Replacing bendy rooflight to a 12V socket

Hotel California · Mar 11, 2017

As the bendy rooflight on my 2012 T5 is due to break at some point and the fact there's no 12V socket within reach when you lie in the pop-top to charge a phone at night within hands reach , i had the idea to take away the bendy light and put a cigaretlighter/12V socket in place.
The bendy light is still in perfect condition and the wife uses it to read upstaires , still i been thinkin about this operation quite some time , she also uses a headlight (Petzl) to read and there are 12V bendy lights with a sigaret plug on the market witch i now will purchase (led light)
Had the light allready taken out to check things out and got myself a 12v socket some time ago.
Time to get the tools out!
Unscrew the bendy light.

As you can see no way you can reach in to unplug the wire
Tryed to remove a plastic trim to the left as i was thinking it would give acces ....

Gently squize a flat screwdriver under it and lift up...
No use as there's no way getting in thru there

At least now i know on what day my Cali has been painted...

So you need to remove the B-pilar trim in witch the seatbelt disappears
It comes off with a firm pull

That way you can reach in from behind to unplug the bendy light

Now you can take the light out

I did not wanted to cut of the feedplug from the cable so used the plug from the bendy light to extend it connecting the new 12V plug

Hotel California · Mar 11, 2017

So far the easy part...
Now the hole needs to be enlarged to fit the 12V plug
Very secure job , you do not want to mess this up!

Voila....
Conneted it to test

Ok that can go in permanent

By extending the lead you are able to reach the connection from behind the removed B-pilar trim otherwise it would be almost impossible to plug the connection back in as you can not reach in with two hands.
Now the plug comes out under the trim

Now the part witch to me was the hardest...
Refitting the B-pilar trim to make sure the seatbelt adjustment works again.
A bit a pain in the @ss but in the end it got all back in place.
Here's a close up of whats behind the B-pilar trim for those intrested

Took me 30min. doing this.
The result...tada...

Now need to look out for a new 12V bendy LED-light with a sigaretlighter socket

For those intrested here's how i added a 12v plug on the dashboard
https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/thread...er-on-the-dash-on-a-lhd-t5.15038/#post-161845

sidepod · Mar 11, 2017

Sweet. Why not just go USB as well.

Hotel California · Mar 11, 2017

sidepod said:
Sweet. Why not just go USB as well.

Got a USB socket also but it turned out it had a light witch permanent was drawing power ...did not bother to get another.
Mostly will be used by the Iphone charger we got and has a standard 12v socket.

MattBW · Mar 17, 2017

I am wondering if the VW 12v socket from the beach roofs perhaps would have fitted without cutting a hole?

You may be aware, the beach T5 came with a 12v socket there and a removable (usually removed at the docks in fact) bendy light. I would expect the chassis and thus the aperture is the same between SE and Beach?

WelshGas · Mar 17, 2017

MattBW said:
I am wondering if the VW 12v socket from the beach roofs perhaps would have fitted without cutting a hole?

You may be aware, the beach T5 came with a 12v socket there and a removable (usually removed at the docks in fact) bendy light. I would expect the chassis and thus the aperture is the same between SE and Beach?

The Beach socket might well fit exactly, but you still wouldn't be able to get the plug out through the aperture. I would just cut the wires in the lamp stem and fix connectors on them rather than have to remove body trim to get to the plug/socket.

DM · Mar 18, 2017

This is the one VW supply in the Beach now.

Osram ONYX COPILOT M 7 Flexible LED Light https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00KYK97QO/?tag=eliteelect-21

Art Vandelay · Apr 5, 2018

@hotel california
What is the type of drill bit you use to increase the size of the hole to fit the new socket?

Hotel California · Apr 6, 2018

Art Vandelay said:
@hotel california
What is the type of drill bit you use to increase the size of the hole to fit the new socket?

As in the 2nd picture in the 2nd post above
https://goo.gl/images/d8Gs2R

bvddobb · Apr 6, 2018

Neat job!

hotel california said:
Now the part witch to me was the hardest...
Refitting the B-pilar trim to make sure the seatbelt adjustment works again.
A bit a pain in the @ss but in the end it got all back in place.

Ha, ha, remember this well from when we had to fish for and subsequently secure the 220V socket that had fallen in behind the trim... We have been fiddling for 30 mins as well! :Depressed

Jennie · Oct 6, 2018

Hi again. DM are you still around or welshgas?
You recommended the following light as a replacement for the 2010 California bendly light which I mentioned at the beginning of this post as being hopeless. Does it fit into the socket in the 2010 Cali without having to recut the metal of my Cali?
Thanks. Jennie

This is the one VW supply in the Beach now.
Osram ONYX COPILOT M 7 Flexible LED Light https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00KYK97QO/?tag=eliteelect-21

WelshGas · Oct 6, 2018

Jennie said:
Hi again. DM are you still around or welshgas?
You recommended the following light as a replacement for the 2010 California bendly light which I mentioned at the beginning of this post as being hopeless. Does it fit into the socket in the 2010 Cali without having to recut the metal of my Cali?
Thanks. Jennie

This is the one VW supply in the Beach now.
Osram ONYX COPILOT M 7 Flexible LED Light https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00KYK97QO/?tag=eliteelect-21

I gather it will fit without having to cut any metal. However it is not as long as the VW light and not as bright as the new VW LED replacement. The VW LED replacement light is sold in the Forum Shop and is as long as the original and will hold the roof mattress in place.