I’m so glad I found your channel! I bought a 2017 new and it’s been stock minus all terrain tires. Now that it’s paid off I have justification to customize it. Definitely love the route you’ve taken! Keep posting even if it’s just exterior video of you driving. I’d watch that!
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! My wife thinks I'm even MORE awesom-er than before 'cause of you! 😂 Our 2018 Forester NOW has some serious lighting for unloading groceries. I too popped a fuse. Mostly due to a janky plug that they supplied. But, I corrected it, AND managed to tape an extra 5amp fuse to the small access panel right next to the Original light. Just in case. It fits perfectly there. Thanks for giving me the courage to tackle this one!!!
Bought a similar light and couldn't figure out why my light wasn't working! I'm still new to wiring things, and you had the same issue I did... Blown fuse. Thank you so much for the help
Thank you for the explanation. Even though my Forester had some extra tricks up its sleeve, like a push button for opening and closing the lid and an extra hydrolic strut on the left side. It made the enterprise super easy this way. Thankfully my fuse worked. Ordered some new ones, just in case ;-) Thanks again.
Got this to install into our ‘17 Forester - thanks for the walk-through of the install. While they now have newer type automotive fuses, mine also came blown. But they were smart enough to put in an extra fuse. All installed, but somewhat disappointed with the level of brightness. It is much better than the stock lighting, and nice that it lights up the area behind the car. Time will tell we’d want more interior lighting.
Josh, I ran across this video & it was great. I immediately got a hatch light for my Forester. Subaru made everything so easy to get to & I had it done, with your help, in under 20 minutes. The only part that had me talking under my breath was when I took the rubber grommet off and had to work it back on. I should have taken my time and pulled the entire white clip out … oh well. Thanks and thanks to Subispeed for great service too
I always bring my 1000-lumen headlight for camping and a portable rechargeable magnetic motion-sensitive LED bar I bought from Temu that clips on the cargo cover. I've been using that setup, and I would do this if I wanted a completely OEM-looking light-up trunk.
I just finished putting my new trunk light in. It looks great! I had an issue with the brand of light I bought which had a rather large connector clip that just would not go through the connector at the top of the headliner. The clip was sturdy and a good addition but just too large to fit through that correlated rubber hose. I had to take wire cutters and snip the wires to take the connector off, feed the wires through and then reconnect that connector to the wire some wire nuts.
Thanks for making this tutorial. I agree the OG light is waste of energy. I would like to make this mod but am wondering when you are standing in front of the hatch, do you block any of the light from lighting the inside? Great work.
Got this light as an upgrade for the stock lights on the 2023 Forester Wilderness hatch. Waste of money. On one hand, the installation is MUCH easier, since all you have to do is tap into the existing harness for the stock hatch light. However, it's actually LESS bright. I'd send it back for a refund, but Amazon doesn't have a "this product is lame" option, and returning it via DPO is a pain.
At 10:33 are you supposed to just plug them into the connector? I read you took the plug that hooked up to the little existing light and used it for that?
Sorry buddy I somehow missed this message. 3 months late but still gonna answer it. No there isn’t, but you can install a switch which I’ve seen a few people do. That seems to be its only downfall is if you plan on having your hatch open for an extended time
It gets a little warm but not too bad. While camping I had the hatch up while cooking as light to see and it was on for close to an hour and didn’t drain the battery. I can’t speak for longer than that, but an hour of straight runtime and the Foz cranked right up!
Was going to ask the same thing. I've made it a habit to keep a carabiner near the hatch so that I can insert it onto the door latch whenever I plan to have the hatch open for an extended period. It would not only turn off the new light but make sure that all other interior lights think the hatch is closed. Better safe than sorry. Especially when out in the country.
I've read online that some people suggest wiring an inline fuse instead of the stock fuse the comes with it, would you suggest this? I'm not fantastic with car electronics, and I'm a bit worried I may blow another fuse / damage something else in the car if I do this wrong. Do you think simply upgrading the 5A fuse from the kit with a 6A fuse is enough? Is there any "order of operations" that might result in blowing another fuse in the car? (IE - Wiring the light before the rest of the connectors are plugged in).
I did everything but one thing "by the book" and i had no issues whatsoever. The only time that i didnt follow the directions was when i snipped the plug from the long wire off and also snipped the plug attached to the hatch lights wire and soldered those two snipped endsof the wires together. (I hope that makes sense) the little plugs were kinda loose and my light was flickering so thats how i fixed that. Havent had any issues since i installed it six months ago.
just would be more practical to have it red instead of white/yellow, especially for this level of brightness. During camping all the bugs will be there :P
Thanks for the awesome video!!! I just finished the install but had the same problem as you…a blown fuse upon arrival. Did you end up using the same fuse?
I picked up 5 fuses from Amazon. Unplugged the wire, and plugged in the fuses and they all blew…I have 1 left lol I saw some people saying to skip this and buy a in line fuse.
@@RedBeardRebass nice! A dremel Is one of the most used tools in my garage. When my pops got me one years back I didn’t think I’d use it often… boy was I wrong lol
Before I have to redesign Subaru's inferior just to install a light that should 've been standard equipment, I'll get rid of it. Ain't all that impressed with it anyway.
@@davidagiraldo thanks for the support man! My oldest daughter was driving it and got tboned at an intersection. Rolled the whole vehicle. She’s fine but the forester is toast. Got a 2019 crosstrek now that I’m starting to build up. Definitely miss the XT a lot but also enjoying having a new platform to work with. Sorry I won’t have any new content for you on the SJ series but I hope I still keep your support!
This is great and I've always wondered why they didnt have an overhead light too, this makes camping so much easier
I’m so glad I found your channel! I bought a 2017 new and it’s been stock minus all terrain tires. Now that it’s paid off I have justification to customize it. Definitely love the route you’ve taken! Keep posting even if it’s just exterior video of you driving. I’d watch that!
Awesome man! Congrats on the payoff! And I appreciate the love and support! I’ll have some new content coming soon! Stay safe and happy trails! ✌🏼
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
My wife thinks I'm even MORE awesom-er than before 'cause of you! 😂
Our 2018 Forester NOW has some serious lighting for unloading groceries.
I too popped a fuse. Mostly due to a janky plug that they supplied.
But, I corrected it, AND managed to tape an extra 5amp fuse to the small access panel right next to the Original light. Just in case. It fits perfectly there.
Thanks for giving me the courage to tackle this one!!!
Bought a similar light and couldn't figure out why my light wasn't working! I'm still new to wiring things, and you had the same issue I did... Blown fuse. Thank you so much for the help
Thank you for the explanation. Even though my Forester had some extra tricks up its sleeve, like a push button for opening and closing the lid and an extra hydrolic strut on the left side. It made the enterprise super easy this way. Thankfully my fuse worked. Ordered some new ones, just in case ;-) Thanks again.
Got this to install into our ‘17 Forester - thanks for the walk-through of the install. While they now have newer type automotive fuses, mine also came blown. But they were smart enough to put in an extra fuse. All installed, but somewhat disappointed with the level of brightness. It is much better than the stock lighting, and nice that it lights up the area behind the car. Time will tell we’d want more interior lighting.
Nice work. I just bought one. Install this weekend.
Josh, I ran across this video & it was great. I immediately got a hatch light for my Forester. Subaru made everything so easy to get to & I had it done, with your help, in under 20 minutes. The only part that had me talking under my breath was when I took the rubber grommet off and had to work it back on. I should have taken my time and pulled the entire white clip out … oh well. Thanks and thanks to Subispeed for great service too
They fixed this issue in the later years as my 2020 Limited Forester has a nice (factory installed) overhead light.
I always bring my 1000-lumen headlight for camping and a portable rechargeable magnetic motion-sensitive LED bar I bought from Temu that clips on the cargo cover. I've been using that setup, and I would do this if I wanted a completely OEM-looking light-up trunk.
I did it. This like is perfect!!
Oh that hatch light is super bright wow
Bro it’s awesome. Did not expect that at all but I’m super happy with it
Wonderfully descriptive. Thank you
Installed on '16 Forester. Great directions, Thanks
Awesome video and looks great! 🤩
Thanks for the solid product!
I just finished putting my new trunk light in. It looks great! I had an issue with the brand of light I bought which had a rather large connector clip that just would not go through the connector at the top of the headliner. The clip was sturdy and a good addition but just too large to fit through that correlated rubber hose. I had to take wire cutters and snip the wires to take the connector off, feed the wires through and then reconnect that connector to the wire some wire nuts.
Nice install, going on the to do list.
Awesome man! It’s well worth it!
Wow! Definitely getting one now. Thanks
Great video and commentary thanks 🙏
Thank you and you’re welcome
Thanks for making this tutorial. I agree the OG light is waste of energy. I would like to make this mod but am wondering when you are standing in front of the hatch, do you block any of the light from lighting the inside? Great work.
Just Great!
Hey, when you step close to the cargo bay, does it cast a shadow? Does it get in the way of finding things?
I’m 5’9 so it yes casts a shadow but I never had an issue finding anything. Someone taller and it might be annoying
First off that looks so much better. Unrelated question, did you do something to your tailgate? It seems to open faster.
Did you find an easy way to get the rubber back in place? This is the only thing keeping me from putting the plastic trim back on.
Oh I need to do this. I absolutely hate that dinky light in the back, it does nothing.
Man I wish they did this for the 2008-2013 model
Definitely looking to do this on my 16 premium, great vid.
Thank you! I still love it. A few people have had issues with the fuses but I swapped for a 6v and haven’t looked back or had issues
Got this light as an upgrade for the stock lights on the 2023 Forester Wilderness hatch. Waste of money. On one hand, the installation is MUCH easier, since all you have to do is tap into the existing harness for the stock hatch light. However, it's actually LESS bright.
I'd send it back for a refund, but Amazon doesn't have a "this product is lame" option, and returning it via DPO is a pain.
At 10:33 are you supposed to just plug them into the connector? I read you took the plug that hooked up to the little existing light and used it for that?
i didnt realize they made an XT without the auto liftgate.
Any ideas what I may have done wrong as the factory light is working and I checked my fuse with a vault meter and it is still good. Just no LED power.
Mine did the same but I swapped the fuse anyways and it worked
Good day sir, Can you please make a video for how to put a bull bar on a Subaru Forester 2020. Thank you
8:28 I don’t have the stock trunk side light, where do I plug into? I just reached this step and am stumped, do I need to return?
2019 subarun forester premium
Very cool! Can it be turned off while the trunk is still open?
Sorry buddy I somehow missed this message. 3 months late but still gonna answer it. No there isn’t, but you can install a switch which I’ve seen a few people do. That seems to be its only downfall is if you plan on having your hatch open for an extended time
@@WEEKENDWNDR3RS
Knowing is LED, but, does it get any hot?
Does it suck too much power to drain the battery?
It gets a little warm but not too bad. While camping I had the hatch up while cooking as light to see and it was on for close to an hour and didn’t drain the battery. I can’t speak for longer than that, but an hour of straight runtime and the Foz cranked right up!
Was going to ask the same thing. I've made it a habit to keep a carabiner near the hatch so that I can insert it onto the door latch whenever I plan to have the hatch open for an extended period. It would not only turn off the new light but make sure that all other interior lights think the hatch is closed. Better safe than sorry. Especially when out in the country.
I've read online that some people suggest wiring an inline fuse instead of the stock fuse the comes with it, would you suggest this? I'm not fantastic with car electronics, and I'm a bit worried I may blow another fuse / damage something else in the car if I do this wrong. Do you think simply upgrading the 5A fuse from the kit with a 6A fuse is enough? Is there any "order of operations" that might result in blowing another fuse in the car? (IE - Wiring the light before the rest of the connectors are plugged in).
I did everything but one thing "by the book" and i had no issues whatsoever. The only time that i didnt follow the directions was when i snipped the plug from the long wire off and also snipped the plug attached to the hatch lights wire and soldered those two snipped endsof the wires together. (I hope that makes sense) the little plugs were kinda loose and my light was flickering so thats how i fixed that. Havent had any issues since i installed it six months ago.
It sucks that Subiespeed has nothing for older vehicles... I have a forester 09. They don't have anything for it..
just would be more practical to have it red instead of white/yellow, especially for this level of brightness. During camping all the bugs will be there :P
I bet you could put a red film over it
Hello. post the link where you bought it. Thank you.
Hey man, I just ordered mine for my 2019. The light is in the headliner. Do you know how the install might work for that?
Blow any fuses? Heard some people saying they did, purchasing this soon!
The fuse actually came blown but I just stepped it up to a 6v instead of the 5v it came with and have had zero issues
@@WEEKENDWNDR3RS thank you for the quick reply!
@@tristancefail no problem I do my best to try and stay on top of comments 🤙🏼 let me know how the install goes!
whe link is not working
Thanks for the awesome video!!! I just finished the install but had the same problem as you…a blown fuse upon arrival. Did you end up using the same fuse?
No I actually bought a 6 amp fuse and that seemed to resolve the issue
@@WEEKENDWNDR3RS thanks for the quick response! Planning to get that tomorrow at ace hardware then! ❤️❤️❤️
@@ZoeyyAndZemo no problem that’s actually where I got my replacement fuse!
Any clue to why my 6A 250V fuses are still blowing? And is there a certain way to plug in the fuse?
I picked up 5 fuses from Amazon. Unplugged the wire, and plugged in the fuses and they all blew…I have 1 left lol I saw some people saying to skip this and buy a in line fuse.
What type/brand of cargo tray do you have ?
Would this work on an 06 2.5X you think? i don't see why not
I don’t either. You would maybe just have to cut a slot for the light? I’m not sure how the rest hatch is set up
@@WEEKENDWNDR3RS Lil bit of work with a dremel and i imagine it should fit like a glove lol
@@RedBeardRebass nice! A dremel Is one of the most used tools in my garage. When my pops got me one years back I didn’t think I’d use it often… boy was I wrong lol
@@WEEKENDWNDR3RS They're good at EVERYTHING.
Before I have to redesign Subaru's inferior just to install a light that should 've been standard equipment, I'll get rid of it. Ain't all that impressed with it anyway.
Will this work on a 2020 crosstrek?
I feel sorry for the headliners. you've ruined it at 8:14
Well the whole forester is totaled now so it’s irrelevant now
Just got a ‘14 Forester and hooked on this channel. How did it get totaled? Sorry bro.
@@davidagiraldo thanks for the support man! My oldest daughter was driving it and got tboned at an intersection. Rolled the whole vehicle. She’s fine but the forester is toast. Got a 2019 crosstrek now that I’m starting to build up. Definitely miss the XT a lot but also enjoying having a new platform to work with. Sorry I won’t have any new content for you on the SJ series but I hope I still keep your support!
Too much stuffing around and labour to install a light
Overpriced lighting kit
Worked great for me. If you think it’s overpriced then don’t buy it.
Yes those lights are WORTHLESS.
I depend on the rear dome light (over the rear seats) in my 19 Forester.
this guy has no personality his eyes are dead inside
Why you lookin’ into my eyes, bruh? I don’t roll that way