GOLFMK8
GOLFMK7
GOLFMK6
GOLFMKV

DIY footwell light install guide

walker

Go Kart Newbie
^^^ I've got those same (non-led) bulbs only in blue. They are cheap, but the problem with them is the bulb part is colored, but the 'wedge' or 'tab' part is not. The white light trickles out the non-coated part of the bulb. The result once installed makes the lens look half red, half white.

Also after about a month or so, the light on my driver side seems to be 100% back to white, no blue at all. I haven't bothered to check it out yet, but maybe the coloring wore off from heat? It doesn't make sense because all my dome lights and the passenger footwell are also blue, and they don't have this issue (but do have the half/half thing). I did get some from autozone and some from advance auto, not sure exactly which bulbs ended up where.



I'm beginning to think that the colored cellophane tape is the best way to go.
 

fender177

Ready to race!
^^^ I've got those same (non-led) bulbs only in blue. They are cheap, but the problem with them is the bulb part is colored, but the 'wedge' or 'tab' part is not. The white light trickles out the non-coated part of the bulb. The result once installed makes the lens look half red, half white.

Also after about a month or so, the light on my driver side seems to be 100% back to white, no blue at all. I haven't bothered to check it out yet, but maybe the coloring wore off from heat? It doesn't make sense because all my dome lights and the passenger footwell are also blue, and they don't have this issue (but do have the half/half thing). I did get some from autozone and some from advance auto, not sure exactly which bulbs ended up where.



I'm beginning to think that the colored cellophane tape is the best way to go.

Strange! I didn't notice the white light bleeding through on mine, but I wasn't looking for it either. I'll keep an eye out to see if the color fades as well. What % are you running your lights at? I think mine are 35-40%.


Sent from my iPhone - there may be ducking typos
 

fender177

Ready to race!
I tried doing it with a flat head screw driver the tabs wont move

Which tab? I used the screw driver to bend the metal casing out a little bit. Then I was able to get it out. Don't be afraid to bend it a little bit either. You can bend it back into shape before you snap the plastic piece back in.
 

walker

Go Kart Newbie
Update: I used the regular non-led 194 bulbs from Autozone for this. I reported that some of them have lost their color. Well the color on all of them eventually faded, some are completely white now! It appears they just can't handle their own heat. I suppose that's what I get for trying to cheap out.

So I finally sprung for some LEDs. I got the smd type from superbrightleds.com. As others have already noted you need to bend the connectors around to get them to fit right. I also noticed that they have a resister built into them. I got the 9 led version, they have an extra row of lights and are thus longer, but they still fit in the footwell housing.

If you are doing your overhead lights also, you can get the smd ones and not have to bend any connectors. They slide right in no problem. I wasn't sure if the longer 9 light ones would fit in the housing, so I got the 5 light type. Now that I see them in there, I think the longer ones may have fit.

Now to wait until it's dark to see how they look! Damn daylight savings time.
 

broox

New member
This is my first time posting these forums. I'm a first time VW owner and this was also my first mod to my GTI.

I was a bit surprised by how easy this install was after reading all of the comments about how hard it was to get the bulb housings out.

Like the original poster of this thread says, they just pop right out with your fingers if you pry from the side opposite the wire harness. The passenger side required me to push downward from the top of the housing, but it came right out with a bit of pressure.

If you haven't seen enough VW footwell install photos, here are a couple photos of my install using deautokey 6-LED red wafers.

deautokey 6-LED wafer next to housing


deautokey 6-LED wafer installed in housing


deautokey 6-LED red wafer vs stock incandescent bulbs (100% brightness)


deautokey 6-LED red wafer vs stock incandescent bulbs (100% brightness)


deautokey 6-LED red wafers installed (100% brightness)
 

deAutoLED.com

GolfMK6 Official Vendor
Top