DIY E34 dome light install

[MattM]

Does anybody have a picture with this light on at night?? I would like to see how it looks before I try it.
TIA.

+1, i already have a maplight mirror, and wondering if the light this puts out makes it worth while.

[Hairos E30]

Does anybody have a picture with this light on at night?? I would like to see how it looks before I try it.
TIA.

[AbsorbantNut]

I think its pretty cool!

[dkbmxer002]

haha nice! i had started doing something of my own with my check panel to turn into a light... but i am gonna dump what i started to do this!

[matixmattix]

Which 3 wires out of the 4 from the e34 light did you use exactly? I'm a bit colorblind but from the looks of the e34 dome/map light I'm trying to wire up it has: one grey/red, two browns, and one green/red. On my e30 drivers side dome light it has: one grey/red, one brown, and one green/red. I just need to know which 3 e34 wires are you using, and for those that are being used, which of the e30 wires are you connecting them to exactly? It's driving me nuts, please help!

[gearheadE30]

haha thanks :).

By the way, I also have a few e34 dome lights and check panels lying around to sell if anyone is interested in trying the mod themselves.

[NC325iC]

bad...








wait for it...













...ass!!!

[E30Eric]

It was an option, they float around the FS section and ebay from time to time.

[weaksauce]

this is a neat mod. My E30 has a pair of map lights on the bottom of the mirror, first time I've seen that on an E30.

[AlpineM325]

Ya I hate the blinking SRS light, now.. to find a e34 in the junk yard for parts.

[gearheadE30]

Well, since my car is a 318is, I don't have a check panel to relocate anyway. The only lights in that that worked in US cars were the SRS light and the seatbelt light. I can live without the seatbelt, and the SRS light just flashes anyway.

TexasTerp, I'll try to get pics this weekend, but no guarantees that I will have time.

If your check panel falls out, I don't think this will stay in much better because the mounting is exactly the same. It is likely that the panel it snaps into is worn or bent.

Just as a word of caution, be careful of the sunroof crank as far as wiring goes, for obvious reasons. I had a chevy S10 light in there before, and it fell out, swung up, and tapped the handle. Sparks flew and every light in the car went dark, including the headlights. This was on the highway, at night. Needless to say, I made sure this one wouldn't fall out.

[z3pilot99]

Why not put the check panel in the glovebox or something. Nothing on there is real important to see right away. Except the oil level but that indicates you are about a qt low. Mount a reset button on the dash in one of the blanks we have. With the skill shown above you can definitely handle that.

[StereoInstaller1]

Now where should I relocate the current check panel........

I was thinking at the front of the center console, like in front of the ashtray.

You would not have immediate visibility, but the flashing CHECK on the instrument panel should alert you OK.

[TexasTerp]

Can you post pics of the final dome light assembly from the back side? I want to get a idea for how the finished product looks to use as a reference since you didn't have any pics of the actual build progress. Thanks again for the write up! I can't wait to do this mod! Now where should I relocate the current check panel........

[dashboardmonkey]

Cool, my check panel in the ETA falls out when you hit a bump......pisses me off