BMW G30 Ambient Lightning

BMW G30 Ambient Light Coding [Color Change]

Did you know that an RGB code (Red, Green, Blue) may be used to represent any color on a screen? This code is made up of three values ranging from 0 to 255 that indicate the amount of red, green, and blue utilized to replicate the color. For example, consider the RGB code for:

  • Red is (255,0,0)
  • Green is (0,255,0)
  • Blue is (0,0,255)
  • Yellow is (255,255,0)
  • Orange is (255,165,0)

Graphic designers and software programmers sometimes opt to utilize a hexadecimal RGB code in which each of the three decimal values is translated into a two-digit hexadecimal code, culminating in a six-digit (32) hexadecimal code. Consider the following example:

  • Red is #FF000
  • Green is #00FF00
  • Blue is #0000FF
  • Yellow is #FFFF00
  • Orange is #FFA500

Now, if you want to change the color or color combination of your BMW’s ambient lighting, you can use these values to get any color you want. As long as it is made of red, blue, and green.

Ok, that was an easy part, and here comes the complex one.

Depending on the BMW model (G30, G30LCI, G20, G01, etc.) and the software version (I-Level) the values and combination can differ. Here’s the example for the G30.

You’ll find the ambient lightning settings in the BDC control module, and you’ll need to FDL code them after editing.

BDC_BODY3
Color definitions 360A / LIC_LCI_COLOR_LIBRARY_DATA
Color combinations 360D / LIC_LCI_COLOR_PROFILES_DATA

Color definitions in 360A (All colors are output in RGB hex codes #RRGGBB):

ColorHEX CODENumber
WHITE90 E9 9000
BRONZED7 6E 1401
ORANGE93 1A 0102
BLUE00 20 FE03
GREEN10 FE 3204
PURPLE78 3C FE05

Thus, the list at 360A results in the following colors (bolded) to be changed, as desired:

00, 17, 01, 90, E0, 90, FF, 02, 90, E0, 90, 00, 03, 90, E0, 90, FF, 01, D7, 6E,
14, FF, 02, D7, 6E, 14, 00, 03, D7, 6E, 14, FF, 01, 93, 1A, 01, FF, 02, 93, 1A,
01, 00, 03, 93, 1A, 01, FF, 01, 00, 20, FE, FF, 02, 00, 20, FE, 00, 03, 00, 20,
FE, FF, 01, 10, FE, 32, FF, 02, 10, FE, 32, 00, 03, 10, FE, 32, FF, 01, 78, 3C,
FE, FF, 02, 78, 3C, FE, 00, 03, 78, 3C, FE, FF, 02, 00, 00, 00, FE, 01, 00, 00,
00, FF, 02, 00, 00, 00, 00, 03, 00, 00, 00, FF, 01, 96, 00, 00, FF, FF, FF, FF,
FF, FF, FF, FF, FF, FF, FF, FF, FF, FF, FF, FF, FF, FF, FF, FF, FF, FF, FF, FF,
FF, FF, FF, FF, FF, FF, FF, FF, FF, FF, FF, FF

For example, if you want to change the BRONZE color to red you must first convert the RGB decimal value to the RGB hexadecimal value.

So, the hexadecimal value for RED is FF 00 00, and here’s the code with red replacing bronze (D7 6E 14 replaced with FF 00 00).

00, 17, 01, 90, E0, 90, FF, 02, 90, E0, 90, 00, 03, 90, E0, 90, FF, 01, FF, 00,
00, FF, 02, FF, 00, 00, 00, 03, FF, FF, 00, FF, 01, 93, 1A, 01, FF, 02, 93, 1A,
01, 00, 03, 93, 1A, 01, FF, 01, 00, 20, FE, FF, 02, 00, 20, FE, 00, 03, 00, 20,
FE, FF, 01, 10, FE, 32, FF, 02, 10, FE, 32, 00, 03, 10, FE, 32, FF, 01, 78, 3C,
FE, FF, 02, 78, 3C, FE, 00, 03, 78, 3C, FE, FF, 02, 00, 00, 00, FE, 01, 00, 00,
00, FF, 02, 00, 00, 00, 00, 03, 00, 00, 00, FF, 01, 96, 00, 00, FF, FF, FF, FF,
FF, FF, FF, FF, FF, FF, FF, FF, FF, FF, FF, FF, FF, FF, FF, FF, FF, FF, FF, FF,
FF, FF, FF, FF, FF, FF, FF, FF, FF, FF, FF, FF

Besides the color definition, you can also change the color combination:

BRONZE01/01
BRONZE/WHITE01/00
ORANGE02/02
ORANGE/WHITE02/00
BLUE03/03
BLUE/WHITE03/00
GREEN04/04
GREEN/WHITE04/00
PURPLE05/05
PURPLE/WHITE05/00

This results in the original list at 360D:

01, 01, 01, 00, 02, 02, 02, 00, 00, 00, 03, 03, 03, 00, 04, 04, 04, 00, 05, 05, 05, 00

PURPLE/WHITE Profiles to RED/BLUE PROFILE Example:

360A: change the color BRONZE to RED, see list above

360D: change PURPLE/WHITE (05, 00) to RED/BLUE (01, 03).

01, RED – 360A.

03, BLUE – 360A.

360D should then look like this:

01, 01, 01, 00, 02, 02, 02, 00, 00, 00, 03, 03, 03, 00, 04, 04, 04, 00, 05, 05, 01, 03

RGB to Hex basic color table

ColorColor name(R,G,B)Hex
 Black(0,0,0)#000000
 White(255,255,255)#FFFFFF
 Red(255,0,0)#FF0000
 Lime(0,255,0)#00FF00
 Blue(0,0,255)#0000FF
 Yellow(255,255,0)#FFFF00
 Cyan(0,255,255)#00FFFF
 Magenta(255,0,255)#FF00FF
 Silver(192,192,192)#C0C0C0
 Gray(128,128,128)#808080
 Maroon(128,0,0)#800000
 Olive(128,128,0)#808000
 Green(0,128,0)#008000
 Purple(128,0,128)#800080
 Teal(0,128,128)#008080
 Navy(0,0,128)#000080

I’ll update this article soon as I try to code the separate layers in more vehicles. Stay tuned.

Georg Meier

BMW technician since 1996. I began my automotive journey in 1993 as an apprentice mechanic at Automag, the world's oldest BMW dealership in Munich. With years of experience and dedication, I garnered a wealth of knowledge about the intricacies of BMW and MINI vehicles. The love/hate relationship with the brand led me to found BIMMERIST where I share expertise and insights with fellow enthusiasts.

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  • I’m a G30 owner with the BDC_BODY2 module, which does not include the 360A and 360D settings. I have to code each color layer in the 3074 LciMasterColor setting. Do you know where I can find the function to change the color combinations in BDC_BODY2, analogous to the 360D setting in BDC_BODY3?

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