Author Topic: Dome light upgrade!! (Read 9826 times)

gearheadE30 · « **on:** March 08, 2008, 01:26:52 PM »

After 6 months of measuring all manner of dome lights, I finally found one that will fit in the slot for our not-so-check check panels. Most older chevy trucks and vans have this domelight, and there is a trim ring that does around it. I pulled off the ring and it fits great. The lights are wired so that all three come on with the door opened and the buttons between the lights operate the maplights. Total cost was $10, and most of that was for the bulbs. Wiring was just run above the headliner to the driver's side dome light.

Wizard · « **Reply #1 on:** March 08, 2008, 05:11:04 PM »

I do like the maplight's, but not really feeling that white dome light look. All in all still a nice mood for our useless check panel.

dude8383 · « **Reply #2 on:** March 08, 2008, 11:17:36 PM »

Do you have LED's mounted in the corner's of the center console?

gearheadE30 · « **Reply #3 on:** March 09, 2008, 07:27:27 PM »

Quote from: dude8383;44342

Do you have LED's mounted in the corner's of the center console?

Yes, they are from radioshack and make it far easier to see inside the car at night. They are wired to a hidden swich so that I can shut them off if I don't want them on, and they are wired to dim with the rheostat that controls the rest of the interior lights' brightness.

dude8383 · « **Reply #4 on:** March 09, 2008, 10:22:20 PM »

That's pretty damn cool... how did you wire it up, the bulbs that illuminate the HVAC?

swiss318is · « **Reply #5 on:** March 10, 2008, 06:32:49 AM »

some disco-feelings in the car... in the night around my neighbourhood there are some nice looking girls, they do have lamps in their cars too...! red ones.. ;-)

joke..! i was just wondering whey you have this control panel up there... i dont have this in none of my three cars?!?! was that an US version? option?

n2motorsports · « **Reply #6 on:** March 10, 2008, 11:32:27 AM »

i'm considering a spotlight led like the ones they have in the new 5's. though not sure what led bulb would be best.

gearheadE30 · « **Reply #7 on:** March 10, 2008, 01:45:07 PM »

denis-actually, they are spliced into the wiring that runs to the light in the cigarette lighter/ashtray. It was a pain, because the foam under the dash is too tight to run wires through, so I didn't trim the wire until it was routed. I ended up having to wrap it around the end of the front part of the console in the passenger wheel well and push it straight up until I could feel it up under the front of the dash.

swiss-What control panel? The 6 buttons to the right of the head unit is just the on-board computer (OBC). All of the U.S. spec cars had the 6-button OBC standard.

n2motorsports-like the mood lighting? You can actually pull those LEDs out of any newer BMW and find a place to install them. The nice part is that they are already in nice little holders, are shaded, and match the instrument panel lighting.

swiss318is · « **Reply #8 on:** March 10, 2008, 02:52:47 PM »

no... the part where you put the new domelights in... where the mirror is..

dude8383 · « **Reply #9 on:** March 10, 2008, 04:16:55 PM »

Quote from: gearheadE30;44451

denis-actually, they are spliced into the wiring that runs to the light in the cigarette lighter/ashtray. It was a pain, because the foam under the dash is too tight to run wires through, so I didn't trim the wire until it was routed. I ended up having to wrap it around the end of the front part of the console in the passenger wheel well and push it straight up until I could feel it up under the front of the dash.

swiss-What control panel? The 6 buttons to the right of the head unit is just the on-board computer (OBC). All of the U.S. spec cars had the 6-button OBC standard.

n2motorsports-like the mood lighting? You can actually pull those LEDs out of any newer BMW and find a place to install them. The nice part is that they are already in nice little holders, are shaded, and match the instrument panel lighting.

jeez i keep referring to you as gearhead and you know my name!!

Sounds like a painful process...one that I may not want to deal with hehe

n2motorsports · « **Reply #10 on:** March 10, 2008, 04:53:12 PM »

they call it a mood light...haha. well, whatever it's called, it's the best thing ever, i never have to turn on the dome light or anything and it's totally unnoticable to others or even yourself unless you place something underneath it.

gearheadE30 · « **Reply #11 on:** March 10, 2008, 08:27:55 PM »

Quote from: dude8383;44465

jeez i keep referring to you as gearhead and you know my name!!

Sounds like a painful process...one that I may not want to deal with hehe

It's really not that bad. After seeing some of the projects you have done, I'm sure you could figure it out.

By the way, my name is Jordan.

Swiss, the check panel thing on our cars may be an American thing; I don't recall seeing a Euro car with one. All that the M42 cars came with was a black panel that had an SRS light and a seatbelt light. There are actually slots for 2 more bulbs, and there are 2 more words on the panel, those being "airbag" and "overheat." Go figure.

quinn11m20 · « **Reply #12 on:** March 10, 2008, 08:41:09 PM »

Nice golf clubs. Ha Ha. Seriously nice lights.

swiss318is · « **Reply #13 on:** March 11, 2008, 08:35:07 AM »

this check panel puts some knight-rider feelings in the bmw :-)

Asserti · « **Reply #14 on:** March 11, 2008, 10:31:29 AM »

that check panel is standard for all 6 cilinder E30's in europe. You might check one out swiss318is

Our cars don't brake down so fast so we didn't need the check panel