works the way you want.
HEAVY DUTY STRIP MOUNTING NOTE: Even though the Heavy Duty LED strips used for our Tail-Turn-Brake ADD-ON lights can be screwed to the mounting surface, the screws, it's not necessary for this application.
4 Way Flat Plug Wiring
LEFT LED 4 WAY FLAT
Black -> White (ground)
Red -> Brown (tail lights)
Green+Blue -> Yellow (left turn + brake)
RIGHT LED 4 WAY FLAT
Black -> White (ground)
Red -> Brown (tail lights)
Green+Blue -> Green (right turn + brake)
7 Way Round RV Style Plug Wiring
Jacket Wire Colors
- RED: Black, Red, Green, Blue (Red, Green, Blue = RED diodes)
- REDA: Black, Red, Green, Blue, Yellow (yellow = Amber Diodes)
- REDW: Black, Red, Green, Blue, Yellow (yellow = White Diodes)
If you're unsure about which wire jacket color matches the LED diode color, it's simple enough to bench test the LED strip. You'll quickly be able to determine which jacket color matches which LED diode color. If you're not sure how to bench test, download this pdf: How to Bench Test . Regardless of which LED strip color you're using, the Red, Green and Blue wires on the LED strip always light up the RED diodes on the LED strip. So which wire you connect these to on the plug doesn't matter as long as it's not the ground. Just be consistent with the Left and Right LED strips. Here's a typical wiring configuration for the RED LEDs using a 4 Way Flat Plug:
LEFT LED 4 WAY FLAT
Black -> White (ground)
Red -> Brown (tail lights)
Green+Blue -> Yellow (left turn + brake)
RIGHT LED 4 WAY FLAT
Black -> White (ground)
Red -> Brown (tail lights)
Green+Blue -> Green (right turn + brake)
Hardwiring Directly to Taillight Assembly
If you’re going to hard wire these LED strips directly into your taillight assembly (vs using a plug), some trial and error may be required to identify which wires on your truck’s tail-turn-brake light housing operate each of the lighting functions. We assume the installer has the skills necessary to safely do this trial-and-error testing without blowing a fuse or damaging the truck’s lighting control module. Having a 12vdc multi-meter handy can be helpful in these cases.
3 Diode RED LED STRIP: Each RED Boogey Lights HD LED strip contains THREE DIODES, all of which are RED. Each RED Heavy Duty LED strip has 4 conductors: One 12vdc negative (the black wire which is ground) and three 12vdc positive wires (color coded red, green and blue). Each of those three positive wires connects to one of the diodes in each LED. This gives you three different LED Diodes you can control.
STOCK LIGHT BOOGEY LIGHTS HD LED STRIP
- Existing Ground (12vdc-) -> Black wire on Boogey Lights LED Strip (12vdc -)
- Existing Taillight 12vdc+ -> Red wire on Boogey Lights LED Strip (12vdc+)
- Existing Turn Light 12vdc+ -> Green wire on Boogey Lights LED Strip (12vdc+) *
- Existing Brake Light 12vdc+ -> Blue wire on Boogey Lights LED Strip (12vdc+) *
4 Diode REDA LED STRIP: Each REDA Boogey Lights LED contains FOUR DIODES, three of which are RED and the fourth is AMBER. Each REDA LED strip has 5 conductors: One 12vdc negative (the black wire which is the ground) and then four 12vdc positive wires (color coded red, green, blue and yellow). Each of those four positive wires connects to one of the diodes in each LED. This gives you four different LED Diodes you can light up.
STOCK LIGHT BOOGEY LIGHTS HD LED STRIP
- Existing Ground (12vdc-) -> Black wire on Boogey Lights LED Strip (12vdc -)
- Existing Taillight 12vdc+ -> Red wire on Boogey Lights LED Strip (12vdc+)
- Existing Brake Light 12vdc+ -> Green & Blue wire on BL LED Strip (12vdc+) *
- Existing Turn Light 12vd+ -> Yellow wire on Boogey Lights LED Strip (12vdc+) *
4 Diode REDW LED STRIP: Each REDW Boogey Lights HD LED contains FOUR DIODES, three of which are RED and the fourth is WHITE. Each REDW LED strip has 5 conductors: One 12vdc negative (the black wire which is the ground) and then four 12vdc positive wires (color coded red, green, blue and yellow). Each of those four positive wires connects to one of the diodes in each LED. This gives you four different LED Diodes you can light up.
STOCK LIGHT BOOGEY LIGHTS HD LED STRIP
- Existing Ground (12vdc-) -> Black wire on Boogey Lights HD LED Strip (12vdc -)
- Existing Taillight 12vdc+ -> Red wire on Boogey Lights HD LED Strip (12vdc+)
- Existing Brake Light 12vdc+ -> Green wire on BL HD LED Strip (12vdc+) *
- Existing Turn Light 12vd+ -> Blue wire on Boogey Lights HD LED Strip (12vdc+) *
- Reverse Light 12vd+ -> Yellow wire on Boogey Lights HD LED Strip (12vdc+)
* NOTE: It’s possible the turn signal wires and the brake signal wire in your truck’s taillight assembly use the same wire. If so, you cannot isolate the turn signal from the brake light signal using the taillight assembly. You’ll have to look elsewhere in the truck’s wiring to access the brake and turn signal separately.
Do you need to add relays?
The short answer is: Unlikely. Truth is, we have no way of knowing whether or not your specific pickup truck will require the installation of relays to stop the LCM from throwing an error. In our experience though, adding relays is not required.
In the event your pickup truck's lighting control module (LCM) is throwing an error and/or the LEDs aren't working correctly (assuming they're wired properly), it's due to the increase in amperage you've added to the lighting circuit. The LCM sees the amperage increase as a potential electrical problem and shuts down the circuit (and/or throws an error code). The simple solution is to install relays. A relay will only draw milliamp which won't cause the LCM to error out. As we stated earlier, it's unlikely to happen on a pickup truck like it can with RVs and campers. If it does however, most any 10+ amp automotive relay found at any auto parts store will work. We offer a 30 amp heavy duty automotive relay for sale on our website. We use these relays for all of our heavy duty semi-truck tail-turn-brake lighting installations. We also offer this water proof junction box which will house 3 relays.
Here are two relay wiring diagrams for the two possible lighting circuit configurations:
3M Adhesion Primer Must be Used!
To achieve the full adhesive strength of the 3M® tape affixed to the back of the Boogey Lights® LED strips 3M® Adhesion Promoter (aka Primer) must be applied to the mounting surface first. This is an important step to ensure a secure bond. The 3M® Adhesion Promoter creates a chemical bond between the tape and the surface such that the LED strip will stay stuck (at least until you decide you want to remove it). Using any other solvent such as rubbing alcohol or acetone is not the same thing as using 3M® Adhesion Promoter. While these solvents will help clean the surface, they do not prime the surface nor can they be used instead of the 3M® Adhesion Promoter. 3M® Adhesion Promoter IS INCLUDED with this kit. If you want your strips to stay stuck it's important to follow the mounting instructions included with the kit and to use the 3M® Adhesion Promoter included.
Did we mention that using the 3M® Adhesion Promoter included in this kit is an important step in the installation process you should not skip?