E30 Zone

G'day, Want to fit a map light mirror this weekend and can't seem to find the guide on doing this???
Have found details on hooking the lights to the check control panel but I would prefer the lights to operate the same as the existing interior ones. ie from the door switches.
Can anyone point me in the right direction?
TIA

I fitted my map light mirror in myself. I cut two slots into the OBC wiring and connected the wires there. It didn't work!! Mind you, it wasn't the connection though. I tested the side light and it seemed to work fine with the obc connection. I think the bulbs on my map light mirror may have gone Any ideas??

The connection at that location seemed fine as i tried the normal side headlining light and it seemed to work..

E30NutUK wrote:I fitted my map light mirror in myself. I cut two slots into the OBC wiring and connected the wires there. It didn't work!! Mind you, it wasn't the connection though. I tested the side light and it seemed to work fine with the obc connection. I think the bulbs on my map light mirror may have gone Any ideas??

The connection at that location seemed fine as i tried the normal side headlining light and it seemed to work..

By OBC I assume you mean check panel?
This is fine to have lights working by switching on and off but I want it them to switch on when I open the car door

^I would presume they could be wired to the headlining side lights? I planned to do this originally but headlining removal/fitting etc put me off.

Besides, I'm not sure how it would look everytime i opened the door(s)! Come to think of it, it wouldn't be too bad!

Right then.

If you have a seach for 'Map light mirror fitting' (find all words) you'll get a much more in depth explanation.

Basically, standard install involves plugging the supplied loom in to a little socket floating around behind the pass side kick panel (speaker) - This gives switchable lights when the ignition is on (not all that usefull)

Next up, Get the earth from wherever you want (check panel, socket behind kick panel, some handy bolt, etc), and use the switched positive from the interior lights to power the bulbs. - This gives you, always off or on with the doors open. Possibly the easiest way of conecting if you dont have the nice little loom but again a bit pointless if you want lights in the front for map reading.

Third way, nicest but most complicated. Use both of the wires comeing out of the light to power them, one from the door switched interior lights and one from a permanent or ign switched live. Open up the workings of the switches and arrange it so that one of each of these wires goes to either outer contact on the switches, and attach a new wire to the center contact and then find a way of getting a good conection to earth through the metal of the mounting arm (some just jam plenty of stripped wire into it) - As i said, complicated but now you get to choose between the lights coming on with the doors open or all the time. Unfortunatly no permenant off but i'm sure thats not too much of a problem.

Good luck with it.
Chris

i earthed it on a nut that was allready up there, and ran a + from accessory socket to map light.

hardest part is getting the swine in

Thanks guys, will get on to it

How'd you go?

As you will note from my avatar I have been distracted by my 2002!!
Will hopefully get on to it in the next couple of weeks

Yes, I noticed the 2002 in the avatar. A recent purchase I take it. I know a guy in Sydney who had 3 2002 Turbos, 2 2002 Tii's and an assortment of other classic 2002's, who recently had to sell most of them due to business issues. I was tempted to pick up one of the more jiucy ones myself, but when I added the cost of the divorce if I did, they seemed a little expensive!

In terms of the map light mirror, I fitted one to my H23 a few years ago, but never got around to wiring it in. Maybe we should work on it together?

Cheers
David

My 2002 is pretty stock but in beautiful original condition, rust free, runs like a dream and only needs some freshening up. Not the power of the tii or turbo but still gets along pretty well.
As for your friend with the turbos!?!?!?!! I thought only a few thousand were ever made?? I saw one recently go one US eBay for about US$50K. They were def only made in LHD.

There is a real good guide to fitting the mirror on this site somewhere. I will hunt for it. It gives detailed instructions and pics to have the lights set up to turn on with the other interior lights ie. when the doors open.
Will let you know when I find it

http://www.e30zone.net/modules.php?name ... =map+light

This thread is quite helpful

Completed this today by simply piggy backing to the existing interior lights and running some wires under the roof lining. The lights will then function identical to the existing lights. The switches on the mirror then become somewhat redundant - only serving to shut the lights off, but not on independently.
A simple and effective solution.

Thanks for all your help guy's....much appreciated!
Reg

Mine was put in to the car, but never wired up. Really should get round to that. Would be quite useful for all the map reading I actually do whilst delivery driving

iirc, there is two short wires coming out of the mirror, and both end with just a little socket of some sort. Do you just attatch these to the check panel wires to power them (as map lights, no connection to the door lights)?

Nay wrote:Mine was put in to the car, but never wired up. Really should get round to that. Would be quite useful for all the map reading I actually do whilst delivery driving

iirc, there is two short wires coming out of the mirror, and both end with just a little socket of some sort. Do you just attatch these to the check panel wires to power them (as map lights, no connection to the door lights)?

There are several ways of wiring this up (as this thread suggests). The simplest would be as you suggest - power and earth from check panel.

Right lads, I knew there was a link on here somewhere. Took me a while to find it again but if you go to

http://e30.bmwdiy.info/lighted-mirror/index.html

Go to the "links" tab above, then to "E30 DIY" then scroll down to the interior mods section and you should see it.

Good luck

PS get some photos of that 2002 up.

PS get some photos of that 2002 up

Bought my lovely partner a Nikon DSLR for Christmas - still waiting for the photo shoot to be scheduled