Donating Member
VS Calais Door Trim Lights
Hey Guys,
Just bought some VS Calais leather door trims for my VS Berlina.
Just wondering how to wire up the lights so they come on when I open the doors.
Do I have to wire it up to the switch that makes the interior light come on or do I have to add a switch so they don't all come on at the same time? Any help appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
Originally Posted by Jasper44
Including car parts (VS, VT, VX, VY, WH etc), my WH Statesman, and other things listed on eBay.
I'm actually looking on ebay for those lights to install in my berlina. I would most likely just wire them up to the switch that turns the lights on when u open the door... i'm no auto electrician tho, just a fan of trial and error diy!
Donating Member
Yeah, because they didn't come out in the berlina, I guess theres no wires behind the door trim (except for the electric windows).
With my dads VR Statesman, they come on seperately depending on which door is open. (Example, R/H/F door opens, R/H/F door trim light comes on (but others stay off)). But in my WH Statesman, when I open any door (or unlock the doors) they all come on at the same time.
Including car parts (VS, VT, VX, VY, WH etc), my WH Statesman, and other things listed on eBay.
Donating Member
If you wanted this to happen you could run a positive wire to the light then run an earth from each light in each door to it's corresponding door switch. If that makes sense
Donating Member
Yeah thats how I want them to work, like on my dads VR Statesman. What you have said does make sense. Only thing is, I have to work out where to get the positive wire from. With the earth wire, I can just put that anywhere on the door.
Including car parts (VS, VT, VX, VY, WH etc), my WH Statesman, and other things listed on eBay.
Donating Member
The positive wire can be from anywhere as long as it's constant 12v it would also pay to fuse it. The earth would have to be spliced into the back of the door switch itself
Donating Member
Ok thanks for the advice. Ill give it ago once I pull the old door trims off, before I put the new ones on.
Including car parts (VS, VT, VX, VY, WH etc), my WH Statesman, and other things listed on eBay.
Do you have electric windows? You can steal power from the feed to the switch. (on rear doors and fronts if the switch isn't on the centre console.)
A bulb won't draw much current
Donating Member
Yeah it has electric windows, the rear windows have switches in the door trims as well as on the centre console, and the front ones are just on the centre console (no switch in the front door trims).
Including car parts (VS, VT, VX, VY, WH etc), my WH Statesman, and other things listed on eBay.
Actually that prob won't even work for the rears sorry, the lights would only work with the key on.
Might have to run new wires to each door. You could loop it off headdeck permanent power wire or just go back to the battery.
Banned :P
look under your dash at the fuse panel, you have several constant power feeds that you can neatly and factory looking fit a fuse to. Holden have kindly left you several spares to use for your upgrades. Just need a new fitting, attach your wire to fitting, push fitting in from behind, route wire, push fuse into factory fuse location and WHALLA!
Hope that helps guys because it will make it a much neater, safer and sexier install.
Real cars are steel cars.
Remember that the door switches pull a wire to ground. The other end of the door switch wire goes to the BCM.
A direct 12v connection to a door switch will freak out the BCM.
IIRC the Berlina/Calais has a double contact (single for Commodore/ Acclaim) door switch. One contact for the BCM and the other to run to light in the door trim.
*Someone with a wiring diagram confirm???*
If I told you I was a compulsive liar, would you believe me?
sorry and this may be the stupid thing to say but why not just figure out which wire sends the impulse to turn on the lights; splice it and run it to the positive of your light and then just ground it? that way only the light corresponding to the door would turn on? or have i blatantly missed something?
Real cars are steel cars.
The BCM uses a 5v reference and 'sees' when this is pulled to ground. Even wiring it to the earth side of a globe will still send 12v through the BCM circuit when the switch is held open, resulting in a very dead BCM.
The 4 doors are wired in two circuits. One circuit for the drivers door (for auto headlamp off etc.) and the remaining doors on the other. Even if you could use the existing door switches, the drivers door would be OK but if any other door was opened, all 3 remaining lamps would turn on.
This is why double contact switches are used for vehicles with lamps in the door trims.
If I told you I was a compulsive liar, would you believe me?
Donating Member
In that case drill four new holes and fit four extra single contact door switches right above the stock ones
Real cars are steel cars.
I would fit the double contact switches, rather than drilling holes.
If I told you I was a compulsive liar, would you believe me?
Donating Member
Today I fitted the dynamat and fitted the new door trims (just on the left side of the car). Both lights are coming on at the same time and once I put the other 2 lights in, they will come on as well. The R/H/R door has double contact switch but the other 3 doors have single. Does anyone know what the difference is? I don't see how me connecting the wires together on the single contact switch is any different to using a double because they are both earthed the same.
Including car parts (VS, VT, VX, VY, WH etc), my WH Statesman, and other things listed on eBay.
Real cars are steel cars.
The double contact switch is just that, double contact.
It is basically two seperate switches in the one housing. One for the trim light and one for the BCM.
Did you read post #13 and #15????
If I told you I was a compulsive liar, would you believe me?
Donating Member
Ok. The way it is now, (all coming on at the same time), would that affect the bcm or would it be ok. Because I was thinking of just leaving it how it is if it doesn't affect anything.
Including car parts (VS, VT, VX, VY, WH etc), my WH Statesman, and other things listed on eBay.
Real cars are steel cars.
Im not clear on exactly how you wired it.
If I told you I was a compulsive liar, would you believe me?
Donating Member
They are wired to the switch in the doors. Just finished the wiring now, 3 doors come on at the same time and the drivers door comes on seperately (don't know why).
Including car parts (VS, VT, VX, VY, WH etc), my WH Statesman, and other things listed on eBay.
Real cars are steel cars.
I assume you mean to the original door switches and switching earth.
As in post #15, the door switches are wired in two separate circuits. The drivers door is separate from the others.
The other three doors are sharing what is basically one switch as they are wired in parallel.
Using the existing single contact door switches, it is impossible to have each door light come on individually.
You do realise that wiring it in this way feeds 12v (from the door lamp) up the 5v line from the BCM?
If I told you I was a compulsive liar, would you believe me?
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