I have highlighted some of the upgrades I carried out while sitting out the frustration of Lockdown, unable to get away in the Bongo. There was an overhaul of the slam panel up front, a bit of undersealing in the wheel wells, and the “Angel Eyes” led lighting upgrade up front as well. And, having had the experience of ambient lighting in the footwells of a few recent cars, I decided to fit this while I was carrying out the front lighting upgrades anyway, as some of the work could be used for this purpose as well. I would pick up a supply from the side lighting circuit under the dashboard ( this circuit is the one available at the back of the stereo for illumination / dimming), and take it to a series of switched circuits and relays, using some of the blanks in the dashboard.
I decided to go with a green led strip for the ambient lighting. The van is green, and this shade makes for a strangely soothing, soft glow in the footwells and rear of the van. I wanted to keep it optional as well, but decided to share the switch with the halo lights. So, once the side lights are on, power to the switch gives the option to use halos and ambient light. A further switch after this stage gives the led foglights. This keeps the load for all these extras off of the main wiring, and powered from my new relay setup, tucked under the bonnet up behind the engine battery.
The bulk of the job was the manufacturing and fitting of the aluminium plates I made for the led lights in the bumper. My Bongo hadn’t got the optional foglights, so none of the wiring was there, but it did have the blanks removed from the bumper, and a sort of mesh grill fitted. So, while the bumper was off for the slam panel overhaul, I took the opportunity to fit the foglights. It was far from simple – the holes in the bumper are actually swept backward on an angle, which would mean if the lights were fitted with the plate angle, they would be very splayed, and not really light the road where I wanted – not to mention annoying oncoming traffic!
The importance of fitting new supplies for any additional lighting load can’t be over emphasised, as the circuits and switches in the bongo were designed for what they originally fitted, no more, no less, and the wiring isn’t any bigger than needed. So, any extra load will cause voltage drop, as well as possible overloading fuses. This way, with a fresh supply and fuse from the under-bonnet fusebox feeding my relays, I can control what I connect to the original circuits, and the load of a small relay is safe enough.
So, in the front footwells, I have now got a green ambient light and in the rear, under the front of the bed as well.
I also fitted a seperate set of white led strips in the back under the edge of the seat, powered off the leisure battery, for use when parked up. When we’re sitting chatting, or watching a movie, this “indirect” light is cozy, lets you see the floor, and there’s enough back light from it to see your glass sitting on the table. I have downlights above the table and at the head of the bed for other times, eg cooking or reading in bed.
Other additions include the step light I fitted. This has made a huge difference, making seeing the step in the dark much better, and we’ve found that with the door open, this light is enough to see by at the side of the van under the canopy as well. I connected into the supply for the 12v power outlet in the rear, drilled a hole in the plastic step moulding at the closed end of the step next to the seat, and fitted an isolating switch, so that I can switch it off if sat with the door open during the day. I connected the earth through the door switch in the pillar, so the light comes on when the door is still ajar. Ideal!
None of these modifications are particularly expensive, or difficult to do if you take your time. The led lighting strips are fantastic, available from Ebay and other places, and come with self adhesive tape on the back. They use very little power, and last a while too, so shouldn’t need replacing. The downlights are household type standard 12v DC ones which you might use in a kitchen with a dc power supply off the mains. And the dashboard switches are available used for a few £s from the likes of Bongo Spares, or any car breaker that has a Mazda Bongo. I would estimate that the wiring, switches and relays, led lights and foglights, together cost less than £50. But I hope you agree the upgrades add to the useability and the ambience of the van.
Thanks for reading this far, I hope I’ve inspired some Festive Season projects?
Happy trails!!
Ali Bongo's adventures 