LED interior light upgrades

[agentthumb]

Just ordered an LED globe for the boot, too.

Here's a link to the one I bought (mainly because it was coming from Sydney so postage would be quicker)

The existing globe hadn't blown but it was pretty weak. Barely enough light to see anything in the boot.

I'll post a guide on how to remove the fitting and replace the globe once the globe arrives (even though it is ludicrously easy).

Would be much appreciated if you did

[Barracuda]

Would be much appreciated if you did

Will do! The LED globes should arrive tomorrow or Thursday so I'll do it as soon as they arrive.

[Barracuda]

GUIDE: LED Boot Light Upgrade

I'm sure everyone will agree that the stock halogen light in the boot of the Mk7 Golf is pretty miserable. It's only bright enough to light about half of the boot area. It's also slightly annoying that the boot light is halogen when the rest of the interior lights are LED (Highline, GTI & R).

Luckily, there is a solution and it's cheap and easy.

What you'll need:

• Flat-head screwdriver
• 41mm Festoon LED globe

I used this 41mm Festoon LED globe from eBay. You can use any Festoon LED globe as long as it is the correct size and voltage.

1. Remove the light fitting from the trim. You'll see a small cut-out on the side of the light fitting that is closest to the boot opening. Use a small flat-head screwdriver to push in the metal clip which holds the light fitting in place. Alternatively, use some trim removal tools if you have them.



2. Detach the power cable from the light fitting by pressing inwards on the two clips as shown below.



3. Remove the stock halogen globe from the light fitting by pushing on the side of the globe until it slides out of the terminals.



4. Install the new LED globe and ensure that it is facing the front of the light fitting.



5. Reconnect the light fitting to the power cable and ensure that the clips on the power cable are secured. If you're lucky and the globe is installed the right way around, then it should turn on straight away. Otherwise, remove the globe, turn it around and re-install it.

6. Re-install the light fitting to the plastic trim and you're done!

Before:


After:


The only issue that I've come across is that the globe remains on (albeit, very dim) when the boot is closed. Apparently this is normal for some LED globes and is due to the fact that they're so much more efficient than halogen globes and the small amount of residual voltage is enough to power the LED globe in a very dim state. Strangely, when you lock the car the LED globe will turn-off completely.

Here's a photo of the LED light when the boot is closed:



Apparently, it won't cause any drain on the battery...

Anyway, I hope this guide helps anyone thinking of doing this great little modification.

[DKC]

I was going to make a post about boot light upgrade as well! In my case I have the R Wagon and the stock halogen light is in the roof, and grossly inadequate. Particularly if the luggage cover is drawn, there is no light underneath!

So in addition to fitting a 41mm LED festoon (from ebay), I connected a strip LED. It's powered by the same roof light so they turn on and off together. The strip LED is stuck to the vertical divider mesh metal bar across the boot just behind the rear seats (which is separate to the luggage cover).

Actually does anyone know whether this very solid metal bar is just for the vertical luggage divider mesh to be pulled out, or does it have a performance function? Like a strut brace between the 2 rear struts?




The tiny row of dots on the floor of the boot is artefact from the camera. See how weak the roof LED is by comparison!


Self frabricated connector to attach the wire to the ends of the LED Festoon


How it looks connected

[Barracuda]

What an improvement! That light bar looks brilliant! Do you find that the Festoon LED globe that you installed in the ceiling light stays lit in a dim state when the boot is closed?

[DKC]

I haven't paid attention to it. I'll go and have a look with the boot closed and report back.

Checked - the light is completely dark when the boot is closed.
Note to self - when climbing into the big wagon boot then pulling the boot shut, think before doing so! I slammed it shut then went "oh cr*p", how do I open the boot from the inside! Had to pull the back seats down and climb into the rear seats to get out through the rear doors! LOL!

[agentthumb]

I haven't paid attention to it. I'll go and have a look with the boot closed and report back.

Checked - the light is completely dark when the boot is closed.
Note to self - when climbing into the big wagon boot then pulling the boot shut, think before doing so! I slammed it shut then went "oh cr*p", how do I open the boot from the inside! Had to pull the back seats down and climb into the rear seats to get out through the rear doors! LOL!

There is an emergency latch in the boot. You open the cover that the triangle goes into, and with a flat metal object (ie. key), slide it into the slot and push to one side. That will open the boot from the inside

PS. Lucky you haven't got a load cage hahaha

[stellio78]

Bought this one 42mm C10W White Festoon Plasma COB LED Size Interior SMD Bulbs 12V 6000K | eBay


Turned up today, fitted and works great with no residual glow from the LED

[Mattlock]

Turned up today, fitted and works great with no residual glow from the LED

Perfect! I was looking at this last night and thought it would do the job. Avoiding the residual glow is important as none of the others do it.

Now to work out the glovebox one. It's a W3W with a slightly strange fitting. I'm trying to match it up at the moment. Does anyone have a recommendation?



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[mattchuu]

Perfect! I was looking at this last night and thought it would do the job. Avoiding the residual glow is important as none of the others do it.

I'm pretty sure the residual glow is just an indication that the comfort controller is energised - the bulb out detection is done via a pull up resistor on the bulb power line, if there is a filament bulb there, it will sink the small current to ground and the line will read ~0V, if the filament bulb is blown, the voltage will not be pulled down to ground and will float up to 12V, at which point the controller knows there is a fault.

If you replace the bulb with a LED that doesn't have a resistor pack, it will not sink the current until the voltage floats above the led min gate voltage, which is usually about 1.3v per led die, after the voltage rises above that then the led will glow with the small test current as it sinks it to ground.

The boot light doesn't have a bulb out warning as far as i know, so it will just silently glow away in there - nothing to worry about.

The reason i checked this is because i saw the same effect on my MK5 on the indicator repeaters breifly after they illuminate - i thought there may be an electrical short bleeding voltage into the lighting circiut, but it turns out this is by design - if you disconnect them then the line goes to 9V but no bulb out warning!

no longer happens on my mk7, so i guess they have a more sophisticated test now!

[Mattlock]

Ah, OK. There's definitely no bulb out warning for the glovebox or boot as I drove around for about 3 days with them disconnected whilst I was souring replacement bulbs.


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[DV52]

^^^ Not sure if I'm reading the posts above correctly, but there is little risk of the possibility of an "afterglow" on the glove-box light!

Here's a section of the wiring diagram for both the glove box light and the "luggage compartment" light (which is the lamp in the hatch)






As can be seen, the Luggage lamp (W3) wires get directly connected to the BCM (J519). The switching for this lamp happens on another BCM pin so it's possible for an afterglow to occur because of whatever embedded circuitry is connected inside the BCM on pin 53a and pin 12c.

However, the glove box lamp (W6) is wired in series with the glove box switch (E26) which is a mechanical single-pole-single-throw device. Ain't no way that any leakage current can flow through the glove box lamp when E26 is open -regardless of whether the lamp is LED, or incandescent (I think).


Don

[mattchuu]

However, the glove box lamp (W6) is wired in series with the glove box switch (E26) which is a mechanical single-pole-single-throw device. Ain't no way that any leakage current can flow through the glove box lamp when E26 is open -regardless of whether the lamp is LED, or incandescent (I think).


Don

wow, yeah there's no chance there!

if it does glow then you've got bigger problems

[Barracuda]

Replaced the LED globe that I bought off eBay with one from Jaycar for $12 and it's even brighter and there is absolutely zero residual glow when the boot is closed.

[Mattlock]

Do you have a link? The eBay one I fitted last week is not that bright and a bit too blue for my liking.


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