💡 Converting the Maverick side badge to a signal lamp light -- DIY how-to and result video [night video added]

[Dad]

New guy here; I bought my '24 Lariat Hybrid yesterday but I've been lurking around on here for a few days to see what's going on in the Mav world. I want to really thank you for starting this thread, this type of little project is right up my alley and I have already lined up my parts and thought through my plans in preparation.

The '75 BMW R90/6 I just finished up got similar LEDs so I know what I''ll be working with to get this going.

You’re welcome and thank you for the feedback. Glad to hear you’re confident to do the mod. It’s quite simple, really. Be sure to post your results. It will certainly inspire and confidence to others to do the same.

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[nunucello]

I'll stick my nose in here. . . Here's how I tapped into the wiring for turn signal and parking lights on my Lariat.
The color coding of the wires for the LED lights I used are red=turn signal, white=ground/neg, black=parking.
I went to my dealer and asked for a print out of the headlight plug. I would have included it but it is probably copyrighted.
The pictures are the driver and passenger side headlight and turn signal plugs (on a Lariat). The wiring is color coded differently on each side.
Hope this helps.

Do you have a link for the wire taps in the pic ? Would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

 

[Mr Pibb]

Do you have a link for the wire taps in the pic ? Would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Just generic T-taps, I'm always going to suggest getting or making a plug and play harness though.

 

[nunucello]

Just generic T-taps, I'm always going to suggest getting or making a plug and play harness though.

Thank you. Yes I’d prefer a plug and play setup.

are those even sold ?

 

[RideSolo]

A couple of vendors sell plug n play setups on Amazon.

I've assembled all the required bits n pieces for a plug n play set and will be putting together a detailed thread in a week or two, once the weather warms up a little bit. I plan to post up a parts list w/ sources and prices as well as a detailed instructional with words and. pictures. As of now I estimate the cost will be very close to what you'd pay to buy a set. I'm not really hot on the "disco lights" that are on the ones available commercially so I'm making what I want and will be happy with.

 

[Mr Pibb]

A couple of vendors sell plug n play setups on Amazon.

I've assembled all the required bits n pieces for a plug n play set and will be putting together a detailed thread in a week or two, once the weather warms up a little bit. I plan to post up a parts list w/ sources and prices as well as a detailed instructional with words and. pictures. As of now I estimate the cost will be very close to what you'd pay to buy a set. I'm not really hot on the "disco lights" that are on the ones available commercially so I'm making what I want and will be happy with.

Where did you end up finding the plugs to hook into the headlights? That was the one I was having issues sourcing.

 

[RideSolo]

Where did you end up finding the plugs to hook into the headlights? That was the one I was having issues sourcing.

I found them at Custom Auto Works Store - 2022-24 Ford Maverick SIDE MARKER PLUG They are $50 for pair, not cheap for sure but they are pretty nice and once I get the whole package assembled will make for a very nice installation. They're a three wire set-up so I'm using three wire LEDs for a marker light and a turn signal

EDIT: While doing mine I discovered that the Custom Auto Works Store set mentioned above was originally set up to work w/ XT and XLT models. It will work for turn signals on the Lariat but a separate wire will have to be run to a source for a marker light.

https://customautoworksstore.com/product/2022-24-ford-maverick-side-marker-plug/

 

[OXHB619]

Where did you end up finding the plugs to hook into the headlights? That was the one I was having issues sourcing.

I butchered a different harness to make my own, you can use it to tie whatever to the headlights and turn signals.

I used it for the LED strip on the hood, and then 2 running board LED strips, both with sequential turn signals. ( For courtesy light on the running boards that was another hard find, I ran that off the bed lighting wiring )

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BMFNJVCM?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_1&th=1

If you look at my post history I am pretty sure I detailed it here.

 

[nunucello]

A couple of vendors sell plug n play setups on Amazon.

I've assembled all the required bits n pieces for a plug n play set and will be putting together a detailed thread in a week or two, once the weather warms up a little bit. I plan to post up a parts list w/ sources and prices as well as a detailed instructional with words and. pictures. As of now I estimate the cost will be very close to what you'd pay to buy a set. I'm not really hot on the "disco lights" that are on the ones available commercially so I'm making what I want and will be happy with.

Thank you. That info is greatly appreciated !

 

[How15]

Due to my envy of those vehicles that have turn signal indicators on their mirrors or body side, I took another member's basic idea and went one step further to have the badge act as a turn signal indicator. The first side took a bit of time to figure out what light would work best and how to wire it up correctly and safely. The other side took about an hour or two. Nothing like having "experience" the second time around.

This is how it came out:


What you'll need:

• plastic pry tools to ease off the badge.
• LED light. (I liked the round one where the wiring exits out the back of the light)
• butt splices. Red ones for the small wire gauge.
• several wire bridge taps. Again, the red ones.
• two ring terminals large enough to be able to attach to one of the bolts holding the fender together. This is for a ground. I got the ones that included shrink wrap on the wire end, but not necessary.
• UPDATE: Resistors not needed because I'm not REPLACING an incandescent bulb, merely adding one. 2 resistors. Remember, the Mav uses incandescent bulbs for its on/off turn signal function. If you introduce a lesser load bearing LED, it throws off the truck's computer into thinking a bulb is burned out and you get the hyperflash. The more expensive Laserfit LED's have internal resistors, but we are not using those today.
• wire cutters, stripper, and crimping tool.
• 4 strands of automotive wire about 3 - 1/2 feet long. Red and black are always a good choice color wise. The wires on the LED's I chose are yellow & black, so I used those colors.
• Drill bit or forstner bit large enough to cut out a round circle in the badge. The LED's I used required a 3/4" hole to fit snugly.
• 2 amber colored covers that fit the badge. These were made specifically for the Maverick and can be found on Etsy, however, this is an option. I chose to use them to cover up the LED lamp and also to disperse the light. Inexpensive . . . $20 for two.
• shrink wrap if you choose to use it and then you'll need either a heat gun or hair dryer.
• Automotive electrical tape. If you'll notice looking into any type of automotive wiring, the tape is NOT the shiny kind. The shiny kind tends to melt and get sticky. Opt for the "fabric" type. Easily available on Amazon and looks more like it belongs.
• Four #4 self-tapping screws to hold the resistors in place. Actually, one screw will hold it just fine. We'll talk about where to place the resistor and it might be tough to get two screws on. Getting one on was tough enough and it held strongly, so I didn't bother with the second one.

What kind of adhesive did you use to hold the lenses on with? Thinking of adding also, didn't like the lack of side turn signals.

 

[Dad]

What kind of adhesive did you use to hold the lenses on with? Thinking of adding also, didn't like the lack of side turn signals.

Thanks for writing. I used a dual lock hook & loop style tape. I didn't want a permanent bond in case I needed to replace the LED. That being said, I've had no issues with keeping the amber lenses attached to the badge. Very solid. I got them on Amazon. Here's the link.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B4KGCX5W?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_1

BTW, feel free to DM or post back if you have any other questions regarding materials or install.

 

[RideSolo]

Thanks for writing. I used a dual lock hook & loop style tape. I didn't want a permanent bond in case I needed to replace the LED. That being said, I've had no issues with keeping the amber lenses attached to the badge. Very solid. I got them on Amazon. Here's the link.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B4KGCX5W?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_1

BTW, feel free to DM or post back if you have any other questions regarding materials or install.

Howdy @Dad, I thought I'd add my $0.02 worth to this. I put lots of study into this very subject and almost went w/ hook & loop and finally decided to go w/ some thin 3M adhesive sheets instead. So far the "stick" has been rock solid w/ no hint of coming loose however I'm very sure that I could carefully pry them off if I needed to. Here's the link:

https://a.co/d/0GlpA8E

I can see where some folks would prefer the hook & loop and some prefer the 3M sheets.

 

[Dad]

Howdy @Dad, I thought I'd add my $0.02 worth to this. I put lots of study into this very subject and almost went w/ hook & loop and finally decided to go w/ some thin 3M adhesive sheets instead. So far the "stick" has been rock solid w/ no hint of coming loose however I'm very sure that I could carefully pry them off if I needed to. Here's the link:

https://a.co/d/0GlpA8E

I can see where some folks would prefer the hook & loop and some prefer the 3M sheets.

Much appreciated! Always glad to hear of another method. There's not much force (other than wind) being applied that might dislodge the amber plastic lens, so I'm thinking your method will work fine.

 

[How15]

Thanks for writing. I used a dual lock hook & loop style tape. I didn't want a permanent bond in case I needed to replace the LED. That being said, I've had no issues with keeping the amber lenses attached to the badge. Very solid. I got them on Amazon. Here's the link.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B4KGCX5W?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_1

BTW, feel free to DM or post back if you have any other questions regarding materials or install.

Thanks, I didn't want to make a permanent attachment, might have to change the led sometime

 

[Dad]

Thanks, I didn't want to make a permanent attachment, might have to change the led sometime

Exactly. I wasn't sure of the longevity or reliability of the LEDs I used, so I thought the dual lock tape would be a good compromise between stability and easy to remove if needed.

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