Adding ambient light to lower trims

Based off this Reddit post, I also found the connector so figured it'd be useful to post here:

If link doesn't work, search: How to add the notification/ambient light back into the Prius Prime SE 2023

First two pics are from the thread, rest are mine (there are more in the thread).
Pop the cover on each side:


You'll find a connector like this one:

Only the edges are wired with postive and negative, I will need to double check which is which when I did it but I think it's also mentioned in the thread

Grab your choice of LED strip. I used a slightly different one sold as ultra thin and looks pretty red to me. You'll need two strips (one for right, one for left).

You'll need some connectors as I didn't want to tap them. I used "
SUMITOMO white 5 Pin 0.7mm Female or Male Auto Wiring Unsealed Replacement Connector car Plug 6098-3810 90980-12365 90980-12366" in case the link fails.
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256802708880371.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.151.18c91802qO0l78&gatewayAdapt=glo2usa
They also sell some with the connectors already done so you can just link your wires of your LED strip together.

I installed my lights slightly different than Deathcommand by running it high on both sides. I slid the wires through the trim so no wires are sticking by the door.

Final in daytime looks like this:


Daytime on:

The left corner by the start button is white because I cut it poorly (don't use a pocket knife)

Night time shot:



Total cost me about $20.
Considering the originals cost about $1000 in parts and need to dismantle the dash, I think these are worth it.

Drawbacks:
- The LED strips don't usually come in long enough lengths for the right side so there's a small link in the strip. I can see it but it doesn't bug me too much.
- For some reason, the ambient light "alerts" only work for the left side. From what I managed to check with other owners, on the OEM version, when you're stopped at a red light and the car in front of you started moving, the whole ambient light would start flashing to "warn" you. In this version, only the left side does it. Since I extended mine to the top of the trim, I actually prefer it this way.

This was also before I added the footwell lights.

All in all, I'm pretty happy for the price. Both the ambient light and footwell lights dim at night and stay on all the time. The ambient light isn't distracting neither day nor night.

I recently learned LE models do not have the sockets for the footwell lights so check if you have them before but the SE definitely does.

Let me know if the pics don't work, they seem to be back to working on here!

 

Insert media and local hosting still seems broken. What I managed to do was use imgbb and just copy past the image into the post. Mind you, I can see a "The following error occured" image you seem to have posted

 

I pushed the panels a bit by hand to see how much give they had and I slipped it in as mine had enough slack I could move the panel where the OE leds go. I'll try to grab some pictures next weekend. I didn't want anything to be visibile (or as little as possible) and try to make it look original. In the higher trims, the lights seem installed from the back where the black trim and bronze trim meet and follow the line

 

Hey, sorry I was sick for a while so never got around to responding but I can't see the current pics. However I can see the others you posted with your connector and it looks like the metal pins weren't pushed in all the way since I could see some of the metal sticking out. If it was your first time with those connectors, you need to push them all the way in until they do not come out on their own. You can kind of feel them clicking in

 

Can you post some pics of what's behind your covers? The LE doesn't have the footwell one and I don't recall if anyone has tried the ambient light on an LE or not.