Red ambient lights rear and dash

[FixIt]

@FixIt the front door light strips aren't connected to a light pipe extension like the aftermarket add-ons. The LED is right at the tip of the light strip molded in. Practically required surgery to get it out, and then you'll have to somehow get your new LED to sit exactly flush with the end of it.

If it turns out the rears are much brighter than the factory ones your best bet is going to be to do something to dim the rears down to match.

Well it looks like none of that will be necessary as the brightness with the aluminum emitter from Amazon looks perfect to me, at full strength

I still need to find a good cable to tie into and I probably end up routing a cable from the door controller to the dash (sigh), since I did not find a useful cable in the bundle behind the glovebox. Here are a few pics on how it looks. The first picture shows where I drilled a small hole for routing the small fiber that is attached to the AliExpress strip. It worked out just fine.

 

[LII JUR]

Hi. I retrofited some ali express RGB ambient lights to the front and rear doors. I connected them to the BCM same as footwell lights, so they turn on as soon as I open doors and they turn off when doors are shut. And when parking light or low beam is switched ambient stays on too. So basicaly they operate like stock lights.

 

[nomunic]

Well my rear ambients didn’t work and I sent them back and it may very well be that they were faulty. In my scribbled part of the diagram, I meant that there were two wires running from there

 

[FixIt]

Well my rear ambients didn’t work and I sent them back and it may very well be that they were faulty. In my scribbled part of the diagram, I meant that there were two wires running from there

Did you try and power up the emitter? I found that they light up with 6V to 12V, so you can verify if they are okay with a 9V battery. I have a power supply that I used to test these AliExpress emitters. They "work" but they are not bright enough, at least mine isn't.

You don't have to worry about blowing them up when reverse wiring, they have a diode on the PCB so if you do reverse wire, they simply won't light up but it won't damage them.

 

[nomunic]

Did you try and power up the emitter? I found that they light up with 6V to 12V, so you can verify if they are okay with a 9V battery. I have a power supply that I used to test these AliExpress emitters. They "work" but they are not bright enough, at least mine isn't.

You don't have to worry about blowing them up when reverse wiring, they have a diode on the PCB so if you do reverse wire, they simply won't light up but it won't damage them.

If I still had them on me I would try it.

I’m only pissed about taking my door trim off and having it be hot glued back on

 

[Cuzoe]

Hi. I retrofited some ali express RGB ambient lights to the front and rear doors. I connected them to the BCM same as footwell lights, so they turn on as soon as I open doors and they turn off when doors are shut. And when parking light or low beam is switched ambient stays on too. So basicaly they operate like stock lights.

RGB lights don't get connected the same way as factory footwell lights. Or did you previously retrofit RGB footwells? I'm also assuming that you drive a Golf.

 

[LII JUR]

RGB lights don't get connected the same way as factory footwell lights. Or did you previously retrofit RGB footwells? I'm also assuming that you drive a Golf.

I fitted aliexpress rgb not original. Aliexpress rgb lights need only 12v and you can get 12v from footwell lights. My car is golf mk7 2014 with medium BCM.

 

[Cuzoe]

I fitted aliexpress rgb not original. Aliexpress rgb lights need only 12v and you can get 12v from footwell lights. My car is golf mk7 2014 with medium BCM.

Ahhhh, gotcha!

 

[FixIt]

Ahhhh, gotcha!

If I'm not mistaken, those AliExpress RGB lights come with their own controllers and I *think* they tie into the CAN bus, so you can control them in 3 ways: through the steering wheel buttons, an app on your phone and there was another option which I forgot?

 

[LII JUR]

If I'm not mistaken, those AliExpress RGB lights come with their own controllers and I *think* they tie into the CAN bus, so you can control them in 3 ways: through the steering wheel buttons, an app on your phone and there was another option which I forgot?

Mine set is very close to original you need to unsolder plastic trims and replace led strips with RGB strips. So it looks like from factory with small difference. Connection is yes through module. Module needs any 12v from anywere, so I connected to foot well lights, I can change brightness from radio menu. If you connect can bus wires then colours can be changed through steering wheel, mirror knob or radio menu, every brightness step is another colour. I did not connect can bus and my lights are working as stock footwells, brightness is changed from radio menu and colours are changed from phone or button integreted under the dash.

 

[Cuzoe]

If I'm not mistaken, those AliExpress RGB lights come with their own controllers and I *think* they tie into the CAN bus, so you can control them in 3 ways: through the steering wheel buttons, an app on your phone and there was another option which I forgot?

Yea I know how those work. There's a great thread about them. I then started a different thread about doing RGB LEDs the OEM way. I get the ambient light threads confused.

 

[easybreezy]

Well it looks like none of that will be necessary as the brightness with the aluminum emitter from Amazon looks perfect to me, at full strength

I still need to find a good cable to tie into and I probably end up routing a cable from the door controller to the dash (sigh), since I did not find a useful cable in the bundle behind the glovebox. Here are a few pics on how it looks. The first picture shows where I drilled a small hole for routing the small fiber that is attached to the AliExpress strip. It worked out just fine.



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Fantastic installation photos! I'm going to have to copy you.

 

[FixIt]

Fantastic installation photos! I'm going to have to copy you.

Let me know how it all works out!