[eugene89us]

Big thanks to Dante for his writeup of retrofitting LCI lit up A/C and radio frame for pre-LCI models. I had the opposite issue - my vehicle is LCI with radio trim already lit up. However, BMW recycled the cover that includes an opening for the cupholder light - which is just sitting there unused (actually, it is holding connector inside the bracket that used to hold the light itself). You never see it, but if you're like me, it makes you unhappy knowing they could have just left another light, as I feel more accent lighting is not necessarily a bad thing. So I decided, as most retrofitted the trim panel, I will reverse retrofit the light. So I got the Y-connector off eBay (lazy, decided not to make myself to save time). But then realized - the main input wire was a MALE on pre-LCI and is a FEMALE on LCI models. So a slight modification had to be made to the cable.

Here are the parts I bought:

Item 63319242162 - LED module for pre-LCI models AND
eBay Y-connector , which the required me to swap a common female to a male connector:

-- Socket terminal pin (female): 61131393724 (need 3 of them for each double wire)
-- Male socket housing: 61138377072

So the double wired female got cut off, terminal pins installed (female) and inserted into the male socket housing. You can also make your own from scratch, which is much cheaper that ordering pre LCI version and then modifying it yourself. The pre-LCI tutorial is here, just make that single modification for the common connector and its pins. The final wire will have 2 males and 1 female unlike pre-LCI connector that will have 2 females and 1 male.

https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...29&postcount=2

Connected everything - and success - have the original lit up frame and pre-LCI cupholder light where the opening in the trim is not just a hole but actually serves a purpose. The AC trim itself gives off a lot of light, so a single extra accent LED may not give as much light, but it is still nice to know it will add extra accent lighting to the cupholders and the hole is useful.

P.S.: Don't cheap out, get a dupont crimping tool. Makes very secure crimps, so less change of wire coming loose in the future.