You can technically do this for any vehicle.
I've done this on my previous two cars: WRX and a 370Z. On the WRX, lighting options seemed limited back in the mid-2000's. I used a simple led light from Radio Shack. I finally stumbled upon EL wire for the 370Z; which is what I had in mind for the Subie but just didn't realize EL wire was out there. EL wire is definitely the way to go.
As far as the tools you'll need for doing the EL wire:
1) EL wire of choice; things to consider are color and size. I'm using 2.2mm
2) 12V inverter for the EL wire
3) Any EL wire accessories that you wish or would like. I also bought a 3-way splitter and 3-foot extension. You can also buy the little end caps for the wires. I just put a very thin coat of silicone on the end of the wires to ensure the end was sealed from outside elements.
4) Drill and drill bits
5) Some wire connectors for the 12V inverter; or you can wire anyway you want. I plan to wire it to the interior fuse box with one of those fuse expansion slots so that the wires light up only with parking lights and headlights switched ON.
5) Clear silicone sealant. Any sealant should work. One with a fine tip would help with your bead. NOTE: You must use silicone. Attempting to use super glue or any type of adhesive will eat thru the outer sleeve of the wire and damage the phosphorous element. Trust me. I originally used Loctite glue and had to replace the wire after about a month three times in my Z. I thought it was getting liquid damage but it was actually the glue. When I switched to silicone, never had the problem again and it was finally permanent. Photos of damage from using glue are below.
EL wire things to consider:
Color: Note that true colors will actually vary when lit up from what is listed on websites. I'm using white and when lit, it has a slight bluish tint. When I did my 370Z, all of the interior lighting/gauges were orange. However, the orange wire I ordered lit up yellow. After showing some photos to the website guy, he said his red would match the orange. He was right, the red wire matched perfectly and was the same orange color. As for the Golf R, the interior gauge color seems to be a redish color and a red EL wire will not match it. You could try a blue or bluish hue wire to match the blue speedo/tach needles. I opted for white to try and match the white part of the gauges on the speedo/tach.
You first need to disassemble the center console. I used these two guides for removal. The first one seems a little better to work with.
http://www.golfmk6.com/forums/showthread.php?t=25407
http://www.golfmkv.com/forums/showthread.php?t=95746
I just silicone'd and taped the wires down and leaving them to dry overnight. I will finish the right up later. For the mean time, you can view some of my photos from my 370Z to get an idea of things, and also a comparison of the actual orange wire versus the red wire. Remember that the orange wire looks yellow and the red wire looks orange. You can clearly see in the photos.
http://sdrv.ms/14WBWAO
http://sdrv.ms/19AJgTN
http://sdrv.ms/14WC2Z9 <<<----good view of the orange wire lit up as yellow
http://sdrv.ms/14WC43p <<<<<----why you don't want to use super glue or any adhesive variant.
I've done this on my previous two cars: WRX and a 370Z. On the WRX, lighting options seemed limited back in the mid-2000's. I used a simple led light from Radio Shack. I finally stumbled upon EL wire for the 370Z; which is what I had in mind for the Subie but just didn't realize EL wire was out there. EL wire is definitely the way to go.
As far as the tools you'll need for doing the EL wire:
1) EL wire of choice; things to consider are color and size. I'm using 2.2mm
2) 12V inverter for the EL wire
3) Any EL wire accessories that you wish or would like. I also bought a 3-way splitter and 3-foot extension. You can also buy the little end caps for the wires. I just put a very thin coat of silicone on the end of the wires to ensure the end was sealed from outside elements.
4) Drill and drill bits
5) Some wire connectors for the 12V inverter; or you can wire anyway you want. I plan to wire it to the interior fuse box with one of those fuse expansion slots so that the wires light up only with parking lights and headlights switched ON.
5) Clear silicone sealant. Any sealant should work. One with a fine tip would help with your bead. NOTE: You must use silicone. Attempting to use super glue or any type of adhesive will eat thru the outer sleeve of the wire and damage the phosphorous element. Trust me. I originally used Loctite glue and had to replace the wire after about a month three times in my Z. I thought it was getting liquid damage but it was actually the glue. When I switched to silicone, never had the problem again and it was finally permanent. Photos of damage from using glue are below.
EL wire things to consider:
Color: Note that true colors will actually vary when lit up from what is listed on websites. I'm using white and when lit, it has a slight bluish tint. When I did my 370Z, all of the interior lighting/gauges were orange. However, the orange wire I ordered lit up yellow. After showing some photos to the website guy, he said his red would match the orange. He was right, the red wire matched perfectly and was the same orange color. As for the Golf R, the interior gauge color seems to be a redish color and a red EL wire will not match it. You could try a blue or bluish hue wire to match the blue speedo/tach needles. I opted for white to try and match the white part of the gauges on the speedo/tach.
You first need to disassemble the center console. I used these two guides for removal. The first one seems a little better to work with.
http://www.golfmk6.com/forums/showthread.php?t=25407
http://www.golfmkv.com/forums/showthread.php?t=95746
I just silicone'd and taped the wires down and leaving them to dry overnight. I will finish the right up later. For the mean time, you can view some of my photos from my 370Z to get an idea of things, and also a comparison of the actual orange wire versus the red wire. Remember that the orange wire looks yellow and the red wire looks orange. You can clearly see in the photos.
http://sdrv.ms/14WBWAO
http://sdrv.ms/19AJgTN
http://sdrv.ms/14WC2Z9 <<<----good view of the orange wire lit up as yellow
http://sdrv.ms/14WC43p <<<<<----why you don't want to use super glue or any adhesive variant.
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