OEM Footwell Lighting Install! Lots of Pics

This was probably one of the easiest and cheapest mods that I have done, probably cost me $20. Bought all these OEM parts from Circle BMW. My reason for installing these was mainly because my car did not come eqipped with footwell lighting. And plus I wanted something to do while in between doing my heated seat retrofit. Anyways here are the parts you need: All P/N #'s should be visible in my pics so therefore I will not post them.

2 - Lights
2 - Socket Connectors
4 - Socket Contacts (2 Black wires, and 2 Black/Red wires)
4 - Blade Connectors: P/N# 61131387144
Some butt connectors or quick disconnects (Pick your Poison)
A couple feet of extra wire (I chose Red and Black Wiring) for extending the footwell light from the driver side to the fuse panel









Tools needed:

Crimping tool
Philips Head Screwdriver
Zip Ties or Electrical Tape

Ok so here we go:

Step 1: Remove the glove box, there are 6 philips head screws holding it to the dash. Sorry I dont have a picture of this one but it's pretty self explanatory there are 5 screws inside the glovebox so it has to be open and then 1 screw underneath to your right hand side. The panel nderneath the glovebox will come free once the glovebox is removed.

Step 2: Now gain access to the fuse panel by undoing those locking tabs. Once you have done this you will notice at the upper left and right hand corners of the fuse panel that there are 2 plastic knobs supporting the fuse panel up. You just need to gently push the fuse panel up to release the knobs from the brackets so then the fuse panel will drop down and you will have more room to work with.

Step 3: The footwell lighting runs the same way as your dome light, and rear pillar lights do, same wire colors and all (Red/Blue for + and Brown for -)

On the fuse panel there is this black box that has all sorts of barrier strips via those comb connectors or whatever there called. You are looking for the Solid Red with Blue stripe strip and the Ground strip. You can tell beause the stri has a few Ground Wires(Brown) comng out of them, and the Red/Blue(Positive) the same thing. These are what you will be connecting your footwell lighting too. Note: A fuse is not required for your car is already equiped with the one for your interior lighting.





Step 4: Once you located these 2 barrier strips, start to assemble your footwell lighting and socket connectors. There are only 2 pins try not to reverse the polarity to the footwell light but if you do no big deal or immediate threat just switch the contact pins around. The footwell light goes into the panel that was below the glovebox there is a faceplate of where it is suppose to be.

Step 5: Once you made your socket connector crimp the ends with those blade connectors and connect the + to the Red/Blue Wire Barrier terminal and the - to the Brown Wire terminal. I did not have to extend the wires of the socket connector on the passenger side the length of wire was more than enough.




Step 5.5: Look at the mess in my car, and oh no someone jacked my seat all thats left is the bare metal frame.



Step 6: Repeat on the Drivers side, first remove the panel there are 4 philips head screws and I think a Plastic rivet by the accelertor pedal. Once the panel is dropped route/extend the wires for the other footwell light to the fuse panel where you just connected the passenger sides.



Step 7: Reinstall everything and enjoy your now OEM footwell lighting. I used wire loom to hide all my wires in my car but thats because I have an abundance just lying around you can either zip tie or use eectrical tape. Enjoy!





Hope this helps to others that weren't as fortunate as myself to have gotten footwell lighting hahaha

Jared

Great dude!

Im ordering the parts right now

Thanks a bunch... I'm definitely going to do this mod now. You're the man!

Originally Posted by Ivegotissues666

Jared, one question: what is that round thing mounted in that panel? It looks like a speaker - mine just has a plastic blank there...

Mark

Originally Posted by Canuck328i

Jared, one question: what is that round thing mounted in that panel? It looks like a speaker - mine just has a plastic blank there...

Mark

It is a speaker like the same size as the stock 2.5" or 3" I forget what size on the door panels of sedans at least but I don't recall it ever working. I may have never noticed it before I got my amp and speakers installed. I also thought it was to the warning beep when you leave your headlights on etc... but I unplugged it and the beeping still worked.

And whats funny is I just searched on realoem and using my ETK CD I can't even find that part listed hmm.... can anyone help me out here

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...1&fg=30&hl=111

#9 Foot Controls Trim

BTW: Mark how did your Chromiums turn out with the new ballast? I forgot to write up a review but overall the my old ballast had a splice in one of the wires and just swapping out with the new one did the trick for me.

Jared

OK, so it is a speaker. I'm thinkin' maybe for a cellular phone or nav, something like that. Hmm, interesting.

As for the halo, don't ask. I'm not a happy guy with the vendor right now, but decline to comment further due to the flaming that I will surely recieve. (PM me if you want.)

Mark

Another great DIY. I'm gonna try both your fog light and footwell light DIY. Thanks.

Wow, great DIY. I might have to do this on my 323i one of these weekends.

Jared, here's the euro rear fog LCM with the headlight leveller control:



I custom wired the second button to select between DRL mode and halo mode. When in halo mode, the 0/1/2 control selects between halo off/halo auto/halo on.


Here's my custom cluster lights.



Mark

^^ good thinking

Originally Posted by Canuck328i

Jared, here's the euro rear fog LCM with the headlight leveller control:



I custom wired the second button to select between DRL mode and halo mode. When in halo mode, the 0/1/2 control selects between halo off/halo auto/halo on.


Here's my custom cluster lights.



Mark

where did u get that LCM? I want it!

The front panel only was around $160CDN from the dealer - PN: 61 31 8 378 572.

Mark

Originally Posted by Canuck328i

Jared, here's the euro rear fog LCM with the headlight leveller control:



I custom wired the second button to select between DRL mode and halo mode. When in halo mode, the 0/1/2 control selects between halo off/halo auto/halo on.


Here's my custom cluster lights.



Mark

care to post a DIY on how you wired the second switch? i want to be able to switch from halo on/drl off to halo off/drl on too

Jared! Nice DIY

Beside the auto light and rain sensor retrofit, I am planning to do the "push button trunk release" retrofit. My 2000 323i doesn't have a button for the trunk release by the driver area =(

Originally Posted by ADA

Jared! Nice DIY

Beside the auto light and rain sensor retrofit, I am planning to do the "push button trunk release" retrofit. My 2000 323i doesn't have a button for the trunk release by the driver area =(

ADA, my 1999 323i doesn't have that button either. I did a seach, but nothing came up for a retrofit. Any documentation on this?

Originally Posted by ADA

Jared! Nice DIY

Beside the auto light and rain sensor retrofit, I am planning to do the "push button trunk release" retrofit. My 2000 323i doesn't have a button for the trunk release by the driver area =(

You I know, when I was installing someones angel eyes today I realized they had that button and I was like oh cool! I want that! I haven't dug into whats involved yet but I am definately going to eventually.

Still lots of stuff I want to retrofit eventually:

Tire Pressure (RDC Function)
Trunk Release
Heated Rear Seats
Auto-Leveling
Rain Sensor
Autofolding mirrors

haha and the list keeps growing

lemme know about the rain sensor... I would be interested in that retrofit.

Originally Posted by AlBoston

lemme know about the rain sensor... I would be interested in that retrofit.

I would imagine you would need a new windshield with the rain sensor contact field built in, no?

Originally Posted by edsmax

I would imagine you would need a new windshield with the rain sensor contact field built in, no?

Yes and No

1) I already have the "rain sensor" windshield. I replaced my front windshield because there was a crack. I decided to spend a few extra dollar and get a ran sensor windshield

2) Technically, you don't need a "rain sensor" windshield. The only MAJOR difference between a non rainsensor and a rain sensor windshield is a piece of IR plastic/lense/filter that the rain sensor connects to. This is just a piece of plastic (purplish/bluish in color). See attached picture.

Unfortunately, BMW doesn't sell this "IR Plastic/lense/filter thingy" individually. BMW only sells it together as a package on their windshield.

You can go around this buy buying the "IR plastic/lens/filter thingy" from a yunk yard. It is secure to the windsheild by adhesive. Some windowshop also sell this thingy as extra spare parts.

HOW IT WORKS:
The rain sensor sent out a light and it gets refractive/refective back to the sensor. The sensor will compute the caluculations and if the refraction/reflection is withing a certain range, the wiper then will activate.



JARED.

Hey, I wish you and I live closer. I will hook you up with xenon auto-level retrofit and we can work together on the RAIN SENSOR and Tire pressure retrofit.

P.S Before you waste any more money on the OEM Tire Pressure system, I highly recommend going through an aftermarket company. Smartire.com sells the best tire monitor pressuring systems. BMW uses a inferior technology. Smartire uses an active techniques than even shows you the temperature and pressure of each tire. they have a cool "display unit." I am going to cut a hole on my trim and install the unit like the way the LCM fits our car.