This was never about adding gimmicks. It was about making my car a nicer place to be
BHPian NinerWhiskey recently shared this with other enthusiasts:
The Goal
Footwell and Trunk Lighting
At first, I considered Neon-style LED strips, The ones with silicone covers that give a uniform glow. But I quickly realized they were too thick and bulky, especially at joints. Soldering them was messy, and it just didn’t feel worth it. So I switched to regular high-quality LED strips — as long as they don’t overheat, they’re good enough.
My plan was simple:
- Install them in the front footwell (under the dash)
- Add a strip for the rear footwell (under the seat)
- Use the extra leftover LED strip to light up the trunk, since the OEM halogen bulb barely does anything against the grey fabric lining.
Glovebox Lighting
My friend owns a Land Rover Discovery Sport and took me on a ride in his car. I couldn’t help but notice the attention to detail luxury brands provide. I guess that’s what sets them apart even though such simple features are slowly coming to everyday cars lately. As a regular car owner, I wouldn’t mind bending over and looking for something in the glovebox, but when I opened my friend’s glovebox in the Discovery I noticed the light and I immediately knew that it was something I desperately needed in my simple, humble Honda City. It adds a layer of premiumness and convenience unbeknownst to the everyday user.
Footwell Lighting
1) Power Source
- Power should be available in Accessory mode, Ignition ON, or when the car is running.
- It must supply a stable 12V.
- I didn’t want to tap into any critical wiring harnesses.
- And I wanted to avoid messing with the fuse box under the dashboard.
The socket provides 12V, max 180W, which is more than enough for my LED setup. So this became my power source being very well within my LED consumption limits. I also never used the front Accessory socket.
2) Wiring
- Front Footwell: ~30 inches of LED strip
- Rear Footwell: ~27 inches of LED strip
- Remaining: 3.5 meters
Routing:
- Ran the wires behind the lower running board trims, tucked neatly.
- Used a bit of sponge to avoid future rattles.
- Front strip was hot glued neatly under the dashboard.
- Rear strip was stuck onto the carpet in a groove using the LED strip’s adhesive — it was enough to hold it in place. I avoided glue here to keep the carpet clean.
Pictures attached below:
Groove Photo
Routing area
This picture shows an example of a similar wire I cut under the infotainment system.
Results:
3) Switch
This is my favourite part, thanks to my love for aviation and space tech. I found this Soviet-style toggle switch on Amazon — like the kind you’d see in a fighter jet or shuttle. But I didn’t want to drill into my dashboard, so I did something smarter — I used one of the dummy switch blanks next to the steering wheel. These are meant for features like Traction Control or Auto Mirror Fold (which Honda didn’t offer on Indian variants due to cost cutting).
I pulled the dummy blank switch piece and drilled into it, making it a casing for my toggle switch. The switch in itself is very interesting as the lid is made out of a knock-off carbon-fibre lookalike material that opens upwards giving you access to the silver lever. The lever has a red LED which illuminates when the current is flowing. The wiring is neatly done behind the dashboard.
Pictures of the switch when off and on:
Trunk Lighting
Every time I open the trunk in dark environments, there isn’t a lot of lighting to aid in finding things, the black/gray fabric in the trunk only makes it more darker. So I thought why not use the LED strip in the trunk. After some careful inspection I learnt that the car knows if the trunk is open or closed using the trunk lock which has a plastic knob/sensor unlike most cars of that time having a push switch sticking out of the trunk lid.
When I opened up the trunk bulb housing, I noticed the OEM halogen bulb had its specs engraved (5W, 2A, if I remember right). I didn’t want to exceed this power draw with the new setup, just to play it safe. I checked the original packaging of the LED strip I used for the cabin, and saw that 60 LEDs consumed exactly 5W and 2A — a perfect match. Coincidentally, that also happened to be the exact length needed to cover the ceiling of the trunk. Miracles indeed exist!
So I tapped into the existing wiring of the trunk light, removed the OEM bulb (kept it safe just in case), and stuck the LED strip along the inner roof of the boot by peeling the film from the adhesive part. Since it draws the same current as the original bulb, there was no risk of overload or fuse issues.
No need for switches, relays, or extra wiring, this was probably the simplest and cleanest part of the entire mod. And the improvement in brightness? Way more usable, especially with the dull grey trunk lining that barely reflects any light from the stock bulb.
Pictures of the LED strip location and how well lit up my trunk feels after opening it in dark environments:
The Trunk now
Glovebox lighting
I decided to install a glovebox light after sitting in my friends Land Rover Discovery. It felt like one of those features that would never make it into the Indian Honda City at least.
I ordered the following parts from Boodmo (link included below).
Pictures attached below
Parts
The lamp was pre assembled in the lens and I made a stencil of it on a paper
Marking where I would cut through the glovebox
OUCH!!!
Post cutting, I eventually smoothened it after heating and sanding it.
The lamp lens “slots” into my perfectly imperfect lamp housing.
One wouldn’t be able to say it does not look OEM.
Neat insulation of the switch.
The push button switch against the glovebox.
Perfection, Precision and Practicality.
Conclusion
What started as a small idea to make my cabin more inviting turned into a rewarding DIY journey across the footwells, trunk, and glovebox, all tied together with a bit of curiosity and a lot of late-night idea surfing.
Each mod was inspired by a simple observation. Whether it was a soft glow from a Land Rover’s glovebox or the lack of usable light in my Honda City’s trunk. These are things that manufacturers often skip in the name of cost-cutting, but to the enthusiast in us, they’re the touches that make our cars feel personal and premium.
None of these upgrades were particularly expensive, and I made sure everything was cleanly wired with a lot of sponge/insulation tape, reversible, and didn’t interfere with the original setup. Everything functions just like factory and to me, feels even better. I’m glad I didn’t go the RGB disco route. The warm white blends into the beige interior like it always belonged there. The toggle switch brings a touch of aviation in the car. And the glovebox light makes me smile every time I open it at night
What I love most is that nothing screams “aftermarket”. These mods are discreet, functional, and just elevate the overall experience, especially during night drives. This was never about adding gimmicks. It was about making my car a nicer place to be.
The Footwell and Trunk lighting was installed during June 2024 while the Glovebox lighting was installed during March 2025. Everything works fine at the time of writing, June 2025.
Thanks for reading! If anyone wants wiring tips, any information, or has ideas to improve on this — I’m all ears.
Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.
