[christofambrosch]

I have gotten a lot of responses and inquiries regarding my footwell lighting install so I thought I would make a more elaborate thread regarding the process. As usual, you do things at your own risk. I am not responsible for any mistake you may make.

Tools:

• trim removal tool [for radio trim and interior rocker trim]
• T20 torx with driver [for radio and under dash panels]
• 10mm triple square socket bit (with driver and extension) [for seats]

Process:

Step 1: remove the driver side under dash panel

Step 2: remove the passenger side under dash panel

Step 3: remove trim around radio

Step 4: remove radio

Step 5: locate the BCM under the driver side dash. You will need to find three plugs. These are called A, B, and C. Obviously B is the middle plug and the one we will be dealing with for this.

Step 6: remove plug B. Once removed, you will need to slide the pin housing out of the sheath. There is a small tab that keeps it in.

Step 7: locate pin 50. This is where you need to insert the positive lead for the footwell lights.

Step 8: reassemble the pin housing, sheath, and plug.

Step 9: find a place to ground the harness. I removed the top screw on the fuse panel and placed the ground lead between the fuse panel and the metal dash frame.

Step 10: run passenger side harness up through the dash and into the radio cavity. Then run it down the other side into the passenger under dash.

Step 11: you will need to punch out the plastic fill pieces that are on the under dash panels, one each side. You may need to use a knife.

Step 12: press the new housings into the hole on the panels and connect the wires.

Step 12a: if you are only doing front lights, this is when you reinstall all panels, radio, radio trim, and move on to coding (step 21).

Step 12b: if you are doing rear lights, you will need to leave the front panels removed, but you can reinstall radio and radio trim.

Step 13: remove driver seat (or remove all four bolts and tip it back out of the way)

Step 14: remove driver interior rocker trim (to expose wiring channel)


Untitled by santorum, on Flickr

Step 16: remove passenger seat (or remove all four bolts and tip it back out of the way)

Step 17: remove passenger interior rocker trim (to expose wiring channel)

Step 18: run the wires for each side down the channels along the other wires. You will see other wires that go to the seats (power controls and heat). Run them along them and secure with a small zip tie or tape.

Step 19: the back of each seat has a rectangle hole for a light housing in the center of the frame. Simply run the wires to these holes, connect the housings to the wires, and then press them into the fame opening. It may take a little force to do so.

Step 20: reinstall interior rocker trim, under dash panels, seats, and any other items you may have removed and clean up.

Step 21: time for coding. Probably the simplest coding to do. You will go in to 09 - Central Electronics and there are two bits that pertain to footwell lights. They both need to be checked (turned on). I will get the exact coding tomorrow.

Step 22: recycle the key and then go into your MFA. Select the Lighting menu and turn on the footwell lights. From here, you can adjust the dimming as well.


Untitled by santorum, on Flickr

Step 23: enjoy your lights. :beer:


Untitled by santorum, on Flickr

 

[mattfrayage]

So, to wire in just the rears, what must be done, as our SEL premium has front but not rears...
are they just hooked up to the front lights, or how is it done?

 

[vw norm]

That's what I did. Just wire the LED to the front ones one each side. But that still required lifted the seat and running the wires through the flex tube into the wire bundle under the side trim and to the front lights to splice into the front footwell lights. I used Red spot LEDs similar to the ones I used for the trunk lighting. I saw this: http://www.carsystems.pl/vw-footwell-led-light-rear-plug-play-wiring-5g0947409,id646.html which makes it truly plug and play. The housings just snap into the big rectangular hole on the bottom of the front seats. The wiring harness comes with a male/female plug pair with a male extension for the rear. I guess if you can't solder and tape, then this makes it easier.

They look like this (before mounting the rear AC grill):

 

[christofambrosch]

So, to wire in just the rears, what must be done, as our SEL premium has front but not rears...
are they just hooked up to the front lights, or how is it done?

Yes. The kit I got has the rears already piggy-backed off of the front. The kit that Norm posted is perfect for those who have fronts and do not want to cut:

But like he said, adding rears still requires the seats to be removed (start at step 13).

X

Not sure why you had the rear vents apart, unless you just went ham and took it all apart. Haha.

 

[vw norm]

Not sure why you had the rear vents apart, unless you just went ham and took it all apart. Haha.

Because the 12's did not come with rear vents, so I put my own. Thread link:" http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?6065690-2013-Rear-ventsI was waiting on the rear piece to arrive, thus my air tubes were simply there, and the final pics did not show off the rear footwells as good. It is now like this:

 

[christofambrosch]

Ah fair enough. I need to do that as well for my kids.

 

[tnourseMN427]

Thanks a lot for posting this. Helps quite a bit. Will be tackling this very soon.

:thumbup:

 

[ORDNorth]

Don't know if I will get this mod done, but a HUGE thank you for taking the time to post this!!!

 

[snobrdrdan]

Nice job! :thumbup:

Got a set of these waiting to go in my Tig, once it warms up.


One question though....what does turning them "ON" in the MFA enable?
Does that turn them on when you're driving?
or
Does it turn them on when you open a door?

 

[christofambrosch]

Thanks a lot for posting this. Helps quite a bit. Will be tackling this very soon.

:thumbup:

Don't know if I will get this mod done, but a HUGE thank you for taking the time to post this!!!

Thanks! Glad I could help.

Nice job! :thumbup:

Got a set of these waiting to go in my Tig, once it warms up.


One question though....what does turning them "ON" in the MFA enable?
Does that turn them on when you're driving?
or
Does it turn them on when you open a door?

Turning them "On" is for the ambient lighting at night. If you have them "Off", they will still come on with the doors open, unless you have the dome switch to "Off".

 

[gawa]

Thanks for the write up! Wanted to do this sooner or later. :thumbup:

 

[compu_85]

I also used the SBLED Lill Dot LEDs when I retro'd these to our car.... no sense buying the $$ OE fixtures to stick an LED behind them.

-J

 

[miamipassat]

I have gotten a lot of responses and inquiries regarding my footwell lighting install so I thought I would make a more elaborate thread regarding the process. As usual, you do things at your own risk. I am not responsible for any mistake you may make.

Tools:

• trim removal tool [for radio trim and interior rocker trim]
• T20 torx with driver [for radio and under dash panels]
• 10mm triple square socket bit (with driver and extension) [for seats]

Process:

Step 1: remove the driver side under dash panel

Step 2: remove the passenger side under dash panel

Step 3: remove trim around radio

Step 4: remove radio

Step 5: locate the BCM under the driver side dash. You will need to find three plugs. These are called A, B, and C. Obviously B is the middle plug and the one we will be dealing with for this.

Step 6: remove plug B. Once removed, you will need to slide the pin housing out of the sheath. There is a small tab that keeps it in.

Step 7: locate pin 50. This is where you need to insert the positive lead for the footwell lights.

Step 8: reassemble the pin housing, sheath, and plug.

Step 9: find a place to ground the harness. I removed the top screw on the fuse panel and placed the ground lead between the fuse panel and the metal dash frame.

Step 10: run passenger side harness up through the dash and into the radio cavity. Then run it down the other side into the passenger under dash.

Step 11: you will need to punch out the plastic fill pieces that are on the under dash panels, one each side. You may need to use a knife.

Step 12: press the new housings into the hole on the panels and connect the wires.

Step 12a: if you are only doing front lights, this is when you reinstall all panels, radio, radio trim, and move on to coding (step 21).

Step 12b: if you are doing rear lights, you will need to leave the front panels removed, but you can reinstall radio and radio trim.

Step 13: remove driver seat (or remove all four bolts and tip it back out of the way)

Step 14: remove driver interior rocker trim (to expose wiring channel)


Untitled by santorum, on Flickr

Step 16: remove passenger seat (or remove all four bolts and tip it back out of the way)

Step 17: remove passenger interior rocker trim (to expose wiring channel)

Step 18: run the wires for each side down the channels along the other wires. You will see other wires that go to the seats (power controls and heat). Run them along them and secure with a small zip tie or tape.

Step 19: the back of each seat has a rectangle hole for a light housing in the center of the frame. Simply run the wires to these holes, connect the housings to the wires, and then press them into the fame opening. It may take a little force to do so.

Step 20: reinstall interior rocker trim, under dash panels, seats, and any other items you may have removed and clean up.

Step 21: time for coding. Probably the simplest coding to do. You will go in to 09 - Central Electronics and there are two bits that pertain to footwell lights. They both need to be checked (turned on). I will get the exact coding tomorrow.

Step 22: recycle the key and then go into your MFA. Select the Lighting menu and turn on the footwell lights. From here, you can adjust the dimming as well.


Untitled by santorum, on Flickr

Step 23: enjoy your lights. :beer:


Untitled by santorum, on Flickr

I am am new to VW. If I put the pin connector into the BCM and ground the other wire by the fuses, what do I run to the passenger side behing the radio?
I assume I splice the positive pin wire? Sorry for this dumb question

 

[snobrdrdan]

Turning them "On" is for the ambient lighting at night. If you have them "Off", they will still come on with the doors open, unless you have the dome switch to "Off".

Got it, thanks!

 

[snobrdrdan]

I am am new to VW. If I put the pin connector into the BCM and ground the other wire by the fuses, what do I run to the passenger side behing the radio?

One end of the harness has the pin & the ground.....then the rest of the wiring has two connectors with harnesses attached (that plug into the lights), one connector for the driver's side light & one for the passenger's side light. It's all on ONE long harness.

So you're just routing the wiring from the BCM to the driver's side light to the passenger side light, to make the connections.

Make sense?

 

[miamipassat]

One end of the harness has the pin & the ground.....then the rest of the wiring has two connectors with harnesses attached (that plug into the lights), one connector for the driver's side light & one for the passenger's side light. It's all on ONE long harness.

So you're just routing the wiring from the BCM to the driver's side light to the passenger side light, to make the connections.

Make sense?

Got it!!! I did not know what the harness looks like. I should be getting the parts later this week...Thanks!!

 

[b0bbybisc0]

I bought the rear footwell lights a couple months ago and I finally got around to installing them and am happy with the results.

These pics are long exposure shots ... thus the red LEDs aren't really this bright in person.

Just the overhead white LEDs ...


Front overhead white LEDs with the red footwells turned on ...


Rear overhead white LEDs with the red footwells turned on ...


Just the red footwell LEDs ... currently on when parking lights are active (didn't have this on the MKV GLI) ...


All four locations ...

 

[miamipassat]

I bought the rear footwell lights a couple months ago and I finally got around to installing them and am happy with the results.

These pics are long exposure shots ... thus the red LEDs aren't really this bright in person.

Just the overhead white LEDs ...


Front overhead white LEDs with the red footwells turned on ...


Rear overhead white LEDs with the red footwells turned on ...


Just the red footwell LEDs ... currently on when parking lights are active (didn't have this on the MKV GLI) ...


All four locations ...

Looks good. I only did the front but I should have done the rear also. My wife call them "pimp lights"..

 

[OldBlue62]

Thanks christofambrosch! Nice write up! What light kit did you fit to the front? Do you have a link to it?

 

[christofambrosch]

Thanks christofambrosch! Nice write up! What light kit did you fit to the front? Do you have a link to it?

Thanks Doug. I ordered the wiring and housings from Bold-Sport and all my bulbs are from PerformanceLEDs. They also have the wiring and housings but I had a few other things I needed from Bold-Sport so I threw them in.

I may be replacing the housings with OEM MkV housings to eliminate the blue spotting since I don't have the same issue in my wife's R32 (same bulbs).