Footwell Idea

[idkfa]

the same application of LEDs can be used there as well. Just mount them under the plastic and cut little holes

[King-Oka]

This thread is useless without pictures !

(Someone had to say it)

[SmokinSolstice]

Solscuba....we are waiting!

[BLK GXP]

I decided to do this tonight. I bought the 9" Led strips at Advanced Auto parts for 23 bucks. They come two to a package. They're only about 1/8" thick and come with 2 sided tape to attach them. They come in a few different colors. I got red to match the rest of the interior and stuck them up onto the plastic panels under the dash on each side. When I put in my auto dimming mirror, I put the relay that was needed in the passenger foot well fuse panel, so that's where I was able to do all of my wiring. Basically the + wire for the LEDs needs to have power all of the time. The - wire for the LEDs gets connected to the wire that turns on the dome lights. This is the gray wire in the mirror harness. I don't know for sure, but you may need a relay to isolate this wire from ground. I had to have one to get the LEDs in my mirror to work properly, so I already had one installed. Right now the foot well lights only come on automatically when the map lights do. They also dim along with the map lights. I did not install a switch to turn them on independently.

Here's some pics:

[Yamatr3]

BLK GXP, good idea tying it into the relay for the mirror!!

[Deepbluegxp]

Originally Posted by BLK GXP I decided to do this tonight. I bought the 9" Led strips at Advanced Auto parts for 23 bucks. They come two to a package. They're only about 1/8" thick and come with 2 sided tape to attach them. They come in a few different colors. I got red to match the rest of the interior and stuck them up onto the plastic panels under the dash on each side. When I put in my auto dimming mirror, I put the relay that was needed in the passenger foot well fuse panel, so that's where I was able to do all of my wiring. Basically the + wire for the LEDs needs to have power all of the time. The - wire for the LEDs gets connected to the wire that turns on the dome lights. This is the gray wire in the mirror harness. I don't know for sure, but you may need a relay to isolate this wire from ground. I had to have one to get the LEDs in my mirror to work properly, so I already had one installed. Right now the foot well lights only come on automatically when the map lights do. They also dim along with the map lights. I did not install a switch to turn them on independently.

Great Job, you beat me to it, during the install of my relay for the mirror, I left extra wire coming off the relay to do LEDs, I just haven't had the time. I have blue ones to match my theme.

[SmokinSolstice]

Originally Posted by BLK GXP I decided to do this tonight. I bought the 9" Led strips at Advanced Auto parts for 23 bucks. They come two to a package. They're only about 1/8" thick and come with 2 sided tape to attach them. They come in a few different colors. I got red to match the rest of the interior and stuck them up onto the plastic panels under the dash on each side. When I put in my auto dimming mirror, I put the relay that was needed in the passenger foot well fuse panel, so that's where I was able to do all of my wiring. Basically the + wire for the LEDs needs to have power all of the time. The - wire for the LEDs gets connected to the wire that turns on the dome lights. This is the gray wire in the mirror harness. I don't know for sure, but you may need a relay to isolate this wire from ground. I had to have one to get the LEDs in my mirror to work properly, so I already had one installed. Right now the foot well lights only come on automatically when the map lights do. They also dim along with the map lights. I did not install a switch to turn them on independently. Here's some pics:

Oh my god that is awesome! Exactly what I was talking about! You should come over and do mine!

[BIO Hazard]

This is EXACTLY what I want for my car. Alot of manufactures forget about lighting the footwells. I think RED is the way to go to match the instrument panel lights.

I want my lights set up to come on with the dome light, Is that what your set up does? I have seen 9" and 12" kits. Since you installed a 9" kit, in your opinion, would a 12" LED kit fit too? Is LED the way to go or is some other light source the answer?

Thanks
Brazen Orange

[BLK GXP]

I have mine hooked to the wire in the mirror harness that turns on the lights when you unlock/open the doors. That is the only way they come on though. In my opinion, LEDs are the only way to go. I used the 9 inch and they produce plenty of light output. A 12 incher would fit, but is not necessary.

[BANDITCAR]

That looks excellent!

A How-to with step by step instructions with pics would be a Godsend!

[SmokinSolstice]

I have been meaning to do this a couple months ago but me and wires just do not mix.

[BIO Hazard]

BLK GXP - I wish you were here in Milwaukee, WI. You would have yourself a paying customer. Love what you did with the LED lights. Like I said, its just what I have been looking for. If I attempted something like this, I would have wipers that came on with lights, mess it up for sure, and would probably find out what its like to be Tazered too - I will have to check locally to see if there is anyone who does interior electrical mods.

Thank you very much for your quick response.

[BLK GXP]

It's actually a somewhat simple hook-up. The hard part is finding the factory wires to connect to. I'm an electrician, by trade, so wiring doesn't bother me. I only work on my car's electrical accessories as a hobby though. I used to put some rather extensive aftermarket audio systems in my cars and compete at shows.
Now the cars are getting more complex themselves, so I try to avoid splicing into the harnesses too much. The gremlins are hard enough to keep away as it is.

The wire that turns on the map lights is a negative switch, meaning it goes to ground to turn on the lights. I believe it is the gray wire in the mirror harness. this wire would connect to the black wire on the LED strip. The red wire on the LED strip needs to be connected to a source that has +12v on it all the time. I plugged into one of the blank spots in the fuse panel in the passenger foot well with an inline fuse.

There is a chance that the lights will not go off when they should, because of how the BCM controls the lights. If so, a relay might be needed to isolate the lights from the BCM. Connecting to a stock mirror should be as simple as this. My installation is compounded by the auto dimming mirror, so I needed the relay.

A decent stereo shop should be able to do this rather easily, but I have no idea what they'd charge.

[BIO Hazard]

Hi BLK GXP -

Sorry to bother you so much on this one. Some more questions after looking in my car... Where did you access the mirror wiring harness? Is it by the fuse block or do I have to take off the pillar trim and splice in somewhere close to the mirror itself?

I have the standard GXP mirror with ONSTAR. Will I need a relay to make this work and how is that done?

Did you or can you take pictures of where you spliced this in and what the connections look like? That would be a big help...

Trying to find a place around here to do this in a decent area is like mission impossible. I am fairly certain a dealership would not do this... right?

Thank you.

[BLK GXP]

I replaced my mirror a while back with an auto dimming mirror, so my install would be a bit different. I tapped the gray wire up in the wind shield trim by the mirror. I needed a relay for the new mirror, so I ran the new lights off of it. I don't think a relay should be needed with the stock mirror, but I don't know, cause I have not tried it. I also have no experience with the on star mirror. If you wire it according to the above post, and the lights don't go off, A relay or resistor will probably be needed.