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Old 27th August 2016, 11:13 AM
Artermis Artermis is offline
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Default How To: Replacement of Door Mood Lighting Strip

This is a guide on how to replace the door mood lighting LED / Neon / Electro-luminescent / EL / glow / fibre-optic strip using a new from Audi or used replacement strip, sourced from A8 Parts.

Its fairly well documented that the mood lighting strips seem to fail. They get called many things, as I've tried to name above so that a keywords search will pick up the thread. They are actually strips of electro-luminescent wire, often called neon or glow wire. A coated copper wire strip that when hit with a high voltage emits a coloured light.

The wire is linked to a transformer to supply a low current high voltage supply to the strip.

On my particular car the passenger side rear strip had failed and needed to be replaced.

What you will need -

About 1hr30 if you've not done this before
8mm long reach socket
Small Philips screw driver (or anything usable for a long-pointy thingy!)
Medium flat point screwdriver
Torx screwdrivers
replacement plastic trim clip door card fixings - hold the card to the door (optional but desirable - available on eBay)

Step 1 remove the door card for the door in question.

This is documented well elsewhere. I was working on the rear door.

So popped the tweeter grill off. The workshop manual calls for a screwdriver but don't for the love of god do that, you'll leave marks. Use a proper plastic panel tool, or if you're a cheap-ass pikey like me, use an old credit card or similar. I actually used one of those little barcode plastic key tags they give you for your clubcard at Tesco. Photo attached shows its clipped at one end, hooked the other, so pop the front side and it'll fall out.

Behind this grill is a bolt - 8mm. Remove.

If you have rear window blinds you will need to remove the wooden trim to access the bolts for this. I didn't know better and removed mine anyway. Again same credit card trick to avoid damage.

There is also a bolt recessed in the upper rear side of the door pocket. Leave the door pocket shut. If you're sat on your backside with the door wide open you'll spot it. 8mm bolt. Remove.

Now start at bottom rear corner. If you've not got strong fingers you're doing to need to get a screwdriver behind the door to start to lever the bottom edge away from the door. It's tight, real tight. Once you have hold of it give it one good, sharp solid tug.

It'll start to peel away, then work your way around the bottom of the door card popping each clip one-by-one.

Be prepared to catch the door card if it does go with a pop and come off in your hands, ideally it'll stay hooked on at the top.

Un-hook and lift forward but be aware of the two electrical connectors, one to door module and one to speaker, plus the door handle cable. Unclip all of these and remove.

Step 2 Door card disassembly

I went inside and laid the card down on a fleece blanket / throw on the floor so I didn't scuff anything.

First to come off is the sound deadening blanket. It's got a couple of spring clips, although I think I should have had more. Use the small Philips / pointy thingy to release each side of the clip and wiggle them up off their posts. Retain these as they will be re-used. It is then hooked on in about 4 placed and will lift off without issue.

The door handle then needs to come off. It's held on with 2 torx screws on the back and clicks in at the front of the handle. Remove the electrical connector for the lock switch before removing.

With screws removed, push door handle down about 10mm or so at the front edge. Flip it over and work from the front of the card. Pull the handle down slightly whilst still coming up at the front, it should then pop out.

Now I don't think it needs removing but I didn't know better, so removed the arm rest. I suspect it made access easier and is only a shallow handful of torx screws, so you might wish to remove. There are two screws on the upper segment above the handle section follows by a row of screws along the body of the arm rest plus some recessed below the insert along the bottom rear edge - don't miss these 3. There is a connector down here too for window switch.

If you do decide to remove make sure you lay out a map of your screws to return the screws to the same hole on refitting, as the torque paint will help you.

Step 3 removing the lighting strip

This has to come out from the rear but must be unclipped from the front in order to feed out a hole on the back of the door card.

Start by unclipping the wire from the transformer. You will see the orange tab of the strip on the back of the door card and can follow the wire to the transformer to unclip.

Now flip the door card over and work from the front side, if you look down the card you will see the copper coloured strip hiding in the top edge of the fabric insert. Using your small Philips / pokey thingy insert behind the rear edge of the strip and lever it down. It's only interference fit.

Once the end is exposed you can run your finger down toward the front to unclip.

You will then need to flip over and stand on it's bottom end to give the orange tab of the strip a bit of a wiggle to get it out the hole. Pull up and out the hole from the rear.

Step 4 Replacing the strip

Feed the new strip in from the rear in the same manner in which you removed the old one. Leave it hanging in the hole.

Back on the front of the door card, clip the rear edge in first. The strip is flexible enough to not worry about harming it provided you don't go to extremes. It kind of tucks in at the rear edge and if you don't get it right it'll sag and hang low.

Once rear edge is in place simply run your finger along pushing into place. It's fairly firm fit but you don't need and can't use any tools on it else damage will occur. Don't be afraid if giving it a couple of goes if it doesn't quite sit right the first time as you don't want to force it.

I had to use my plastic card again as it pinched the fabric round the door handle cut-out a little but the handle itself hides this anyway.

Once fitted reconnect the wire to the transformer - you might want a bit of tape on the connection as they're not a very good connection.

Step 5 Reassembly.

If you've made it this far then reassembly is pretty obvious so I won't bore you.

Tips - use the torque paint to help you determine how tight to return screws, i.e. line up the paint marks. You're screwing into plastic so if you overdo it they will strip threads.

Don't forget to hook the sound deadening behind the cable stay for the door handle, otherwise you won't be able to reconnect the door handle cable (ask me how I know...)

If you've got replacement clips for the door card, don't forget to use these on reinstall.

You have the door handle cable to re-attach, the door module electrical connector and speaker cable to re-connect.

Refitting the door card, hang it from the top then spy the upper most rear clip and line this up with its hole. Squeeze the door and card till it clips into place. Once one is lined up you can go around the edge of the door card and give it a good thump every couple of inches to clip back into place. be firm, you'll feel it bounce back if something doesn't line up.


Now I've just got to wait till it gets dark to see if I've fixed my dead light (it could be a duff transformer of course...)
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Current: 2004 D3 4.0 TDI V8 in Crystal Blue.

Factory: finger print, tv, xenons, keyless entry & go, soft close boot, 19s, and probably lots more besides

Done: fixed headlight washer leak, fit Bluetooth in place of factory phone

To do: DAB, DTV, fix soft close boot, get a spare key, investigate NSF bushes,

Last edited by Artermis; 27th August 2016 at 11:21 AM.
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  #2  
Old 27th August 2016, 09:09 PM
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Architex_mA8tey Architex_mA8tey is offline
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Great write up - thank you for that. I've made it a sticky shortcut at the top of the section thread list
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Old 28th September 2016, 01:08 PM
Rick Rick is offline
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You absolute diamond!
I have this on my to do list for my front passenger door.
Brilliant write up 👍
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Old 4th October 2016, 07:28 PM
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Conquistador Conquistador is offline
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Good guide, thanks.

I assume removing that little bit of trim in the third picture is no different on a B&O car?

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