Recently I decided to upgrade the lighting inside my MS60. I was disappointed with how dim the trunk and footwell lighting was. I ended up using 36 SMD LED arrays to replace them. You can buy them cheap on-line. Here's a link to Amazon so you can see what they are like, but eBay has them even cheaper (I found a US seller that sold them in 10 packs for just $15): Amazon.com: Cutequeen Trading 2PCS White 3528 36SMD 36-SMD LED Panel Dome Light Lamp + T10 BA9S Festoon Adapter (pack of 2): Automotive
I started with the trunk. The lights easily pop out using a flat head screwdriver. Press the small tab on the connector and the cable comes right out. Even though the LED array comes with double sided tape applied, I figured it wouldn't stick to well to the carpet. However, it sticks really well to the existing light. So I decided to recycle it into a mount and attached it like so:
Next I plugged it in. These arrays have a basic two pin connector so it can be connected to various types of bulb sockets. You can toss those adapters and plug the array straight into the Tesla harness as the pins line up perfectly! Just make sure the black wire from the array goes to the same side of the black wire of the Tesla harness. If it's backwards, the light will not turn on (you won't damage anything ether, it just won't work). If you want to, add some electrical tape to keep them secured together.
Now just pop the unit back in and repeat on the other side. You'll now get much brighter light in the trunk! The array is exposed, so there's risk of damage to it. However, I'm not too worried about it as the lights are so cheap, I can always replace it later if needed.
Next I moved on to the driver and passenger footwells. When removing the existing lights, they are tighter because they are mounted in plastic. You'll need a flat head screwdriver to pry them out. I also discoverd with mine that on the passenger side, the wire harness is really short. So you have to be careful when removing and disconnecting. Once I had the lights removed, I plugged in the arrays. Because there was lots of flat space in those areas, I decided to mount them a little lower so they would throw the light further out instead of down. Here's a pic of the passenger side (the camera flash washed out the array a bit, but at least you can see how it's mounted and wired):
Here's how it looks on the driver side. Big improvement!
So for less then $20 and about 20 minutes of my time, I upgraded the trunk and footwell lighting big time. Since I didn't cut into anything, it's all easily reversible too. Simply pry off the arrays and unplug them from the harness. Then just plug back in the stock lights and pop them back into their original locations. That's it!
I also upgraded the light in the frunk, but don't have any pictures of that yet. In that case I also ran additional wiring to provide a second light for the back area. It's a lot more involved, but works really well too. One of these days I'll take some pictures of it and create another how-to.
I started with the trunk. The lights easily pop out using a flat head screwdriver. Press the small tab on the connector and the cable comes right out. Even though the LED array comes with double sided tape applied, I figured it wouldn't stick to well to the carpet. However, it sticks really well to the existing light. So I decided to recycle it into a mount and attached it like so:
Next I plugged it in. These arrays have a basic two pin connector so it can be connected to various types of bulb sockets. You can toss those adapters and plug the array straight into the Tesla harness as the pins line up perfectly! Just make sure the black wire from the array goes to the same side of the black wire of the Tesla harness. If it's backwards, the light will not turn on (you won't damage anything ether, it just won't work). If you want to, add some electrical tape to keep them secured together.
Now just pop the unit back in and repeat on the other side. You'll now get much brighter light in the trunk! The array is exposed, so there's risk of damage to it. However, I'm not too worried about it as the lights are so cheap, I can always replace it later if needed.
Next I moved on to the driver and passenger footwells. When removing the existing lights, they are tighter because they are mounted in plastic. You'll need a flat head screwdriver to pry them out. I also discoverd with mine that on the passenger side, the wire harness is really short. So you have to be careful when removing and disconnecting. Once I had the lights removed, I plugged in the arrays. Because there was lots of flat space in those areas, I decided to mount them a little lower so they would throw the light further out instead of down. Here's a pic of the passenger side (the camera flash washed out the array a bit, but at least you can see how it's mounted and wired):
Here's how it looks on the driver side. Big improvement!
So for less then $20 and about 20 minutes of my time, I upgraded the trunk and footwell lighting big time. Since I didn't cut into anything, it's all easily reversible too. Simply pry off the arrays and unplug them from the harness. Then just plug back in the stock lights and pop them back into their original locations. That's it!
I also upgraded the light in the frunk, but don't have any pictures of that yet. In that case I also ran additional wiring to provide a second light for the back area. It's a lot more involved, but works really well too. One of these days I'll take some pictures of it and create another how-to.