AccentGlowLED LED cup holder lights installation

OK, my wife and I installed these in our cupholders the other day and thought we would share the experience.

Items you will need:

1. Time - about 30 min.
2. Two AccentGlowLED LED cup holder lights sized to 2 3/4 inches. You can learn more here.
3. 3/16th in drill bit
4. A fuse tap
5. 16/18 gauge wire (3ft)
6. zip ties
7. clear silicone
8. a putty knife with some duct tape covering the end of the knife
9. vacuum cleaner

Now to the fun part:

Step 1. Removing the lower center console

Open the arm-rest door to remove the plastic panel directly below the arm-rest.


Use the putty knife to gently loosen the lower console from the plastic clips. Once you have all of the clips loosened you should lift up from the front.


The red clip nearest the arm-rest was the most difficult to loosen
Once you have it removed, just rest it on the passenger seat.

Step 2: The power source
We purchased a fuse tap from AutoZone and substituted the tap for the tail lights 10amp fuse located in the fuse box in the driver's side footwell. The tap holds 2 fuses. The 3amp fuse is for the LEDs and the 10amp fuse is for the tail lights. The advantage of this setup is the ability to turn on the LEDs when the lights are turned on.



Once the tap is in place, you crimp/splice 3ft of 16/18 gauge wire to the fuse tap and run it under carpet (behind the brake and gas pedal to the lower console.




Now that the fuse tap is installed, it is time to work on the lower console

Step 3: Drill some holes

Keeping the rubber mat in place, use the 3/16th drill bit and drill 1 hole per cup holder (a little off center). I know my pic shows the mats removed, but you want your holes to line up (mat to cupholder)



Step 4: Attach your LEDs

Attach your LEDs to the mats and put the newly joined piece back into the cupholder. Make sure the wiring is gently pulled through the newly drilled holes.

Step 5: Wiring

The red wires from the LEDs should be spliced to the red wire that goes to the fuse tap.
The black wires should attached to a ground. I chose to ground it to one of the many bolts found underneath the center console.


Step 6: Cleanup

Vacuum any debris from drilling
Apply some silicone to the underneath of the cupholders where the holes were drilled. This will prevent any possible leakage from the cupholders.

Step 7: Reassembly

Carefully put the center console back together.

Step 8: Enjoy

Turn your car lights on and enjoy

 

It's rather bright. The last pic in the post shows a nighttime shot, and it is brighter than everything else in the car. It would be cool to install an inline dimmer so you could adjust it. I'll take another pic tonight to show the brightness of the LEDs compared to the dash.

 

I understand where you are coming from and I thought the same thing. That is why I filled in the holes with silicone after the wiring was fed thru. Plus AccentGlowLEDs are built to be at the bottom of a cup holder, so they can take heat (or liquid as the case may be).

 

krmcg,

How in the world are you getting 66.2 mpg? That is fantastic! I'm averaging 53.

 

stanigu,

You asked how bright the LEDs were. Here is the night shot I promised.


While I was taking pics, I thought I would throw in a pic this little mod (new door lights)...

 

Let me know if you end up with any questions about installation, and post a pic once it is installed. BTW, which color LED did you choose?

 

Awesome! I glad the blues match so nicely. Now, my wife wants to do the door sills