All you need to put lights on your child’s Power Wheels is an LED strip or individual LEDs. LEDs can be powered by either a 12V battery or the car’s existing batteries.
Depending on how you choose to power your toy, you will have to purchase either a 12V battery or a voltage step-down converter.
Newer Power Wheels models these days come with the lights pre-installed. But installing them yourself at home is also pretty simple.
Keep reading to see how you can add some lights to your Power Wheels the easy way.
Contents
Reasons to Install LED Lights on Your Kids’ Power Wheels
These are the reasons you should install LED lights on your ride-on
- to provide better visibility when your kids play with the Power Wheels at night in the dark; and
- to improve visibility when playing in fog.
Types of Lights You Can Install in a Power Wheels
These are the various types of lights you can put in your toy
- underbody lights,
- fog lights,
- cabin lights,
- taillights, and
- headlights.
What Do You Need to Install Lights on Power Wheels?
You will need the following materials
- LED strip/individual lights,
- a voltage step-down,
- a distribution block,
- a voltage meter,
- a toggle switch,
- electrical tape/a glue gun,
- a screwdriver,
- a soldering kit,
- fog lights (if you want to add these with/instead of the LEDs),
- wire cutters/strippers,
- a 12V wire, and
- a voltage step-down converter (if your motor is running above 12V batteries).
You will need to solder some wires in a DIY project. If you haven’t worked on something similar before, we suggest you take a look at this video.
Do you want to give your car and your child more protection? Prevent risk from accidental water spillage and damage by using heat shrink tubing.
How to Add a Power Wheels Light Kit in 10 Simple Steps
Note that this project requires some electrical work, so take all the precautions necessary.
Step 1: Find a Spot to Work
- Find a clean, clear space with good light.
- Get the tools, car, and kit ready.
It is best to run the wires through the interior of the Power Wheels to make it convenient to ride the toy car. The easiest way to do this is to first take apart the Power Wheels.
Step 2: Take Pictures of the Vehicle and Setup
Before you begin to disassemble anything, we suggest you take photographs of the interior and exterior setup. This will be of use in case you get confused later on or forget what goes where.
Step 3: Disassemble the Ride-On
- Take the front bumper, hood, rear, and rest of the body parts off by removing all the screws.
Step 4: Remove the Pieces of Plastic to Instal the LED Headlights and Taillights
- When installing the headlights, you need to take the headlight and taillight plastic bit off by unscrewing the screws.
Step 5: Drill Holes
You might have to drill a hole in the car. This, however, depends on the model of the car and the way you choose to run the wires.
The hole should be big enough but not so big that the lights don’t hold. Carefully measure, then drill a hole for every light piece that you want to wire through the body cover.
If there’s a lot of fog in the area in the evenings, make additional holes and buy fog lights.
If you’ve got the Power Wheels F150, then you may also have to trim some of the T-shaped plastic behind the lens. You can do this and drill/trim off any other plastic bit that gets in the way using a Dremel.
Step 6: Set Up the Distribution Block
Set up the distribution block so that you can push in the wires correctly through the right hole and ensure it is well connected to the setup.
Step 7: Add a Voltage Step-Down Converter
A voltage step-down converter helps you control the power supply to the lights when you aren’t using a 12V battery.
- Run the voltage step-down converter between your battery and the distribution block.
If you want to increase the run time of your vehicle, then you’re better off with a dedicated 12V battery. You can buy one online.
Step 8: Run the Wires
After the distribution block has been set up you can start to wire the lights. Make sure you pay attention to the polarities or else the light won’t turn on.
- Run all the wires to all the lights separately in the interior of the car.
You can run as many wires as you want if the distribution block has room for them. This step requires more precision if you’re running different volt capacity wires and lights, as they can easily be confused for one another.
Note that you will need to run wires to the LED lights/strips and the toggle switch as well. If you’ve got any other additional features to add, like a horn, now is the time to run the wire.
Step 9: Install the LED Strips
- You can put in the LED strip/light using glue or tape once everything else is wired into place.
Remember to fix the headlights properly so they shine light straight ahead and not off to the left or right. Once installed, it may be difficult to remove them again.
If your light came with buttons, then you may want to cut off the buttons.
- You also need to add the toggle switch.
Make sure to affix the toggle switch so that your child can push it on and off easily.
Step 10: Soldering the Lights and Switch to the Wires
Before you start soldering, make sure the wire polarities are correct by doing a test on the LED light. If you don’t want to have to solder the wires in too many places, we suggest you keep some tap-in splices and splice connectors nearby.
Installing LED Headlights and Taillights Only
If you’re only interested in installing LED headlights and taillights, then you can follow the above steps.
To add LED lights for only the headlights and/or taillights, you will have to use individual lights, not the strips.
You will need to disassemble only the front and rear bumper of your vehicle for this. Depending on the model of Power Wheels you have, you will need to drill a hole or two into the plastic cover for the LED light on the head and the tail.
Some Power Wheels do not have any specific parts that you can mount onto the headlight and taillight area. In such a case, you can go ahead and drill the holes into the body cover directly and add a light to the hole.
A Step-by-Step Guide to Installing LED Headlights and Taillights
- Remove the headlights and taillights by unscrewing the screws around them.
- Run wires for the LED headlights and taillights.
- Use hot glue or electrical tape when adding LED lights.
- Affix the toggle switch for the head and tail LED light.
- Put on the plastic headlight cover and screw it back onto the front bumper of the car.
- Repeat the same with the taillights on the rear-end cover.
- Solder the wires to the LED lights.
- Test whether the LED lights work.
- Once you know every LED light works as desired, put the front and rear end back and screw them into place.
Once everything is wired, installed, and checked you can let your child enjoy it.
FAQs
Where Can I Buy LED Light Strips for Power Wheels?
You can easily find an LED kit, strips, or a retrofit online.
How Much Time Does It Take to Install LED Lights on Your Childs Power Wheels?
It takes two – four hours to add LED lights. You may need more time if an error comes up during the test.
How Much Do LED Light Kits for Power Wheels Cost?
You can find one online for under $25.
How Do I Check the Battery Power on My Child’s Power Wheels?
To check the battery power on a Power Wheels, you can have a voltage meter installed.
You can buy it on Amazon, and it will cost you around $11 to $20.
- Note that the voltage meter must be installed so you can check it from the outside of the vehicle.
You can add a voltage meter to your car to monitor the battery power. It is an easy way to determine whether you should take the ride-on out for a picnic or leave it at home.
A voltmeter will also warn you when the battery of your automobile needs to be replaced as it will start dying out faster than before.
Conclusion
That’s all you need to know about installing LED lights on your child’s Power Wheels. While you’re at it, you can also boost the safety of those Power Wheels by adding a horn for those days with lots of fog.
How did your LED installation go? Write to our community with your DIY stories!