Rep Power: 188

Hey guys,

I bought a 10 pack of 168 bulbs on Ebay for $10. They feature a single LED at the end of the bulb. So my concern is that since I don't think the light fixture aims the bulb directly down to the license plate, but at an angle, that this LED might not work that well. Maybe an LED bulb that has some LEDs on the side would work better, or an LED strip mod? Then again maybe there is a reflector that reflects the light throughout the clear plastic lense. http://www.ebay.com/itm/251620379636?_trksid=p2059210.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
I'll be getting the lights next week to see how well they turn out.

 
Rep Power: 156

LED lights are really directional compared to traditional bulbs. You can help spread the light by sanding that plastic lens cover or putting wax paper in there. That'll help you get that glow instead of just a spot light.

 
Rep Power: 188

So I got the LEDs and they all work. They are 2 small forward facing LEDs and a fair amount of light goes through the sides. Since the license plates bulbs are angled in so that not much light from the tip of the light goes out to the world, I put sticky aluminum foil (some kind of tape) in there and it increased the brightness slightly, since most of the material surrounding the bulb was white plastic (non reflective). There is metal on 1 side.
https://imgur.com/a/b4HnO - pics of install and results. Looks good for $2 in bulbs

The brightness is similar or almost as bright as the "LED license plate" pics on Google Images. I guess I'll give the other 8 to friends, assuming these don't burn out.
They don't squeeze into the socket as hard as the incandescents but they won't flicker if I hit the trunk so it's good enough.

EDIT: I also replaced them on a '15 Forester today and it's just a bit brighter than stock, along with the higher kelvin color.
The original bulbs on my Civic were blackened from age I guess so a bigger difference.