5 ambient lighting mistakes to avoid
We refit a lot of botched ambient lighting jobs at the Cambridge workshop. Here are the five mistakes that cost the most to fix.
1. Wiring into the cigarette lighter
Easy for the installer, terrible for the car. Permanent live circuit, drains the battery in a fortnight, and you can't use the socket. Fix: switched ignition source via the fuse box, with a relay.
2. PWM strips that strobe on dashcam
Cheap RGB strips run at 200–400Hz PWM, which a 30fps dashcam picks up as a strobe. If you ever need the footage in an insurance claim, the cabin looks like a nightclub. Fix: high-frequency PWM (1kHz+) drivers.
3. Wires across the door hinge, no loom protection
Door lighting that fails after six months because the wire chafed in the door rubber. Fix: door loom feed-through with proper grommets.
4. White light visible to the road
Any white or amber/red light visible to other road users from the front or rear is an MOT fail and can be a Highway Code issue. Fix: only forward-facing white inside the cabin if shielded, no red rearward except brake lights.
5. Hot-glue everywhere
If you can see the strip, it's wrong. Strips should be tucked behind trim, into seams, or up under dash edges with proper 3M tape and clips.
Filed under Lighting
See the lighting service page