C5 X7 ambient lighting (and some other bits and pieces)

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vborovic
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Re: Citroen C5 X7 ambient lighting

Post by vborovic »

So, now for some photos ... first of all, the procedure is ugly ... the car was torn apart ... :D ... if you have a weak heart, just skip the first 4 photos ... you've been warned ... that was necessary to find which if any installations were present on the car, for the LED ambient light ... also, the central console (radio, gearbox, handrest) had to be dismantled and pulled back, so that the front passenger LED light (longer one) can go behind the console ... the orange emitted light is actually not very bright (was expected, qprdude already gave me a heads up), and it's hard to tell how it would perform in dark, since all the other lights are on in the current setup ... I'd like to remind you, that all parts are genuine, and got fitted on the actual places as they should be (on the cars that have this pre-installed), so the only "new" things are the wires, that weren't even there before ... no other modifications were necessary ... the wiring is a another matter, in process of resolving ... what I'm looking for is, that the floor lighting works as it is working now (doors get opened, everything lights up, ceiling & floor) but the ambient light should be linked to the top orange light (+ hopefully and possibly be turned off by the designated switch, BSI is out of the option) ... in the process however, emerged another diea, and that was to link the LED ambient light with the front seats floor lights (that light up the back seats legs), so that orange LED W5Ws would be installed, and have more ambient orange light in the car, not too intrusive of course (you can't do that on the serial option) ... we'll see what will be the final outcome ...

[works]
343hqvl_zpsbpprdhoz.jpg
28ryx02_zpsyb9mhag7.jpg
15ygawz_zpsghwuewyb.jpg
14cffc1_zpsckvlmmso.jpg
[aftermath]

... will post a bit later
Last edited by GiveMeABreak on 13 Nov 2021, 08:58, edited 2 times in total.
Reason: Restored Images
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Re: Citroen C5 X7 ambient lighting

Post by Stickyfinger »

Well if nothing else it looks like a good job being done....oh I forgot, there is another thing....I will not be doing this :)

I admire your persistence Sir !
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Re: Citroen C5 X7 ambient lighting

Post by vborovic »

Here's the current aftermath, I've tried taking twin pictures, to show how it looks like in the light and in the dark.

[floor lighting - front]
5d0wbb_zpsipsrxs7d.jpg
[ambient LED - driver's side]
2lxhwyg_zpshmhj3jfe.jpg
[driver's side floor lighting]
2hcey49_zps8qzz38ra.jpg
[ambient LED - passenger's side]
2ag0s3c_zpsyerfrpu3.jpg
[passenger's side floor lighting - preparation, the light module is in transit]
4kjgxv_zpsgaxkkxgs.jpg
[floor lighting - rear]
2061ukj_zpstfc8tlg2.jpg
[floor lighting - under seat light]
1zf34hk_zpsu5fave9v.jpg
Last edited by GiveMeABreak on 13 Nov 2021, 09:01, edited 2 times in total.
Reason: Restored Images
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Re: Citroen C5 X7 ambient lighting

Post by vborovic »

Not exactly ambient lighting, but I've just put the original mudflaps on my car, both front and rear ... the rear should prevent dirtying the boot, license plate and rear glass too much, as it was before ... that was something I didn't find great (as with any car with a short rear end), and this should somewhat fix this problem ...

[rear wheel before & after]
2rh8ak8_zpsyohgqlju.jpg
14ebdzd_zpsedtm4j9k.jpg
[front wheel]
e_IMAG16623627_zpstiovhxzt.jpg
2s10nqh_zpsnisa3rcu.jpg
[rear wheels]
vwwrv6_zpsxuir3isn.jpg
w2ouvt_zpscsnsncrw.jpg
For those wondering, the material is plastic, but it is not solid, you can twist it and bend it, but not like a rubber flap, something in between the two ... and it is fixed on the existing holes where the wheel arc protective plastic is fixed with plastic bolts. However, if you'd have an aftermarket rear bumper & side skirts, you'd probably have to make some modifications (cutting at least) to the mudflap to get them installed on the car, since they're only designed for the stock layout. The last image not only shows that the car isn't clean, but where it should be cleaner after the mudflaps have been installed.

Also, I'm thinking of putting xenon headlights, the whole business ... not new of course, but I could get a killer deal on the used genuine headlamps ... i would just have to get the D1S xenon bulbs, and install headlamp washers, the sensor for the level of washing fluid and the xenon related suspension sensors (for automatic height compensation to work) ... now, that would be a real reconstruction and adaptation ... :D ...
Last edited by GiveMeABreak on 13 Nov 2021, 09:11, edited 2 times in total.
Reason: Restored Images
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Re: Citroen C5 X7 ambient lighting

Post by vborovic »

Just to hijack the thread again ... :D ... I did a slight upgrade to the headlamps, replaced the Philips BlueVision W5W for sidelamps, and put a W5W CREE led solution ... now, how road legal is it, I'm not sure, but it is described as the sidelamp application as well ... and it's not blinding, just brighter ... really brighter, than the previous Philips bulb ... I was afraid that it won't fit in the sidelamp hole, due to the bigger head, but it just manages to fit in, doesn't scratch anything while installing it ... the Philips W5W was declared 6000K, if so, than this CREE is 6000K times 4 (in intensity) ... now I have a clear difference of the Philips white/blue color and intenisty, compared to the CREE LED ... it's almost like that famous book, with a slightly changed title ... "50 shades of white" ... :D ...

Image
Last edited by vborovic on 08 Oct 2016, 11:51, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Citroen C5 X7 ambient lighting

Post by vborovic »

I wrote previously about the possibility of installing original xenon headlights (the works, everything related and to be able to pass the MOT) ... let's just say that if you had to compare doing that and installing hydractive suspension in the car which doesn't have it, both would come pretty close (in terms of cost and the amount of work) ... so, for now, I won't be doing that ... :D ...
Last edited by vborovic on 08 Oct 2016, 11:51, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Citroen C5 X7 ambient lighting

Post by Xantippa »

My car has only halogen headlights (2008 Exclusive Sedan), but according to service.citroen.com there is also height sensor for xenon´s on rear axle. I haven´t checked in real life wheter it´s there though, service isn´t always right. If it´s already installed, then Xenon upgrade shouldn´t be a problem?

How about upgrading to led-headlights from newer model, would they work plug- and play?

EDIT: Just noticed that your car has steel suspension, then it might be a little bit trickier to update to xenon -lights.
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Re: Citroen C5 X7 ambient lighting

Post by vborovic »

The newer C5 model headlights (side line of the headlamp that is LED) are just for the DRL and the sidelight (basically, always on), the rest is the same, halogen or xenon for the main lights ... Well, pure logic would suggest that for the xenons to work properly, you have to have front and rear height compensation (in case you place heavy stuff in the rear, the front won't lower as much as the back, and the rear sensors feed the angle to the headlamp motors to compensate for the difference, basically continuously and in real-time)
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Re: Citroen C5 X7 ambient lighting

Post by Richard_C »

According to my 2010 brochure and the current one, Xenons are only available as an option on the Exclusives, not the VTR+ or below, so it looks like they were only available for hydractive suspension models. They move laterally as well, peering round corners like an SM (and I think a few CX models as well).
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Re: Citroen C5 X7 ambient lighting

Post by vborovic »

Lateral action is connected with the wheels direction, that too is a feat to achieve in connecting to a car that doesn't have this pre-installed ... :D .I could look into the service documentation, and pick out the exclusive option car and see what installations are and aren't in it by default) ...
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Re: Citroen C5 X7 ambient lighting

Post by MJM »

>>I'm guessing that there are two approaches: if the car has the hydractive suspension, then the suspension itself is doing the leveling required for the xenon lights<<
I don't think that's right.
I've a 2007 facelift Exclusive hatchback with hydractive and from what I've seen of the light leveling it appears to be independent of the suspension movement. When I stop in traffic the rear of the car squats a little and the lamps noticeably dip to suit ,even though the car body is static. When I release the brakes the rear rises and the lights rise independently of the body. The light vertical movement is much quicker than the body's.
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Re: Citroen C5 X7 ambient lighting

Post by vborovic »

That too would make sense, in case the hydractive suspension malfunctions, you would also have headlights that throw light all over the place ...
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Re: Citroen C5 X7 ambient lighting

Post by Xantippa »

Hydractive suspension isn´t fast enough for leveling xenon lights. That´s why there are own leveling system in the xenon lights.
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Re: Citroen C5 X7 ambient lighting

Post by vborovic »

Well, that could be discussable ... it's not like the headlamp has to have microsecond reconfiguration of the beam ... what happens, when you hid a road bump with the classical suspension and have regular lights, you don't have to compensate with the manual bean level selector (usually on the driving wheel), that is only used when you load the car in a way that it drops the rear and to avoid throwing the beam too high, and that is fixed for the entire ride duration ... until you switch it back to normal ... but, I think we've went too deep in the discussion of the basic functionalities of the car, rather then how to get them in the car that doesn't have them ... :D ...
Last edited by vborovic on 08 Oct 2016, 11:51, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Citroen C5 X7 ambient lighting

Post by vborovic »

Just to point out one unintentional phenomenon with the LED sidelights (http://www.frenchcarforum.co.uk/forum/v ... 40#p396340" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) ... when the car is unlocked, they'll blink once, giving an additional effect to the direction indicators ... now, is it because they're not CAN BUS, so they suffer from extra voltage or whatnot, not sure ... in any case, I don't want to change this behavior ... :D ...
Last edited by vborovic on 08 Oct 2016, 11:51, edited 1 time in total.
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