How to install side repeater lights

[sullyTDI]

Ok, so you want to install side repeater lights, this is not to difficult a task, just have to drill a couple holes and run some wires. Simple stuff right, well if your like me, no matter what, drilling a hole in the side of my car is not the easiest thing to do…

Here we go.

Items that I used:
Drill
Step Drill bit
3/8” Drill Bit
Masking tape
Cloths hanger
wire strippers\cutters
Soldering Iron & Solder
Electrical Tape & Liquid Electrical Tape
Red Wire Splicer’s
Pliers
Phillips & Flat head screw drivers
Metal Hook (from coat hanger wire)
Torxs bits
Electrical wire (Red & Black)
Heat shrink tubing
Primer
LED Lights (bought at Acadamy Sports, in the boat section - Amber Bulkhead Light)

First let me say this, if you place your hole to low for your light, you will not be happy, there is a cross brace running just below the holes I drilled to place my lights.

This is how I determined my location: Find a bug with factory installed side repeaters, take your measurements to the center line mark on the lens of the factory lights. I measured from the door gap edge to the centerline, and from where the black plastic of the mirror surround/mount down to the center line mark. (My measurements were like 3 13/16 down x 3 ¾ across, don’t go by mine, measure for yourself)

**Again note that if you decide to change from the factory measurements and make your hole to low, your gonna have a hole you can’t use……



Also, on my lights they were made to be put through a hole and have a plastic nut screwed on the back to hold them, guess what, you cannot get to the back of this area AT ALL!

1. Drill the hole

I used a step drill bit to make my holes, ¾” and then fitted my light to the hole and adjusted as necessary, my goal was to actually screw the light into the hole like a bolt. So the whole could not be bigger than my lights threads or it would fall out.

After drilling this hole I used masking tape to protect the paint surface while fitting the light to the hole.



2. Drilling the second hole

Ok, the next whole is not to difficult to do but, it makes it a lot easier to pull the front tire, then take the screws out of your fender liner and either remove it or drop it down.

Once you’ve gotten to this point look up in the fender toward where were your light is going to mount. (See #1 in the picture below) You see that black bracket with one bolt in it connecting the fender to the car?

Your gonna drill the whole right next to the bracket, angling the drill at about 45 deg, and pointing back towards area that would look like its behind where your light mount hole is.

Hole size doesn’t matter, but big enough for the wires size your running, about 3/8”. You want extra room, cause your going through about 4 layers of steel. I found no other way to route these wires because there is no access to that area.





3. Now you have your holes. Apply some type of rust proofing to the bare metal of each hole. I used primer.

4. You will need your coat hanger, brass rod or whatever you’re going to use to fish the wires from the fender well to the hole your light mounts in.

Tape the wire to the end of your fishing rod, and fish them up through the hole to the location of the light, once you get them up there where you can see them, use the a hook to grab them and pull them through the light mount hole about 1 foot.

5. Now you need to connect the wires you just pulled to your light, I would recommend soldering them then taping them really good, crimp on connectors would work but I didn’t want to take the chance of them coming loose.

6. Also you need to either wrap the wires with a couple layers of electrical tape or use heat shrink tubing to put on the wires where they pass through the holes in the fender to keep them from rubbing through the insulation and shorting out. (I put my 4 inches of heat shrink tubing on after soldering the wires to my light; I slid it up the wires from the turn signal and ran it half way through the fender well hole)

7. Now what your gonna do is run the two wires to your turn signal hole. I ran mine in the tops of the fender wells, between the liner and the fender. (there are out of harms way there too.)

Remove your turn signal housing, and run the wire up there and pull it through the hole, I left about 6-8 inches of extra wire there.



8. Now comes the fun part, the part that goofed me up the first time.
Wiring the light to the turn signal wires:
This part can mess you up a little, and the lights not light up when you want them.



As you can see there are 3 wires available in the plug. If you check these with a multi-meter (turn on your key, and turn signal) you would see the left wire as ground, right wire as positive and your light will light and blink with the turn signals. Temporarily push them in the holes in the plug to test the function.

That is all good till you turn on your parking/headlights. Test your light now, uh oh, it doesn’t blink anymore. Yep your right is doesn’t, the computer in the car switches the polarity (negative to positive, black to red) so to say, of the two wires. If you switch your wires around your light will now blink with your lights on, it will light up when your factory turn signals are in not lit up. To say this: factory signals come on, go out, repeater comes on goes out, factory’s are on again. (Opposite of each other.)

9. Now you know how to hook up the wires, you need to somehow splice them in with the factory wires. I used the red wire splicer’s (red is for smaller wires than the blue ones) you squeeze with pliers for this, didn’t want to cut the factory wires. After making your connections, double check the function of your lights. I sealed the connections with liquid electrical tape.

10. Put the screws back in your fender liner , blinker housing back in the bumper.

11. Now you can move to the other side and repeat the same procedure for that one.



(At night the entire light glows bright amber when it is blinking, about a 4" circle of light sort of)


I hope this helps you install some on your car! Any suggestions or additions welcome.

NOTE: I assume no responsibility for anything that happens if you follow these directions. They are for your information only. And you assume all risks.

[SMG]

Wow.. And to think I shaved them off on my 2000.

The grass is always greener I suppose...

[vwgary]

Originally Posted by SMG

Wow.. And to think I shaved them off on my 2000.

The grass is always greener I suppose...

Or not your cup of tea or a thousand other reasons why you do what you do. Who cares
Cool mod tho for those with pre99 cars.

[SMG]

What's your problem man? You're reading way too far into my post, I didn't mean anything by it...

[vwgary]

Originally Posted by SMG

What's your problem man? You're reading way too far into my post, I didn't mean anything by it...

No prob bro. I just mistook it for one of your typical posts.
Now back to your regularly scheduled tech mod post

[SMG]

Originally Posted by vwgary

Now back to your regularly scheduled tech mod post

Agreed! Great mod and awesome pics on how to do it. You could even buy some Jetta / Golf marker lights if you decided your Dremel skills were up to the task.

[scarabY2k]

Originally Posted by SMG

Agreed! Great mod and awesome pics on how to do it. You could even buy some Jetta / Golf marker lights if you decided your Dremel skills were up to the task.

Great mod indeed. I'm with SMG on the Jetta/Golf marker lights. I'm assuming that they're the same as the nB marker lights- squared-oval design. still a cool mod and a job well done

[sullyTDI]

Originally Posted by scarabY2k

Great mod indeed. I'm with SMG on the Jetta/Golf marker lights. I'm assuming that they're the same as the nB marker lights- squared-oval design. still a cool mod and a job well done

Thanks Al.

[sullyTDI]

Originally Posted by SMG

Wow.. And to think I shaved them off on my 2000.

The grass is always greener I suppose...

Thanks

[mrchaotica]

The lack of those lights is one of my favorite things about my '98. Still, good job!

[scarabY2k]

Originally Posted by ssullivan777

Thanks Al.

You're welcome Sully. I like it

Originally Posted by mrchaotica

The lack of those lights is one of my favorite things about my '98. Still, good job!

That's funny. I like mine and some don't care for them. The beauty of individuality i guess

[lkchris]

Originally Posted by mrchaotica

The lack of those lights is one of my favorite things about my '98. Still, good job!

Seems to me "lack" of those lights is perfect opportunity for installing the new mirrors with sidelights combined.

[boogety boogety]

Nice write-up... I just don't know about the round lights, though. They don't look "German."

If you're handy with a Dremel, and can cut an elongated oval opening instead of a round hole, you can use 1999-2006 BMW e46 (3-series) side markers instead. They are absurdly easy to install (no tools!) and look more stock. They look like this:



Here's one on an M3, but the non-M lights fit the same way:



They're available for less than $20 a pair on eBay, BMW parts places, etc.

Again, nice job, but if someone else is thinking of doing this worthy mod, there are a number of other choices out there...

[sullyTDI]

Originally Posted by boogety boogety

Nice write-up... I just don't know about the round lights, though. They don't look "German."

If you're handy with a Dremel, and can cut an elongated oval opening instead of a round hole, you can use 1999-2006 BMW e46 (3-series) side markers instead. They are absurdly easy to install (no tools!) and look more stock. They look like this:



Here's one on an M3, but the non-M lights fit the same way:



They're available for less than $20 a pair on eBay, BMW parts places, etc.

Again, nice job, but if someone else is thinking of doing this worthy mod, there are a number of other choices out there...

I do agree, i would have put stock type in, but the stock holes had a type of flange around the hole I could not replicate. So I went with the round ones.

[vwgary]

I think the round is more in keeping with the nB's body lines, round