Puddle lights are small LED lights that are installed inside your car door panel. They can illuminate the ground when you open the door. In fact, people originally designed the lights as a practical safety feature. With them, you can see the area around the door and avoid stepping into a puddle or missing a kerb in the dark. As time goes by, manufacturers began to use them as a sales point. They produce puddle lights which can project car logos on the ground. Now, the puddle lights have become one of the most recognizable features of premium cars.
How do puddle lights work? How is the logo projection created? How can people install them as an aftermarket upgrade to almost any car? You can find the answers to these questions in this article, which explains How Do Puddle Lights Work.
Understanding How Do Puddle Lights Work
In fact, a puddle light is an LED bulb that is put inside a sealed unit. You can install the light at the lower part of your car’s door panel. When you open the door, a contact switch in the door frame closes and sends power to the puddle light circuit. Then the light turns on at once and illuminates the ground under the door.
The basic factory puddle lights could only cast a plain white or slightly coloured oval of light on the ground. You can normally find them on older BMW, Audi, and Mercedes models from the early 2000s. What’s more, the lights will turn off as soon as you close the door. You don’t need any coding, switch, or app because the lights are fully controlled by the door switch.
How Logo Projections Are Created
The designers added one additional component to puddle lights so that they can project logos. The component is a glass slide or lens which is in front of the LED chip. The designers can carve the logos they want on it at last.
This is the same principle as a slide projector or a theatre gobo. A light source shines through a slide or negative, and the slide’s image is projected on the surface. In a puddle light, the LED chip provides the light source. At the same time, the glass lens (usually quartz glass) contains the logo pattern. Finally, the LED light shines through the lens, and you can see the logos on the ground.
People usually use quartz glass to make puddle lights because it does not turn yellow, crack, or distort under heat over time. However, you will meet problems easily if you buy cheaper products that use plastic or film lenses. In fact, a quartz glass lens will remain good quality throughout the life of the car.
How Dynamic (Animated) Puddle Lights Work
Today, you will find a lens assembly controlled by electronics on the most advanced puddle lights. That’s why the lights have dynamic effects. It is a rotating or oscillating glass element rather than a fixed slide. Thanks to lit, the logo will look like a pulse, scan, or animate during projection.
Dynamic puddle lights require a little more power than static versions. Most dynamic ones draw 3–5 watts per unit. This will not cause any problems. The lights can match well with factory door light circuits on all modern cars if they are equipped with the correct anti-error chip.
Anti-Error Chips and CAN Bus Compatibility
Modern cars have a CAN bus network to monitor the electrical load on every circuit in the car. For example, VAG (Audi, VW, Seat, Skoda), BMW, and Mercedes are all included. When you replace the original halogen bulb with an LED, the CAN bus will detect a lower current draw. Then a warning light will appear on the dashboard because the system thinks the bulb has burned out.
You will not encounter the problem in quality puddle lights. They have a built-in anti-error decoding chip that can simulate the resistance of the original bulb. The chip can also draw the right current to satisfy the CAN bus. This is why it is important to purchase puddle lights with an anti-error chip according to your car’s model and year. If you choose a chip designed for a VAG-platform car, the lights may not work on a BMW or Mercedes.
Which Cars Have Puddle Lights?
- Audi: A3, A4, A5, A6, A7, A8, Q3, Q5, Q7, Q8 — from about 2005 on SE/Sport/S-Line models
- BMW: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, X1–X7, M range — since about 2006
- Mercedes: A, C, E, GLC, GLE, S-Class — on SE and above from about 2008
- Land Rover/Range Rover: since about 2010 on models with the puddle light option (QQ1)
- VW: Golf, Passat, Tiguan, Touareg — since about 2010 on Highline and above
- Porsche: Cayenne, Macan, Panamera, 911, Taycan — since about 2010
- Mini: all R and F series models — since about 2006
Wireless Puddle Lights — How They Work Without a Socket
If your car does not have the factory puddle light socket, you can still add wireless puddle lights with charging ability. There is a battery in the light, and you can charge it by USB. The light will turn on when you trigger a door-open sensor. The sensor is usually a magnetic switch that is placed at the door frame. In fact, the wireless lights can project the same logos as wired versions. Also, you can use it for 30–40 days on one charge. Although they are not as reliable as wired versions, people can install puddle lights if they don’t have factory ones.
Puddle lights work by combining an LED light source with a precision-engraved glass lens. Though it is a small connection, you can enjoy an outstanding visual effect. Some people may want to replace a factory light with a logo projector, while others would like to add the function to their car without factory puddle lights. They can all find suitable lights for their cars at reasonable prices.
