Hi,

Here is just the teaser of the another project I am about to start. I love RGB ambient light in R60, but I do not have it in my Countryman. That is why I have decided to retrofit it.

It will not be an easy project. Need to swap some interior trim and do a lot of wiring updates. At the end codding is required to add Light Package factory option.

I have decided to change original approach with the interior bottom light. Instead of adding the lamps n the front footwell, I will use LED tapes. The same I am going to do with the door entry lights.

From my initial research what parts are needed:

- 4 door panels with light package (LEDs and door entry lights)
- 2 LEDs for center rail
- 2 fiber optic for center rail
- roof light operating unit
- 4 LED stripes for footwell light
- 4 LED stripes for door entry light
- wiring set

Did anybody tried to retrofit some interior lights?

 

Hi,

Summer is almost over, so it's time to summarize progress. I spend lots of hours on analysing the wiring schemas, collecting wires, mini connectors, and other hardware. I still did not get door trims, as the one from >2013 are hardly accessible.

But I did significant progress. I have prepared wiring set to connect doors and footwell light to FRM. In the attached pictures you can see the internal wiring harness (except doors' harness).

The goal of the project is to install factory ambient light option, but also to improve it. I will add additional RGB footwell light lights to light up the floor. To do this I have used RGB LED and fibre optic. Moreover I have decided to add additional white light for rear seats footwell (located under front seat). I've chosen white LED stripes.

At the end of this stage, I did a dry run test. Connected LEDs and fibre optics and wiring harnes. Turned on +12V and... take a look at the pictures. "U" shaped fibre optics in the middle is the one which will go into center rail. It is based on the original RGB LEDs from Mini. When the color mix (like Red + Blue) is applied it differs from footwell color, but it should not be a case at the end of the project. At the dry test time I had only one front footwell lamp for the right side (warm light in the up right). I am planning to swap the standard bulb with white LED, so it will fit with rear footwell light.

I am going for 2 weeks holiday and I going to continue after that with the project. The next stage would be to install harness and prepared LEDs in the car.

 

I've just discovered, that all doors' harness are already pre-equipped with the wire for ambient light. It is confirmed also at realoem, where there is only 1 version for rear door harness and 2 versions of front door harness. Those 2 versions differs whether there is power folding mirror or not. So concerning ambient light all wire harness is already done! Ufff... As I am doing parallel project with power folding and EC wing mirrors retrofit, I will have to upgrade a little bit wire harness in front doors for new mirrors. It is quite straight forward, but I will describe it in separate thread.

 

Well, it is time for the update of the progress I have made.

I finally found free time to make the installation:

• main ambient light wiring harness in the car body
• new roof module, which controlls ambient light
• center rail RGB leds and fibres
• front footwell light + RGB led and fibre
• rear footwell led stripes (white) + RGB led and fibre
• connections to FRM, JBE, doors sockets

There is a lot of disassembling prerequisites, which took me 1,5h:

• front seats
• front doors footwell trims
• pillar B trims (first upper, then lower)
• front bottom dashboard trims
• pillars A trims
• sun visiors
• rearview mirror

Pulling the wiring harness is a bit tricky, especially between left and right side of the car - I used a space on front of the driver and passenger footwells.

I updated wiring harness in the roof module, FRM and JBE.

I have installed led strips and RGB leds underneath of the front seats.

Finally coding is required to add light package to VO list - $563. After defaulting CAS, FRM and JBE, RGB leds starts to light up

In the previous post, I wrote, that there are already wire harness for light package in the doors. It was only partially truth - there are wire harness in front doors, but not in the rear. So I had to prepare them. One another evening of work with wire harness and one additional to install them in the doors.

At the time of writing this update, I have managed only to get the rear door trims. I will get the front door trims next week, so will be able to install them and conclude the project.

Moreover, I have decided to add additional light in the front doors trims, that will project 'Mini' logo on the ground.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/281414327343?_trksid=p2060778.m2749.l2649&var=580440408471&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AITSo I will install them as well.

See some pictures from the current installation progress.

BTW. Unfortunately during the installation of the internal harness I injured my power windows steering. Non of the switches in the car works, and the switch panel in the drivers doors even do not light. But mirros' adjustment swithc works fine. Power windows triggered by the key fob (comfort oppening/closing) works, so that is not a problem with the windows motors or regulators. It must be something with LIN Bus which is connected to the driver switches.

I did not figured out this, but I would appreciate if anybody could help me...

 

I did another step. That time update of the driver's door.

As mentioned above, front doors have the ambient light harness pre installed already, so all you need to do is to change the door's trim.

A little tricky point is unmounting the trim. The left edge of it is mounted with the specific clip. TIP: first unclip bottom and right side of the trim by pulling/levering the trim. Next push left side of the trim upwards, so it slide up.

The tricky point is also how to unmount speaker plug (the blue one). I used screwdriver and force, but that was not the best choice. Anybody has the good advice, how easily and harmless unmount it?

As I was installing also Mini logo LED projector in the trim, I had to solder the wires to the door ground light wires.

Look at the attached picture - the projected logo on the ground looks really impressive

 

Finally completed the whole ambient light retrofit project!

Most challenging part was bug fixing - it took me about 20h!

But the final effect is awesome! It is not easy to show it on the pictures. I've made some shots from my mobile phone. I will provide better when I will take tripod.

What was wrong with the power windows? It was strange behaviour of modules after defaulting them - IHKA and FRM starter to behave like my 2013 CM would be 2011 CM. Front windows started to be operated by the center console (yes, by the switches of the "DSC on/off" and "Fog lights"), non of the doors switches were working. I manually set FRM and IHKA (fortunately I had this ECUs' config backups to compare) and voila!

I am especially proud of the front and rear footwells RGB leds with fibers. They are giving subtle light which is not disturbing driver, but it is noticeable on the carpets.

 

Two thumbs up!

 

Awesome work here! can you please list the parts that you used: i m getting a car with the excitement package, the only things that missing are the doors lights, can you tell me please which lights you used for the doors, and also the logo led which one did you use.
i want to do this to my doors:


please let me know thank you