Ok just finished this mod half an hour ago, this mod was inspired by Max2k and i decided to do a how-to and also a heads-up for you guys who wants to remove the door latch without breaking a single thing.

First of all most of you guys may be wondering how you remove the latch since there is no screws to hold it back after remove the door panel.

this is how the door looks after removing the latch


http://www.dotphoto.com/Go.asp?l=dco...D=62386986&T=1


Another view :


http://www.dotphoto.com/Go.asp?l=dco...D=62386990&T=1

the 2 square hole and the little round hole on the left is what the latch is held on to.. The following picts of the latch should show you how to remove it without breaking anything.. i figured it out after i broke the first one.


http://www.dotphoto.com/Go.asp?l=dco...D=62386984&T=1

Top view of the latch :



http://www.dotphoto.com/Go.asp?l=dco...D=62387002&T=1

http://www.dotphoto.com/Go.asp?l=dco...D=62386980&T=1

From this view you can see that the latch have to be slotted towards the front during installation.

So this is what i did to remove the latch.

1) Power the window down all the way
2) Look into the gap from the top and try to find the "clip" catch of the latch ( Pls note !! this step is only posible with the rear 2 door !)
3) once you located it, use a long flat head screw driver or a anything stiff or long enough to push the "clip" backwards
4) while pushing the "clip" backwards, with your free hand gently try to nugde the part towards you.
5) it doesnt come loose, try to push the clip backwards more.
*** 6) for the front 2 door, you can't reach the "clip" from the gap betwn the window. you have to use a flat head screwdriver and try to push the clip with from the outside at the small gap betwn the door and the plastic latch where the clip is located

I didnt break any more latches after i figured how it is held on to the door.

Here is the latch with the hole drilled



http://www.dotphoto.com/Go.asp?l=dco...D=62386993&T=1

rear view



http://www.dotphoto.com/Go.asp?l=dco...D=62386995&T=1


http://www.dotphoto.com/Go.asp?l=dco...D=62386997&T=1



Led fit into hole


http://www.dotphoto.com/Go.asp?l=dco...D=62386999&T=1

Wires out from the rear


http://www.dotphoto.com/Go.asp?l=dco...D=62387005&T=1

To power the leds, tap the positive to the blue wire of the power window connector and the neg to one of the bolts on the door.

Bam ! You are done !

Sorry my Fug up digi cam couldnt get a pict of the led in the dark. But I am sure you can see the same effect from Max2k post. Hope the picts show up.. Good luck and have fun.


*** edited pls note !!!

next and up coming project(s)

1)blue LED light bar (aka map light) for the driver abd front pax.
2)led in aircon ducts (inspired by Max2k again)
3)Led light bar for boot area to work with dome light
4)Leds for door kick panels

 

why can't i see any pictures?

 

Same here... Just seeing what looks to be a placeholder image from the hosting site.

 

Nicely done! I'm sure a moderator will soon move this to the tech section.

 

Wish i could see the pics cause I would like to try the mod myself.

 

How come I'm the only one that can see the pics?

 

Excellent work! I can see the pics fine, and that's excactly the same way I did mine. Thanks for writing the howto as well, now people will stop PMing me.

 

I can see'em. Sorry, but sloppy drill-job.

 

damn, i can never take pics while i am installing stuff. good write up on it

 

Sloppy drill job? The shavings from the bit can be taken off with your thumbnail, and it's not like people will be checking behind your door handles anyway. I say good show, and props for writing the howto.

Check the link in my signature to see what these look like installed and lit up.

 

Very Nice.

 

Yup

 

nice mod, the op8r has the same set-up on his too. Nice write up on it too.

 

Who cares, it's out of view behind the handle.

 

so how come some people can see the pics and I can't. I still can't figure this out. Anyone?

 

Prolly your server and/or connection.

 

Thanks for all the nice comments. I have put up a link to the picts for those whose server probably put up a firewall to blocks unreliable downloads from source. Hope you guys can see the picts by clicking the link below each pict.

Sorry abt the bad drilling job, probably due to the fact that i am a compulsive masturbator " hi, my name is Derek and i am a compulsive masturbator "

Jokes aside the drilling for the first one i did was not as good as i hoped it to be, but like wat Max2k mentioned, the drill bur can be removed easily with your finger nails. I did scuff the side a bit where the led shows for the first one, if you see the pict carefully its there. For the rest they came out much better and the hole looks cleaner bc i used incremental drill bit sizes from 2mm up to 5mm and slow drilling speed on my wireless hand drill.

But i must say, its pretty nerve wrecking to put the first drill thru, you not sure if you are doing it correctly and how its going to turn out later. But in the end i am glad it come out just the way i hope it to be. :D

Will post picts of the end product with the door panel install. Too dark to take any good picts last night. Took some this morning.

Thanks again for all your comments :D

 

I can't see the pics but the links do work just to let you know, cant wait to see it lit up

 

dcool, you should post finished install pics. if you can't see them, then I'm with the "who cares about the drill job" crowd I have a similar mod I'll be doing maybe this weekend... I'll post pics when I get it completed.... I'm trying to stay hush hush about it because I like being the first to do something, do a "how to" and watch how many follow...

 

Ok, here you go, this is how they look after installed. you cant see the led when you are sitting in the car, you can only see the led when you look down into the latch from the top. The led is covered by the handle so what you can see is only the bluish glow of the led at night.



http://www.dotphoto.com/Go.asp?l=dco...D=62456670&T=1





http://www.dotphoto.com/Go.asp?l=dco...D=62456672&T=1



http://www.dotphoto.com/Go.asp?l=dco...D=62456674&T=1



http://www.dotphoto.com/Go.asp?l=dco...D=62456677&T=1



http://www.dotphoto.com/Go.asp?l=dco...D=62456679&T=1