I've decided to continue my ramblings over on the 'what did you do to your car today' thread over here instead so as not to take it over! Up until this point I had sourced the JDM OEM overhead console with ambient LED but had to kludge it together since the UK/JDM overhead consoles are not a straight swap. I'd found that the JDM overhead light was way too bright and very distracting at night, plus I wasn't a huge fan of having a white light anyway, so I've decided to start my own ambient lighting project!
I much preferred the red overhead ambient lighting my old Audi had so I wanted to replicate that in the CX-5. I'd fitted the JDM ambient lighting loom already with standard electrical connectors so can swap easily whilst I work out the best way to go about this.
![](https://c7.staticflickr.com/9/8451/28797734774_a808bf20e7_z.jpg)
12v 5mm wide-angle flat-top LEDs picked up from eBay
![](https://c8.staticflickr.com/9/8046/28800354383_ecccb4a85e_z.jpg)
As I'd already messed up this trim piece from the overhead console fitting the JDM LED I don't have to worry too much about being neat. Two 5mm holes drilled and the LEDs glued in place.
![](https://c3.staticflickr.com/9/8565/28797734754_29aee62142_z.jpg)
Finished and ready to fit. I would have liked to have recessed the LEDs with a nice taper but the plastic piece is only about 3mm thick, perhaps for version 2 I'll work out a way to do that unless anyone has any bright ideas?
![](https://c7.staticflickr.com/9/8173/28797734214_f1d9b8a966_z.jpg)
Fitted and testing! As I said it'd be nice not to be able to see the LEDs but luckily they're not too distracting. This is on the first fit and at first I thought they were too bright, like the JDM light (which in this picture is the oval at the front being lit up by the red LED). I had a look online and saw a great tip to scuff the surface of the LED with sandpaper to diffuse/dim the light which worked like a treat!
![](https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7565/28797734304_8c5b0cc7c4_z.jpg)
Very difficult to picture but you get the idea. I much prefer the red light to the white of the JDM, more in keeping with the orange LEDs of the pre-facelift models and more suited to the idea of warm-coloured 'comfort' lighting.
Today I might try out another LED in the compartment forward of the gearlever depending on how easy the trim pieces around there are to remove, another JDM accessory I'm going to rip off!
![Smiley :)](http://mazdacx5forums.co.uk/Smileys/default/smiley.gif)
(EDIT - link to my JDM posts if you want to read up on that first)
http://mazdacx5forums.co.uk/index.php?topic=337.msg3730#msg3730 starts there and about ten posts afterwards