[fortythirtyfive]

For the longest time I've toyed with having an RGB setup on the interior ambient lighting, I did have the blue/white benzinfabrik replacement LED chips however I always wanted the blue/orange chips they had in the works but the cost for each individual chip was huge (just the doors and the centre surround was like £100).

So.. I took the plunge and dropped around £255 (although I'm due a £65 refund) on an aliexpress kit

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003823252435.html

I want to briefly explain the install for those who are skeptical.

The control box module piggybacks off of the iDrive controller, it comes with a y splitter cable so that it can access both power and canbus signals. You can control the kit by using the iDrive number buttons 4 - 8 for different modes, brightness and colour settings, however if you down just dip-switch 2 on the control box you can actually control the lighting and colours via iDrive settings (so cool) this requires 3 options to be coded.

You need to remove your doorcards, drill out the plastic spot welds for the accent trims, then strip out the original light guide tubes from the accent trims.







You feed in their new "led rods" which push in just nicely.

They supply you with endless amounts of extender wiring loom kits, plus 3 way splitter plugs. You get 2 pre-crimped sets of these splitter leads with pins ready to pop into the door loom connectors (there's plenty of spare slots). This allows you to transfer power and data through the doors correctly for the new LEDs.





I also upgraded the kit to include new speaker surrounds which uses LEDs to backlight them.



The large and small dashboard vent trims also have an LED kit to install under them. The way this works is different to glowing technique though found on the rest of the car - it has a small opaque plastic bar that hangs parallel to the strip which captures the light and illuminates, hence the strong ambient line you can see in the finished photos.

The rest then is history, it's just a case of finding somewhere to store their module/control box. I chose in-between the center tunnel and the passenger footwell. I then traced the oem loom wires and ran the new LED wire kits with them to keep it all neat and tidy.

Install was a 3/10 in terms of hardness, however I spent around 3 days working on it as I needed to strip nearly all trims out to be able to do a tidy looking install.







The coding to be able to control this kit via iDrive settings is as follows:
Head Unit > HU_NBT > 3000 HMI > COLOUR_SWITCH (Aktiv)
Head Unit > HU_NBT > 3000 HMI > COLOUR_SWITCH_ENSEMBLE (10_eintraege / 0x01)
Head Unit > HU_NBT > 3000 HMI > HELLIGKEIT_AMBILIGHT (Aktiv)

Final words, do not buy the smaller tweeter kit. They do not fit the rear HK speakers, they don't even have a grille it's just a random round piece of plastic with a gap to put an LED reflective tube inside. Even the tweeters don't fit inside them so I'm in middle of chasing a £65 refund from them. Other than that the seller has be incredibly helpful, replies within minutes unless it's out of business hours and generally really positive.

[fortythirtyfive]

Video of it in action..

https://youtube.com/shorts/bFwf-fNIVQs

[_F30_UK_]

Looks great. I have the benzinfabrik LEDs at the moment so not worth the upgrade for me, but I would like to be able to change the colours to more than the 2 options with the benzinfabrik ones.

Side question, is that a phone holder stuck on the side? How does it stay stuck on without falling off? I am looking for one exactly like yours, so it would be great if you have a link to where you got it from.

[eff32fl]

Originally Posted by idi

Looks great. I have the benzinfabrik LEDs at the moment so not worth the upgrade for me, but I would like to be able to change the colours to more than the 2 options with the benzinfabrik ones.

Side question, is that a phone holder stuck on the side? How does it stay stuck on without falling off? I am looking for one exactly like yours, so it would be great if you have a link to where you got it from.

You could use the Rennline mount it would put your phone in the same general location. Most wireless chargers have a ball mount that is compatible if your prefer a charger vs a simple mount. I've recently upgraded to a magsafe style charger from a cradle style charger but there are many options out there.

https://www.carid.com/rennline/exactfit-magnetic-console-phone-mount-mpn-pm01-19.html

[dangerus_car]

Looks awesome, great job. So max is 9 colors? No lights on the tweeters?

Originally Posted by fortythirtyfive

For the longest time I've toyed with having an RGB setup on the interior ambient lighting, I did have the blue/white benzinfabrik replacement LED chips however I always wanted the blue/orange chips they had in the works but the cost for each individual chip was huge (just the doors and the centre surround was like £100).

So.. I took the plunge and dropped around £255 (although I'm due a £65 refund) on an aliexpress kit

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003823252435.html

I want to briefly explain the install for those who are skeptical.

The control box module piggybacks off of the iDrive controller, it comes with a y splitter cable so that it can access both power and canbus signals. You can control the kit by using the iDrive number buttons 4 - 8 for different modes, brightness and colour settings, however if you down just dip-switch 2 on the control box you can actually control the lighting and colours via iDrive settings (so cool) this requires 3 options to be coded.

You need to remove your doorcards, drill out the plastic spot welds for the accent trims, then strip out the original light guide tubes from the accent trims.







You feed in their new "led rods" which push in just nicely.

They supply you with endless amounts of extender wiring loom kits, plus 3 way splitter plugs. You get 2 pre-crimped sets of these splitter leads with pins ready to pop into the door loom connectors (there's plenty of spare slots). This allows you to transfer power and data through the doors correctly for the new LEDs.





I also upgraded the kit to include new speaker surrounds which uses LEDs to backlight them.



The large and small dashboard vent trims also have an LED kit to install under them. The way this works is different to glowing technique though found on the rest of the car - it has a small opaque plastic bar that hangs parallel to the strip which captures the light and illuminates, hence the strong ambient line you can see in the finished photos.

The rest then is history, it's just a case of finding somewhere to store their module/control box. I chose in-between the center tunnel and the passenger footwell. I then traced the oem loom wires and ran the new LED wire kits with them to keep it all neat and tidy.

Install was a 3/10 in terms of hardness, however I spent around 3 days working on it as I needed to strip nearly all trims out to be able to do a tidy looking install.







The coding to be able to control this kit via iDrive settings is as follows:
Head Unit > HU_NBT > 3000 HMI > COLOUR_SWITCH (Aktiv)
Head Unit > HU_NBT > 3000 HMI > COLOUR_SWITCH_ENSEMBLE (10_eintraege / 0x01)
Head Unit > HU_NBT > 3000 HMI > HELLIGKEIT_AMBILIGHT (Aktiv)

Final words, do not buy the smaller tweeter kit. They do not fit the rear HK speakers, they don't even have a grille it's just a random round piece of plastic with a gap to put an LED reflective tube inside. Even the tweeters don't fit inside them so I'm in middle of chasing a £65 refund from them. Other than that the seller has be incredibly helpful, replies within minutes unless it's out of business hours and generally really positive.

[fortythirtyfive]

Originally Posted by idi

Looks great. I have the benzinfabrik LEDs at the moment so not worth the upgrade for me, but I would like to be able to change the colours to more than the 2 options with the benzinfabrik ones.

Side question, is that a phone holder stuck on the side? How does it stay stuck on without falling off? I am looking for one exactly like yours, so it would be great if you have a link to where you got it from.

There was someone on here who managed to use a standard RGB chip that mounted onto the end of the light guide tubes.. this allowed freedom of colour choice however you would still need to use some sort of controller as the oem 2 colour setup works by reversing polarity on the 2 chips.

It was just a magnetic ball joint holder that I found cheap on amazon, originally the idea was to mount my amazon fire tablet so that I could monitor MHD stats.. but in reality the metal discs they give you for your tablet are super weak. It only took one hard pull to have the tablet flying at you lol.

Originally Posted by eff32fl

You could use the Rennline mount it would put your phone in the same general location. Most wireless chargers have a ball mount that is compatible if your prefer a charger vs a simple mount. I've recently upgraded to a magsafe style charger from a cradle style charger but there are many options out there.

https://www.carid.com/rennline/exact...n-pm01-19.html

Must admit I did consider something similar to this, I ended up buying the Belkin cup holder mount back in 2016 and haven't looked back to be fair, you screw the base to expand inside the cup holder and it pivots perfectly to where I need it to be.. the only downside is that phones have gotten much larger since 2016 and I tend to find mine rests on the center surround taping away.

Originally Posted by dangerus_car

Looks awesome, great job. So max is 9 colors? No lights on the tweeters?

Thanks - there's 10 settings that BMW give you however if you custom code the hex data you could potentially tweak them to your own colour preferences. If you flick the dip switch to 2 & 3 on the control module you can actually use the radio scan button to blend colours so I'd say there's around 20 possible colours.

I did actually order the tweeter kit but what was sent looks nothing like a tweeter kit, it's a plastic round surround with no grille, a translucent centre fill to capture the light and that's about it. It's far too small to fit the tweeter inside of it and it also has no mounting points.. I can only presume they found a generic piece; at the time of ordering I asked if they had anything for the tweeters however I will be returning these as it's a waste of £65.

[NathanM99]

Hey mate just left a comment on your YouTube video but just thought I’d put it here also incase you miss it - Quick question regarding the install, I have just purchased this exact kit and I’m having trouble with the y-splitter cable that is meant to plug into the I-drive unit and the radio unit, once you plugged the cords into the control box and the idrive/radio connection did all the led light bars that you plugged in after that light up automatically or is there another step? I feel as though I might have a faulty wiring loom as nothing lights up when I connect it all

[Tuimasika]

Just installed these myself.
Have to agree, no instructions makes it a bit harder.

But for previous posters issue;
- the box just connects between idrive controller plug
- the other connection next to it (in the box) is unused (no radio connection)
- it lights up almost instantly, when car power is turned on
- start with just couple of lights connected, to remove risk of shorts in "free" metal plugs shorting out (meant for door connectors)
-check that all dip switches are up, except 2 & 3

[fortythirtyfive]

Originally Posted by Tuimasika

Just installed these myself.
Have to agree, no instructions makes it a bit harder.

But for previous posters issue;
- the box just connects between idrive controller plug
- the other connection next to it (in the box) is unused (no radio connection)
- it lights up almost instantly, when car power is turned on
- start with just couple of lights connected, to remove risk of shorts in "free" metal plugs shorting out (meant for door connectors)
-check that all dip switches are up, except 2 & 3

Annoyingly the image host I used has changed their link system so non of my original photos work

On your point about the free/loose metal pins I actually cut and taped most of mine off, I only needed the first set for the front doors, but yeah if these aren't looked after you'll most definitely short it out. You would hope they packaged them up pre-covered but weirdly they don't.

[Tuimasika]

Tried this on 2020 i3s and it works identically!

Thanks for original poster on making the guide, the Chinese instructions ran through an translator is almost useless

[Fayed150]

Originally Posted by fortythirtyfive

You need to remove your doorcards, drill out the plastic spot welds for the accent trims, then strip out the original light guide tubes from the accent trims.

Hey,

Do you know how to reconnect the accent trims after removing the plastic spot welds?

Are there specific clips I can buy? Or did you reconnect another way?

Will appreciate a response.

Thanks in advance.

[fortythirtyfive]

Originally Posted by Fayed150

Hey,

Do you know how to reconnect the accent trims after removing the plastic spot welds?

Are there specific clips I can buy? Or did you reconnect another way?

Will appreciate a response.

Thanks in advance.

I always hot glue the hole, reinsert the trim with the exposed stakes, fill any further gaps with hot glue and then use self tappers and washers to draw it in tight. Hot glue is definitely required as this acts as a dampener for any vibrations.

Pro tip for your doorcard clips.. wrap some butyl around the recess that pushes into your doorcard clip holder, this will hold them TIGHT in place and eradicate any rattles. I used to swear that you could only use OEM clips as even the good aftermarket ones rattle, however using a tiny bit of butyl stuffed into the recess before pushing it back onto your doorcard will do wonders.. I work as a producer so rattles and strange noises are one thing I won't allow in my car haha.

[farrusete]

Want to try this in my i3. Where could I find post photos? Thanks in advance!

[BillNguyen]

How did manage the rear because like your car mine is a 2 door did you just freely connected them and used tape to cover it up? Also the battery needs be disconnected during this right?

[fortythirtyfive]

Originally Posted by BillNguyen

How did manage the rear because like your car mine is a 2 door did you just freely connected them and used tape to cover it up? Also the battery needs be disconnected during this right?

The loom kit has an extension that was meant for the F30 rear doors, I just taped up the extra door pins to stop them shorting, then used the connectors to extend into the rear door cards.

[BillNguyen]

Originally Posted by fortythirtyfive

The loom kit has an extension that was meant for the F30 rear doors, I just taped up the extra door pins to stop them shorting, then used the connectors to extend into the rear door cards.

Is this the actual it because in the link it looks like the box has 4 male ends? Do you happen to remember what each end of male connector ran to?

[fortythirtyfive]

Originally Posted by BillNguyen

Is this the actual it because in the link it looks like the box has 4 male ends? Do you happen to remember what each end of male connector ran to?

I'm a little confused by what you mean.


The module controller has wires coming out of it, they then tee off into a Y shape creating 2x the amount of wires, one to go left and the other to go right.

The left and right side of the loom have sections where they branch off again for things like the AC/Radio surround, dash trim, footwell lights, front and rear doorcards.

With the kit I bought you had to stick with exactly what the wires were labelled, if you switched them out they wouldn't work correctly, some colours would match while others wouldn't, for example if you plugged the right doorcard led blade into the loom labelled door handle led.. you had to stick by the instructions and not change anything.

Every seller for this kit provides a slightly different product though, if the above isn't working for you then I would try contact the seller you bought from. They make the wiring looms themselves so there all produced slightly differently, not to mention the module controllers are also different per seller.

[BillNguyen]

The 4 male ends I’m talking about are these

[fortythirtyfive]

Originally Posted by BillNguyen

The 4 male ends I’m talking about are these

Oh those are for the first stage of the loom splits, one is left side loom, one is for the AC/Radio surround, one for the dash trims and the final one is for the right side loom.

Left and right side looms have multiple tee offs for such as footwell lights and front/rear doorcards.

[BillNguyen]

Ok thanks men that what I was trying to get info about closer to the summer time I’ll order and install this kit and I’ll probably be asking you some more questions if you don’t mind

[BillNguyen]

Hey man for the rear door card since your and mine are 2 door do you just do this and tape the individual wire so they are Insulated from one another

[fortythirtyfive]

Originally Posted by BillNguyen

Hey man for the rear door card since your and mine are 2 door do you just do this and tape the individual wire so they are Insulated from one another

Exactly that, I guess they put it there in case you have 5 door vehicle and require the loom to transfer via the door plugs.

I just individually wrapped each pin and then bound them together to keep it all tidy.