LED Sill Plates
 

Folks, I'm on the last phase of my lighting upgrades.
As follows:
LED DRL Projector Headlights -- Done in 2017.
LED Smoke Depo Taillights and third brake light -- Done in 2018.
Porsche Logo puddle lights -- early 2019.
Some interior accent EL wire lights -- finished last week (Will post some pics of the install and instructions soon. Very easy, and looks fantastic, IMO--Why should my wife's new Audi be the only one, right?)
Porsche Logo LED sill plates -- working.
This is where I could use a little help.
I know the interior courtesy lights have a constant hot (through fuse C3), and are activated with a switched ground. What I don't know is where is a good place to tap into that switched circuit so the sill plates come on and go off along with all the other courtesy lights?
I can just splice them each directly into the wires going to the puddle lights, but that seems a little messy to me, since I don't know where to tap into those inside the cabin, only inside the door, and I don't particularly care to run another set of wires out into the doors for that purpose if I don't have to.

Can anybody tell me where I can tap into the switched circuit for the courtesy lights, somewhere under the dash or in the footwell?

By the way, here's a link to where I purchased them. They arrived the other day and look to be very good quality, and came with everything needed, including a circuit tester! I got them with white lights.
https://aoonuauto.com/products/led-car-door-sill-entry-guard-porsche-sedan-series?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIz7jw36DH4wIVip-zCh0-EAbGEAQYASABEgKiAvD_BwE

Here's a couple of pics of the EL wire installed. It's amazing how my phone brightens things up. It looks like daylight in these pictures, but it was almost dark outside when I took them.

Right up my ally...SUPERCAR style. :cheers:
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1563910049.jpg
IMO I would only keep the dash & shifter lights (if they don't distract at night).
BTW I used the dome light cables to tab into --> for my door courtesy lights.

You can tap into the door courtesy lights at the wiring harnesses in the foot wells.

I’ll see if I can find some pictures and wire color codes for you.

Disregard this reply. haha

That's just what I did for the sill plates. I ran their wires into the doors and spliced directly into the two wires to the entry courtesy lights. Works like a champ!

As promised, here are some pics from the EL wire install.

This first one shows what the EL wires looked like when they arrived. Just cut the cigarette lighter adapter off, but make sure you don't cut off the little black box!
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1566330593.jpg
Here's a link to those: (The ones I got were 1M in length, and they were just exactly enough, but with no room for error.)

https://www.ebay.com/itm/12V-Car-Interior-Light-LED-Glowing-Electroluminescent-EL-Wire-Automotive-Decor/254043718269?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&var=553 390336246&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

This one shows the dimmer I got from ebay.
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02/l1566330881.jpg

Here's link to that on ebay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/12V-In-Line-Dimmer-Brightness-controller-for-El-Wire-Panels-Tapes/153443318984?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid =p2057872.m2749.l2649

I tapped into fuse A5 (instrument illumination) for power, and there's a screw just above and to the left of the fuse block for a good ground. You'll find it once you remove the trim around the fuse block.

Here's the wires running to the door.
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02/b1566330962.jpg

With the door panel off, run the wires behind everything and pull the EL wire through the small opening at the rear of the armrest storage lid.
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02/g1566331032.jpg

After the wire is pulled through that little hole, re-attach the door panel. The way the wires are designed, all you have to do is wedge the flat/tape part in between the panels. It will stay just fine.
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02/f1566331121.jpg

Around the door pull handle, there's nothing to wedge the tape into. For this section, a small amount of trim adhesive will work, or you can use double-sided trim mounting tape too. I used the 3M 1/4 inch wide tape in this area. You also want to be sure you're mounting the EL wire where it will be visible. It will tend to want to hide behind the handle a bit here.
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02/a1566331195.jpg

Once you have the tape in all the way around the handle, you're going to cut off the excess. (You can cut this stuff to any length and it still works.)
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02/e1566331403.jpg

If you leave a little extra of the tape part (not the actual glowing wire part), you can fold it over to have a thick enough piece that it will stay put. If you don't do this, you'll have to use some kind of adhesive or it won't stay flush at the end (It will stick up exactly like it is in the picture above.).
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02/c1566331480.jpg

That's it! I think they look awesome. If you do this, you'll definitely want to get the dimmer.
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1566331611.jpg

Sorry I didn't think to take pictures when I was installing the one around the instruments. For that one, take out the instrument cluster (but you don't have to unhook anything) and feed the EL wire up from underneath so that it comes out at the base of the binnacle on the passenger side. Wedge it in just like on the door handle. When you get to the bottom on the left side, locate where the end of the strip that you want to be able to see lit up is, then cover a few inches after that point with some black electrical tape if you don't want to have a glow from behind/under the instruments. (I didn't think of that, but it turns out I actually like the glow.) Then feed the EL wire down to the center console (where the stereo and other controls are) and down to where it will come out on the driver's side at the base of the shifter trim. I had to drill a hole in the plastic structure behind the A/C controls and storage shelf to feed the wire through (I covered a little of it with black tape there too, or it would have been visible between the sections of the dash face). If I had a longer EL wire, like the 2M length, drilling wouldn't have been necessary.

Finally, here's what the sill plates look like installed. They install with pre-mounted double-sided 3M tape.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02/Sill1566333316.jpg

Actually, the one around the instrument cluster is the only one that has the potential to cause any distraction. That's because it reflects in the windshield. The reflection isn't actually in the driver's direct line of vision, so not really a problem, and I've installed a dimmer now that makes it even less of one.

Just a couple more pics now that I can dim the EL wires.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02/m1566353601.jpg


http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02/n1566353618.jpg

Here's the dimmer in action (Pretty exciting stuff. Better make sure you're sitting down :rolleyes: ):

https://youtu.be/CvnYEVfo55g

Here's what the sill plates actually look like in action. I would actually rather they just were on steady, but this is what I received and I still very much like them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JS1hwuMXHDw

The sill plates look nice! :cool:

I would definitely want them on steady and dim, though. Is there an external controller that regulates the light pattern, or is it internal?

Nice I also have some ambient light in my boxster. Love how it looks at night.

Can you show pics or video of the Porsche Logo puddle lights. Where did you get them also? I have been wanting to do this for awhile. I have a 00.



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The controller is internal. I would prefer they were steady, but I can live with them the way they are.

Here's a pic of the puddle light. For some reason, when I spliced the sill plates into the puddle lights wiring, the logo part of them stopped working. The entry courtesy light part still works though. I don't know the technical reason for it, but since the logo part is an LED projector of some sort, maybe there just isn't sufficient power for everything? They came from Amazon. Here's the link. They're basically plug and play, but they don't have the proper connector on the wires, so you have to modify them in that way. Pretty easy to do.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MCQS873/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1



http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1566490574.jpg

Looks good. Ordering these and putting it on my 986. Thanks and your car's interior is looking great.

Here is some of my upgrades and mood lighting in the car. I went with a Bluetooth light that is able to change light color and other functions like color change with speed etc..

https://youtu.be/VlEiBpRFQc8

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pretty cool setup. I like the illuminated windblocker. I'd guess that would cause a lot of difficulty seeing in the rearview with a normal mirror like I have.

I already have LED tail lights, but I'm considering another upgrade there, since there are now some full LED ones with dynamic turn signals that either weren't available when I got mine, or I just didn't look hard enough.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1aPHWcX0ac
https://www.ebay.com/itm/SMOKED-LED-TAIL-LIGHTS-DYNAMIC-TURN-SIGNALS-PORSCHE-BOXSTER-986-1996-2004/323755042961?hash=item4b614de891:g:oq4AAOSwcNFcm07 6

First things first, though. There's a place here that will repair and restore my leather seats for $100/each, so I need to get that done before anything becomes irreparable.

I also have these classic Porsche side stripes on the way. I got them in light grey to go on my Black car. (Trying to stay subtle on the outside)
https://www.ebay.com/itm/PORSCHE-911-GT3-Panamera-4-GTS-Turbo-718-Cayman-4S-Boxster-Decal-Vinyl-Stripes/233123345994?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid =p2057872.m2749.l2649

I like those lights alot. I updated mine with the 718 lights...they look good imo and give it an updated look in the rear. Video of them on my ride.

https://youtu.be/w0ljVmhwuwE

If you really want to update the interior do a total re-upholster of the seats. That is what I get most compliments on. :)

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I can see why! Those seats look the great!

I bought this car really as a placeholder until I buy my next Lotus (an Evora S), which I expect to get in the next year or so. It's just waiting on a house to sell, and one or two other financial commitments to be up.

Anyway, I really do like the Boxster, It's my fourth Porsche over the years, and I too get complements on it all the time, despite it not being that special (as Porsches go). However, as a result, I'm planning on a leather restoration at a local shop at $100/seat, in hopes of avoiding a costly re-trim. My seats really just show their age on the outboard bolsters of both seats, but there are no tears or any really bad places.

I'm just about done with the upgrades for this car. It hasn't ever had the IMS bearing done, so I'm thinking about that. I'm also very tempted to do another exterior lighting upgrade (I'd like the HID headlights and the LED taillights with the dynamic turn signals I shared in an earlier comment), but it's a wait and see.

I did do another small thing yesterday. All three of my previous Porsches (1970s vintage 911T and two 914s) had the classic PORSCHE side stripes. I just added those to the Boxster, and I think they look great too. Very inexpensive on eBay at $39. They kind of look white in the picture, but they're actually light grey. I also recently painted the side vent grates using a color labeled "aluminum," and I think they really tie in well with the new stripes, my rims, and the Boxster logo on the trunk.


http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1567385392.jpg

Looks like you've researched these a little bit? Waddya know about them? Quality? Fit? Have you found other pics and videos of them installed?
I quite like the idea of the dynamic turn signal.

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I can't speak to those things. I just like the dynamic signals, and I think they look great in the video. I've seen them on ebay both in smoke and clear with red framing or black framing around the outside. The clear/red ones were $299, the clear/black are $370 and the smoke ones are $560. I'll go for the smoke if I get them, although the clear/black would look good on my black car too.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-SEQUENTIAL-LED-Tail-Rear-Light-for-1996-1997-98-99-2004-Porsche-986-Boxster/283483585967?hash=item4200f03daf:g:Q1oAAOSwJ~xcG6Z-