Thread: Extra Tailgate Lighting

Completed a 2nd set of tailgate lights over the weekend.


Used lights with a bezel that is much lower profile and closer to flush.
2x White LED Eagle Eye Daytime Running DRL Light Lamp Car Auto Tail Backup Light | eBay

Of course much quicker the second time around.
Although did have one dud led that had to be replaced, so luckily I bought spares.



Have used mine many times now and I think it's a big improvement to have extra light easily available at the tailgate.

Regards,
Scott

Originally Posted by LRD414

Completed a 2nd set of tailgate lights over the weekend.


Used lights with a bezel that is much lower profile and closer to flush.

Good stuff, thats the one thing i dont like about the first ones is that they are fairly conspicuous. Oh, that and of the two pair i installed, one pair is about 4500k and the other 7000k so the light is either blue or white depending on the part of the tailgate.

Great write up thanks Scott & excellent ideas for future. I'm still having a battle with myself when it comes to drilling holes in a new car.

Scott

How do the 2 lights compare to 4?
Do you have and comparison photos like your first install?

Originally Posted by hv_man

How do the 2 lights compare to 4?
Do you have and comparison photos like your first install?

No it's 4 lights, same as first. Haven't done a night time comparison yet.

Scott

I installed some upper tailgate (liftgate) lights recently, very happy with the amount of light. Can’t wait to get out camping now and put them to use. I decided to go with some Teralume X1 White and Amber (to reduce bugs) lights which look very good quality and offer a lifetime warranty. They both output 966 lumens with 0.48A draw per light. I installed a Linearlux tiny dimmer (4A 12VDC) which can scale the light output between 100% to 5%. Dimmer works but you have to adjust it very slowly otherwise it doesn’t register. On the liftgate lower panel trim there is a thin channel (~6mm wide) that I utilised for mounting the lights and running cables (5mm diameter holes). My thinking was holes in this non obvious spot should be easily repaired if I ever wanted to remove the lights. I mounted the dimmer and SPDT on-off-on switch (for white / amber selection) on the liftgate upper trim panel as it is only $36.30 to replace (ERQ000091PVJ). I used Anderson powerpole connectors so that the trim panels, with lights or switches fitted, could be easily removed if ever required. Power supply (with 2A blade fuse) was obtained by splicing into the Traxide dual battery loom protected by the ABG-25 low voltage cut-out unit. Very happy with the result.

The liftgate upper trim panel, where I mounted the dimmer and switch, is ~2mm thick. I used a Bluesea 7482 SPDT ON-OFF-ON switch rated at 10A 12VDC. Bluesea recommend for a 2mm thick mount making a cut out 12.9 x 19.4mm.
https://www.bluesea.com/.../Rocker_Switch_SPDT_-_ON-OFF-ON

The linearlux tiny dimmer (4A 12VDC) recommended a 10mm diameter hole but I found a 9mm hole was suitable
https://linearlux.com.au/product/td100b23/

cheers
Dean
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Just as an update to post #27, I wasn’t entirely happy with the Linearlux tiny dimmer so I replaced it the Oznium mini dimmer also supplied by Linearlux. The tiny dimmer worked but you need to move it very slowly otherwise it doesn’t register. I have used the Korr rotary dimmers for many years and love them. The Oznium mini dimmer feels more like a Korr dimmer, it has a very smooth action and is very responsive, can dim slowly or quickly. Anti-clockwise dims and eventually click to off position and clockwise increases brightness from 0 to 100% (where it physically stops rotation). In comparison the tiny dimmer allows endless turning in both directions and has a push on/off. Anyway, much happier with the new Oznium mini dimmer.

The Oznium mini PWM dimmer (4.8A @ 12VDC) recommended a 10mm diameter hole but I found a 9mm hole was suitable

Mini LED Rotary Waterproof Dimmer - Linear Lux
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What wire is that you used?