slo007

I read in another thread about this cool installation with a Cold Cathode Fluorescence Lamp in the trunk, and decided to try a similar setup. Here's my experience:

The trunk light only comes on when the trunk is open. Splice the wires to the new lamp and you have a better lighting setup than stock (brighter and more cool) that comes on automatically when you want it. Make sure the lamp you get is 12V DC. I got the following one, which was designed for computer towers.

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...883-005&depa=1

There are other models. But this one had high reliability reviews and came from a web site with very high feedback (I have lots of good experiences with NewEgg, too).

It's voice activated (though you can turn that feature off), and it works really nice. The color is more white than blue, yet I'm very satisfied. I can turn the lamp off when I want it, unlike OEM.

The silver object is my JL amp.


Notice the power setup glued to the underside of the rear deck. All wires are tied out of the way of the trunk springs.


Side view.


Bottom up view.


View of trunk.


So, how bright is it?


Be careful when doing the wiring!! I burned a fuse and created a mess. Then I moved another fuse to see if the new lights worked and things got worst. All the electronics in the car reset (i.e. radio, navigation, car's computer, etc.). Got new fuses and everything works great.

ortiz

Looks kind of dark on one side. I have the www.SCV.com lights that are really bright and work pretty much the same way(no voice feature). I'll take a pic to compare.

slo007

Yes it is; however, everything is gray or black in there, so I can't really complain. The only thing that reflects back is the amp.

I might install another one on the other side, but it won't fit in the same spot. There's a metal bracket in the way.

I'm thinking it would be really cool to have lights under the front seats, for the back (as a trial before I install anything in front). I'll probably do that next -- just have to find where to get power from (and how to do it without burning something important).

dabuda

isnt that what caused all ur fuses to blow? or was that a diff light?

ortiz

When he installed it, he didn't dissconnect the battery or take out the fuse. While installing he probably let the positive touch the negative and blew the fuse. Then he took another fuse from something else that made it worst. But after he replace the fuses, everything works fine.

ortiz

Btw, here are the SVC computer lights turned into trunk lights.

slo007

Exactly. I let the wires touch each other. The leads were very small and when I let the wire go...

The lamp uses a miniscule amount of power (?mA), so it works very well.

slo007

I see you have four of them. It looks very nice.

Those on the sides would interfere with luggage, no? I'd be afraid someone pushed a backpack in and broke something. My friends always puch stuff into the trunk like there's no DVD drive there. My eyes always go big when I see it, but the metal cage does a good job protecting it.

acuratsx03

are all four of your tubes from that one trunk lead?? i plan on doing that to accent my bump in the trunk soon.

ortiz

Yes there are four. Two long ones are SVC. The ones on the side (eurolight from circuit city) I left them in during the install of the SVC ones.

No, I haven't had any problems and I have taken quite a few road trips with friends. The lights are high enough on the side that they don't get in the way.

ortiz

Yes, because the neon use so much less juice you can use more of them.

Just make sure the lights you buy are the color and shade you want (ie. their are over 15 different blues).

slo007

My light and power inverter fell off the rear deck. It's so hot here in SLO, not even a brand new strip of double-sided tape will hold (falls in seconds). What did you use for your setup?

ortiz

My tape has stuck pretty well. But the other set of Neons that I have I used zip ties and paded it with a sponge so it would not rattle or squeak.

musicbox

Hey ortiz,

Is your sub box facing up? Have you ever tried facing it towards the back of the car? In most cases, it will sound better...

ortiz

My speaker box does face toward the rear. I just moved it to take the pics.

slo007

I ziptied the lamp to the upper trunk spring. Hopefully it will work out OK. I also zip tied the power supply to the metal bracket that holds the amp. I don't want any wires touching the amp. It gets a little hot.

I bought a set of the other lamps you have. I'll see if they look nice under the rear seats. I just need the dealer to fix my driver's seat first... it moves in every single turn -- most annoying.

musicbox

awesome.

acuratsx03

i remember a while back i had a set of eurolite neons behind my front seats to illuminate the back, they looked nice, until they cracked and broke. probably cause of the way i mounted them, but its hard to get the full effect without putting them in plain view, which is what i tried to avoid. now im searching for the best prices on some 4"-10" neons for my trunk and reconsidering replacing the neons for the backseats. check my sig, i got some pics of the underdash ones... just rewired myself too

ortiz

If don't mind really bright blueish white neons then www.svc.com has a pair of 12" for about $12 shipped.

The eurolite 6" pair that I had the first time work well in the car but are too dim for the trunk.