ambient lighting?

[KurtP]

My VW had red LED ambient lighting that came down from around where the sunroof switch was, and it turned into a feature that i really liked having in the car.

 

Anyone done anything like that in the legacy?

[timmahh]

Yup!

 

Here is my version of it..

 

http://www.fuzi0n.com/imgz/cars/subaru/ambient/ambled1.jpg

http://www.fuzi0n.com/imgz/cars/subaru/ambient/ambled2.jpg

http://www.fuzi0n.com/imgz/cars/subaru/ambient/ambled4.jpg

http://www.fuzi0n.com/imgz/cars/subaru/ambient/ambled5.jpg

http://www.fuzi0n.com/imgz/cars/subaru/ambient/ambled6.jpg

[KurtP]

nice....step by step?

[timmahh]

I bought 3MM orange 12V leds from oznium, and the 3mm black plastic LED holder.

 

I have the autodimming/homelink mirror, so I drilled a hole in the bottom of it and the back to pass the LED wire through. I ground the LED down on sand paper until it sat flush with the LED holder, so it didn't stick out at all. I ran the wire into the bottom hole and bent it so it went out the back, then tapped into the +12v [ign on] in the homelink harness above the map lights

 

[jasejase]

Anyone else try this or something very similiar. I love the blue light on the 2010+ Legacy.

 

Heck, even our rental ford focus had full led accent/ambient lights in it last month!

[Merc6]

Chevy Malibu also have this and the Audi have em all over the interior. I thought about doing it above the window switches and around the base of the pedals/kick panels.

[jasejase]

i have the autodimming mirror with the compass, but no homelink. guessing the instructions would be similiar.

[Flat4]

I have the same red light installed behind my passenger seat belt indicator, in between the map lights.

[jasejase]

another good idea. i gotta take a look and decide if i got the guts.

[Flat4]

it's really not hard at all, I'll post some pics if you want.

[davey smalls]

so very cool....i'll try and pray it doesn't become an endeavor

[jasejase]

flat 4, that would be sweet!

[BanzGotBoost]

def interested in pics, my friend did this to his m5, looks amazing

[Flat4]

heres a couple pics, sorry about the quality, I don't have a camera.

Off:

http://i734.photobucket.com/albums/ww346/Lowcivic619/CIMG0110.jpg

http://i734.photobucket.com/albums/ww346/Lowcivic619/CIMG0108.jpg

On:

http://i734.photobucket.com/albums/ww346/Lowcivic619/CIMG0112.jpg

http://i734.photobucket.com/albums/ww346/Lowcivic619/CIMG0111.jpg

 

 

gives the cabin a nice red glow at night, not too bright either.

[jasejase]

where did you tap the power?

[Flat4]

I tapped into the mirror harness, the one that powers the compass. If you do this the light will be as soon as you turn the ignition key to the first position, and will stay on with the headlights on or off.

 

I love it, it's one of my favorite mods that I have done to my leggy. That might not say much since I haven't done many mods but still.

[Flat4]

oops double post.

[jasejase]

nice.. and where did you get the led?

[Flat4]

I got mine from radioshack, I would buy some from ebay or somewhere else online if I could do it over again, the LED was too long and I had to cut map light housing a little bit to make it fit.

[Merc6]

Would these leds be something like the ones vendors here us in their interior Lightning kits? brightness quality wise.

[Flat4]

The LED's that vendors use are for lighting the whole interior of the vehicle brightly, when you're talking about "ambient lighting" you don't want something so bright.

 

The LED I have is bright enough to give the front seats, center console and part of the dashboard a nice subtle red glow. I could try to take a night picture to show how bright it is.

 

Here's a picture taken from the outside of the car, you can see the light through the upper tint strip of the car:

http://i734.photobucket.com/albums/ww346/Lowcivic619/CIMG0009.jpg

 

And here are is the LED I bought.

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062568

[Merc6]

Cool just wanted to verify that

[jasejase]

it almost looks too bright. i like the light it casts, and i like the fact that it matches the red in all the instrumentation, but i dont like the fact that you can see it out of the car (if that makes any sense)

 

i like the new model legacy's lights. they recess in a bit, and you can barely see where they are coming from. i beleive they are blue from what i recall (it was a loaner car).

 

wonder what the part is from Subie... and how much they are, then i can mod my 09 just to fit the oem bulb.

[adversexreality]

subscribed for OEM ambient, possibly modded to be red

[Merc6]

it almost looks too bright. i like the light it casts, and i like the fact that it matches the red in all the instrumentation, but i dont like the fact that you can see it out of the car (if that makes any sense)

 

i like the new model legacy's lights. they recess in a bit, and you can barely see where they are coming from. i beleive they are blue from what i recall (it was a loaner car).

 

wonder what the part is from Subie... and how much they are, then i can mod my 09 just to fit the oem bulb.

Just put it higher up like fasten seat belt or construct a blinder so it can't be seen from outside like that unless he is @ a lower angle purposely to show where it is. Besides the wheel gap, these cars ride very low unless you start talking miatas skys and slammed del sols. Most other drivers wouldn't be that low. I look up to carollas and newer sentras @ LGT stock height even with boosters to keep the rear from sagging when trunk is full.