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      11-20-2012, 11:41 PM   #1
SD ///M4
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Drives: M4 Coupe | M3 | Z4M Roadster
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: San Diego, CA

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Simple LED Light Mod for Trunk

I can't take credit for this as I saw it on a friend's Z4 M Roadster more than a year ago, long before I had mine. I finally got around to tracking down the lights and installing them.

The trunk light in the Z4 M Roadster leaves a lot to be desired both in terms of location and in light output. There are LED replacement bulbs which can increase the illumination but there's still the problem of location, all the way over on the right hand side of the trunk. If you keep anything tall in the right "bin", say like a quart of oil in the BMW oil bag, it does a pretty good job of obscuring the light.

I bought this WFLS-x-WHT series Weatherproof High Power LED Flexible Light Strip - White Circuit from superbrightleds.com for $26.99. It's a 100cm (39.3") strip of Cool White LEDS encased in waterproof vinyl, with a self-adhesive strip on the back. This length only comes in Cool White and Warm White, I chose the Cool White for maximum brightness. The electrical connection is a 48.26cm (19") two-wire pigtail. The voltage range is 9-14.8V.

This is a perfect length to attach the pigtail to the trunk light with the LEDs spanning the entire width of the top lip of the trunk.

I pulled out the trunk light and there is a two-sided metal "cage" in which the bulb is secured. I just wrapped the bare leads around each side of the cage and twisted each one together. It appeared to be secure enough and I put the trunk light back in place.

I measured the light strip and marked the centerpoint. In the center of the trunk lip there is a hole so I aligned the centerpoint of the light strip with the hole and then just pressed the light strip into place on each side. The adhesive is quite strong although you can reposition it.

Here's some pics, although the lights are so bright the pictures didn't come out the greatest on my P&S camera. I may have to take some more pictures in the daylight and also might take one after the trunk light times out and turns off:

Pic taken with flash on:


Pic taken with flash off. I've squatted down behind the car so that the LEDs are visible. When standing behind the car the LEDs aren't visible. The LEDs also illuminate the back area of the trunk quite well but the camera doesn't show this well:


Here's a pic of the pigtail going into the trunk light:


Here's a pic taken with the camera pointing up under the trunk lip:


I bought two sets and plan on installing the second one on my wife's 335is Coupe.
__________________
The Coupe: 2016 M4 | Sakhir Orange | Black Full Merino Leather | CF Trim | M-DCT | More | ED 5/13/16
The Sedan: 2018 M3 | San Marino Blue | Black Full Merino Leather | CF Trim | M-DCT | ZCP | ED 7/18/18
The Roadster: 2006 Z4 | Interlagos Blue | Black Extended Nappa Leather | Carbon Leather Trim | Purchased 7/19/12


Last edited by SD ///M4; 11-21-2012 at 01:54 PM..
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