Adding Ambient Lighting to 8V w/o Ambient Lighting Package

[zcspec]

***Updated 4.28.18***

I'll use this thread as my main Ambient Lighting DIY Guide.

- Overhead console ambient lighting/moon lighting project completed on 4.28.18. You can view it here:



- Puddle and emergency lighting project completed on 3.23.18. You can view it here:



- Door panel ambient lighting project completed on 2.25.18. You can view it here:



- Cup holder ambient lighting project completed on 2.8.18. You can view it here:



Please subscribe if you enjoy my videos. Feedback and input is always welcomed!

Thanks,

YouTube: Peter, the Audi S3 Fanatic

[YodaPez]

Interested! I've been contemplating the same thing - doors and/or footwells - to my 2015 A3.

[Jim_MN]

Also interested. Love this car but it drives me nuts that it's so dark inside.

[zcspec]

Awesome...this week, I'll be tackling the overhead ambient lighting and front cup holder project.

[Corners4kids]

Subscribed. I miss that feature from my S5. Mainly the footwell lights, but I need this solution in any format.

[pinpointsnipe]

Interested in a DIY guide as well

[zcspec]

Hear are some photos I took of the FRONT door panels. The photo doesn't do the lighting justice as the red LED matches Audi's red switches quite well.

Driver's Side


Passenger's Side

[TheMysticWizard]

Would love to see a DIY and parts list for this. I think my '06 Jetta had more in the way of ambient lighting, at least it had footwell lights...

[pinpointsnipe]

love the look of that! Fly to D.C. and help me out

[B8A4Kevin14]

+1 on DIY. It looks awesome!


Sent from my

[easymacgyver]

I like it - I will tune in for more. My daughter got me the cool puddle lights before I realized that I don't have them to replace, so I at least want to do that part of the retrofit. Curious if the harness is there already.

[zcspec]

Tomorrow I'll be putting in a LED in my cup order. Shortly after than, ambient lights from the top console down. @ easymac, in the next round of ambient lighting, I will be installing puddle lights as the harness is already in the door panels. You just have to order the complete set with wiring harness from China. You're welcome to contact me as I'm local...check it out in person.

[Sphawkins007]

Any one else leave their climate control on just for a bit of color haha. It’s a coffin inside, I hadn’t realized there was an overhead option like so many other Audi’s

[hunter1699]

Looks great! Interested in in the parts list and DIY as well.

[MdnytRyder]

Glad to know the harness is in the doors. Anyone have the “how to” handy for taking the door panels off?


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[liljonny16]

Don't have a how to with pictures but it's a fairly easy process. You need a Torx T-20 and a trim removal tool (an old credit card or flat head screwdriver with a microfiber towel wrapped around the tip or maybe even just your finger nails).
- The speaker grill by the door handle needs to come off. Start prying at the top rear corner of the grille. Should pop out fairly easy
- Underneath the cover you'll find 2 torx srews. Remove those two and there will one more need to remove right underneath the armrest. Bend down and you'll be able to see it
- After you remove all 3 screws, pick somewhere along the bottom of the door panel and start trying to pop it off. For me, each door was different about where it was easiest to get it started
- Don't worry about breaking any clips. Audi used anchor points on the door. Which, in my opinion is pretty genius. No more stupid broken door clips. I won't say it's impossible not to break them but I don't see how you could
- When you release all the anchor point and the panel is swinging freely, grab onto the sides and wiggle it straight up to get it out of the rubber track/window seal
- From there, you'll just need to undo the door cable and unplug the wires from the box on the door

[zcspec]

yep, what ^^^^ he said. It is fairly easy.

On a side note, the DIY video for the cupholder lighting project should be completed sometime this week. Stay tuned!

[MdnytRyder]

Don't have a how to with pictures but it's a fairly easy process. You need a Torx T-20 and a trim removal tool (an old credit card or flat head screwdriver with a microfiber towel wrapped around the tip or maybe even just your finger nails).
- The speaker grill by the door handle needs to come off. Start prying at the top rear corner of the grille. Should pop out fairly easy
- Underneath the cover you'll find 2 torx srews. Remove those two and there will one more need to remove right underneath the armrest. Bend down and you'll be able to see it
- After you remove all 3 screws, pick somewhere along the bottom of the door panel and start trying to pop it off. For me, each door was different about where it was easiest to get it started
- Don't worry about breaking any clips. Audi used anchor points on the door. Which, in my opinion is pretty genius. No more stupid broken door clips. I won't say it's impossible not to break them but I don't see how you could
- When you release all the anchor point and the panel is swinging freely, grab onto the sides and wiggle it straight up to get it out of the rubber track/window seal
- From there, you'll just need to undo the door cable and unplug the wires from the box on the door

You guys are awesome! Much appreciated.



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[MdnytRyder]

yep, what ^^^^ he said. It is fairly easy.

On a side note, the DIY video for the cupholder lighting project should be completed sometime this week. Stay tuned!

Will do man! Thanks.


Sent from my iPhone using Audizine

[zcspec]

Sorry for the delay in putting together a DIY. It's my first complete video so cut me some slack.
This one is specific to the cup holder, but I will put together one for the door panels. Hope you guys enjoy and scubscribe to my channel for future DIY videos!

[YodaPez]

Nice job - thanks! Looking forward to seeing the door panel video.

[rowlands57]

Quick question. Where did you source the LED lights you used for this DIY? Also, thanks very much for posting such a detailed video, it is extremely helpful.

[MdnytRyder]

Too cool man! Can’t wait to see the door panel one.


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[zcspec]

Quick question. Where did you source the LED lights you used for this DIY? Also, thanks very much for posting such a detailed video, it is extremely helpful.

I purchased these:

https://www.oznium.com/led-bolt

My door panel ambient LED project video is the next on my todo list.

[rowlands57]

I just ordered the first set of the lights. I'm thinking I'll do footwell lighting along with the cupholder for now based on this great video. I'll also look forward to the one for the doors and will likely take that on down the road.

I do have one other question please. You mentioned that the posi-tap you had was the wrong size, what size are those wires as I may try to get the proper size posi-taps to use for this job.

[zcspec]

I just ordered the first set of the lights. I'm thinking I'll do footwell lighting along with the cupholder for now based on this great video. I'll also look forward to the one for the doors and will likely take that on down the road.

I do have one other question please. You mentioned that the posi-tap you had was the wrong size, what size are those wires as I may try to get the proper size posi-taps to use for this job.

Glad you're attempting this as well. One thought I'd share with you, and it's all up to you. The footwell lighting can be wired into a "control module" which then, can be controlled separately in the MMI. This way, you have full control of the footwell lights. I plan on doing this DIY in the future, but have to wait until parts arrive from China. These are the plugs or wire ends which will connect to the car's control module. Again, it's really up to you. Nevertheless, attaching it to the cupholder light works too!

As far as the posi-taps are concerned, the brown wire from the cigarette light is the larger of the two wires you'll need to tap. You'll need a posi-tap which can accommodate between 12-18 gauge. The other gray wiring, can be assessed with a 18-22 gauge.

[rowlands57]

Glad you're attempting this as well. One thought I'd share with you, and it's all up to you. The footwell lighting can be wired into a "control module" which then, can be controlled separately in the MMI. This way, you have full control of the footwell lights. I plan on doing this DIY in the future, but have to wait until parts arrive from China. These are the plugs or wire ends which will connect to the car's control module. Again, it's really up to you. Nevertheless, attaching it to the cupholder light works too!

As far as the posi-taps are concerned, the brown wire from the cigarette light is the larger of the two wires you'll need to tap. You'll need a posi-tap which can accommodate between 12-18 gauge. The other gray wiring, can be assessed with a 18-22 gauge.

I really appreciate the information and look forward to your continued postings on this. In the meantime I'll take the easy route and wire them all up together and swap it out down the road when you share your experience. I'll get the posi-taps in the meantime so I'll be ready to go when the lights arrive. Once again, thanks very much.

[zcspec]

I really appreciate the information and look forward to your continued postings on this. In the meantime I'll take the easy route and wire them all up together and swap it out down the road when you share your experience. I'll get the posi-taps in the meantime so I'll be ready to go when the lights arrive. Once again, thanks very much.

Awesome! Glad you're going to give it a try!

[613B6]

I was going to do the OEM LED cup holder lights in my A3, but this is easier and I think looks much better, great vid!!!

[Alik4041]

Awesome work! Wondering what would be a good location to tap to have dimmable LEDs next to the footwell lights and under the seats.

[rowlands57]

First off than you very much @zcspec for the great video. I am sure I would not have tackled this little project without it.

I went ahead with the install of the cupholder LED; and as I indicated I also figured I'd throw some footwell lighting in while I was at it. I have added a few pictures below to show the placement of the footwell lights for anyone else who may decide to do the same.

A few comments:

I didn't have to completely remove the console piece. I was able to swing it into position to drill the hole without much effort.
I used a 16/64 bit as the 1/4 inch bit left too much 'play' in my opinion. I found the fit much better with that size, a minor difference but figured I'd mention it.
The Positaps were great, they're not cheap but they did make the connections very easy to complete.
Working in the footwells to get the backing nuts on the lights was a challenge but hang in there. Also, the light in the drivers footwell is not as far up and forward since there are heater core tubes and other items in that area that I feared would interfere with the back of the light.

I'll be looking forward to the doorwell video and I strongly suspect I'll take that on too, once I know the proper wires to tap into.

These pictures are at full brightness so that folks could see the effect. In actual use I'd say I have them at 75 to 80 percent and I find them a perfect match to the Audi lighting.

IMG_2094.jpg

IMG_2093.jpg

IMG_2092.jpg

IMG_2091.jpg

[zcspec]

@rowlands57, you've done a nice job and I like where you placed the LED's for the footwell lighting.

[rowlands57]

@rowlands57, you've done a nice job and I like where you placed the LED's for the footwell lighting.

Thank you very much. I took the path of least resistance once I got started; and running the wiring to those footwell locations could not have been any easier. In fact, it was the easiest part of the job.

If I can trouble you with another question, when you did the door pocket lighting was it 'just' a matter of tapping into existing wires as was the case where we used the lighter plug wires? I am asking in advance of the full DIY but I am curious. Given how well this has worked out I am looking forward to moving on to that next project using these same LED's.

[zcspec]

If I can trouble you with another question, when you did the door pocket lighting was it 'just' a matter of tapping into existing wires as was the case where we used the lighter plug wires? I am asking in advance of the full DIY but I am curious. Given how well this has worked out I am looking forward to moving on to that next project using these same LED's.

Rowlands57, you're about a day or two ahead of my planned schedule.

Yes, it's a matter of finding the correct wiring and simply tapping into it. What scares people most though, is the process of pulling the door panel off. There are a lot of loud pops. but rest assured, you won't break anything. Look for the video by Sunday...and I have one other project that many of you will probably love...I'll spill the beans since I test fitted everything last night.

Ambient lighting from the overhead console shooting down.

[rowlands57]

Rowlands57, you're about a day or two ahead of my planned schedule.

Yes, it's a matter of finding the correct wiring and simply tapping into it. What scares people most though, is the process of pulling the door panel off. There are a lot of loud pops. but rest assured, you won't break anything. Look for the video by Sunday...and I have one other project that many of you will probably love...I'll spill the beans since I test fitted everything last night.

Ambient lighting from the overhead console shooting down.

Hahahaha. Wonderful timing then. It's great that you are sharing your experiences and I know that I appreciate it all very much as I am sure others do as well.

[zcspec]

Ambient lighting DIY for the door panels has been completed.

[rowlands57]

Ambient lighting DIY for the door panels has been completed.

Just watched that new video on YouTube. Wonderful information, and great detail about the job. I'll be taking that project on as soon as I can order the next set of the LED's.

Of course I do have one more quick question. For the Positaps, would they be the same sizes as the ones used to tap the cigarette lighter wiring in the cupholder light mod? That being one 12-18 gauge for the brown and one 18-22 gauge for the blue. Obviously, one set for each door panel being modified.

[zcspec]

Just watched that new video on YouTube. Wonderful information, and great detail about the job. I'll be taking that project on as soon as I can order the next set of the LED's.

Of course I do have one more quick question. For the Positaps, would they be the same sizes as the ones used to tap the cigarette lighter wiring in the cupholder light mod? That being one 12-18 gauge for the brown and one 18-22 gauge for the blue. Obviously, one set for each door panel being modified.

Rowlands, use the smaller 18-22 positaps

[hunter1699]

Awesome video zcspec and thanks. Want to order parts to complete. One dumb question-one led per door or two since it appears like it might be more than one? Rowland 57-nice job job on footwells-probably doing those too. Thanks

[zcspec]

One per door as the LED light actually "bounces" off other parts of the door to appear as mulitiple.