Improving the trunk light

I have been trying to read up on this, and I am sorry if this is a 2nd post on the same topic, but I could not quite find what I was after.

The lighting in the trunk of the new passat is pretty poor. A 2nd light on the left side would certainly be ideal, or even relocating the light to the top center.

So, what I am wondering first is if anyone is aware of any current (power draw / allowance) on the rear trunk light circuit?

Next if there is no real limit, or the limit is based on the light they have installed (VW), what I want to do is somehow purchase a new light socket, would make sense to use the same one in the car so the bulb interface is the same. Using a jump wire from the existing socket make a new light location on the other side, or even on the top, or both (3 lights in total). I would change out the bulbs for LED's to allow less draw per bulb but hoping to maintain the same current requirements as to not make any problems.

Any one done this, or have suggestions / concerns?

I was looking at the Ziza LED sets on ECS's site, I was thinking to purchase an entire set for my car, interior, exterior (DRL's, Lic. plate I may avoid, no need to let people read the plate better).

If anyone has suggestions or thinks it’s a bad idea let me know.

Not too sure how easy something like this would be, but sounds easy while writing it.

-Anthony

This thread should give you some insight:
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=362706&highlight=trunk+light
This one is worth a read as well:
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=358501&highlight=trunk+light
Good luck
mishkaya

The Kchorro mod is the best! Very easy to do and the LEDs are cheap and effective. We have 4 of the LEDs in our trunk and it's nice even light.

^^^BY FAR, the cheapest and most effective OF ALL TIME! The light improvement is HUGE. I still smile every time I open the trunk. I haven't read the thread in a long time, and I'm sure it's well written, BUT do remember to foam wrap the wire from the LEDs if you're installing them on top of the subwoofer box (SEL)...if you don't, they might rattle at times...ask me how I know...

EASY mod. The only issue is that you need to be careful when loading tall items in the trunk, as it's easy to bump the LED...don't ask me how I know...

superbrightleds.com has their 30 led light strip with sticky backing, $8-$15 and a some wire and be done.

740GLE said:

superbrightleds.com has their 30 led light strip with sticky backing, $8-$15 and a some wire and be done.

Click to expand...

http://www.meritline.com/waterproof...light-strip-with-silicon-cover---p-91930.aspx

These work a treat. Silicone cover protects strip. Severely bright.

Attach to metal trunk structure with small wire ties, orienting power leads to central location. 18 gauge speaker wire from trunk light to LED power lead terminus. Connect with crimp caps or solder/heat shrink. Enjoy......

Hint. Check operation of LEDs prior to final connection. They require correct polarity connection.

The stock light is in such a stupid place. If you happen to have a piece of luggage by the light, the rest of the trunk is dark. How about we place it at the top of the trunk, under the rear shelf, where it can light up the whole trunk...you know, something the Japanese have been doing for decades? Germans...

Never knew anybody else actually cared about this...so glad I found out someone has already done these mods!

Is it true the 2014s STILL have the useless light in the same place? Completely ridiculous...

740GLE said:

superbrightleds.com has their 30 led light strip with sticky backing, $8-$15 and a some wire and be done.

Click to expand...

here's some pics of that superbrightled strip with 30 LEDs that I have mounted under the hood to light the engine compartment. Been there for over a year now and still adherent. They make 2 types in white - natural and warm. natural is brighter white at 5600K. In the thread, I used a warm white and at 3250K, is not as bright as I would desire. http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=359853

I have 5 of these I wired into the OEM light. Set comes with 4, I bought 3 sets for varies uses I love my truck lights!

You could get one of these sets and change the color for your mood or a party!

It is certainly possible to get superior lighting in the trunk.

I installed a secondary light on the drivers side and also installed the Touareg light dead center on the top. Then I installed LED bulbs from SuperBright and my trunk is flooded with light every time I open it.

I will try to get some pics tonight.

I installed 8 bright white LEDs in the trunk using the concept described here
This was the BEST bang-for-the-buck mod I have ever done on a car. Here is the result:

My, what a bright trunk you have!

LOL yeah it sucks getting old. These 51 year old eyes are not 25 anymore. i need mucho light.

Finally added these, they are just from the local auto parts store, $17 and come with wire and a battery switch so you can test them in different locations and test the lighting before installing them. I ended up using the front and back edges of the package tray.

Before with no flash

After with no flash


Definitely a good mod to do and cheap

mishkaya said:

This thread should give you some insight:
This one is worth a read as well:
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=358501&highlight=trunk+light
Good luck
mishkaya

Click to expand...

Everytime I open my trunk, I enjoy those lights!!! Almost 2 years later and they work flawless, even with my less than professional solderless joints (as a plumber I have had my fair share of burns from soldering copper, didn't feel like having it rain down on me at home as well!!)...

I'd like to contribute to the diversity of trunk light improvements.. I used Ikea's led strip (4x) "Dioder" to my utmost satisfaction! They come with an adapter but obviously you don't need it since you hook the strips up to your regular 12V connection in the trunk. I placed two behind - and two in front of the sub. Strips came with tiny brackets. Didn't use glue or tie-raps.. Just drilled a few tiny holes..
Let the pics speak for themselves and good luck modding!





The end result!


Oh yeah - this is what it looked like before... :-(

Looks very nice! IKEA has a very interesting selection of LEDs.

Hatseflats! said:

I'd like to contribute to the diversity of trunk light improvements.. I used Ikea's led strip (4x) "Dioder" to my utmost satisfaction! They come with an adapter but obviously you don't need it since you hook the strips up to your regular 12V connection in the trunk. I placed two behind - and two in front of the sub. Strips came with tiny brackets. Didn't use glue or tie-raps.. Just drilled a few tiny holes..
Let the pics speak for themselves and good luck modding!

The end result!

Oh yeah - this is what it looked like before... :-(

Click to expand...

Where did you tap into the factory lighting?

LokiWolf said:

Where did you tap into the factory lighting?

Click to expand...

While this doesn't show precisely where, if you pull down the liner on the right side of the trunk, the wiring harness is run along the top of the wheel well housing. Just need to pull out the red/blue 12V+ from the harness, and connect to the brown/blue switched negative so the lights come on when you pop the lid.


You can see where the harness comes down the back side of the wheel well. The tap I made is at the far right near the middle of the photo. The push on connectors have since been replaced with soldered connections. Note that there are extra wires there for the rear view camera controller and the rear LED mods as most cars will not have wiring running down the right side trunk hinge arm.

Great thread, we have a bright simple solution that looks neat and installs in a second:
http://deautokey.com/product/volksw...passat-cc-eos-bright-error-free-plug-and-play

Please note you need to have the bigger housing installed (~3.5 inches) not the smaller one, if you do have the smaller one, you can cut a bit of the trunk carpeting and fit this one in the same as if it was the smaller housing. Some people have done that with no issues.

Does it throw a code?

If it came with the plug and a pig tail it could be easily added to the other side as an extra light.

deAutoKey said:

http://deautokey.com/product/volksw...passat-cc-eos-bright-error-free-plug-and-play

Click to expand...

Simple to replace, great! But one bag can block the light from the rest of the trunk.

deAutoKey said:

...product shilling...

Click to expand...

This will make the second time I have requested that you keep the product advertising restricted to the vendor classifieds forum. You can not post product advertisements anywhere else on the site. Please remove this post.

Nebelwerfer said:

Does it throw a code?

Click to expand...

Herkguy said:

If it came with the plug and a pig tail it could be easily added to the other side as an extra light.

Click to expand...

It is error free, plug and play simple install. The wiring is the same and you only have to plug in your adapter into the housing.

The only issue is if you do not have the 3.5 inch trunk housing and you have the smaller one, you have to cut your trunk liner to get this one to fit, it will not be noticeable once the housing is installed.

Here are the pictures and review from another forum member:

miamipassat said:

Here are a few images of the complete housing from deAutoKey.
the housing is larger than stock so I am sure there are more LED's
to light up the trunk. I got a box cutter and simply cut down on the opening about half an inch. The housing simply pops in.

Click to expand...

VeeDubTDI said:

This will make the second time I have requested that you keep the product advertising restricted to the vendor classifieds forum. You can not post product advertisements anywhere else on the site. Please remove this post.

Click to expand...

Hi, we sent you a msg, we are not trying to break any rules. Please look over what we sent to you and get back to us.

Thank you

PM replied to.

I do have one fault with your product, that is actually more of a fault with VW's location of the stock trunk light. If you put anything in front of it, it blocks all of the light from the rest of the trunk. This is why many of us have taken to installing additional lighting in the roof of the trunk.

deAutoKey said:

It is error free, plug and play simple install. The wiring is the same and you only have to plug in your adapter into the housing.

The only issue is if you do not have the 3.5 inch trunk housing and you have the smaller one, you have to cut your trunk liner to get this one to fit, it will not be noticeable once the housing is installed.

Here are the pictures and review from another forum member:







Hi, we sent you a msg, we are not trying to break any rules. Please look over what we sent to you and get back to us.

Thank you

Click to expand...

I made my own version of this by taking the stock light out and carefully removing the metal back of the stock light assembly, and replacing the stock bulb with an LED. Just take the light assembly out and unplug it, then gently pry the four tabs holding on the metal back up, and slide the back off. Then, replace the stock bulb with an OSRAM LED from autozone for 10 bucks. It's basically exactly the same thing at a fraction of the cost.

deAutoKey said:

We are not trying to break any rules.

Click to expand...

Actually, as a vendor, You are not allowed to just post in a thread that is discussing a product that you may happen to sell.

As a former vendor, this was brought to my attention some time ago.

Per the Vendor Registration FAQ:

http://www.tdiclub.com/Disclaimer/vendor.html said:

If I register as a Vendor, can I still participate in discussions?

A: Vendors ARE allowed to participate in general civil discussions as everyone else is. Vendors ARE NOT allowed to jump in other vendor's threads and trash, troll, bait, flame, etc., the competition. Example: all vendors are allowed to talk about what makes a good chip tune. ‘This is why I make my chip tunes this way’ IS allowed. ‘Your chip tunes are crap and blow up turbos’ IS NOT allowed. Common sense and maturity is one's guide.

Vendors ARE NOT allowed to post in any thread outside the Vendor Classifieds for the purpose of solicitation to promote or sell their products, no matter how thinly disguised. Vendors are not allowed to mine the forums to drum up business. Example: Someone in a thread reports they are due for a timing belt change, what parts do they need? A vendor posts that he has a special going on for TB kits. Those types of posts will be deleted. Repeat offenses will result in temporary loss or posting privileges, or even in the vendor being permanently banned.

Click to expand...

TurboDieselPoint said:

I made my own version of this by taking the stock light out and carefully removing the metal back of the stock light assembly, and replacing the stock bulb with an LED. Just take the light assembly out and unplug it, then gently pry the four tabs holding on the metal back up, and slide the back off. Then, replace the stock bulb with an OSRAM LED from autozone for 10 bucks. It's basically exactly the same thing at a fraction of the cost.

Click to expand...

What is the lumens on that LED? Ours has 18 LED Chips. And close to 500 lumens.

Fixmy59bug said:

Actually, as a vendor, You are not allowed to just post in a thread that is discussing a product that you may happen to sell.

As a former vendor, this was brought to my attention some time ago.

Per the Vendor Registration FAQ:

Click to expand...

This is interesting, we did not know until VeeDubTDI msg'ed us today.