Right, anyone who's into their VW's knows that we all like to stare in wonder at a nice W8 light's ambiance on a dark evening...sad bunch of bastards that we are. Ahem.
Me and electrics usually end in:
1. Tears
2. Flames
3. A combination of 1 & 2 above.
But...all is not lost. There's a wealth of helpful how-to's scattered all over t'interweb.
I asked for this info on my favourite new forum for VW T4/T5 van and camper owners/enthusiasts (check it out at www.vwt4forum.co.uk, what a friendly and helpful bunch they are!), and was directed to a SEAT forum, where someone had posted a very helpful install how-to there; I just applied the principles of the instructions to my T4, and below is my take on it, along with a few pics.
I removed my A- and B-pillar trim panels, along with passenger side A-pillar grab handle (affectionately known here in Ireland as the 'Oh Jaysus handle', if you happen to be a nervous passenger). This allowed me to drop the cab headliner to get at the standard interior light wiring plug. NOTE: Prise out the interior light and unplug it before you pull down the headliner, otherwise you risk breaking wires and will end up doing a lot of swearing and head-scratching trying to figure out why your sexy new W8 light has no power!
OK, below is a rough guide to wiring and where each wire goes on the plug/loom that should be supplied with the W8 light - it's got 6 wire positions. NOTE: I used a light unit for a vehicle not equipped with a sunroof, so wire positions 2 and 6 are left empty/unconnected. Where a number of colour wire options are written, means that your wires connected to your existing light could be any of these, dependent on your vehicle's make and model.
You'll also need to run one new wire from a switched live source, so that your downlighter LEDs have a feed when your ignition's turned on; I used the black/yellow wire at the back of my T4 headlight switch.
Oh, just one more thing, as Columbo used to say,,,please excuse my shitty handwriting!
So it's time to bite the bullet and snip the old plug off...steady now...this may be good time to stop for a coffee/smoke/valium to steel your nerves...I assume of course that you've disconnected the positive terminal on your vehicle's battery before you did anything, didn't you...didn't you? If not, DO IT NOW!
Pic below shows original wires with plug cut off and new wire run from headlight switch.
Pic below shows routing of new wire to headlight switch through roof strengthening panel to A-pillar.
Next pic below shows size difference between original interior roof-light and new replacement W8 light. There is a lot of trimming to be done; remove the metal surround on the hole in your headliner and take your time: trial fit, trim, trial fit, trim some more. Take your time, or you'll end up trimming away too much of the hardboard material and your new light won't stay in place,
Pic below shows the new W8 plug/loom connected to the original rooflight wiring. Also includes visual sign of approval from my son who helped with the install. For a 12 year old, he's got more savvy and practical ability than a lot of grown men that I've worked with over the years. Good man, Dylan!
Pic below shows new W8 test fitted and connected to power supply(reconnect your battery for this, then disconnect again) to make sure everything works and nothing catches fire! Dylan again shows his approval!
OK, it got dark, it got cold, and we were working outdoors. So it's time to put everything back together.
As we're turning this T4 into a campervan, I took the opportunity of having the cab headliner out to insulate and soundproof the ceiling of the cab.
Unfortunately, I forgot to photograph the soundproofing before we stuck on the Thermawrap insulation, which is the recommended insulation for this type of conversion, as it's inexpensive and easy to work with. If any of you are interested, we used Flashband as soundproofing, rolled onto the bare metal of the underside of the cab roof with a decorators seam-roller to help adhesion. Again, this is a tried-and-tested method and is recommended by many van converters.
Here's a gratuitous shot of the W8 light, shining in the dark....ehhhhh....shinily!
Final pic below shows the final install, along with Dylan's obligatory approval. I must also mention that while the headliner was out, I called down to Brian and Nicky Lacey in Happy Campers in Wexford, possibly two of the most friendly, helpful (and bloody talkative! LOL) guys you could ever meet, where they re-upholstered the headliner in sexy stretchy new Anthracite material, the same stuff I'll be doing the complete rear van interior in, which again will be supplied by Happy Campers. I can't recommend the lads or their work highly enough, check 'em out on www.happycampers.ie. You won't be disappointed.
OK, that's all for now. I hope this has been of some use for you. It proves that even the most electrically-inept (Me!) can finish a straight-forward enough task without disaster.
Right folks, talk soon.
Drive safe,
RV.
