Moss Interior Light Kit

Fantastic Lighting! Looks like FACTORY LIGHTING! Great! I took the overhead cover off for more light too!

If you are not small, can crawl upside down under the steering console, hold a flash light in your mouth, then you will have problems installing these lights. Took me under 1 hour. You almost have to be like a "monkey" to install these!

Moss Interior Light Kit - Blanking Plates Center Console- Illuminate footwells

[6/6/2007] Reviewed by: Christopher Caird - cairdchr@hargray.com

Yikes. This took me a lot of time and effort to install. I spent a total of 4 hrs to complete the job. A majority of that time was my effort to run the wires properly. After an hour and half of following their directions feeding wires without success, I took out the middle console, the center console/air vents, and removed the stereo. After everything was out of the way, I was able to complete the simple installation in under 25 mins. I recommend reading both the "96 On" pdf instructions located at the moss motors website as well as the directions they send in the box. I have a 97 M and I found the directions on the web much more helpful as it relates to locating the proper wires to install the T-snap.

Overall, I'm pleased with my lights. They are bright and work as described. The only downside is that they only function when a door is open. They are not part of the switch associated with the overhead light/console light. I kinda hoped they would be usable/part of a switch. Oh well... I'm miata crazy so I'm still happy. If you have any questions or concerns drop me an email. I'm happy to help if I can. cairdchr@hargray.com

Moss Interior Light Kit

[9/22/2006] Reviewed by: Michael Baker - sailingwj@adelphia.net

Much needed additional light for the Miata interior is supplemented with this kit. Very easy to install (under 40") and a perfect fit into the OEM blanks on both sides of the shifter cowl. They work great and look as if they were original equipment. Still need a light mounted higher like those of the sun visor blanks as these only throw light from the seat down.

Moss Interior Light Kit

[3/20/2006] Reviewed by: Bill Shepard

The kit arrived a few days after ordering as promised. Installation was easier than I expected after reading previous reviews. I didn't remove the glove box but simply pushed the wires(one at a time) through behind the floor counsel from the passenger side. I removed the panel below the steering column (2screws) for better access and visibility to feed the wires to the driver side kick panel where the wires you need to tap into are located. If I was to do it again it would be a 10-15 Min. process.

This kit adds some much appreciated light to the interior. I'd like to see Moss include a clear lens to replace the smoked factory lens on the light above the rearview mirror. If you remove this lens you will see how much it restricts the light available.

Moss Interior Light Kit

[3/12/2006] Reviewed by: John Aarsen - john.aarsen@conus.army.mil

Installation went well, read the other reviews, don't remove the Glove box and use a wire.

I would recommend that you check all connectors and recrip if necessary. On 2004 the conncector in step #9 is attached to the body and will need to be removed to make the wiring eaiser. First disconnet the upper portion, its very short and won't stretch to far. I had to use a pocket knife and pry it way on each side of the white connector.

Moss Interior Light Kit

[8/23/2005] Reviewed by: Kyle

"Let there be light!". This kit is a very nice addition to my Miata. It really enhances the car interior and makes if much easier to see inside of the car at night. The kit was simple to install for the most part. Instructions were OK but the illustrations could have been much better. As it was, I had to rely mostly on the text in the instructions since the pictures were pretty useless. In my experience, the most difficult part was working under the dashboard. It was very cramped for me and I found it difficult to get both hands and arms under there at the same time. There were also several wiring harnesses under there to choose from and it took me some doing to locate the right one. But once I did, it was pretty easy from there. All in all, it was a worthwile effort. It took me about 75 minutes to install but now that I have some experience, I could probably do it in 15-20 minutes.

Interior Light Kit from Moss

[10/19/2004] Reviewed by: Harell R. Coley - hrcoley@netzero.com

Two lights that replace bolt access covers at the bottom of the console above the footwells.

Great product. Easily installed. Looks great and works great. Wonderful to have when you drop something in the footwell. I used wire splice fittings to hook it up and had no problems despite my general ignorance regarding automotive wiring.

Moss Interior Light Kit

[5/29/2004] Reviewed by: Dan Kaplan - dan@run-down.com

Very easy to install and a huge improvement in interior lighting. It doesn't seem like much in the kit for $37, but it's a small price to pay for how vastly improved the lighting is at night. I can see the ignition key hole now!

Here's two suggestions for making it easier than the instructions would have it be: 1) When removing the factory light (by the glovebox), use a screwdriver to press in on either front side edge while pushing from the back. It'll pop out pretty easily that way. Simply pushing from the back does not seem like a good way to get anything done... 2) If you have your console dissasembled for working on the stereo or something, that'll make it extremely easy to run the wires for the new driver's side light. I had mine taken apart a week before getting the light kit, so I applied a little home stereo cable routing trick and ran some string under the stereo and through both panels where the new lights would go. Knotted the ends and left them hanging out, with the panels clipped back over them. When it came time to install the light kit, the string made it very easy to pull the wires through. Much easier than fishing stuff through behind the stereo like the instructions recommend.

Moss Interior Light Kit

[1/15/2004] Reviewed by: John Napper - jen1911a1@aol.com

Interior lights that install on each side of the console to illuminate footwells. The light kit is wired to the original interior light and functions just as the original.

Fairly simple installation which only required about 20 minutes. Instructions were complete and easy to understand; but could have been more specific about removal of the original light assembly. Used a coathanger to fish the wiring across the console. When working with foreign objects under the dash, it is always a good idea to disconnect the vehicle's battery first.

I did remove the glove box (2 screws...30 seconds). I found that this gave me more room for fishing the wires and making the necessary electrical connections. Others have commented that their kits only light when the doors are open. My installation functions exactly the same as the OEM light. ie: On, Off, or doors only. The lights are a great improvement...no more fumbling around trying to get the key into the ignition. I consider this installation to be time and money well spent.

Moss Interior Lights

[12/9/2003] Reviewed by: Ted Shulkcum - lunchbox861@cox.net

Installed on 2003 Miata. I used a wire to fish the wires from passanger side to drivers side. I did not remove the glove box. Took about 3 minutes to fish the wires. I took the drivers seat out of my car after seeing what little space there was to work with. Involved four bolts and unplugging the seat belt wire under the seat. Took about 10 minutes to remove the seat. The wireing was easy with the seat removed. I could use both hands. Love the lights. Total installation time was about 45 minutes.

Moss Interior Light Kit

[11/14/2003] Reviewed by: Bruce Robertson

Installation Notes: I did not read other posts here before installing, but did find it fairly easy to install. It took me about 45 minutes, including removing and replacing the glove box. The wires were stiff enough that I did not require anything to fish the wires, I just fed them through. One of the color connectors was not the right color (one of the lights ended up with a red and a blue connector, if memory serves). The hardest part was definitely under the driver's side dash, connecting the vampire taps. It took me a couple minutes to unhook the anchor from the sheet metal (I was trying to be careful not to break it). Once I got it free, it only took a minute to put on the taps.

There were some things that could have been done better. I bought the tan kit for a '99. The mounting plates are the factory blanks that have been machined to accomodate the plastic lens. The machining left lots of plastic scraps that I had to trim off with a utility knife. The clear lenses appeared to have a crack in the plastic near the top and/or bottom edge at first, but closer inspection revealed that this was probably just a flaw in the injection mold that was used in manufacturing the lens. Of course, I was inspecting it more closely than any passenger would. The directions were not great, as others have mentioned, and I already mentioned that one connector did not match the color described in the directions. I even noticed a word misspelled. Overall, I love the lights, they do look like a stock feature. I was slightly disappointed that I have to open the door for them to turn on, as others have stated, but I guess that will be when they will be needed most frequently.

[6/14/2003] Reviewed by: Daniel Kharitonov

My experience began with frustration because the kit I received from Moss was lacking one light bulb, so I dropped them an e-mail and postponed installation (I was too lazy to go buy a bulb immediately). Good thing I did so, because a week later I found a package from them at the door w/replacement bulbs. Nice. I was also intalling an stereo, so I did not have to fish the wires through. With stereo removed, wire routing is trivial. Not sure why other reviewers found the kit to be working only on the door. Negative ring screws directly on top of the switch hand, which ensures additional lights are in parallel with stock bulb and operate identically. Woes: I found vampire t-tap to be quite flimsy and unreliable. This is not a fault of the Moss design, because there is no other way to reach the positive wire. However, if installing the kit in garage, I would definitely prefer soldering.

[5/3/2003] Reviewed by: john domogala - lindadomo@yahoo.com

like everyone else i used a coat hanger with some tape to hold the connectors from snaging on anything from the passenger side to the drivers side. i had to use a wagon with a board on it to be close to the same level to get under the dash , thats when the fun began awfull tight quarters to say the least . it was worth the frustation , the end result was worth it. i was dissapointed that the lights do not come on when you turn the dome light on , is this normal? i would appreciate any comments from anybody.

[12/26/2002] Reviewed by: Anonymous

Nice quality lights. Instructions are years out of date. Use the other product review suggestions to install. I had no problems fishing the wires from one side to the other, took about 5 minutes, two zip ties and some tape to pull the wires over. However, I am 6'4 and had an absolute bear of a time reaching the under dash wiring. Get someone who's forearms aren't too long to bend in the footwell! I could not get both arms up there to push the connectors together so I ended up trying to hold the wire and push the connector on with one hand. Finally after much frustration and many attempts I was able to get them tight enough to work. Get a six pack of your shortest (electrically-minded) friend's favorite refreshment if you have long arms! Total time to install - 2 hours!!

[7/20/2002] Reviewed by: Bill Hicks - hicksw001@hawaii.rr.com

Using 2 joined 12” tie wraps (w/o touching the glove box) is the way to go!! From the passenger (P) side at the front of the console, snake the male (M) end of the tie wraps directly over to the driver (D) side. Put the female (F) tie wrap end thru the P side opening. Snugly insert the M tie wrap into the blue F spade connection & pull each wire from the D to the P side - pushing the wire from the D side & gently pulling on the tie wrap from the P side prevents snags. Snap in the P then D lights. Kit's wire length is fine. Run remaining wires over the steering column to the fuse box area. Disconnect the wire connection above the fuse box, unwrap electrical tape, and untwist wires ... but the wires are still above the bottom lip of the dashboard & difficult to work on. Stuff a drop light in the bottom of the dash above the gas pedal & use both hands. Took 20 min. just to get the snap on connectors on. The red wire goes onto the blue/red (hot) wire and no! t the red/white (ground) wire.

Well worth the 45 minutes it took to install...the lights look great and are very bright!!! They will only come on when a door is opened (although someone else describes how to do a further modification to control them from the overhead light switch as well.)

[6/28/2002] Reviewed by: Scott Vance - scottlvance@hotmail.com

Installed in under 25 minutes, including checking over the instructions and reading through the reviews here for hints. No need to remove the glove box as others had said. I did everything from the passengers side. I used the suggestions about popping off the lens of the OEM light to pull out the OEM light. I first feed from pasengers to drivers. The wire had a litle curve in it and I used that as I feed around the back of the brackets there. I didn't have any problems or need for a stiff wire. Maybe I got lucky the first one I got right away and the second took a couple minutes. I found by spinning the wire it would help it get by things and I could catch it on the other side. Did the same thing to feed the wires up to connect to the OEM light. To help you from letting an end slip back and having to fish around again I bent the ends back so they would catch on the lip of the opening as I worked the others through.

I am really pleased with this product, looks like it's always been there, easy to install and was on sale!!!

[12/30/2001] Reviewed by: Rick Marks - alamarks@earthlink.net

The install is straight forward. I also chose not to remove the glove box. The wires are long enough but not much extra length. If you find the length is short, try rerouting the wires. After my the first feed from driver's side, the wires seemed short. I found that I had the wires going in a longer path than necessary. Also, I used Gene's suggestion regarding popping off the lens of the OEM light to pull out the OEM light. Made removal very easy. The provided directions were adequate other than the glove box and OEM light removal. Great product and the light output is more than adequate. Can finally see the key hole at night! About 2 hours to install assuming a few fumbles along the way.

[11/16/2001] Reviewed by: Gene Mallard - gmallard@dmcom.net

This was an easy install, looks OEM, and does a wonderful job of lighting the car. The instructions are stupid, considering how clever this thing is.

One thing I would like to pass on to people installing this product. That is if they follow the instructions to remove the existing courtesy light by pushing it out from behind, they had better eat a couple of cans of spinach first. There is a much easier way to take it our. If you run your fingernail along the bottom of the face of the light, you will feel an indent right in the center. Place a flat thin screwdriver in this slot and pry up. The face plate will shoot off. This is how you change the bulb! Now with that cover off you can see the two side tabs that have to be released to allow the thing to come out. Using the screwdriver, pry in on one tab, and that side can be pulled out. Now repeat on the other side and the whole unit comes out clean without any forcing of anything. Good Luck.

[8/13/2001] Reviewed by: Raymond Houghton - houghton@corixa.com

I had no problem connecting the lights in the console and threading the wires through. This did not as the instructions suggest require removing the glove compartment. Just threading thru with a metal rod. Did have major problems and still am trying to find the wires to splice into. After two hours and a pain in the neck gave up. Any assistance in locating wires would be appreciated so I can enjoy this product

[6/17/2001] Reviewed by: Joseph Narvaez - nvz@rocketmail.com

Fed the wiring from passenger to drivers instead. Had to wire the tap at the OEM light instead of at the fuse box because of the aftermarket alarm using a different color coding scheme. Took longer than expected due to not studying what I had to work with before starting the job.

We took ownership of a '95 Miata on June 1st. If you purchase a car with an aftermarket alarm, examine your wiring before installing this kit - definitely learned from this experience. This kit will not turn on and off using the OEM light switch. If you want it to - I'd image that you'd probably want to tap after the switch - definitely not for the novices. Overall - happy with the lights.

[4/10/2001] Reviewed by: Kevin Smith - ksmith@artcobell.com

Product is great. Lights up the interior of the car very well. I have them hooked to the Lights Up Team Miata 15 second delay for extra light while fumbling for the keys and the keyhole.

DO NOT REMOVE YOUR GLOVE BOX! There is no need to do that, besides, it is a PAIN! Simple use a coat hanger or other device (I used an electrical "fish tape") to pull the wires to the drivers side foot well. Run the hanger through the existing footwell light hole on the drivers side, straight across to the passenger side hole. You might have to hunt for it just a little on the passenger side, but I found mine in less than 15 seconds. Hook up the passenger side light, snap it in and pull the wires through to the drivers side, hook up the drivers side light light, snap it in, run the wires over to the light switch wires and hook them in. Literally takes about 10 minutes to do the whole job. Could take an hour or more if you remove your glove box.

[4/6/2001] Reviewed by: David Berlin - dberlin635@aol.com

I followed the advice of previous reviews and thought the installation was pretty straight forward. I actually did read the directions also. When all the connections were done the lights did not work. I rechecked all the connections and still no lights. I was running into 2 hours of installation time and getting very frustrated. I decided to play some tunes on my radio and soon discovered that didn't work. This was turning into a nightmare. I decided to check the fuse box and did discover a blown fuse. I ran out to the nearest auto store and picked up a 10 amp fuse. Let their be lights please......... It worked and i love the lights. I thought I'd mention this incase anyone else ran into this problem. I would check the fuse first before checking all the wire connections if the lights are not working.

Oh well I had fun working on my Miata all day. But I think The directions should mention to disconnect the battery before installation or to check the fuse if the light are not working.

[3/9/2001] Reviewed by: David Achilli - david.achilli@home.com

I found this kit easy to install. Instead of removing the glove box, I followed other's hints and used a coat hanger wire to pull the wire through. I also installed the wires the reverse of the instructions, with the pigtailed ends on the driver's side. If I didn't do that, the wires would not have made it to the connectors by the fuse box. I was able to crimp the connectors on under the dash using a pair of long nose pliers. The tan bezel frames match perfectly. A great product!!!

[8/27/2000] Reviewed by C.D.Kuder - cdkuder@msn.com

Installation Useing stiff wire to feed wires from passenger side to drivers side is faster and simpler than method in instructions.

I recently added a third wire to the stock overhead courtesy light by soldering it to the unused terminal at the opposite end from the existing wiring and terminals. This wire is then fed under the windshield frame interior trim and down the drivers side pillar. A stiff wooden skewer was used to feed the wire to the same location under the dash as the stock wires and plug. One of the wires to the light kit is disconnected from the splice tap and connected to the added wire. The remaining wire to the light kit may be left connected to the current splice tap if the lights work. Otherwise, change it to the other splice tap. The result is that the added lights are also controlled by the stock courtesy light switch, and can be turned off or on, even if the doors are open or closed.

[4/24/2000] Reviewed by PAUL HUTCHEON - abby@flarenet.com

GREAT PRODUCT, EASY INSTALLATION BY FEEDING 2 PLASTIC WIRE TIES (PREVIOUS REVIEW BY CARL) THRU

PLUG FROM GREY HOLDER, UNSNAP TO HALVES OF THE PLUG, LET THE ONE HALF HANG IN THE WELL, INSTALL THE TWO CLIPS AFTER CUTTING BACK THE BLACK PLASTIC COVERING THE TWO WIRES, CONNECT THE TWO MALE END TO THE CLIPS , REINSTALL THIS HALF OF THE PLUG IN THE GREY HOLDER, REINSERT THE OTHER HALF OF THE PLUG AND YOUR DONE!! 20 MIN MAX.

[12/24/99] Reviewed by C.D. Kuder - cdkuder@msn.com

Instructions were understandable. Wires were too short to use recommended routing. Alternate routing suggested by previous reviews was used (before I read other reviews.)

Wires between Light Assemblies and wiring harness need to be a few inches longer to simplify installation. Crimp on clips may have an interference fit with metal support brackets. Wiring harness connector was very difficult and awkward to release.

[11/18/99] Reviewed by Michael Choy - mikechoy@yahoo.com

Kit includes 2 lights, 2 wire clips, wires and instructions for both <99 and 99+.

The instructions were accurate with a few helpful illustrations. No need to remove the glove box if you have small hands, and the most difficult part was feeding the wires from the passenger to the driver side, but that only took a few tries. After that, the rest is quite simple. Good OEM look and plenty of lighting for foot wells.

Reviewed by: John Tucci - Cougar3GA@aol.com

I knew I wanted these before I purchased my 99. I ordered from The Dealer Alternative. They were very pleasant and expedited my order.

The install was pretty straight forward. I too found it easier to feed the wires with the help of a coat hanger snake. The connection instructions were simple to follow and everything was where it was supposed to be. I had one minor problem. One of the connectors (female) on the passanger side was bad. The light was intermittant. Luckily I had a spare connector.
Under 30 minutes to remove completely

Reviewed by: Philip Alexy - alexyp@ix.netcom.com

read over the instructions and found them to be pretty simple. took about 1 hour to install, 'prolly took less if i hadn't misread the diagram with the instructions and installed the wiring the opposite way. in the instructions, they recommend that you remove the glovebox to thread the wires behind the centre console, but after getting some advice from the Miata Mailing List, i found thatusing a coathanger was just as effective and saved you some unscrewing and reattaching. the hardest part about the whole affair was the final connecting of the wiring under the dash. i'm 5'11" and it was pretty tight under there. also, instead of splicing wires and stuff, they give you these alligator-splicer things that you just have to snap onto the existing wires under the dash. in the instruction, they show how you are supposed to use a pair of pliers to do the actual snapping of the clips. well, i'd challange anone of my size (and hand size) to be able to get those pliers and yourself underneath there and do the deed. that was complicated by the fact that i only had a penlight with me...i strongly suggest you have a shoplight with you because you really need both hands to set the clips properly. so my solution: i used my fingers along to snap the clips. it took about 15 minutes per clip of grunting and bruised fingertips to get the job done. ouchie! when the job it done, tho, it's seamless and looks completely OEM.

yet again i wonder why these aren't made stock. it's incredible how much light, especially at night, these little bulbs give off. no more searching in the dark to slide the key in the starter. they light up the interior amazingly, especially when the top is up: good for security. act just like the regular dome light because you are basically using the same circuit and even tho you are putting more load on that cicuit, both dome and extra lights very bright. highly recommended and a great feeling of doing something so finished/professional-looking in my Tyche.

Reviewed by: Carl - moonstruck1@hotmail.com

After reading their straightforward instructions, I cringed a bit as they viewed the feeding of the wires through the console as the most difficult & tedious part of the job. On the contrary, I found that a bit of creativity worked wonders. (As a result, this part of the job took me less than 30 mins!) Remove the plastics rectangular plugs. Then, take 2(two) plastic 'wire wraps'.(you know, those flat things that fasten around anything via a one-way rectangular slot fed by its' opposite end) Insert one into the second for length, then slide the 'male' end into the spade plug on the wiring to be fed through. The wire wraps provide more than enough rigidity to easily feed the wiring through on the second try! Before I knew it, I was ready to tackle the installation of the wires to the main door wiring. Now THAT was tedious, esp for someone whose hands aren't...er, 'slender'. On the whole, I found that this was a terrific, well thought-out & much-needed addition. (yet the '99 STILL doesn't have them!) A "must-have" for any Miata owner.

Reviewed by: David Turkheimer - dturk@pipeline.com

1. The instructions say to remove the glove box. The screws are VERY tight, so I was reluctant to do so. I found that if you squeeze the sides of the glove box inward, you can get the box to get past its "stops". The box will hang down giving you room to work.

2. I believe that the wiring - inserting the wire in the right side of the hump and then out the left side - is difficult and frustrating. It eventually worked, though.

Reviewed by: Mark Stephens - emit2@hotmail.com

In order to get a clean install out of this, it will be necessary for you to remove your glove box. This is the only way that you will be able to get a clear view of the shaft below the vent system. Feeding the wiring for this was the only difficulty. Their are numerous ways to wire these....making them extremely versatile.

I have to agree with other owners in saying that this brighten the interior substantially, filling in ugly little blanks, and made the car inviting to step into at night.

Reviewed by: Aaron Smith - aaron.smith@ucdavis.edu

Additional interior lights that mount in the blank inspection holes to the left and right of the radio.

My first reaction was, “I paid $37.95 for a few lights and some wire!?” The truth is that your not paying for the parts, but for a well thought out design and easy installation. The instructions are complete and easy to follow, however I found it easier to feed the wires from the driver’s side over to the passenger’s side rather than they other way. It took me about 25 minutes to install the lights. They work with the factory switch, so they are on when your stock dome light is on and off when it’s off. I have a tan interior and the tan surrounding the light matches perfectly. These lights look like they are factory units. It surprises me that Mazda did not install lights in this location from the beginning.

The lights are bright (5 watts) and provide good illumination of the foot, seat, and ignition area. The later is especially useful if you have a ‘94-’95 in which the factory driver’s side light was deleted. I would highly recommend these lights to anyone who desires more interior lighting in their Miata.

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10 August, 2008

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