My S4 on car domain...

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Link

I was bored so I figured, what the hell.

[chuangs4]

Any technical write-up available?

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in the yellow connectors inside the wiring dust boot between the door and the body.

Nuvolari concept lighted door handle mod

Overview:

This took me a bit of time as I didn't have a wiring diagram so I ended up connecting the lighting system to the dome light contacts after attempting a few other methods. If you have access to a detailed diagram you may find a more convenient place to wire into the interior lights. The concept was to create an effect not unlike the Audi Nuvolari concept car where the door handles will illuminate when the car is unlocked. Please note this is for the front two doors and not the back. I imagine the assembly to be not unlike the passenger handle but I'm not sure as of yet. This was performed on a 2000 S4 and, as always, I take no responsibility should something go wrong with this modification on your vehicle. You may wish to consult the how-to section for more detailed instructions of interior trim removal.

Tools:
1. Wire cutters
2. Phillips screw driver
3. Standard screw driver (for prying)
4. Shrink tube
5. About 20 feet of 16ga or so wire in one color and 20 feet in another color
6. 2 festoon bulbs of your choice and size. I used 44mm blue led capsules
7. Rotary too such as a dremel with a few good cutting wheels for aluminum
8. Two small bits of clear plastic about 2cm by 4cm or so
9. JB weld and 5 min epoxy
10. Soldering iron and accessories (solder)


-Roll all windows up and disconnect the battery.

Driver's side door

-1st: Remove the dome light lens with a small screw driver by popping the clear lens off and then unscrew the retaining screws and pry off the plastic section covering the dome light switch. Remove the unit.

-2nd: Remove the driver's side A-pillar cover by popping open the little plastic "abs" cover. Remove the torx bolt behind the cover and pull the a-pillar cover off.

-3rd: remove the lower dash trim by unscrewing the 8mm bolts behind the two plastic covers in the lower dash. Then remove the fuse box cover on the side of the driver's side of the dash. Next remove the 8mm bolt holding the lower portion of the dash in. Then remove the side foot well cover.

-4th: remove the driver's side door panel. Make sure the window is rolled up before proceeding. There are two small black screws at the top of the door panel sides where it meets the window frame. Remove these screws. Remove the Philips screw holding the cover on beneath the grab handle. Slide the cover off and remove the then exposed Phillips screws. Lift the door panel up and then pull out. Unhook the cable that connects the interior door handle to the mechanism on the door panel. Unhook the connectors from the car to the switches in the door noting location. Just pull these apart and they will separate. Remove the cream colored plastic cover over the window by prying the (2) black caps up and then popping the retainer out. Remove the metal rod connecting to the door handle. Then remove the retaining pin holding the lever to the outer handle mechanism. Slide the black plate on the inside of the handle mechanism so that it releases the door handle. There's a small tab on the plate that must be lifted with a screw driver while the tab is slid in order for it to move. Remove the door handle from the outside.

-5th: take the handle to your bench and fire up the rotary tool. Cut a rectangular hole in the outer aluminum piece between the two arms that connect to handle to the mechanism. Try to cut it so it will be close to the back side (towards interior) of the plastic cup under the handle.

-6th: Cut a small piece of clear plastic a little larger that the hole you cut in the door cup and route out the edges so it will fit inside the hole you cut while having a bit overhang so it can be glued to the door handle. I used JB weld to affix the clear "window" to the cup making sure there where no openings for water to get in around the edges.

-7th: On the drivers door handle this was a bit tricky. I had to make connectors using ground "eyelets" from an electrical kit, mainly because I didn't want to wait for the correct connectors that may or may not fit. I found it best to just make my own.

-8th: Determine how much wire you will need to snake down the a pillar, through the dash from the dome light to the inside of the door, through the accordion looking boot in the door to the door handle, and add a foot just to be sure. Cut two wires this length and tape them together every few inches or so. Solder the positive wire to the brass colored connector of one the festoon bulbs in the dome light. Then solder the negative wire to the other festoon bulb. I did this in order to equalize the voltage dropped by the extra circuit over both the bulbs instead of just one as I wanted to avoid one of the bulbs dimming due to the increased load. It seems the extra load is insignificant to the existing circuit so it doesn't really matter if you wire it to one bulb or over both. Hhhokay, now that this is done, turn your attention to the wiring of the bulb in the handle.

-9th: I ran my additional wires through the existing looms inside the door and ran the wires through the door handle hole. Tape a towel to the side of your door to avoid damage from soldering. Solder your connectors to the wires hanging outside the door. I used a 44mm bulb capsule because they contained the most LED's from my source. It would be easier to go with a smaller festoon bulb such as a 42mm for clearance issues. Depending on your bulb placement on the handle you may be able to install the bulb outside of the car and guide it in. I had to install the driver side light from the inside of the door panel with the door handle reattached to the car. Use epoxy or some other sort of non conductive strong adhesive to glue your connectors to the door handle. This is a step that you may have to engineer your own connectors or feel free to improvise. I did what I had to do to get the job done so my method of connection may not be the best. I encountered a problem with a short in the passenger door due to the bulb end being too close to the pin that holds the door lever together. The proper solution would be to use bulbs that are slightly narrower but I had already purchased the 44mm bulbs. My solution? Silicone sealant. I covered the rivet with silicon RTV and the problem went away.

-10th: Reconnect the battery and turn on the dome light. If your light works then you're done with this side.

*Disconnect the battery again

Passenger side door

1st: Repeat the disassembly process of the driver's door applying it to the passenger side door. The process is similar while some of the connectors are reversed. The door handle cup without a lock is much easier to work with.

Note: Removal of the passenger side foot well cover under the glove box is not necessary. Remove the side foot well cover and the side panel on the dash and release the glove box by squeezing the sides of the box and letting it hang down.

2nd: Cut two lengths of wire the length from under the driver's foot well panel, behind the lower part of the dash, through the accordion cover, and to the door handle. Splice into the wiring that you ran for the driver's side light with the passenger's side light under the driver's side foot well.

3rd: Remove the door handle cup. The bracket for this side is a little different but functions the same way as the driver's side. Slide the bracket holding a small tab up until the outer handle is released.

4th: Take the handle assembly to your bench and remove the outer painted handle from the aluminum cup. Cut another rectangle similar to the size of your bulb centered between where the outer door handle hinges protrude through the cup. Cut a corresponding hole in the painted aluminum door cup as well and then through the plastic outer cup. Cut and route another small piece of clear plastic to cover the hole and glue it to the outer aluminum colored handle frame.

5th: Solder your two connectors to the wires inside the door. I was able to do this inside the door as there was more room to work with on the passenger side. Epoxy your connectors to the top of the outermost door handle cup and reinstall the door handle reversing the installation procedure. Make sure your bulb is installed and aligned to shine through the window.

6th: Connect the battery and test. If everything works then you're done! Disconnect the battery and reinstall all removed components and reconnect all switches. Basically make it look like you're not trying to steal it. Reconnect the battery and have fun!