Is there a way to turn off the lower door lights?

[Zeder]

I do a lot of night time photography and have found the door lights, the ones at the bottom of the door turn on when you open the door. Has ruined a few long exposures. Is there a way to turn them off? I tried adjusting the dimmer knob to min like the manual said, but it made no difference. I also tried all combinations with the overhead light switch on the top console.
Z

2012 TE, by the way.

 

[Hawaiian4runner]

Pull out the bulb or wire in a switch

 

[Jtraskell]

Black electrical tape ought to cover them up when do not want the light.....just sayin. Be safe.

 

[K O]

If you take apart the door, you can disconnect the harness connecting the bulb. There are instructions on this forum, I believe from Antman, on how to disassemble each door. It only takes about 5 minutes once you get the hang of it.

 

[Natey]

What if you hit the door lock button on your keyfob? Doesn't that turn off the courtesy lights? *runs outside to check*

 

[Hawaiian4runner]

Easiest is to pull the light assembly right out of the front and unplug it. Flat head screw driver and very little force and it jut pops out. No need to remove door panel. Or if you are ambitious, trace the wires back to the junction box and then splice in a switch. That way you can turn off all the door lights with one switch. I did not have the wiring diagram and it was too much effort to follow them wires. They tape the wiring together so it's a pain in the ass to trace. Had multiple wires same color as the lights so I did not feel confident in cutting wires. It's probably not that difficult if you know a little about wiring and have a go for it attitude (Harper, Antman and many others on the forum) but my T4R was brand new and I did not want to screw it up.