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Wing Mirror Lights for Fabia MKII (Puddle Lights)


32KOFDATA

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After a long wait I finally managed to complete my puddle lights mod. I tried to document the procedure as best as I could in the hope that it will help others to complete the mod or something similar. Hold on to your seats cause it is a looong post but at least its got plenty of pics  :D

1. Choosing the right led. It had to be powerful/bright, small enough, waterproof and with a low profile otherwise it would look ugly sticking out from the bottom of the wing mirror. All LEDs pictured below are great and very bright but the one that was perfect for the job was the "Oznium High Intensity Flush Mount LED Bolt (without lens)"

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Not only it is super bright, with an aluminum fully waterproof casing it also has a ring that allows you to screw the led on any flat surface. The light temperature is a bluish white and in case someone fancies something more colorful there are loads of other colors too for purchase. More here: http://www.oznium.com/led-bolt (by the way Oznium has got a great speedy service and loads more interesting products, so have a look around).

Note! at the time of purchase the only "Oznium Led Bolt" choice was the 16mm version. Soon after Oznium came up with an 11mm version which to be honest might be easier to install. Also if you are interested the color I picked was Cool White.

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2. Choosing the right place to install the puddle light. At first I was considering opening the wing mirror and drilling a hole into the casing but quickly realized that if things went sour the expense of replacing the glass and casing would be high. Especially after I saw how the glass needs to be removed and how fragile it is. Anyways, after further inspection I discovered that the Fabia wing mirror arm has a cap for some reason (?). It was very easy to remove and in the case things didn't work out with my installation it is probably very cheap to replace (well cheaper than a mirror and wing mirror casing).

Note! if you are proficient and know how to dismantle a wing mirror without issues then go for it! I believe that the LEDs will light up much better the ground if sitting right below the wing mirror and further away from the car body.

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What you are seeing coming through are the three wires for manual adjustment of the mirror. Note! my wing mirrors are non electric! Those with electric/heated mirrors they will find a wire harness running through rather 3 steel wires. See picture below (thank you Confide for the pic  :) )

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After you remove the caps use the LED ring as a guide and draw a circle as dead center as possible. Then drill a hole big enough for the LED to go through.

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I used a Dremmel as you can see and slowly made the opening wider. After a few tries you will get the sizing right and no worries if the shape is not perfect. The LED will hide the mistakes. The plastic is soft and will not give you a hard time.

 

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3. Now on to removing the door cards and gain access to the wing mirror. First remove the handle cover by pulling from the side that faces the window switch. Then pull and lift so the rest comes off. Don't be afraid and use force as the metal clips holding it are very strong.

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Then unscrew 2 torx screws and

 

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two screws at the bottom

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Un-clip the door card starting from the bottom and moving up. Lift it up so it comes off the window slot on the top. Note! that there are still cables attached to the back so don't pull or remove the door card yet.

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This is really a job for two people. There are three cables to be unplugged that are still attached to the door card. In the case of the passenger side there are two. First remove the plug of the lock light.

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Then it's the turn of the handle cable. First un-clip the hinge and then the metal rod that it is attached to the handle itself.

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and finally remove the plug of the window switches. These might differ slightly depending your setup. 2 or 4 electric windows but the procedure is the same really.

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Now the door card is free!

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4. Next up is removing the wing mirror and installing the LEDs. First remove the triangular cover by simply pulling it out.

 

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Below you will find 3 torx screws - unscrew them and that will free the wing mirror. Note! that as I've said before I got non electric mirrors so that is why you are seeing three steel wires running through.

In the case of electric mirror owners there will be a wire harness.

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After detaching the wing mirror it is time to run through the LED cable.

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Note! that in my case the three steel wires were obstructing the led casing from going all the way up. I had to grind the top edges and bring the casing profile a bit lower. In the case of people with electric mirrors not sure how much lower you got to bring the profile down OR if needed at all. Unfortunately at this stage it is unknown to me. Just take extra care and don't cut the wires or damage them. If you feel not comfortable with this then you could use the "Oznium Hyperflux LEDs" which will fit easier due to their much smaller size. (see on top pic).

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After a few tries and fitment will be perfect! Don't worry about the steel wires - they will work just fine.

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5. To make this a stealthy as possible installation you will have to run the LED cable through the inside of the door and then again through to the bottom of the dash. First remove the speaker by unscrewing the four screws that hold it.

 

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then run the LED cable through the rubber plug (you might need to make a small cut to gain access). Note! Make sure you run the cable along with the wiring harness of the door cables. That way it will not obstruct the window mechanism.

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Run the cable through to the dash. This part was a pain. It involves again one small cut to the rubber plug and fishing the cable so it comes through the other side. The curse-meter went off the chart.  :giggle: It is not hard it is just time consuming so better get prepared (tea, coffee anyone?).

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Edited by 32KOFDATA
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6. At this point the led cable will run out, just right below the dash which is fine and you will simply need to extend it with more 12v cable so you can run it through all the way up to the interior light.

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7. Removing the pillars is just a matter of pulling them out with your fingers. It needs a bit of force as they are held by three metallic plugs. Start from the top and make your way down.

 

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At this point it would be a good idea to remove the front dome light. Remove the clear plastic cover with your fingers and then undo the two screws that hold the body to the roof.
 

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Simply push it down with your fingers.

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Now time to run the extension cable! The easiest way is where the dash meets the door seal. Just pull the cable up and in.

 

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Help with your fingers any bits that are still giving a fight.

 

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When the cable comes out the other side run it along the airbag wiring harness so the whole setup is nice and tidy and at the top just push it through the roof cover.

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use your fingers to push the rest through the front of the roof cover and then try to push the end through the dome light opening.

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9. Here you will need to connect it to the correct cables so the puddle lights will function in the same way the dome light does. Below is a very crude way to show you where to tap into - Not happy with how I've portrayed this part so I will probably will have to get you more pic of the process and of course based on you electricians skills you can make it look very sleek.

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...and guess what? you are done!
the same process is required for the other side so you know what to do.  :)

And I hear you ask... can the installation be seen during the day? well below is proof that even from up close and on the same level as the wing mirror it is difficult to detect.

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...and now for some pics of the final result at night.  :thumbup:

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and a video too...

Edited by 32KOFDATA
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Very impressive! Your workmanship is incredible really, even the video at the end is done very professionally :) Massive thumbs up from me and I will definitely consider carrying out this small modification.

:rock:

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  • 2 weeks later...

32KOFDATA

Very good indeed.

Will be doing this when I have the time.

Thanks for sharing that with us.

CD

By the way what size mm did you use and colour warm warm white /cool white/ blue??

Edited by Carlo diesel
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  • 4 weeks later...

32KOFDATA ...Thanks again for your help and íngenuity.

Have just done mine with the same size 16mm. As you said had too turn down the base part of the light to make it fit snug.

Very happy with the results.

Will put a picture up as soon as I can.

Now looking to put a couple in the rear doors.

CD

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32KOFDATA ...Thanks again for your help and íngenuity.

Have just done mine with the same size 16mm. As you said had too turn down the base part of the light to make it fit snug.

Very happy with the results.

Will put a picture up as soon as I can.

Now looking to put a couple in the rear doors.

CD

You can't imagine how happy that makes me :) for a moment I felt that no one would try it out. :(

Would love to see pics of the final result. :thumbup:

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It is really impressive. Thanks!

I want to attached LED Scuff Plates to all 4 doors, I have Fabia 1.6, this post certainly help me to do this but,

My question is, do we have access of the wires ( Similar or same) of Dome light at the door sill. I mean do we have any way i can attach all 4 plates wihtout going with a long wire from back door sill to Dome Light? :thumbup:

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16mm Flush mount LED bolts | Mar 13, 2013

Reviewer: (United Kingdom)

Item: Flush Mount LED Bolt

On our car forum (Skoda) someone thought of an idea for these.

Fitted underneath & inside the door mirror.

Gives a nice spread of light when unlocking the doors.

Fantastic bit of kit.

Well recommended.

Ray

So, Where else to put the other ones I have?

Polite suggestions only please.

Edited by Carlo diesel
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  • 2 weeks later...

Great guide! I've just been having a look around my mark 1 and I reckon it's possible to do this mod on there too. Differences are that you could actually get it further out and into the mirror casing itself, though doing this it looks like it'd have to be the oznium LED just to save space, as there is already a small hole on the underside of each mirror shell.

Think I'll be giving this one a go! :)

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Goblin.

Just one small point.

You only need thin cable. 2 x13 str speaker cable, almost like bell wire.

The tails on the Oznium are very fine.

I used Philex 19805r as that was all I had anyway.

Solder joints and tape up.

R

"Are there any small LEDs out there that I can get without having to get them from America?"

Not as good as the ozium.

Don't take long, pretty good really.

Or e,bay I think someone said eagle eyes.??

Edited by Carlo diesel
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Awesome, I'll raid my dad's bits and bobs when I next visit home and see what I can find :) Are there any small LEDs out there that I can get without having to get them from America?

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  • 6 months later...

Hey did this mod over the weekend with the 11mm leds.

Thanks to 32kofdata for this extremely helpful guide.

If you do use the 11mm leds then there is no need to turn them down as they are already shorter, also just a note my speakers were riveted not screwed so you have to drill the rivets as well.

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Recently got myself a Fabia 3 TDI (2008) and have bought a load of VRS kit for it (Gigaro wheels, hatch spoiler, diffuser, lowering springs and a superskoda front splitter (as the genuine vrs is facelifted)).  I thought that would be enough to satisfy me but I sooooo need to do this puddle light mod!

 

What an excellent guide.  Will get mine done soon  :)  Thank you, 32KOFDATA.

 

:)

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