Soft Glow Pony Emblem Surround

[HoosierDaddy]

At the risk of sounding like a complete idiot, what are active shutters?

They improve mileage by shuttering the grill so air goes over the smooth car body instead of thru the radiator and engine compartment. They are "active" because they only close when the radiator doesn't need more air to cool the engine.

I'm pretty sure no GT has them and EcoBoosts do have them. I have no idea about the V6s.

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[papinist]

They improve mileage by shuttering the grill so air goes over the smooth car body instead of thru the radiator and engine compartment. They are "active" because they only close when the radiator doesn't need more air to cool the engine.

I'm pretty sure no GT has them and EcoBoosts do have them. I have no idea about the V6s.

True, but only for US. No export models have this.

 

[acull2000]

Unless they've been retro-fitted of course ;)

If anyone state-side has removed a set and has no further use for them, I'd be keen to take them off your hands!

 

[jbailer]

Any pics of it lit up?

Not yet and it's taking all of my patience. Because I'm early in process, I'm trying to help. Seems like there's a big discrepancy in the install cost.

Why is it so complicated to install - can you post up the instructions for is to see?

I would have imagined that the surface behind the horse would get drilled to plumb the wire through. Then, mount horse. Then remove radiator cover, run wire to tap into power source and reinstall the rad cover. Done.

No??

You're correct and that's the frustrating part. I could probably install this in about an hour and I go very slow and neat. I can't really post the instructions because it's on paper and there are too many pages. I don't have it electronically. You guessed the procedure pretty close, not difficult. My dealer is just WAY over complication this. I'd rather not go through the details. If they don't work it out soon though, I'll just do it myself.

It's only complicated if you have active shutters which calls for bumper removal. Without shutters, it's pretty simple.

This exactly! I called the OEM to see if I was oversimplifying the install. They said if you have the active grill shutters, you will need to remove the bumper to do the install. That was the part my dealer was getting hung up on. The instructions don't specify 2 procedures, only saying that you have to remove the bumper. My Ecoboost has the 50 Yr appearance package, none of them have the grill shutters so this should be very easy.

You have to drill a 1 1/2" hole in the grill where the pony mounts for the light. You can see it in the pic below.

Correction: The red above is incorrect. The installation instructions clearly state what to do if the car has the active grill shutters and what to do if they don't. To access the back of the grill and the driver's side parking light, they have you remove the belly pan if you don't have the grill shutters.

 

[jbailer]

OK, after thinking about it a little more I decided to go ahead and install it myself. It's not going to hurt their figuring out the install charges. As I expected, the install was very easy. Here's some notes from my install in case anyone wants to do this. Keep in mind, my car doesn't have the active grill shutters so I didn't have to remove the bumper.

1. If you are going to install this, some tools you might want to have.
   
   a) A 1.5" hole saw. I thought I had one of these I use for installing house doors but it turned out that was 1.25" so had to make a run.
   b) A 1/4" drill bit
   c) A 3/16" drill bit. I used this to drill the hole on the top center of the grill pony mount. They tell you to use a 1/4" but that is a bit large.
   d) 7mm socket (and 5.5mm socket if you are removing the bumper).
   e) Drill
   f) A 5mm deep well socket. This is used to push the retaining clips on the back of the new pony. You can use something else.
   g) A pushpin removal tool.​
2. Be prepared to ruin the pony that is currently on your grill. Removing it without breaking the pins off the back is near impossible. The instructions just tell you right up front to brake them off.
   
3. Also, know up front the pony lights up with a blueish tint to it. It will not look as white as the other lights.
   
4. The instructions tell you to remove the belly pan to access the back of the pony and the driver's side parking light. I decided to remove the radiator cover figuring it's easier to get off and easier to reach the back of the pony. The problem was, I wanted to do a very clean install and for good cable management, I decided to jack it up and remove the belly pan any way. I was glad I removed the radiator cover still because reaching and seeing the back of the pony from the bottom would have been very difficult and was very easy from the top. Removing the bumper would have made it easier to fasten the retaining clips on the new pony, especially the one on the tail but I made out just fine with the bumper installed.
   
5. When installing the new pony, be careful pushing the retaining clips on the plastic pins. Think of how easy those pins were to brake off removing the original pony. You don't want to brake the pins off the new one.
   
6. When you're running the wires from the pony, don't just run them straight down or you will see them through the grill. Pull them straight back, tie them off and then run them over to the driver's side.

I will get pics up after it gets dark. I will post both daylight and night time pics.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

• Be prepared to ruin the pony that is currently on your grill. Removing it without breaking the pins off the back is near impossible. The instructions just tell you right up front to brake them off.
• When installing the new pony, be careful pushing the retaining clips on the plastic pins. Think of how easy those pins were to brake off removing the original pony. You don't want to brake the pins off the new one.

Does that mean this lit pony would also be destroyed if you need to remove it? Or do they give you a better way to secure the new one?

 

[jbailer]

[/LIST]
Does that mean this lit pony would also be destroyed if you need to remove it? Or do they give you a better way to secure the new one?

It looks exactly the same to me. The pins that hold the pony is are ABS plastic that are X shaped. The retaining clip is a small round thing that almost looks like a washer but split and raised up in the middle. The plastic pins are pretty fragile.

I think I know where you're going and couldn't agree more. For just a chrome pony badge it's not that big of a deal but for this lit pony that is more expensive, you'd think there would be a way to remove it. Another thing is I couldn't see any way to replace the light if it goes out.

 

[jbailer]

Some pics installed

 

[Ericc B]

I know that Xlume has a Ford OEM approval for their illuminated pony so I wouldn't be suprised if this is actually the same product.

 

[jbailer]

I know that Xlume has a Ford OEM approval for their illuminated pony so I wouldn't be suprised if this is actually the same product.

This one is from Dakkota Lighting.

By the way, if anyone missed it earlier, this is available from Ford Parts https://accessories.ford.com/catalog...category/3043/

 

[HoosierDaddy]

I'm not seeing any noticeable blue tint which is good. Maybe its more visible in person.

One of the closeups show a bright consistent light from the entire pony but another shows splotches that are very dim. Is that from the amount of light changing as it heats up or something else?

 

[jbailer]

I'm not seeing any noticeable blue tint which is good. Maybe its more visible in person.

One of the closeups show a bright consistent light from the entire pony but another shows splotches that are very dim. Is that from the amount of light changing as it heats up or something else?

The blueish tint is more noticeable in person I guess. I'm not that good a photographer. I'm not saying it's blue, just bluer than the other lights. From further away you don't see it.

I haven't noticed any change with heat. The one that looks a little splotchy is what you see when you are close to it. When you are further away, it looks more like the picture that is even. That isn't why the pictures are different though, one picture just exposed more than the other. You can tell in the picture that it looks evenly lit, the bumper is brighter. I believe the reason it looks that way is probably because all of the light you are seeing is being reflected off the chrome and brought around by the acrylic or whatever it is.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

The blueish tint is more noticeable in person I guess. I'm not that good a photographer. I'm not saying it's blue, just bluer than the other lights. From further away you don't see it.

I haven't noticed any change with heat. The one that looks a little splotchy is what you see when you are close to it. When you are further away, it looks more like the picture that is even. That isn't why the pictures are different though, one picture just exposed more than the other. You can tell in the picture that it looks evenly lit, the bumper is brighter. I believe the reason it looks that way is probably because all of the light you are seeing is being reflected off the chrome and brought around by the acrylic or whatever it is.

So seems like a good product. Thanks for the info and pics!

 

[jbailer]

So seems like a good product. Thanks for the info and pics!

Other than not being able to remove it and change the light bulb, I love it! If anything sounded negative, I didn't mean it that way, just trying to give everyone as much information as possible. Having it to do over, I'd definitely still buy it!

 

[HoosierDaddy]

Other than not being able to remove it and change the light bulb, I love it!

The LEDs themselves should last longer than the car. But I guess the rest of the electronics are more likely to fail. A lot of stuff like that usually goes within whatever the part's warranty is or is good for life.

I wonder if the X-Lume I have on order can be serviced. Guess I'll know when I get it.

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