I never liked the fact that only the outer tail lights actually light up. I balked at the $500 price of upgrading them along with the labor. I noticed the dummy inner tail lights were hollow so I drilled an exploratory hole in the side. Then I got the idea to try one of these 12v light strips. I drilled a 3/4" hole in the side. 3/4" is is a good size since there are a lot of plugs for this size hole available at hardware stores and home depot. I bought a pair of these light strips and slipped them inside. I drilled a hole for the wire on the under side of the plastic and into the tailgate. I spliced it into the plug for the reverse light. and plugged the holes. 3 days work and a total investment of around $20.
Guide DIY Inner Tail Lights CX-90/70
- Thread starter RobertJT
- Start date
I never liked the fact that only the outer tail lights actually light up. I balked at the $500 price of upgrading them along with the labor. I noticed the dummy inner tail lights were hollow so I drilled an exploratory hole in the side. Then I got the idea to try one of these 12v light strips. I drilled a 3/4" hole in the side. 3/4" is is a good size since there are a lot of plugs for this size hole available at hardware stores and home depot. I bought a pair of these light strips and slipped them inside. I drilled a hole for the wire on the under side of the plastic and into the tailgate. I spliced it into the plug for the reverse light. and plugged the holes. 3 days work and a total investment of around $20.
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- Mazda CX-9 Signature
Did you put any sealant under the plug?
No the light strip is white light. The lens is tinted amber.
I used hot glue.
