Puddle Lights - DIY (a piece of cake)

[Rlinetexas]

Thanks KowCC

[KOWCC]

Welcome!

[chopperguytampa]

My lights come in tomorrow from Deautokey, wish me luck on the install.. Thanks for the post. Did you do the interior lights as well?

[KOWCC]

All interior , yea

[apexer]

Finally put my puddle lamp LEDs in from deAutoKey last night. Let me just say KOWCC's tutorial on the process was fantastic, really made it an easy job. The bulb deAutoKey shipped for the puddle lamps are the same one used in the interior map lights, and they turned out really nice.

A couple of follow-ups on the installation...someone earlier mentioned using suction cups to help pull the mirrors out of the motors, and this is definitely the way to go. I used a suction cup along with one of the interior trim removal tools (cloth wrapped) that came with my bulbs and the mirrors popped right out.

One additional tip I'll pass along that I can't recall if I saw earlier in this thread...and it might seem rather obvious...but once you've got the new bulb plugged into the harness and you've verified that it works, trigger it on again with a quick open/close of the door and then use the light output from the LED to guide it back into the opening and snap back into place. It's dark down in there since everything is black, and holding a micro flashlight with your teeth is a poor substitute. On both sides I had to really work the thing back in because the rubber boot around the bulb base doesn't want to go back into place. One that I thought was back in actually started working its way back out until noticed it right before reinstalling the motor. There's so little room to get your fingers down into the mirror housing that this is actually the hardest part of the install, IMO.

[chopperguytampa]

All interior , yea

any tips on the inside?

[KOWCC]

Inside is super easy. Rear domes, the whole plastic assembly comes off.

Front domes are diff if you have a sunroof or not. But basically get a credit card and pry off the mesh looking plastic piece. Slowly work your way around it and pull slowly. Screws are under there. Glove box also the whole light assembly comes out. Super easy

[KOWCC]

And visors are the easiest, pull the light assembly out. Soo easy!

[Will22]

I was the one that mentioned using the suction. Works really easy but you do need a strong suction.

[deAutoKey.com]

I want to thank KOWCC for letting us use his DIY on our website:

http://deAutoKey.com/cc-puddle-led-install-guide

[KOWCC]

My pleasure....looking forward to making you an interior DIY, but this time using nothing BUT the best LED bulbs out there from deAutoKey!

[deAutoKey.com]

My pleasure....looking forward to making you an interior DIY, but this time using nothing BUT the best LED bulbs out there from deAutoKey!

I'll be honored, you are the authority on LEDs, so we hope for the best here!

Thank you

[MikeinNJ]

I got the normal 5 SMD style bulbs for my puddle lamps, the same as the ones used in the domes/interior kit. I got this before the CC specific puddle lamp kit was out.

Are the ones in the 'CC Puddle Lamp Kit' the same thing or are they the flat, footwell style LEDs with 6 LEDs that face down? Thanks!

[deAutoKey.com]

I got the normal 5 SMD style bulbs for my puddle lamps, the same as the ones used in the domes/interior kit. I got this before the CC specific puddle lamp kit was out.

Are the ones in the 'CC Puddle Lamp Kit' the same thing or are they the flat, footwell style LEDs with 6 LEDs that face down? Thanks!

Flat facing down, it should be the same as the way they are angled.

KOWCC is testing, he can compare both of them.

[KOWCC]

I got the normal 5 SMD style bulbs for my puddle lamps, the same as the ones used in the domes/interior kit. I got this before the CC specific puddle lamp kit was out.

Are the ones in the 'CC Puddle Lamp Kit' the same thing or are they the flat, footwell style LEDs with 6 LEDs that face down? Thanks!

Mike, brother, get the 6smd LEDs from deautokey... Don't waste anymore time with the other ones that only have 1 smd facing down. The housing is completely black, which means the other 4 smd are wasted light (black absorbs and doesnt reflect!). I already have the 6smd down facing flat (194-wedge) bulb. In swear by them!

[MikeinNJ]

Mike, brother, get the 6smd LEDs from deautokey... Don't waste anymore time with the other ones that only have 1 smd facing down. The housing is completely black, which means the other 4 smd are wasted light (black absorbs and doesnt reflect!). I already have the 6smd down facing flat (194-wedge) bulb. In swear by them!

Sounds good, I'll throw my order in soon. I've pretty much maxed out my play money for this car for the month. (Downpipe, aircharge pipe, turbo outlet pipe, premium color MFI/R gauges, euro cupholder)

If I see the reverse light kit for the 2013 CC come out, I'll order that in a heartbeat. Need that more than anything.

[KOWCC]

They actually sell footwell lights with 6 smd, that I'm running, here's the link . I'm sure deautokey will reply to your answer

http://deautokey.com/product/2pc-6-l...white-red-blue

[MikeinNJ]

They actually sell footwell lights with 6 smd, that I'm running, here's the link . I'm sure deautokey will reply to your answer

http://deautokey.com/product/2pc-6-l...white-red-blue

Yeah, I like those. I have two sets of them for my front/rear footwells. Good stuff.

[KOWCC]

Wow that's your monthly budget for the CC, in a few months you will have 1000 hp

[MikeinNJ]

Wow that's your monthly budget for the CC, in a few months you will have 1000 hp

I'll be good with K04 this summer. I'm just about content with stage 2, but I want that extra assurance that I'll be able to dust just about any tailgating Infiniti/Acura/BMW dbag driver that comes down from NYC this summer to the 'Joisey Shooorwe'. Serious, at any given road down here in the summer, you find nothing but NY plates and blacked out, debadged G coupes swerving, revving and tailgating the right lane.

[KOWCC]

Lol, sounds like a riot....I endorse your k04 then...

[Stero1D]

I'll be good with K04 this summer. I'm just about content with stage 2, but I want that extra assurance that I'll be able to dust just about any tailgating Infiniti/Acura/BMW dbag driver that comes down from NYC this summer to the 'Joisey Shooorwe'. Serious, at any given road down here in the summer, you find nothing but NY plates and blacked out, debadged G coupes swerving, revving and tailgating the right lane.

Smoke them all!

[TDI Driver]

Great DIY KOWCC!

Not sure if this was mentioned in this thread yet (didn't see it when I skimmed over it, so I could have missed it), but if you have the auto dimming rear-view mirror, make sure you cover the sunlight sensor. Otherwise they won't light up unless it's dark out. This drove me nuts because I put the stock bulbs back in when the LED's wouldn't light when i was testing them, and then the stock ones wouldn't light. Took me a good 10 mins of scratching my head to remember it had that sensor.

[KOWCC]

Wow interesting!

[Will22]

Great DIY KOWCC!

Not sure if this was mentioned in this thread yet (didn't see it when I skimmed over it, so I could have missed it), but if you have the auto dimming rear-view mirror, make sure you cover the sunlight sensor. Otherwise they won't light up unless it's dark out. This drove me nuts because I put the stock bulbs back in when the LED's wouldn't light when i was testing them, and then the stock ones wouldn't light. Took me a good 10 mins of scratching my head to remember it had that sensor.

That's a dam good point there. When I did mine I was in an under ground car park.

[KOWCC]

I did mine at night too. Lol.

[vahdyx]

I no longer run that bulb. It went bad about week after i installed it, and yes i also wanted more diodes pointing downward because the housing of the bulb is pure black plastic, not reflective silver/chrome, so basically any light output pointing in any other direction but down is totally lost.

These are the bulbs I run now by Sencart. Absolutely great quality! 12 smd on each bulb, but at least I have 6 pointing down. Another issue is the clear plastic cover at the bottom of the housing, it's not directing the light straight down. If only it was a smooth crystal clear plastic.

I have these or similar from deAutokey and I can't seem to get them in. They light up and everything, but I can't put the LED back in the hole. Any tips?

[OEMplusCC]

I have these or similar from deAutokey and I can't seem to get them in. They light up and everything, but I can't put the LED back in the hole. Any tips?

I have those as well. You need to dissemble your whole mirror in order to make more room. It is not hard, takes extra 10 minutes

[vahdyx]

I have those as well. You need to dissemble your whole mirror in order to make more room. It is not hard, takes extra 10 minutes

Yeah I ended up figuring that out after my post

It worked out.

[KOWCC]

Yeah I ended up figuring that out after my post

It worked out.

Sorry just got online..happy it worked out!

[vahdyx]

Sorry just got online..happy it worked out!

No worries, thanks for getting back to me.

[KOWCC]

Pics? Would love to see the Deautokey version. Thanks