wire something directly to the ignition
Thread Starter
Super Member
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 657
Likes: 119
From: Boston
2020 E63s Wagon, 2012 C63 AMG Coupe, 1989 560SL, 2023 911 Carrera T
wire something directly to the ignition
hey guys
i've put a few amber LED interior light strips in my car, under the front footwells and the back rear seats. it looks nice but i have a problem
currently i have them wired to a fuse in my front fusebox which works great it just stays on even when i turn off the car. because of that i had to put a switch on and as cool as the interior lights are its not cool that i have to reach under the dash and flip a switch every time.
I was wondering if there is a way to wire them so they come on every time i turn the engine on and turn off when the engine is turned off. im not looking to tear the whole dash apart to do this but if anyone knows a way if you could tell me thatd be great.
currently my plan is to try and find a way to wire them to the ignition but i dont know how to do that on my car. I've done it with my friend on his audi but we found an article showing how to online. cant find anything like that for the w204 however. any help is appreciated thanks.
i've put a few amber LED interior light strips in my car, under the front footwells and the back rear seats. it looks nice but i have a problem
currently i have them wired to a fuse in my front fusebox which works great it just stays on even when i turn off the car. because of that i had to put a switch on and as cool as the interior lights are its not cool that i have to reach under the dash and flip a switch every time.
I was wondering if there is a way to wire them so they come on every time i turn the engine on and turn off when the engine is turned off. im not looking to tear the whole dash apart to do this but if anyone knows a way if you could tell me thatd be great.
currently my plan is to try and find a way to wire them to the ignition but i dont know how to do that on my car. I've done it with my friend on his audi but we found an article showing how to online. cant find anything like that for the w204 however. any help is appreciated thanks.
Thread Starter
Super Member
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 657
Likes: 119
From: Boston
2020 E63s Wagon, 2012 C63 AMG Coupe, 1989 560SL, 2023 911 Carrera T
thanks guys i'll keep looking around, but if anyone else has any ideas id appreciate it.
here are some pictures i took of the lights in my garage.
here are some pictures i took of the lights in my garage.
Thread Starter
Super Member
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 657
Likes: 119
From: Boston
2020 E63s Wagon, 2012 C63 AMG Coupe, 1989 560SL, 2023 911 Carrera T
my 2008 didnt have amber lighting anywhere but the doorhandles which are barely visible anyway. it had regular bulbs in the footwells that removed and put these amber strips in to match the doorhandles. i've heard in the newer models they added more amber ambient lighting, and i wanted to try and emulate that
Trending Topics
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 2,601
Likes: 28
From: Atlanta, GA
2008 C300 Sport 6 Speed Manual, 1953 Chevy Bel-Air, 2015 Audi allroad, 1963 Chevy Apache
Seriously though, my 2008 lights up well enough to give it some ambiance but not be a distraction. Were your's simply not working? Now that you have me curious, I will have to go out tonight and check out exactly what kind of lighting I have going on down there.
MB World Stories
The Best of Mercedes & AMG
6 Mercedes Models That Did NOT Age Well (But Are Somehow Still Cool)
Verdad Gallardo
Manual Mercedes? 6 Times Sindelfingen Let Drivers Have All The Fun
Verdad Gallardo
Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 S Is Extremely Rare Example Modified by McLaren
Verdad Gallardo
8 Classic Boxy Mercedes Designs That Have Aged Like Fine Wine
Verdad Gallardo
Flawlessly Restored Mercedes 190E Evo II Heads to Auction
Verdad Gallardo
Electric Mercedes C-Class Unveiled: 11 Things You Need to Know
Verdad Gallardo
Mercedes EQS Gets A Major Update: Everything You Need to Know
Verdad Gallardo
5 Underrated Mercedes-Benz Models That Don't Get the Love They Deserve
Verdad Gallardo
Mercedes 300D Has Pushed Well Past 1 Million Miles and It Ain't Stopping
Verdad Gallardo
Thread Starter
Super Member
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 657
Likes: 119
From: Boston
2020 E63s Wagon, 2012 C63 AMG Coupe, 1989 560SL, 2023 911 Carrera T
haha, yeah vacuuming is definitely needed. actually did it not too long ago but the salt and sand from a new england winter holds no mercy.
the footwell lighting in my car was just two regular halogen bulbs which only lit up barely, and i dont think they were on all the time. these leds are really bring and the light sort of spills nicely into the rest of the car, and give a better amber color to match the dash and door handle lights.
the footwell lighting in my car was just two regular halogen bulbs which only lit up barely, and i dont think they were on all the time. these leds are really bring and the light sort of spills nicely into the rest of the car, and give a better amber color to match the dash and door handle lights.
Junior Member
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 24
Likes: 0
2011 C300 4Matic Sport
Why cant you wire the strips up to the same power that the bulbs were on? that should take care of you needing a switch under the dash.
my 2008 didnt have amber lighting anywhere but the doorhandles which are barely visible anyway. it had regular bulbs in the footwells that removed and put these amber strips in to match the doorhandles. i've heard in the newer models they added more amber ambient lighting, and i wanted to try and emulate that
Thread Starter
Super Member
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 657
Likes: 119
From: Boston
2020 E63s Wagon, 2012 C63 AMG Coupe, 1989 560SL, 2023 911 Carrera T
that was actually my original thought, and the reason i no longer have those bulbs running additionally. when i hooked up the strips to the wires the bulbs were connected to, they fluctuated between being fully lit and barely lit on an interval of about 30 seconds, and stayed on all the time still. that baffled me, and was when i decided to screw it and just tap a fuse.
