What are the hazards of installing interior ambient lighting?
3 Answers
The hazards of installing interior ambient lighting are: it may affect the driving safety of the vehicle. The color of the lighting could potentially interfere with normal safe driving. When driving at night, if the interior lights are on, the windshield acts like a mirror, reflecting the cabin lights into the driver's eyes, making it difficult to see darker road conditions ahead and increasing the risk of accidents. Interior ambient lighting is decorative illumination, typically in colors like red, blue, or green, mainly used to enhance the vehicle's appearance at night, create atmosphere, and set the mood. It's important to ensure the lighting colors do not compromise safe driving. The operation method for vehicle interior ambient lighting is: first turn the ignition switch to ON, then press the ambient light button to activate the lighting mode. There are three lighting modes available: blue, red, and orange, but only two modes can be selected via the button. The red mode only activates when the vehicle is in sport mode. Press and hold the ambient light button to turn off the lighting.
My friend suffered a big loss because of installing ambient lighting in his car. When wiring the ambient lights, the installation wasn't done properly, and during driving, the light strip suddenly emitted smoke, burning a large hole in the seat cover and nearly causing a fire. The mechanic said this type of modification most commonly encounters two issues: first, using low-quality LED light strips that exceed power ratings, causing wires to overheat; second, puncturing the insulation of the original wiring harness during installation, leading to short circuits. Moreover, unauthorized circuit modifications can void the vehicle's warranty, and insurance companies generally refuse to cover such cases. Now, he drives in constant fear and has to spend a fortune to replace the entire wiring harness.
Having worked in the auto repair industry for over a decade, I've noticed numerous issues caused by ambient light modifications. A common scenario is owners carelessly installing them at small shops, only to find the LED strips' excessive power consumption severely drains the battery, often resulting in morning no-start situations. Once I encountered an extreme case: an aftermarket controller conflicted with the vehicle's ECU, triggering chaotic dashboard warnings. Crucially, such modifications will definitely fail annual inspections, and police fines apply if discovered. The most alarming cases involve cheap, unregulated products - their plastic materials release pungent odors when heated, causing dizziness within half an hour of driving.
