Footwell light 2825, 0.4

[vavavroom]

Looking for an easy ground to hardwire my GPS. Positive would be via fuse adaptor attached to the cigarette lighter terminal in the fuse box. Could I tap into the ground wire on the footwell light? The bulb draws 0.4A. I believe the DriveSmart draws 0.5A and calls for a 1A fuse. I could replace the incandescent bulb with an 194 or 168 LED (0.27A). Yay or nay?

 

[Carmudgeon]

The best bet would be to consult the factory wiring diagrams, if you have access, to determine where the leads actually terminate.

Assuming MINI's documentation is like BMW's old ETMs, they show the ground distribution points, and well as each circuit in isolation, including total load capacity and wire gauges.

With the BMW interior light circuits I'm familiar with, the "ground" doesn't actually lead to a ground point, but to a control module, before going to ground, and there could be a switch in that path as well, so such gating may or may not be desirable.