My little mod.

[groovyslick]

everyone, including me, notices the lack of interior lighting. so I added a couple strips of leds. no wiring to the harness needed. I am using the lighter outlet! it is not perfection but it works and looks decent.

[surfcitylocal]

Cool idea. There is a real lack of lighting in the iQ.

[Dave777]

Nice, but I'd really like to see someone do a mod that's wired in to the overhead light, and document it with some good photos.

Bonus points to the first person to do it.

[surfcitylocal]

Nice, but I'd really like to see someone do a mod that's wired in to the overhead light, and document it with some good photos.

Bonus points to the first person to do it.

That wouldn't be too difficult, I've already wired my side mirror lights into the dome light. Took some testing to find the correct wires but it's a done deal.

[Dave777]

surfcitylocal, you're the guy to go to for mods, but we don't all have your expertise or experience. I'm not sure where or how I'd start, getting the headliner pulled down to run wires back. Ideally I'd like an LED dome light center mounted right between the seat backs, so it would light up the entire interior, and would be controlled by the same switch that controls the forward light.

Any thoughts on that?
Thank you.

[surfcitylocal]

Easier than you might think. You can easily remove the dome light from the headliner. It pulls down and out exposing the wires you'll need to connect to. After you cut the hole in the headliner where you want the new dome light you can tape your new wire onto the end of a plastic zip tie and fish it through to the existing dome light location. Connect the wires, mount the new dome light and you're in business.

[Dave777]

Thanks for the suggestion scl.

One last question: After wiring to the input to the dome light, will it respond in the same way, dimming to OFF in the same manner as the dome?

You're a great resource. Appreciated.

[surfcitylocal]

Thanks for the suggestion scl.

One last question: After wiring to the input to the dome light, will it respond in the same way, dimming to OFF in the same manner as the dome?

You're a great resource. Appreciated.

Yes it will. Both dome lights will act the same way. Glad to be of help.

[Dave777]

I pulled the dome down and took a look. Wow, those are some tiny wires! Plus, when I tried to feed a small welding rod back, it seemed to reach an obstruction about a foot or so to the rear. Feeling the headliner, it's almost like there might be a crossbar there. I don't think I'll start putting holes in the headliner until I'm sure the wiring can be done. Not too crazy about the idea of removing the entire headliner. More than my skill level.

[surfcitylocal]

I pulled the dome down and took a look. Wow, those are some tiny wires! Plus, when I tried to feed a small welding rod back, it seemed to reach an obstruction about a foot or so to the rear. Feeling the headliner, it's almost like there might be a crossbar there. I don't think I'll start putting holes in the headliner until I'm sure the wiring can be done. Not too crazy about the idea of removing the entire headliner. More than my skill level.

You are correct, there are two cross beams you'll have to go under/over. The suggestion about using the long zip tie will make this much easier. You can also remove the grab handles on the side of the headliner to allow more slack, dropping the headliner a little without removing it.