[ckegg]

While E90 sedan 4 doors have no door luminous strip like some E92 and F30, there is no factory parts for this DIY. All you can use is E92 rear luminous strip for a similar mod.

While my car is gray interior, I am listing parts I used.
2 x 51439139839 (left strip, gray color)
2 x 51439139840 (right strip, gray color)
2 x 63316958349 (left fiber optic)
2 x 63316958350 (right fiber optic)
4 x 63319122419 (fiber optic LED lighting)

Each door took me 2 hours for the job. Pulling the door off didn't take long, but cutting and drilling holes, melting stud on the strip took me most of the time. The LED lighting power I tapped into the window switch.

Picture orders:
1. Get all parts ready, strip on the left, fiber optics are in the middle and LED lighting cable are to the right.

2, 3. Making a template so I can measure on the door panel to cut holes

4, 5. Cutting holes by using the template

6. I didn't use the securing clip (07149158226), I just melt pins on the strip to secure it.

Rest of the pic are the finished mod and daytime vs night

[datbimmer]

Good job!

[christianjan]

How much did this run you?

[Agent11br]

Originally Posted by christianjan

How much did this run you?

Around $350, I priced out the same parts a while back.


OP: GREAT WORK!

- What did you use to melt the studs?
- Any wire tap info you can share, ie what color wires are power/ground?
- When drilling out the holes, assuming you precut the leather so it wouldn't twist?

[ckegg]

I got them for $300 total from getbmwparts, you will also get $10 off for summer deal.
I melt all studs with heatgun and then press down with the back of a screw driver. All doors have 3 wires going to window switch except driver side. However, they all have solid brown and brown/red wires, and they are slightly thicker cable than all other cables so you won't miss. Solid brown is the ground and brown/red is the positive.

Making those holes you have to make sure you pre cut the leather and cotton before drilling down, it will definitely twist the leather and also cotton behind. By cutting it you need to cut through cotton and only the pressed wood(or black plastic) is visible when drilling. You don't have to cut in round shape, I just cut in square with knife.

[E90335$]

Looks awesome man! Great job !

[Agent11br]

Originally Posted by ckegg

I got them for $300 total from getbmwparts, you will also get $10 off for summer deal.
I melt all studs with heatgun and then press down with the back of a screw driver. All doors have 3 wires going to window switch except driver side. However, they all have solid brown and brown/red wires, and they are slightly thicker cable than all other cables so you won't miss. Solid brown is the ground and brown/red is the positive.

Making those holes you have to make sure you pre cut the leather and cotton before drilling down, it will definitely twist the leather and also cotton behind. By cutting it you need to cut through cotton and only the pressed wood is visible when drilling. You don't have to cut in round shape, I just cut in square with knife.

THANKS

[nm]

Awesome!

[diezzler]

Does anyone know the part number for the oem harness plug (male and female, if both are needed) and the pins?

[formerposter]

OP, how does the whole assembly go together with the strip? Where do the fiber optics come in and how do the LED strips actually affix to the strip? Sorry, I've never worked with anything like this but I'm definitely going to do it. Been looking for a write up on this for awhile now.

[ckegg]

These strips are made for E92 rear panels, of course they are not for E90 doors and the fitments are not perfect. I added another picture which I put my template on the door panel for marking, both left and right side of the strip line up with the gap between top cushion and the leather pad, but the center area raised and actually go over to the top cushion, not sitting on the gap. While it is not fitting perfectly, light will leak out from the top of the strip and I actually removed the strip, adding black electrical tape inside (or behind) it to block the light going out from top. It is hard to notice these strips aren't made for E90, all my guests couldn't tell.

The optic and LED from BMW parts are pretty much straight forward, one end on the optic go behind the door panel and you install LED at the end of it. In my opinion you don't really need factory LED, as long as you know how to add resistors, you can get your own LED light and stick at the end of the optic.

While the optic is factory parts, if you go sit in a E92 with the light strips, you will get the same result in your E90. It light up evenly and bright.

diezzler: you have to splice LED cable to your window switch. I did a much cleaner job, I ejected pins out from the window switch connector, extended LED cables and clamp into pins and put everything back without cutting any cable.

[335idle]

dang like this a lot!

[guop]

Looks very nice. Wonder if I could pay somebody to install it for me, don't think I could do it myself haha

[formerposter]

Thanks for the write up, I think I'm going to give it a try even though it makes me nervous haha.

[grzes]

nice write up, for sure something to put on my to do list at some point.

[Agent11br]

Originally Posted by ckegg

diezzler: you have to splice LED cable to your window switch. I did a much cleaner job, I ejected pins out from the window switch connector, extended LED cables and clamp into pins and put everything back without cutting any cable.

Can you please elaborate on this by chance?

If I'm gathering this correctly, you:
1. removed the two pins from the connector
2. extended the wire leads on the LED via butt connectors or solder.
3. clamped (how did you do this?) or soldered the extended LED leads onto the pins.
4. Re-inserted the pins

Thanks in advance

[46m3csl]

Thats sick!!! !Nice, any chance you could write a more detailed write up about the back side of the door panel and connections you used..

[delmarco]

Nice work! I'm looking to do the same.

So the rear E92 cover strips line up perfectly on all four sedan doors!
What a coincidence!

[wholepieces]

Thanks for the right up! Great thread here. I was searching and searching for a mod like this. Anyone in KY who can do the install? I'm not sure I'll have the time to do this on my own.

[wholepieces]

ckegg, do you know if it is possible to do this mod with ability to change colors? Like they have it in F15? This would be so cool!!!!

[fatjoez]

Awesome nice one dude.

I'm looking at doing an aftermarket led strip to just stick into the gap between the top of the door panel and the middle of the door panel
(the gap above the door panel where the leather transitions to hard plastic)