Rear reading lights

[sailesh]

I’d like to replace the standard rear interior light with a wider part from an A6 that has reading lights.

Does anyone have suggestions on how best to enlarge the aperture without risk of messing up the head lining? It’s a job I won’t be able to easily go back on!

I haven’t yet checked the electrical connections but assume that this won’t be the tricky part.

Thanks

 

[PlasticMac]

I'd start with the electrics myself. You need the circuit schematic for the A4 item, and the A2 item, to confirm they are compatible with one another. The extra current drawn by the A4 item, when everything is on, could be a risk too.
Take care.
Mac.

 

[2work]

I’d like to replace the standard rear interior light with a wider part from an A6 that has reading lights.

Does anyone have suggestions on how best to enlarge the aperture without risk of messing up the head lining? It’s a job I won’t be able to easily go back on!

I haven’t yet checked the electrical connections but assume that this won’t be the tricky part.

Thanks

Afternoon Sailesh,

Whilst I agree with starting with the electrics, for a perfect looking finish you’ll also require the thin meta surround from the A6 headlining biscuit. This metal surround will be what the new map reading lights clip into.


Whilst your there could you get a picture of the connectors on the A6 and A2 l switch pack to see if they receive the same connector from the vehicle. We will need someone to assist with the A6 wiring diagrams to see if they have the same type of feeds on the very same pin. If this turns out to be the case then it’ll be a headlining out task to carefully fit the headlining biscuit from the top to the same size as the A6 metal surround. Once cut it’s just a case of carefully trimming the headlining fabric and stretching it up over the new aperture and holding the fabric in place with the A6 surround. Hope that makes sense.

Let’s get a picture uploaded of the connector on the A6 and A2 switch packs to see if they’re the same. From there we could work out if the pinout is the same.

Love the oval idea of an improved rear light. Might even copy you once I get round to reupholstering EUDs headlining. Top idea Sir.

Kind regards,

Tom

 

[Jellybean]

I’d like to replace the standard rear interior light with a wider part from an A6 that has reading lights.

Does anyone have suggestions on how best to enlarge the aperture without risk of messing up the head lining? It’s a job I won’t be able to easily go back on!

I haven’t yet checked the electrical connections but assume that this won’t be the tricky part.

Thanks

Great idea. I have the headlining for Smurf out, so may consider this mod.
To avoid stressing the existing circuits, I would suggest Led's be fitted in place of the existing bulbs.

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[Phil_B]

My Rover 827 Coupe has the Passenger airbag, and when Rover fitted these, they removed the front footwell lights, and door edge lights from the vehicles. I retro fitted footwell lights to my Coupe, and have enough spares to fit the same to the A2. Eventually....
Footwell lights make a big difference inside the car when its dark.

 

[audifan]

As Tom has said you need the mounting frame. I would double check there is even enough space to mount this larger light unit before removing and especially cutting the liner. I am wary of adding this to the circuit as existing wiring is thin and would not want to push it beyond safe levels. I also do not recommend the use of led bulbs for this as they can generate more heat in a confined space. After all the A2 was not designed to have these installed.

 

[Jellybean]

As Tom has said you need the mounting frame. I would double check there is even enough space to mount this larger light unit before removing and especially cutting the liner. I am wary of adding this to the circuit as existing wiring is thin and would not want to push it beyond safe levels. I also do not recommend the use of led bulbs for this as they can generate more heat in a confined space. After all the A2 was not designed to have these installed.

I fail to see how an led bulb can generate more heat than a filament bulb, when equivalent power consumption is significantly lower.
I run led bulbs in the existing A2 light fitting, without issues.

Sent from my SM-N960F using Tapatalk

 

[PlasticMac]

I fail to see how an led bulb can generate more heat than a filament bulb, when equivalent power consumption is significantly lower.
I run led bulbs in the existing A2 light fitting, without issues.

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All my internal lighting, and all front, (dip, main, side, and indicator), are led. No problems. Quite the opposite!
LEDs are more efficient than filaments, as they produce less heat for the same light output.
The leds in my dipped beam consume less than half the power, of the halogens. Around 2.5 amps each, compared with nearly 5 amps each for a halogen bulb.
If leds are fitted with resistors, to avoid bulb failure warnings, the resistors produce lots of heat. They use as much, if not more, power than the equivalent filament bulbs.
Power to the Internal lighting is supplied via the CCU, not direct via a fuse.
Mac.

 

[Jellybean]

All my internal lighting, and all front, (dip, main, side, and indicator), are led. No problems. Quite the opposite!
LEDs are more efficient than filaments, as they produce less heat for the same light output.
The leds in my dipped beam consume less than half the power, of the halogens. Around 2.5 amps each, compared with nearly 5 amps each for a halogen bulb.
If leds are fitted with resistors, to avoid bulb failure warnings, the resistors produce lots of heat. They use as much, if not more, power than the equivalent filament bulbs.
Power to the Internal lighting is supplied via the CCU, not direct via a fuse.
Mac.

The internal led's don't need resistors, as they are not monitored, therefore less heat than filament bulbs.

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[2work]

Hello again Sailesh.

Whilst this is an awesome idea I’m realising it’s not quite as straight forward as first suggested. The rear light switch pack that the A2 left the factory with doesn’t sit flush with the remainder of the headlining; it sit proud of it. As shown below it is located on a bulge on the headlining:

The A6 C5 rear light switch pack as doesn’t sit flush with the headlining, it sit proud on a bulge. I think that the A6 C5 rear light switch pack will not only need to come with the headlining metal surround, it’ll also need to come with a suitable cut out from the headlining biscuit which accommodates the corresponding bulge from the C5 to house the switch pack:

Hopefully you can make out the bulge where the switch pack is mounted

It’s this bulge in the headlining which allows space for the top side of the switch pack and its connectors between the roof.

This shouldn’t put you off though Sailesh as it’s a cracking idea and one that I may borrow when I reupholster the headlining in a certain JR A2. In addition to the rear light switch pack you’ll need a donor C5 headlining to take the bulge from which can then be transplanted/adhered into your A2s headlining biscuit; as such it’s a full reupholstery is required for sure.

Still a great idea and one I’m convinced I’m going to do myself as I’ve often wondered if something like this could be done, I’ve also thought of adjusting the front of the headlining to house a larger front switch pack that has the sunglasses holder within it. This will of course only work for non-OSS variants though. A phase of testing the ultrasonic sensors before any headlining biscuit modifications must take place of course.

To save on the minimal additional load to the existing A2 circuits, I’d be using LEDs which will be just fine. Probably a good safety measure would be to add a Dynmo label above the bulbs saying LED Only so that any future owner has been warned to not fit less efficient incandescent bulb.

Still a great idea and one I’m considering when I get round to this task, which is getting quite desperate now as the headlining fabric is close to touching the boys heads in the rear of the car.

Before we proceed there is the requirement to understand the differences in the connectors between the 2 rear light switch packs. For the sake of experimentation, I have just purchased one of these rear light switch packs (4B0947111) in black for £12 delivered to see what’s possible:

Kind regards,

Tom

 

[PlasticMac]

The internal led's don't need resistors, as they are not monitored, therefore less heat than filament bulbs.

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Just making a general point of why some leds get hot.
The dip and main beam leds draw enough power not to need resistors also.
Mac.
Mac.

 

[BigBang]

Fitting part of the A6 head lining to the A2 one will mean complete upholstery job for the head lining. But definitely doable. Other option can be 3D printed bezel, that will simulate A6 head lining and possibly fit to the original A2 one without any modifications or with some small one

 

[chrisd]

just a comment on LED bulbs ( hopefully not too far off topic)….
It might seem surprising that LED emitters can be VERY hot even when using less power than equiv filament bulb. Glowing filaments radiate quite a lot of infrared light - so no good for seeing things but quite a good way of radiating heat away from the bulb - try putting your hand near a conventional bulb and you can feel the heat being radiated - but LEDs really good at just producing narrow spectrum ‘white’ light with little infrared and need good heat sinks or airflow otherwise can get v hot.
I’ve no idea if this would apply to the low power bulbs in internal lights but is definitely an issue with some bicycle light LEDs.
Some of our bulbs at home have liquid cooling in the globe to help take the heat away!
Chris