DavidOnTheCoast
Standard Member
After reading Severnless's post about their strip light inside the lining of the ZS EV Exclusive's sunroof here, I decided to show my alternative rear light solution to add another option for the MG ZS EV.
I too have little ones to buckle up in the back of the ZS EV and now it's dark again at times when we'd be taking the kids places I decided enough was enough. Many people have gone the LED strip light approach which looks cool, but I found a bit 'much' and might be distracting if having on for the kids to read a book whilst we're driving or something. Really, I wanted an automotive/caravan headliner dome light which I could recess into the headlining, however I couldn't find one which looked good and would fit in the limited space near the grab handles in the rear.
So, rather by chance, I came across these 12v cabinet spotlights, which come in the option of natural white 4000k. 0.7 watt which I figured would be a useful amount of light which won't overpower the bulbs in the front (which I also switched to Philips 4000K LEDs).
They have a depth of 11mm which means it will fit into the roof lining without touching the metal roof and are only 19mm wide at the front, the rear body is 15mm wide, so you have a 2mm lip at the front to make the installation look tidy. Only 35 degree of beam though, but in use, it's OK. They are also plain Aluminium colour, which blends in pretty well with the grey/white grab handles and the roof lining.
Pull the lining down so it pops off of the industrial velcro stuff. Don't pull it down too hard or you'll crease the fabric.
Run your finger down the side of the lining - there's a plastic strip along the edge to give it some structure. You want to find the edge of this to avoid cutting it, then, with a sharp knife....
(Oh my goodness, WHAT AM I DOING...?! (This isn't for the faint of heart) )
Initially I thought about having it on the outer edge of the roof lining where it's more sloped closer to the door, but turns out that's all airbag and I didn't fancy having a small aluminium light fitting getting fired into my kids head in a side impact.
When cutting, make a small hole and try the light, then make it a bit bigger and try again and keep gradually making it bigger. Make sure it's a sharp knife so it cuts the fabric cleanly without tearing. Try and angle the knife so that you cut the material behind the lining a little wider than the fabric so you get a nicer finish (the lining will stretch around the light a little to make it a snug fit)
Then I bent the metal plate at the back of the light out a little wider with my fingers to get a better grip on the lining, fed the cable through and then wriggled the light into the hole.
I'm quite impressed with the finish of it. On the near side fitting, the first one I did, I ballsed it up a bit and my first cut with the knife was onto the plastic which runs around the edge of the lining, so you can see a small cut in the fabric next to the light, which is installed where the plastic isn't. Doh!
Then pull the cable round the rest of the lining, making sure to have it caught behind the velcro pads so it won't make it's way back into the cabin. It's easier to pull the cable if you open the sunroof and stick your head through it a bit.
The existing cable on the light fitting is actually the perfect length for this installation. Make sure not to have any slack touching or near the airbags. If you have some automotive cable lagging/insulation to stop it from moving and rattling, go use it.
Then pop out the existing light fitting and pull the cables through into it. This video shows how to pop out the light fitting. Start from the front of the car, that's where the clips are on the light. I used a credit card to tease it out.
Then make sure you've got the polarity of the cables right for wiring into the existing light fitting by testing the lights. I spliced, soldered and insulation taped the cables onto the driver's side light wiring on the back of the light fitting. It wasn't pretty but no one is going to see it. My logic was that our kids are small enough at the moment that at night, they're going to be asleep when driving, but the front passenger may want to have their light on without waking the kids up. Do what works for you.
(The kids will look like they're on Mastermind)
(FWIW, the Joie 360 Spin is a great car seat for 0 to 4 years age at a great price. I now can't imagine using a childseat which doesn't turn to face out the door. The other is a Graco Turn 2 Me which is mechanically the same as the Joie, but a bit more bulky but cheaper for it)
I'm pleased with the result. The lights are comparable in brightness to the front lights, which is what I'd hoped for. They also dim with the front lights when the car turns them off. I was worried that they may flicker, but they dimmed nicely.
The front lights I replaced with these Philips ones for about £13 which are a little brighter than the OEM ones and importantly, exactly the same colour temp as the spots. If they don't work when you first put them in, try turning them around 180 degrees to swap the connectors round - they only work in one direction. That made my heart sink for a while when nothing happened until I realised this.
If I had a spare of the spots, I'd try lightly sanding the lens a little to make the beam a little wider. If I had some appropriate black paint and a tiny airfix type paint brush, I'd paint the inside rim of the light black so it doesn't throw the light sideways at all into the rear view mirror. But it's hardly that distracting as it is.
Hope this helps someone.
I too have little ones to buckle up in the back of the ZS EV and now it's dark again at times when we'd be taking the kids places I decided enough was enough. Many people have gone the LED strip light approach which looks cool, but I found a bit 'much' and might be distracting if having on for the kids to read a book whilst we're driving or something. Really, I wanted an automotive/caravan headliner dome light which I could recess into the headlining, however I couldn't find one which looked good and would fit in the limited space near the grab handles in the rear.
So, rather by chance, I came across these 12v cabinet spotlights, which come in the option of natural white 4000k. 0.7 watt which I figured would be a useful amount of light which won't overpower the bulbs in the front (which I also switched to Philips 4000K LEDs).
They have a depth of 11mm which means it will fit into the roof lining without touching the metal roof and are only 19mm wide at the front, the rear body is 15mm wide, so you have a 2mm lip at the front to make the installation look tidy. Only 35 degree of beam though, but in use, it's OK. They are also plain Aluminium colour, which blends in pretty well with the grey/white grab handles and the roof lining.
Pull the lining down so it pops off of the industrial velcro stuff. Don't pull it down too hard or you'll crease the fabric.
Run your finger down the side of the lining - there's a plastic strip along the edge to give it some structure. You want to find the edge of this to avoid cutting it, then, with a sharp knife....
(Oh my goodness, WHAT AM I DOING...?! (This isn't for the faint of heart) )
Initially I thought about having it on the outer edge of the roof lining where it's more sloped closer to the door, but turns out that's all airbag and I didn't fancy having a small aluminium light fitting getting fired into my kids head in a side impact.
When cutting, make a small hole and try the light, then make it a bit bigger and try again and keep gradually making it bigger. Make sure it's a sharp knife so it cuts the fabric cleanly without tearing. Try and angle the knife so that you cut the material behind the lining a little wider than the fabric so you get a nicer finish (the lining will stretch around the light a little to make it a snug fit)
Then I bent the metal plate at the back of the light out a little wider with my fingers to get a better grip on the lining, fed the cable through and then wriggled the light into the hole.
I'm quite impressed with the finish of it. On the near side fitting, the first one I did, I ballsed it up a bit and my first cut with the knife was onto the plastic which runs around the edge of the lining, so you can see a small cut in the fabric next to the light, which is installed where the plastic isn't. Doh!
Then pull the cable round the rest of the lining, making sure to have it caught behind the velcro pads so it won't make it's way back into the cabin. It's easier to pull the cable if you open the sunroof and stick your head through it a bit.
The existing cable on the light fitting is actually the perfect length for this installation. Make sure not to have any slack touching or near the airbags. If you have some automotive cable lagging/insulation to stop it from moving and rattling, go use it.
Then pop out the existing light fitting and pull the cables through into it. This video shows how to pop out the light fitting. Start from the front of the car, that's where the clips are on the light. I used a credit card to tease it out.
Then make sure you've got the polarity of the cables right for wiring into the existing light fitting by testing the lights. I spliced, soldered and insulation taped the cables onto the driver's side light wiring on the back of the light fitting. It wasn't pretty but no one is going to see it. My logic was that our kids are small enough at the moment that at night, they're going to be asleep when driving, but the front passenger may want to have their light on without waking the kids up. Do what works for you.
(The kids will look like they're on Mastermind)
(FWIW, the Joie 360 Spin is a great car seat for 0 to 4 years age at a great price. I now can't imagine using a childseat which doesn't turn to face out the door. The other is a Graco Turn 2 Me which is mechanically the same as the Joie, but a bit more bulky but cheaper for it)
I'm pleased with the result. The lights are comparable in brightness to the front lights, which is what I'd hoped for. They also dim with the front lights when the car turns them off. I was worried that they may flicker, but they dimmed nicely.
The front lights I replaced with these Philips ones for about £13 which are a little brighter than the OEM ones and importantly, exactly the same colour temp as the spots. If they don't work when you first put them in, try turning them around 180 degrees to swap the connectors round - they only work in one direction. That made my heart sink for a while when nothing happened until I realised this.
If I had a spare of the spots, I'd try lightly sanding the lens a little to make the beam a little wider. If I had some appropriate black paint and a tiny airfix type paint brush, I'd paint the inside rim of the light black so it doesn't throw the light sideways at all into the rear view mirror. But it's hardly that distracting as it is.
Hope this helps someone.
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