Ambient lighting- R53 Cooper S

[AARONM3]

I've just bought a 55 plate Cooper S and my friend who has the same model keeps banging on about these 'submarine style lights' that bathe his interior in a warm red/orange glow of an evening.

Now, I don't believe I have them but seem to be having trouble tracking down specific mention/pics of them. I've shown him a pic of the main light housing in the roof directly above the centre console and he reckons that the tiny holes next to the main lights house LEDs??

So am I missing something obvious or is it possible I don't have them fitted to mine? It's an October 2005 build.

[Justin S]

You need T10 LED lights for the under dash and the map lights. You need festoon LED for the glove box, boot, roof centre light. All the same size at 36mm I believe. Choose a colour and takes a few minutes to change. I went for just white as its brighter, more effective. If you want red, you will look like a hookers house, blue like a porn star etc..................

[AARONM3]

Thanks- but this chap isn't a 'modder'- he just seems to have some additional lights by the map lights in the tiny holes, perhaps it was the previous owner then but then it was a nearly new car when he bought it through the approved scheme and nothing else about it points at being owned by someone that way inclined. Perhaps just a highly obscure option!

[Justin S]

My R53 has the T10 bulbs for the reading lights, so he probably just switches them on and leaves them on. I just changed all mine so as to give a brighter light and also use less power as well.

[Chr1sch]

Our r53 has these too, small Amber lights like those found in bmw's

[AARONM3]

Yup, well silly me- I've only had the car a few days but starting it up tonight I see the lights he was on about! TBH the way he described the effect was far more noticeable than a bit of orange light on the centre console and more like something from a submarine!