Adding Red LED strip ambient lighting - Door panel

[Jofa73]

So do you think there's any way to retrofit it without changing the whole door frame?

Someone at a german forum had done it but it's not straightforward. There is no electrical wiring for them so you can't make it dim with the other interior lights.
You also need to take the parts from an normal gti and take out the LED strip and attach it to the clubsport parts.

 

[Rogues Gambit]

Gotta see if the one shop I know can do this

 

[venigo]

For the installation / inspiration, I followed this video https://youtu.be/eJIJM4Mc2yE

Even though for my mk7, I could not slide out the grey trim piece, since there was just enough gap, was able to slide the el wire light strip in. But the idea is the same.

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How did you get the wire / inverter to the back? My panels have melted bolts/nuts on the back and is closed? Did you cut or drill a hole?

 

[Bäsemödel]

How did you get the wire / inverter to the back? My panels have melted bolts/nuts on the back and is closed? Did you cut or drill a hole?

When I did it, i had the inverter behind the panel. It was easy to lift up the trim just enough to slide the wire back behind the panel and then tuck the EL wire in along the track of the trim.

 

[Cuzoe]

For the couple (few, many?) folks with this mod, how's it holding up? Anybody had inverters fail on them?

Continue reading only it you don't mind rambling, you've been warned...

I've got my door panels off right now doing all of the things I have been putting off; sound treatment, replacing speakers, this mod, door exit/warning lights, Jetta door stops, blah blah blah.

Thought I bought everything for his mod over a year ago and finally unboxed it last night. Realized I bought the 3 volt power supplies (that take AA batteries). I have the 12 volt inverters on the way. Per the instructions in this thread these EL strips will be tied to dimmer control so will be on, and adjustable, when headlights are on.

Did the coding for the exit/warning lights and saw that "ambient lighting installed" is not selected in my door module long coding. This is correct, car is a TDI S and didn't come with anything fancy. Highline door modules were installed with power folding mirrors. For the warning lights I didn't even have to tap into a wire at pin 16 of the 32 pin connector, there was nothing there, lol.

But I started thinking that since my car clearly didn't come with ambient lights, and these EL strips will be my ambient lights... Can they be pinned elsewhere on the 32 pin connector instead of tied into the gray wire at pin 4? And then controlled via ambient lighting section of the infotainment?

I have no idea how stock door panel ambient lights work in the Mk7s that have it, never been in one. I also know that even if I find the appropriate pin I still need to figure out what the door control module output is; 3/5/12/variable DC voltage, AC voltage? Anybody know this information already before I spend time digging into it?

My inverters will be installed with quick disconnects to make replacement simple should one of them ever fail. So most likely I will do this mod exactly how it's written in this thread for now but I will look into the ambient lighting angle and report back at some point. Quick disconnects will make changing the power source trivial should I ever figure it out.

 

[Eliranfla]

Need to add wiring to the door controller and then code them active on the door controller coding and add "ambient door lighting" to the lighting menu via the central elec module.

Hi, guys!
I am wanting to install an internal led on the front doors: DRIVE DOOR> J386 - Hardware Number: 5Q0959393B and PASSENGER DOOR> J387 - Hardware number: 5Q0959592B.
Is there any way to do this and use the MIB to adjust the brightness of this lighting with a pin connection (for ambient light) of the 32-pin connector?

 

[Leonardo53]

Hi guys... I am looking at adding the ambient lighting to my Gti, just one question.... Every door needs its own inverter?... Do you splice wires from door plug onto each inverter? Does someone perhaps have a picture on how to do it

 

[o_a_ravi]

Hi guys... I am looking at adding the ambient lighting to my Gti, just one question.... Every door needs its own inverter?... Do you splice wires from door plug onto each inverter? Does someone perhaps have a picture on how to do it

If you are going to be using the EL Wire option, then Yes you will need one EL Wire Strip for each door with its inverter. If you look at my approach, (wiring instruction here: https://www.golfmk7.com/forums/inde...bient-lighting-door-panel.333591/post-6880886). I am tapping the positive and negative from 58D terminal, which is the vehicle interior dimming (backlight illumination for switches and instrument panel). So this can be adjusted from by brightness control knob if you have a US Vehicle or from the MIB for rest of the world.

 

[Leonardo53]

If you are going to be using the EL Wire option, then Yes you will need one EL Wire Strip for each door with its inverter. If you look at my approach, (wiring instruction here: https://www.golfmk7.com/forums/inde...bient-lighting-door-panel.333591/post-6880886). I am tapping the positive and negative from 58D terminal, which is the vehicle interior dimming (backlight illumination for switches and instrument panel). So this can be adjusted from by brightness control knob if you have a US Vehicle or from the MIB for rest of the world.

Thanks for the response its appreciated. You used the cigarette lighter inverters? They are the best for this application... And how are they holding up?

 

[Leonardo53]

which inverter will be best?

 

[o_a_ravi]

Thanks for the response its appreciated. You used the cigarette lighter inverters? They are the best for this application... And how are they holding up?

Yes they are., the original ones came with the cigarette lighter ones, cut off the adapter and wired it directly. Those are not sturdy though. Had to replace 2 inverters in the last 3 years. Wish i find a better 12v inverters

 

[o_a_ravi]

Yes they are., the original ones came with the cigarette lighter ones, cut off the adapter and wired it directly. Those are not sturdy though. Had to replace 2 inverters in the last 3 years. Wish i find a better 12v inverters

The replacement ones (12 v) with just the bare wires works better than the original cigarette adapter ones.

 

[Leonardo53]

Alright thanks brother, i wll go for the bare wires ones.

 

[Eliranfla]

Guys, does anyone know how to inform the equivalent "byte 17 - bit 1 and 2 (VCDS)" for OBDELEVEN?

 

[GTO]

hi

Have you tried connecting the led strip to pin 3 / T32, the handle led to pin 8 / T32 and the negative to pin 5 / T32?