LED ambient lights fitting guide!

[bigbadjay]

LED ambient lights fitting guide!

Welcome everyone! Hope you enjoy the following, its worth noting this is the first time writing one of these, and im using my mob so double the fun!

A relatively easy and "quick when you know how to" mod. Very low key and OEM ish and thats how i like em.

Need: 2x led bulbs, about a meter of wire (double wires for + and -) thats it for materials. You can buy a set from maplins etc.

Youll need various tools, flathead screwie, i used a ruler to make a gap in the trims, pliers, glue, stanley maybe some others, whatever fits!

First off, take the panel under the headlight control then the control itself by pushing the rotating switch in and pushing it out from the back at the same time. This takes some persuading as all of the bits you have to pull off.

You can test your leds by mashing them into the contact slots, taken off the dimming/headlight height adjuster just unclip it. They are polarity sensitive and positive goes into grey, negative/earth to brown.





P.s im gonna do this as individual posts touchscreen is annoying

 

[bigbadjay]

Next up begin removing the a-pillar trim and fuse cover on the inside of the door. Best way i found to get the trim off is pry it with your fingers at the door seal, then get a long, flathead screwdriver and "push" it off the metal clip you can just about see it. Then do it to the 2 others. At this point you can recover the clips still in the pillar with a needlenose plier.

Now take the fuse panel off with flathead screwdriver again (at a non visible place if poss)

Feed your wire inbetween the side of the dash and body of the car. Abit like floss! Its easier than dangling it through trying to find it in the footwell. Now feed your wire, up the pillar, along the roof lining.

Next job is remove the slatted panel next to the interior lights (easy) pull it all the way out.
Now try and push the top of the lights and pull one of the corners. Also try wedging somthing in to lever it off this part is notouriosly hard to get off. Should look like this

 

[bigbadjay]

As long as your leds work, you can start making two holes in the light housing. I used a self tapping screws on the opposite side, right where the zeros are on the part number! Screw it through and widen with a phillips head, just wide enough for leds to sit in the hole. Make sure u neaten up the front part. I suppose you could use a drill but im a tight arse. You want the leds to be at a slight angle so they point at the gear stick/wherever u want it.
At this point i put the interior light back in and I used glue to secure leds, adjusting by wiggling the wire as the glue is setting. It helps if you do this part at

Nearly there! Tidy evrything up tuck all wires away clip on evrything exept for headlight adjuster. You need to tap in to the brown/grey wire. I used some clamp things that "bite" into both wires this connects them easy peasy. Sorry i dont know what these are called but i use them all the time! Again make sure you get the right wires. + red to grey, - black to brown. All done now sorry if i missed somthing or didnt go into detail on somthing ill edit if any problems. Finished pics next people

 

[bigbadjay]

You can see it even with flash on

At eye level

LIGHT IT UP!!!

and off. Big difference imo

Hope it prooves useful guys (apart from those with conveinience pack)

 

[Nath.]

I fitted mine into the rear view mirror in my old MK2, it's where they go when the factory fits them......

 

[bigbadjay]

Didnt fancy taking it off! Other cars have them here, audi, bmw and i think passats also.


*EDIT. It is easier adjusting the LEDs at night so u can see where they point

Cant edit my post for some reason.

 

[Tfsi_Mike]

Good work. Ive got the LEDs and ran the wires from the fuse box to inside the rear view mirrow last year but havent got round to finishing it yet!

 

[saveoursouls]

Bit of a necro post and I imagine the OP may no longer be on here but thought I'd post on the off chance.

Thanks! I was looking to wire some LEDs as footwell lights and wanted them to come on when unlocking the car and staying on until locking.

One pointer for anyone that might come across this at a future date, I couldn't pick up the feed on the pins as seen in this guide and has to open up the dimmer switch instead as to get to the soldered joints on the PCB (PCB pictured)

In the above you can see the 7 soldered joins that go to the pins. Be very careful as it would be very easy to cause some damage, proceed at your own risk!

In my build, I'll be splicing the brown ground and grey positive, twisting and soldering in additional wiring with female bullet connector terminals.

Edit: All wired up and working better than expected, the mentioned feed allows you to dim the LEDs with the dash dimmer. Make sure to use a fuse that's rated to the wires you are using, if not sure then two 30cm strips would use about 1.5 amps so a 2 amp fuse is about right for mine.