dash & console LED lights....easy mod

[Macabry]

Hey all,
Just spent the last 2 hours wiring in a set of 2x 24cm long led strips into the centreconsole and instrument cluster.....so worth while.....I found the original lights dim at best plus the quality of the light was poor, tinted in an unpleasant way.....so I forked out for a £2.68 set if led strips from Ebay....
Removed the dash and console cover......took the clear perspex type flood light fitting off the console and the strip clipped right in...no adhesive needed...awesome...just wired it in to the bulb holder from the perspex bit....done

The instrument panel was a bit more tricky but still easy....I wanted the LED hidden so I opened the instruments drilled out the plastic melt rivets holding a white plastic cover over the light carrying perspex bit....then removed that perspex bit, epoxied the LED strip in the recess and replaced the cover.....done

I wired the strip to the same feed the clock comes from.....and the whole lot dims and brightens of the reostat....awesome

I chose red LED units, no reason you couldn't use any other colour or clear if you wanted an original look....but the difference in light thrown out is dramatic, but it still dims to nothing.

So for total outlay of under 3 pounds and 2 hours work....I'd give it a thumbs up

[skidje]

Sounds interesting. Some pics and specs of leds would have made it perfect.

[minesa240x3]

As useual I have several bulbs out on my heater controls and half the instruments etc.
This sounds an interesting mod.On previouse read ups of leds being fitted it's been noticed that they can be a bit to directional.AS in the lite points rather than spreadiong out?This sounds different by what you say.
Some pictures would really help out as I'm trying to imagine how you did this.
I know theres a long difuser going to the heater levers(orange/blue,which allows one bulb to spread lite all the way along them.
But the speedo? surely the LED would need to be a direct replacement each bulb?as thier isn't a difuiser strip.

Come on give us some more info as it sounds like you've got the best fix yet.

Regards Brian.

[Macabry]

Hi guys,
Glad you like the sound of it, i'm really impressed by the LED setup....firstly, the strips are not very directional, I've used LED taillights before and I know they can be to focused but these strips throw a very smooth even glow...incidentally I chose red, sometimes this comes out pink, which is horrible, these are proper red....with regards to instrument bulbs, the individual bulbs for the various warning lights run along the base of the back of the dash....I've left them, so all my idiot lights work as before, the indicator direction lights are two separate bulbs either side of the Speedo unit, I've left them too....I've not replaced any so have never had issues with these. My issue has been with the instrument lights...normally there are two of these, each side of the Speedo above the indicator lights, they project light via a clear piece of perspex thief to the very front of the instrument cluster, it is then reflected if a white reflector, back towards the gauges....what all this means is that the light is poor, think of it as a cheap ass version if fibre optics..:-)

What I have done is remove the indirect lighting by removing the reflector, I've then removed the clear plastic diffuser and fitted the LED strip in the recess where it was......I'll throw some pics up if I can...

By the way, the reason I didn't take any pics along the way is that i'm ocd and believe that if I started taking pics that I'd screw the job up.....sorry about that.

Regards,
Shane

[stevo48]

can you post a link to the ebay seller please.

[Macabry]

280600457132 is the item number, if that doesn't work, the seller is called elec_touch......

Let me know if that doesn't work....i'm working from my mobile so my typing and spelling is awful...plus I can't get the URL as i'm using the Ebay app.

I've taken some pics now, but I'll throw them up when i'm on my laptop...

Regards,
Shane

[stevo48]

Thank you, just ordered mine in blue.

[Macabry]

I am hoping this upload will work...shaky camera work so no prizes there...but I hope you get the idea?

Regards,
Shane

[stevo48]

That looks different, not what I thought after reading your post but personally I think the blue leds will suit my car better (will match the display of my car stereo)

[Macabry]

Where you see the LED strip in the second pic is where the clear plastic/reflector is normally... I reckon the blue will be excellent...good luck

Bear in mind that in the pic the lights are cranked up full, you get a really nice soft tone when they are dimmed.

Regards,
Shane