mwiener2

um, just go to radio shack and get some moderatly sized ones. Most of them are rated 120v for 30watts or something, so on a car they're good for alot more than 30watts at 12v. I think the largest diodes at radio shack are only $3 for a pack of two. I'll see if I can find the package with the specs on it.

I did this on my OBXT months and months ago. But I did it half assed. I tried to do it without Diodes, simply casue i didn't have any at that moment. Needless to say, the map lights did come on with the dome light, but if you turned on either map light, both map lights and the dome light also came on. When I went back and added the diodes, I toasted the map light buttons. Then I spent about 3 hours rebuilding the inards of the buttons....they're really really tiny. So this was round 2 on dad's LLbeanie and I got it right first try.

6. Now this sounds odd, but just do it. Reverse the wires. http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a257/mwiener2/DomeLight010.jpg 7. Now get some diodes. And wire one to each side of the bulb side of the map light button. Direction of diode is important. Make sure it works before you seal everything up. Be very careful here. The first time I did this mod, I put too much heat on the button and it melted stuck. The trick is to get a nice hot glob of solder on the iron and get it to stick fast. http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a257/mwiener2/DomeLight011.jpg 8. Tidy up. http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a257/mwiener2/DomeLight012.jpg I'd check everything with a meter before starting to cut wires or anything, just cause who know what differences there are between models. The map light buttons are very sensative to heat, becareful, they'll toast.

(12/27/2011)EDIT: Apparently some people have done stuff wrong and fried their BIU. Be warned. This mod makes the Map lights come on and then dim off with the dome light when the doors are opened or the car is unlocked. The map lights still work independantly like they did before. The dome light can still be completely turned off but the map lights will always come on with the doors and unlocking reguardless of the dome light switch. As with all my walkthroughs, you should have basic electrical knowledge and understand how to pull apart and put back together your car. I'm not gonna hold your hand through all the steps, just the hard ones. 1. Remove dome light by popping off the cover and unscrewing the two screws. 2. Tap the middle wire in the loom. It's the brown and white one. I recomend using a multi-meter just to be sure though. http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a257/mwiener2/DomeLight008.jpg 3. Remove map light assembly. 4. On models with a sunroof, pull off the plastic trim around the opening and thread your wire in there. On models without a sunroof, fish the wire from the dome light opening to the map light opening. http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a257/mwiener2/DomeLight007.jpg 5. Get the wire and plug that power the map lights. Cut back the insulation to expose the wires. http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a257/mwiener2/DomeLight009.jpg

copied to exterior

copied to exterior

WTF is a Qoute? Sounds like something that comes out of the female anatomy......

And the last 5 or so posts are a perfect example of why this thread is CLOSED ZZZZzzzzzz

O snap! I forgot I was closing this thread. T-Minus 6 hours and counting.....

It took my dealer a day to get in touch with SOA....So don't get on them too bad, its just the way it is.

The reason for closing this thread soon, is that at 344 and counting replies, it's way too long to keep track of any information. Unless you are one of the few people who keep up on this thread daily, it's too long to read. If someone with questions about the fix looks at the thread for the first time..it's going to take well over an hour to read through. For every 5 posts, there is about one with actual helpful information. This thread is also dragging on and on with an almost non-issue. The reprograming is free and it either helped fix the problem or it didn't seem to do anything, depends who you ask. So for free...go do it and see what happens. I'm giving the thread till the end of the week for people to finish up meaningful conversatiosn and to get questions answered. People, we have the ability to PM each other...please do so and keep threads readable.

This thread is getting a little long...i foresee a CLOSED in the near future finish up your conversations

I've put another couple hundred miles on the car since i got the fix. Definatly seems like they reduced a little power on the real low end to make the surging go away. But it wasn't really usable power downthere anyways...so it just feels smoother. I also drove around today with a full load of people. It was real smooth. I still get a little stuttering here and there, but it's much more subtle and less frequent. As far as the less power down low and it not being usable: I'm talking about idle to about 1800 rpm. There is definatly less power there now. 5EAT's.....sucks to be you. 5MT, you won't notice it at all when driving hard and when driving nromal, it just feels smooth.

Got mine back today with the fix. I've got about 80 miles on it with the new software. I feel a definate improvement and I only had to put out $2.64 from my pocket. So it is def worthwhile.

I do service calls for AC and heat. The general public is a very, very, sorry bunch. Half my calls are actual problems, the other half is just plain stupid people.

It's extremely easy to prove that is not operator error. It can be reproduced on any new car on the lot. Which is exactly how I proved it to my dealer. I made them ride with me in a new 2.5 turbo and I reproduced it...in a 5EAT to boot.

my appointment isn't untill next monday. You guys all get good loaners. My suby dealer gives us old subarus. My last one had 168,800 miles on it. They really trust these cars. the only prob with the old ones is that they smell kinda funny from years of use. But otherwise, they run great.

Update!! the dealer called me back today. They need my scooby for 3 days while they send in my ecu. So it's the real deal, SOA has actually come through with a fix...now everyone go flood the dealers.

took mine into the dealer today. They couldn't duplicate it, so i drove them around in mine and showed them. Then told them to pick any 2005 2.5 turbo off the lot, 5EAT or 5MT and I'll duplicate it on that too. So they did. And I did. And now they're looking into finding that TSB. They called the SOA tech line, but the tech line hasn't called them back yet.

O boy, my first thingy I've done as a mod... I stickied this.

Sorry, I'm right. read the forum a little http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4071&highlight=ecu+smart

Please people! Don't be cutting and splicing wires for this silly 'mod'. The dealer can change this setting in the car's computer. It's in a few other threads and it even says in the owners manual that the dealer can do it. Don't risk a warranty issue with this!

Obp Ob Xt 5mt

You guys do realize that this an option that can be disabled by the dealer... takes them like 5 min and no wires to cut or anything. Same goes for Audis and most other cars with keyless entry.