Adding LED Light Strips in Cargo Area - Let There Be Light! DIY How-To Writeup 💡

[MyLittlePony2022]

For the typical use at night the three rear cargo area lights work. You can see your groceries, your backpack, etc. However, for the finer details of small items, the lights were not bright enough. I decided to put in some led strip lights. I wanted something flat and bright so I found a cheap set of led strip lights on Amazon. They meet my needs. One deficiency in the LED is that the glue is terrible, and I had to use 3M double sided tape. The LED strips can be joined together and can be cut to length, in spots designed by the manufacturer. The LED have a negative and positive side to them. When joining them together via the supplied connectors, you need to ensure you connect the correct polarity, otherwise they extended section will not work. I did not know this and cut the small extension piece, but it was not the correct polarity and did not work. I had to use another LED strip with the correct polarity. When in doubt test them first and then cut them.

I decided to put them on either side of the cargo area under the small overhang on the panels. I used one full length LED strip and a small section of the end of another, as mentioned above. I pulled out the existing cargo panel light (panel trim tool) on the passenger side to access the wires and to get access to pull in the new wires. I drilled a 5/32 inch hole at the end and pushed in the led power wire on both sides. Getting the led power wire is easy on the passenger side with the cargo panel light access hole. The driver’s side is a little more complicated.

I had to use electrical fishing tape for the driver’s side to get the new wire from the floor board. I pushed up the tape to the vent area, and tide string on it. I pulled the tape out so I had string through the vent hole, on the backside of the panel and at the bottom, near the floor board. I then taped 18-gauge wire to the string and pulled it up and out of one of the vent louver holes. I pulled the led power wire out of the same vent hole, soldered them together, and pulled them back behind the panel. I ran the wire from the driver’s side to the passenger side along the end of the cargo area where the rear seat begins. I taped it down with gaffers tape. I used the same method (pull tape and string) to get the wire up the passenger side panel, but used the cargo panel light opening instead of the vent.

I wanted to be able to turn on and off the LED light strings. I do not plan to use it daily but only when I want real light. I decided to get a flush mounted illuminated switch. There are several wiring options, I chose #1 which had the LED switch light on all the time and pushing the button in activates the LED light strings. Option #4 has the LED switch light on too but pushing the button in deactivates the LED light string. I followed their wiring example provided in the instruction and on their video on Amazon.
I mounted the switch near the existing cargo panel light. I used a 5/8 inch drill to create a hole in the panel for the body of the switch. It is a tight fit so don’t push it all the way in until you are ready. Getting the switch and the switch harness connected, via the cargo panel light hole was a challenge but doable. However, I was not able to put the nut to secure the switch. The size of the hole and friction are holding it for now. The switch will rotate but will not come out. When I go to install my after market stereo amplifier, I will be opening up the panel and can put the nut on the back. If you want to put nut on, you most likely need to pull the panel open. I do not think you can put the nut on to get the switch tight and them put the harness on the back, via the cargo panel light hole. It is it not large enough.

The rear cargo panel light has two (edit: wires that are connected to the wiring harness. The light has an internal circuit board. @JohnFoxeSheets did some additional research and pin 1 seems to be the positive connection and pin 2 seems to be some form of signal to the circuit board. I had connected to both with the intent to use pin 2 to turn on the lights from the dome light. This was not correct. I do not recommend connecting to pin 2 based on input from @JohnFoxeSheets. There is a chance it could cause issues with the circuit board on the OEM trunk light. I am still going to keep the rectifier diode as a precaution, though it probably is not needed. With the car off, the trunk lid lights go off after 30 seconds and the trunk light will go off after 10 minutes. If you tap into pin 1, the LED strip lights will go off when the trunk light goes off. If you want to have the LED strip lights to stay on all the time, you have to find another constant power source. However, if you have the car on, the trunk light does not go off after 10 minutes.)
The wiring schematic for the connector is listed below. hot wires, one that turns on when you open the hatch and one that is turned on by the front interior overhead (dome) light switch. I connected up to both hot wires but put a rectifier diodes in the positive connections to the switch. I did not want to back feed power from one connection to the other. One of the power connections is on a power saver, so after a few minutes it shuts off. This will kill power to the LED switch light and to the LED’s. If you wanted the LED lights on for a longer duration, you will need to turn the interior overhead lights switch on or find another power source.

Attached are PDF pictures of the configuration. Sorry, no in progress installation pictures, just finished.

 

[21st Century Pony]

This is a pretty crafty installation. Me like Thanks for sharing.

 

[Murse-In-Airy]

Wow. Very well done. And well written. Your photos make this look like a must have. Especially as we enter never ending night of winter.

 

[Murse-In-Airy]

@MyLittlePony2022
I showed the photos to my wife in case she wanted me to do this to her car. She doesn’t care about the lighting but REALLY wants to know what you’re using for the organizer on the back of the seat.

 

[MyLittlePony2022]

@MyLittlePony2022
I showed the photos to my wife in case she wanted me to do this to her car. She doesn’t care about the lighting but REALLY wants to know what you’re using for the organizer on the back of the seat.

I order it on Amazon. Looks like it is not available now but it may come back or you can get something similar. It took me a bit to find exactly the organizer I wanted with one large pocket with a cover, a medium pocket with a cover and smaller open pockets and netting. Oh, done forget to measure to ensure it fits both horizontally and vertically.

 

[Murse-In-Airy]

I order it on Amazon. Looks like it is not available now but it may come back or you can get something similar. It took me a bit to find exactly the organizer I wanted with one large pocket with a cover, a medium pocket with a cover and smaller open pockets and netting. Oh, done forget to measure to ensure it fits both horizontally and vertically.

damn. I was hoping for a link. But I’ll search. Thank You.

 

[JohnFoxeSheets]

Hi William,

This is very cool and I decided to try doing the same. I bought an inexpensive 5m LED strip and some rectifier diodes from Amazon. I decided to hold off adding a switch until I got a sense for whether or not I need to be able to turn off the extra light. I did some testing with unexpected results. When I connected the anode side of each diode to connector positions 1 & 2 respectively and then connected the positive side of the strip to the cathode side of the two diodes joined together (and the then negative side of the strip to connector position 3), everything worked fine. The LED strip was as bright as one would expect.

However since I wanted to make sure I understood exactly how the car behaves I decided to remove the diodes and instead connect the positive side of the strip to position 1 or 2. In position 1 all was as expected: the LEDs were bright.

However in position 2 (i.e., the overhead console switched supply) the LEDs were very dim.

I checked the connections to make sure it wasn't that something was loose, and it definitely wasn't the case. I didn't check the voltages, nor did I check to see if perhaps the position 2 circuit is current limited.

Did you do any testing like this, and if so, did you have similar results?

Thanks,
John

 

[MyLittlePony2022]

Hi William,

This is very cool and I decided to try doing the same. I bought an inexpensive 5m LED strip and some rectifier diodes from Amazon. I decided to hold off adding a switch until I got a sense for whether or not I need to be able to turn off the extra light. I did some testing with unexpected results. When I connected the anode side of each diode to connector positions 1 & 2 respectively and then connected the positive side of the strip to the cathode side of the two diodes joined together (and the then negative side of the strip to connector position 3), everything worked fine. The LED strip was as bright as one would expect.

However since I wanted to make sure I understood exactly how the car behaves I decided to remove the diodes and instead connect the positive side of the strip to position 1 or 2. In position 1 all was as expected: the LEDs were bright.
However in position 2 (i.e., the overhead console switched supply) the LEDs were very dim.


I checked the connections to make sure it wasn't that something was loose, and it definitely wasn't the case. I didn't check the voltages, nor did I check to see if perhaps the position 2 circuit is current limited.

Did you do any testing like this, and if so, did you have similar results?

Thanks,
John

I also saw similar results. I did not put it in the write up since it would have been too long and confusing. When I first connected the LED's, as a test run like you did, the LED's stayed on even after all the trunk lights went off and the car was locked and off. They were very dim. I checked the voltage and saw that there was some small amount of voltage going to the LED and thus they were not bright. The positive cable does not go down to zero volts. This is why I added a switch. I cannot remember if the other positive wire voltage drops but I do remember switching to it as the main feed. Only later on did I decide to pick up the dome light power so I could turn the LED on by either means. I think the the OEM LED trunk lights may have a PC board that does not switch the OME lights on until the voltage increases. Not sure why there is this low voltage to the them.

I hope you liked the results of the lights. I absolutely love mine but do not turn them on all the time, just when I really need to see. They are super bright.

 

[JohnFoxeSheets]

I also saw similar results. I did not put it in the write up since it would have been too long and confusing. When I first connected the LED's, as a test run like you did, the LED's stayed on even after all the trunk lights went off and the car was locked and off. They were very dim. I checked the voltage and saw that there was some small amount of voltage going to the LED and thus they were not bright. The positive cable does not go down to zero volts. This is why I added a switch. I cannot remember if the other positive wire voltage drops but I do remember switching to it as the main feed. Only later on did I decide to pick up the dome light power so I could turn the LED on by either means. I think the the OEM LED trunk lights may have a PC board that does not switch the OME lights on until the voltage increases. Not sure why there is this low voltage to the them.

I hope you liked the results of the lights. I absolutely love mine but do not turn them on all the time, just when I really need to see. They are super bright.

I did some additional sleuthing and I think the position 2 wire is actually a signal wire and there’s a solid state relay in the switch that turns on the LED lights. I noticed that the Pony logo comes on first and then the LEDs. I think it’s powered directly by the signal wire and the LEDs are switched on using the relay. I’ve ordered a solid state relay and I’m going to test my theory. If it works, I can have myy new lights come on automatically… We’ll see.

More once the relay arrives and I get a chance to test it. I’m holding off doing the lights install until then…

 

[MyLittlePony2022]

I did some additional sleuthing and I think the position 2 wire is actually a signal wire and there’s a solid state relay in the switch that turns on the LED lights. I noticed that the Pony logo comes on first and then the LEDs. I think it’s powered directly by the signal wire and the LEDs are switched on using the relay. I’ve ordered a solid state relay and I’m going to test my theory. If it works, I can have myy new lights come on automatically… We’ll see.

More once the relay arrives and I get a chance to test it. I’m holding off doing the lights install until then…

Yes, please let me know your findings.

 

[EV_Vida]

Following; attempted to tap into the light and the result is the light being always on; even when the trunk lights go off. Love to mimic the trunk light behavior.

 

[MyLittlePony2022]

Following; attempted to tap into the light and the result is the light being always on; even when the trunk lights go off. Love to mimic the trunk light behavior.

I had to put a switch on the LED light strip to turn it off and on.

 

[EV_Vida]

I had to put a switch on the LED light strip to turn it off and on.

Hoping the solid state relay solution is viable.

 

[DaveP]

For the typical use at night the three rear cargo area lights work. You can see your groceries, your backpack, etc. However, for the finer details of small items, the lights were not bright enough. I decided to put in some led strip lights. I wanted something flat and bright so I found a cheap set of led strip lights on Amazon. They meet my needs. One deficiency in the LED is that the glue is terrible, and I had to use 3M double sided tape. The LED strips can be joined together and can be cut to length, in spots designed by the manufacturer. The LED have a negative and positive side to them. When joining them together via the supplied connectors, you need to ensure you connect the correct polarity, otherwise they extended section will not work. I did not know this and cut the small extension piece, but it was not the correct polarity and did not work. I had to use another LED strip with the correct polarity. When in doubt test them first and then cut them.

I decided to put them on either side of the cargo area under the small overhang on the panels. I used one full length LED strip and a small section of the end of another, as mentioned above. I pulled out the existing cargo panel light (panel trim tool) on the passenger side to access the wires and to get access to pull in the new wires. I drilled a 5/32 inch hole at the end and pushed in the led power wire on both sides. Getting the led power wire is easy on the passenger side with the cargo panel light access hole. The driver’s side is a little more complicated.

I had to use electrical fishing tape for the driver’s side to get the new wire from the floor board. I pushed up the tape to the vent area, and tide string on it. I pulled the tape out so I had string through the vent hole, on the backside of the panel and at the bottom, near the floor board. I then taped 18-gauge wire to the string and pulled it up and out of one of the vent louver holes. I pulled the led power wire out of the same vent hole, soldered them together, and pulled them back behind the panel. I ran the wire from the driver’s side to the passenger side along the end of the cargo area where the rear seat begins. I taped it down with gaffers tape. I used the same method (pull tape and string) to get the wire up the passenger side panel, but used the cargo panel light opening instead of the vent.

I wanted to be able to turn on and off the LED light strings. I do not plan to use it daily but only when I want real light. I decided to get a flush mounted illuminated switch. There are several wiring options, I chose #1 which had the LED switch light on all the time and pushing the button in activates the LED light strings. Option #4 has the LED switch light on too but pushing the button in deactivates the LED light string. I followed their wiring example provided in the instruction and on their video on Amazon.
I mounted the switch near the existing cargo panel light. I used a 5/8 inch drill to create a hole in the panel for the body of the switch. It is a tight fit so don’t push it all the way in until you are ready. Getting the switch and the switch harness connected, via the cargo panel light hole was a challenge but doable. However, I was not able to put the nut to secure the switch. The size of the hole and friction are holding it for now. The switch will rotate but will not come out. When I go to install my after market stereo amplifier, I will be opening up the panel and can put the nut on the back. If you want to put nut on, you most likely need to pull the panel open. I do not think you can put the nut on to get the switch tight and them put the harness on the back, via the cargo panel light hole. It is it not large enough.

The rear cargo panel light has two (edit: wires that are connected to the wiring harness. The light has an internal circuit board. @JohnFoxeSheets did some additional research and pin 1 seems to be the positive connection and pin 2 seems to be some form of signal to the circuit board. I had connected to both with the intent to use pin 2 to turn on the lights from the dome light. This was not correct. I do not recommend connecting to pin 2 based on input from @JohnFoxeSheets. There is a chance it could cause issues with the circuit board on the OEM trunk light. I am still going to keep the rectifier diode as a precaution, though it probably is not needed. With the car off, the trunk lid lights go off after 30 seconds and the trunk light will go off after 10 minutes. If you tap into pin 1, the LED strip lights will go off when the trunk light goes off. If you want to have the LED strip lights to stay on all the time, you have to find another constant power source. However, if you have the car on, the trunk light does not go off after 10 minutes.)
The wiring schematic for the connector is listed below. hot wires, one that turns on when you open the hatch and one that is turned on by the front interior overhead (dome) light switch. I connected up to both hot wires but put a rectifier diodes in the positive connections to the switch. I did not want to back feed power from one connection to the other. One of the power connections is on a power saver, so after a few minutes it shuts off. This will kill power to the LED switch light and to the LED’s. If you wanted the LED lights on for a longer duration, you will need to turn the interior overhead lights switch on or find another power source.

Attached are PDF pictures of the configuration. Sorry, no in progress installation pictures, just finished.

Question, how do you activate the interior cargo light? Mine is always off. The ones on door are on but not the one in cargo area.
Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[JohnFoxeSheets]

Hoping the solid state relay solution is viable.

I am too, and when I get back home I’ll test it out and report back.