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2Addicts | BMW 2-Series forum Technical Topics Cosmetic and Lighting Modifications Installed AMBIENT LIGHTING in doors.

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      08-17-2019, 12:55 PM   #1
bluesman8266
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Installed AMBIENT LIGHTING in doors.

A couple weeks ago I had a loaner, a 530. I had never seen the Ambient lighting before and thought how cool ! So $8.49 to China and about 4hr experimenting.

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This is what I used. 2M 12V Car Vehicle Ambient Interior Orange Cold Light Strip Atmosphere Neon Lamp 4683812938981 | eBay


2M 12V Car Vehicle Ambient Interior Orange Cold Light Strip Atmosphere N...
<li> Description<br />-100%25 brand new and high quality <br />-Support to DIY the length, the cut part can be d...



I cut off the lighter plug and taped into the power from the inside light just above the door handle. This is dimmable with the rest of the interior lighting.

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I used this video from Bavsound on how to remove the door panel.
Bavsound Stage One - BMW F22/F23 2 Series/M2 2014+ - Speaker Upgrade Installation Video


Bavsound Stage One - BMW F22/F23 2 Series/M2 2014+ - Speaker Upgrade Ins...
http://www.bavsound.com/ Improve your BMW audio sound quality simply and effectively with these Plug & Play Bavs...



This is where the Light strip will come out from the inside.

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This is the place where you cut to feed the strip. I just used a sharp knife and carefully cut the end out of this, about the size of a pee.

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I used a stiff wire to probe around until I found the seam. This is in the padding of the arm rest. I held my finger on the other side to tell where I was before I pushed it through. I them made the hole big enough for the light strip to go through

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You need to feed this through with no twists. I feed it the way it has to lay in the seam.

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This is where it comes out. I then pulled most of the strip through, made sure I had just enough, cut off the extra, tapered it and tucked it in at the other end of the arm rest.

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Here you can see where it comes from the front to the back and how I zip tied everything down.

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This is where I got the power. Its for the light above the inside door handle. I use a single strand wire and shoved them in the back of the plug. The Brown wire is ground and the white with the red strip is hot. Left and right doors.
I didn't want to cut or tap into the factory wires that's why I did it this way. This gave me the most trouble, this is the shortest of all the wires on the door panel and you pull around on it to get it plugged back in. I zip tied the crap out of my connection to keep them from pulling out of the plug. I also put a quick connect plug in line so you can just unplug this along this everything else when removing the panel. I'd recommend testing your power as your putting the panel back on so you don't snap everything back in place (three times) to find your connection came loose.

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Another thing I learned, if the trim for the door handle doesn't snap completely back in place you might have to loosen one of the screws behind it so it lines up properly.

Don't know anything else I can add just take your time.
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      08-17-2019, 05:18 PM   #2
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      08-17-2019, 06:11 PM   #3
micker
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Awesome! Way above my pay grade, you have skills.
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      08-01-2021, 03:34 AM   #4
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This is fantastic. From the looks of it, would you say the color is a close match to the OEM orange?

Also curious about the kit. If you're doing two doors, would you need to buy 2 sets of these or does one package contain more than one fiber optic --> power source connector?

Thanks!
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      08-04-2021, 11:25 AM   #5
TrboMike
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Sexy.
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      08-04-2021, 01:04 PM   #6
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Nice work and install pics.
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      08-22-2021, 10:08 AM   #7
bluesman8266
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It takes two kits, one for each door. The supplier that I originally got this from is no longer. I went through three inverters. Real pain pulling the door panel off each time to replace. This is the next alternative, Only the fiber optic will be clear when not on. https://www.dmpcardesign.com/index.p...g=all_products
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      09-02-2021, 04:22 PM   #8
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I played around with one of these kits and I think the weak point is the fiber. I had two different clear versions and the light is just not even, especially around corners. I even tried to "frost" the fiber. It helped, but still not happy. The solid orange the OP used looks good. If I could find a blue color I liked, I'd lean toward going that route.
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      11-16-2023, 04:07 AM   #9
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hey, were the lights also controllable by the iDrive system? Say if i got RGB lights would they change the color?
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