LED Interior lights

[Mr Footlong]

Paying Contractor wages? Lol, you're a funny, funny man!

[Mr Footlong]

I haven't switched the car on or plugged in Vagisil etc, too busy trying to get actual work done and troll at the same time .

Also, just to add, it is a pain in the arse having rip off and wedge on my Homer Simpson slippers so often to go in and outside constantly

[Mr Footlong]

Ok, sod work, again....... I at least turned the ignition on but didn't start the car. Pressed the left toggle button on the display and it cycled through without error. I decided to pop out the front light/sunroof controller so I could see what bulbs wound be needed for that. A picture of the unit is below. X indicates a connector and the X with a circle around it is one that was a little bit fiddly to get out from that area to allow total removal of the panel:

The 2 little BA9 bulbs are a bit fiddly to get out.

Just for reference for people, I have done an image showing the types of bulbs found in the roof lining and the front footwells of the C5 avant. I haven't checked the door bulbs or looked for other yet but will update as/when:

Edit, why not, taken the other bulbs out too for reference. This pic shows the bulbs used in all 4 doors on mine:

Finally, I think, is the bootlid bulb used on the Avant:

[chunky79]

great work 12''. bulb numbers are slightly hard to read though.

[Mr Footlong]

Not sure what you mean Dunc. If the pictures are viewed in full size, where I have put the model type it is perfectly readable.

Dropped over £80 at Ultraleds, ordered a couple of varations of each bulb that I needed (got a load of the stupidly bright ones as well as the normal ones, except for the reading bulbs as they didn;t have any that woule have fitted easily or had the LED the right way round I believe. Phoned the buggers up as I missed the 1pm cut off on their site, told them I was ready to click order and they said they should get it out today. Phoned them to confirm after ordering and the same guy said he doubted it as their courier was coming in 10 mins................

[chunky79]

Ah, I'm viewing on my phone so writing could be ok. I will retract my complaint once I have seen on laptop

[Mr Footlong]

Ok, purely doing this in case it helps other in the future, the main batch of bulbs did manage to get out of the door yesterday:

I specifically overordered bulbs as I was going with a best case/worst case scenario. There are a couple of spots where it may be a right fit for the double row ones which is why I got a few singles too. The only ones that I couldn't get small enough bulbs from that would have a snowball's chance of being bright enough were for the reading lights. I browse through Ebay later and I went for these - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/220703914989? ... 3D1&_rdc=1

Here is a picture of the bulb in that link for when it is killed off by Ebay:

Note the length, that really is right on the limit for the fronts at least, not sure about the rear ones. I had wanted to get either 1-sided or 2-sided with the right orientation for how the bulb locks in to the holder but no dice. Hoping these are low heat ones as the fronts will be shining right on a connector with only a mm or 2 spare, unsure if I removed the front led's and bridged the circuit if they would work or not, might try it.

[Shoppinit]

Don't bridge it, solder a surface mount diode in its place. Should work the same, but without the light.

[Ryan_Pestell]

Damn that's some LEDs, keen to seen what it looks like as I fancy doing it to mine

[chunky79]

Great work nick. The writting on the pic's is fine when opened so complaint retracted.
Now the map lights, you won't have them turned on for too long will you so don't worry too much about the heat. Get yourself a nice kenwood head unit and you won't ever need your MAP lights!!!

[Mr Footlong]

Right, had enough of writing proposals and stuff for the day so just got a few mins to play with bulbs. I can say straight away that for the door lights, as in the ones built in to the doors themselves, you are far better off with standard bulbs IMO. The ones that I gambled with give off a light that isn't directional enough and ends up filling only have of the reflectors, whereas the unidirectional standard ones look better.

Stuck a couple of the 6 led jobs in to the 2 front 42mm slots and they seem to be very bright but please confirm this, I thought that they would only work 1 way round? These don't seem to give a monkeys about polarity and I couldn't tell a difference in light output when I specifically put one in the reverse way to the other?

[Shoppinit]

If the bulbs are well designed then there will be a diode bridge to ensure the right polarity whichever way you power it.

[Mr Footlong]

Being sad and wanting 100% of the brightness from these, would you expect there to be any discernable difference in the voltage/light output when this diode is in use? Sorry my basic electronics is very rusty.

Based on what I have seen from the door bulbs, I am expecting that the reading lights will also be far better with the standard bulbs light level-wise at least.

[Shoppinit]

No, a diode bridge is all or nothing, but in both directions to correct for polarity. So you'll get 100%.

[Mr Footlong]

No, a diode bridge is all or nothing, but in both directions to correct for polarity. So you'll get 100%.

Thanks, I was being a forgetful nub. Just done a night check of the front ones and they are very bright which is great. They are also dimming correctly just like the old bulbs did when locking/unlocking.