I just purchased a used 04 S2k and was wondering how come the buttons on the door panel dont light up. At night it takes me time to even look for the unlock buttons or the buttons to roll down my windows. Has there been a mod done to light them up? I am a newbie on this forum and tried searching about this but cant find anything on this topic.

 

Don't look. In time, you will learn where they are by feel. In a new car, it's more important to keep your eyes on the road. You got enough other stuff to think about in a new car.

 

ditto. .after a few days i stopped having to look for the door handle

 

There's always a way with a little time and money but like xviper said, just know where they are.

 

I haven't tried lighting the window buttons up, since I know where they are by feel. However, I did add a light into the interior door latch wells so that my passengers can find their way out of the car. I put a single red LED in each pull handle (I installed on on each side for symmetry.)

My way was very easy, though I have no pictures to demonstrate with (no comments: This thread is worthless without pics. If you are willing to read, and take your time, you can follow this.)

First step: by a package of single LEDs with resistor and wiring already built, such as those sold at Autozone. (Usually 3 in a pack.)

Second: Sand down the top of the LED bulb until it sits flush with the little plastic holder that comes in the package. (If you don't do this, the installed LED will shine as a single point of light rather than a glow.) Leave the top of the bulb somewhat coarse to further diffuse the light.

Third: Remove your door panels. If you don't know how, get a tech manual.

Fourth: Determine which wire in the window switch cluster is powered by the ACC switch of the key. (To do this, you will have to partially dissassemble the green block which plugs into the bottom of the window switch module.)

Fifth: Determine which wire in the cluster is GROUND. (Usually black)

Sixth: Slide the red wire of the LED into the ACC wire hole you discovered in step 4.

Seventh: Slide the black wrie of the LED into the GND wire hole.

Eighth: Reassemble the green block. This will clamp the new wires in with the existing wires. Take this oppurtunity to ensure the window switches still work, and that the LED lights up.

Ninth: Drill a small hole in the top of the plastic well which sits behind the interior door release. Position the hole so it is behind the door release when reinstalled. The hole needs to be the correct size to insert the little plastic LED holder which came with the LED package. Put the LED holder into the hole.

Tenth: feed the LED wire up behind the door release mechanism inside the door (i.e. under the pretty part of the door.) and let it hang down in front of the door release.

Eleventh: reinstall the door, saving the door release well to last.

Twelfth: Slide the LED into the LED holder you installed into the door release well in step 9.

Thirteenth: Reinstall the door release well.

Fourteenth: Repeat steps 1-13 for the other door. You should now have a light in each door release well which is lit at all times when the hey is at ACC or ON.


If you want the lights to be on, say, when the dome light is on, you will need to figure out how to tap into that circuit. If you figure out an easy way to do this, let me know. I decided it was more trouble than it was worth.

 

I thought of Airborne when I saw this thread. The door handle trick was pretty cool.

 

I did something similar a few years ago in my daily driver... here are a couple of pix