CiveK1
22-04-2009, 07:36 PM
Disclaimer: The following is provided as a GUIDE ONLY, and neither myself nor Ozhonda take any responsibility for the outcomes of someone else doing the following. You follow these steps at your own risk!
Hey guys ordered some LEDs for my cluster and ended up with a few spare so I decided to change the climate controls ones too. Here’s how I did it.
Aim: Change the color of climate control lights
Required:
1 x Phillips head screwdriver
1 x pair of pliers (just in case)
2 x T5 LEDs wedge base (+1 if you want to change the ash tray light) whatever color you choose, mine are red to match my head unit. It’s up to you whether you spend the extra cash and get the 3 LED ones like the one in the picture but they will help cut out hot spots
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x256/Luke_Morris/IMG_1825-1.jpg
Time:
If you’ve opened your centre console to install your stereo or anything like that then it shouldn’t take too long although changing the bulbs is fiddily, if this is your first time I’d put aside an hour just to be sure. If you stuff it up and have to do it again like I did you might need longer.
Steps:
You can follow the instructions on Install Doctor on how to get your panels off if you like, mine were a little different so I’ve included all the steps I took and I’ve taken my own photos (I have a EK1 Gli Hatch don’t know how different other models are)
Step 1: Remove the panel under your steering wheel
Note: Whenever I say console panel I mean the one underneath the climate control that has the cigarette lighter in it, it’s probably not its real name but it’ll do. Sorry if I’m confusing anyone. There are three black screws holding the panel in place (red circles in picture), one on the console side of the steering wheel above the foot rest, and two on the door side of the wheel, one above the mirror controls and one down the bottom. Once you remove the screw there are three clips holding it in place, once again one on the console side at the top of the panel and then two on the door side one at the top right near the wheel and on the right side near the top. Once you’ve pulled the panel out I just let it hang by the wires.
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x256/Luke_Morris/IMG_1808-1.jpghttp://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x256/Luke_Morris/IMG_1807-1.jpg
Step 2: Remove first two screws from console panel
Once you’ve taken out the panel under the wheel you can remove the first 2 of 6 screws holding the console panel in place. The two golden screws should be easy to See they were right under the far left edge of the panel you just removed.
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x256/Luke_Morris/IMG_1809-1.jpg
Step 3: Remove third and fourth screws from console panel
Now you want to get in your passenger seat and open your glove box, there are two rubber stoppers on either side of the glove box which prevent it from opening too far, You need to push the sides of the glove box so the plastic bends and you can get the stoppers out from behind the dash panel allowing you to open the glove box all the way down. It should end up hanging near your floor. (One of the stoppers is shown in the square in the picture, it’s kind of hard to see, sorry guys). Once the glove box is out of the way there are two screws to remove, one sort of brown green bolt at the back bottom right corner of the cavity and one gold screw at the front top right corner.
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x256/Luke_Morris/IMG_1810-1.jpghttp://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x256/Luke_Morris/IMG_1812-1.jpg
Step 4: Taking out the final two screws
Okay, the last two screws are on the front of the console panel, just above (gold) the cigarette lighter which you will have to take out and one inside the ash tray (black). Inside the ash tray there are 3 black screws in a row, you want the one in the middle.
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x256/Luke_Morris/IMG_1813-1.jpg
Now you’ve got all the screws and you just need to pull the panel out, could take a little doing but just rock it back and forth and eventually it’ll come out. Now you want to disconnect the cigarette lighter wire inside the square in the picture and if you wanted too once you’ve taken the panel off you can change the bulb in the ashtray light by twisting the holder out and replacing the bulb (triangle). Either way put the panel to one side cos you’re going to need all the room you can get for the next step.
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x256/Luke_Morris/IMG_1814-1.jpg
Step 5: Replacing the bulbs (finally)
Now these bulbs are pretty hard to get at, you’ll most likely need to close your glove box again then you’ll need to lie on your back in the passenger foot well with your head back as far as you can get it. The picture for this step ain’t great so I’m going to try and explain the location of the bulbs as best I can. It should make sense once you’re back there and have some reference points. If you can get your head in the right position you should be able to make out the 2 slots for the climate controls, the sliding switches that control how high the fan is and what temperature, you know the ones. There is a bulb positioned roughly above each of the arms (square) for the sliding switches. The bulbs have black wires connecting them to a central spot and black holders. They are below the white plastic (which unfortunately reflects the flash of the camera).
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x256/Luke_Morris/IMG_1816-1.jpg
The bulb on the right side (looking from the back) should be the easiest to change, you may need the pliers to get the amber bulb out then put in your new bulb, get someone to turn on your lights to check its working BEFORE you put the holder back in place, otherwise you have to do it again. The holder on the left is harder to reach and I used the pliers to get the holder out, once it’s out change the bulb in the same way. CHECK its working and then put it back in place (could take a while, make sure the bulb is all the way into its holder and then just get it into position and push around till it slides into place)
Step 6: Put everything back
OK first I recommend checking that all your climate control stuff still works because if you accidently disconnected them when you were poking around and you don’t find out till after you have all the panels back on it’s kinda annoying, trust me. Once you’re sure the lights work and nothing else is broken just do steps 1-4 in reverse order and if you didn’t lose any screws everything should be back in place.
Step 7: Wait till night time and check it out
Sorry I have no before pictures but you should know what it looks like, here’s how mine turned out.
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x256/Luke_Morris/IMG_1821-1.jpghttp://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x256/Luke_Morris/IMG_1830-1.jpg
There is a very slight hot spot problem which is nowhere near as bad in real life as it turned out in the pictures so don’t let that put you off, I reckon it comes off looking even better than the cluster.
Hopefully this was helpful to some of you.
Hey guys ordered some LEDs for my cluster and ended up with a few spare so I decided to change the climate controls ones too. Here’s how I did it.
Aim: Change the color of climate control lights
Required:
1 x Phillips head screwdriver
1 x pair of pliers (just in case)
2 x T5 LEDs wedge base (+1 if you want to change the ash tray light) whatever color you choose, mine are red to match my head unit. It’s up to you whether you spend the extra cash and get the 3 LED ones like the one in the picture but they will help cut out hot spots
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x256/Luke_Morris/IMG_1825-1.jpg
Time:
If you’ve opened your centre console to install your stereo or anything like that then it shouldn’t take too long although changing the bulbs is fiddily, if this is your first time I’d put aside an hour just to be sure. If you stuff it up and have to do it again like I did you might need longer.
Steps:
You can follow the instructions on Install Doctor on how to get your panels off if you like, mine were a little different so I’ve included all the steps I took and I’ve taken my own photos (I have a EK1 Gli Hatch don’t know how different other models are)
Step 1: Remove the panel under your steering wheel
Note: Whenever I say console panel I mean the one underneath the climate control that has the cigarette lighter in it, it’s probably not its real name but it’ll do. Sorry if I’m confusing anyone. There are three black screws holding the panel in place (red circles in picture), one on the console side of the steering wheel above the foot rest, and two on the door side of the wheel, one above the mirror controls and one down the bottom. Once you remove the screw there are three clips holding it in place, once again one on the console side at the top of the panel and then two on the door side one at the top right near the wheel and on the right side near the top. Once you’ve pulled the panel out I just let it hang by the wires.
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x256/Luke_Morris/IMG_1808-1.jpghttp://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x256/Luke_Morris/IMG_1807-1.jpg
Step 2: Remove first two screws from console panel
Once you’ve taken out the panel under the wheel you can remove the first 2 of 6 screws holding the console panel in place. The two golden screws should be easy to See they were right under the far left edge of the panel you just removed.
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x256/Luke_Morris/IMG_1809-1.jpg
Step 3: Remove third and fourth screws from console panel
Now you want to get in your passenger seat and open your glove box, there are two rubber stoppers on either side of the glove box which prevent it from opening too far, You need to push the sides of the glove box so the plastic bends and you can get the stoppers out from behind the dash panel allowing you to open the glove box all the way down. It should end up hanging near your floor. (One of the stoppers is shown in the square in the picture, it’s kind of hard to see, sorry guys). Once the glove box is out of the way there are two screws to remove, one sort of brown green bolt at the back bottom right corner of the cavity and one gold screw at the front top right corner.
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x256/Luke_Morris/IMG_1810-1.jpghttp://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x256/Luke_Morris/IMG_1812-1.jpg
Step 4: Taking out the final two screws
Okay, the last two screws are on the front of the console panel, just above (gold) the cigarette lighter which you will have to take out and one inside the ash tray (black). Inside the ash tray there are 3 black screws in a row, you want the one in the middle.
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x256/Luke_Morris/IMG_1813-1.jpg
Now you’ve got all the screws and you just need to pull the panel out, could take a little doing but just rock it back and forth and eventually it’ll come out. Now you want to disconnect the cigarette lighter wire inside the square in the picture and if you wanted too once you’ve taken the panel off you can change the bulb in the ashtray light by twisting the holder out and replacing the bulb (triangle). Either way put the panel to one side cos you’re going to need all the room you can get for the next step.
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x256/Luke_Morris/IMG_1814-1.jpg
Step 5: Replacing the bulbs (finally)
Now these bulbs are pretty hard to get at, you’ll most likely need to close your glove box again then you’ll need to lie on your back in the passenger foot well with your head back as far as you can get it. The picture for this step ain’t great so I’m going to try and explain the location of the bulbs as best I can. It should make sense once you’re back there and have some reference points. If you can get your head in the right position you should be able to make out the 2 slots for the climate controls, the sliding switches that control how high the fan is and what temperature, you know the ones. There is a bulb positioned roughly above each of the arms (square) for the sliding switches. The bulbs have black wires connecting them to a central spot and black holders. They are below the white plastic (which unfortunately reflects the flash of the camera).
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x256/Luke_Morris/IMG_1816-1.jpg
The bulb on the right side (looking from the back) should be the easiest to change, you may need the pliers to get the amber bulb out then put in your new bulb, get someone to turn on your lights to check its working BEFORE you put the holder back in place, otherwise you have to do it again. The holder on the left is harder to reach and I used the pliers to get the holder out, once it’s out change the bulb in the same way. CHECK its working and then put it back in place (could take a while, make sure the bulb is all the way into its holder and then just get it into position and push around till it slides into place)
Step 6: Put everything back
OK first I recommend checking that all your climate control stuff still works because if you accidently disconnected them when you were poking around and you don’t find out till after you have all the panels back on it’s kinda annoying, trust me. Once you’re sure the lights work and nothing else is broken just do steps 1-4 in reverse order and if you didn’t lose any screws everything should be back in place.
Step 7: Wait till night time and check it out
Sorry I have no before pictures but you should know what it looks like, here’s how mine turned out.
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x256/Luke_Morris/IMG_1821-1.jpghttp://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x256/Luke_Morris/IMG_1830-1.jpg
There is a very slight hot spot problem which is nowhere near as bad in real life as it turned out in the pictures so don’t let that put you off, I reckon it comes off looking even better than the cluster.
Hopefully this was helpful to some of you.