I was looking into ambient wiring for my car and LED seemed like the best choice, but the more I thought about it, it can be quite the hassle. Possible drilling, soldering, wiring, etc. So I started looking into EL wires and was wondering if anyone else has done this or what others think of the idea.

For those that don't know what EL wiring is, here is the website I'd most likely make a purchase from. Glowsticks/ Electroluminescent Lighting/ EL Wire/ Glow Neon Lights

As you can see, it is similar to a LED lit fiber optic system but provides much more even and brighter lighting throughout.




Get the idea?

Most of the kits have a simple power source that can be either AC, DC (car or battery), or Solar. Then they also have splitters for multiple wires and colors, dimmers, flashers/sequencers, and sound activation modules. The last part is the wire itself.

Right now I got a AA battery powered DC kit with a dimmer option set up to run two 8' dark blue wires in my checkout ready to purchase for about $55 with shipping. The idea is to mount the power somewhere under the dash then run the wires in the front and around to the back to provide ambient lighting throughout the car. Reason for battery powered is to save my DC port for my phone charger. The batteries last about 20 hours and has an ON/OFF switch. So I'd have to replace the batteries every other week or so, depending, which isn't a big deal to me. I have rechargeable AA batteries so there will be minimal cost there. An alternative would be to use a DC car power source with two 10-12' wires and plug that into the back DC port and just always have it on with the car. Of course I could turn it off/on as needs be, but would need to get into the back each time. This set up would cost about $80.

I'm also highly considering a sound activation module so it plays with my music. This kit would cost about $65. Here is an example of that.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xvw8WWNzKUk


Advantages:
No drilling
No soldering
No wiring
Can create a design if I please
Can wrap to the back of the car providing ambient lighting throughout
evenly distributed lighting

Disadvantages:
More expensive
Not as bright/more of a direct vision light source



So what does everyone else think? I'm leaving this thread open to any thoughts on the use of EL, design ideas, comparisons to other lighting options and feedback from those who have already done something interior with EL.

Thanks