LED Swap (Cubby Hole, Automatic Shifter)
01-22-2006, 02:09 AM
#1
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LED Swap (Cubby Hole, Automatic Shifter)
ok i jus got some bulbs today from somebody, but im still waitin for my led's to come in the mail. when they do im just going to swap them out. we'll here's the long and awaited how-to with pics. the only things you will need are two 74 wedge bulbs and a small flathead screwdriver (optional)
First, shift to neutral and put on the e-brake. then take the shift **** off.
Next, remove the part of the console that has the cigarette lighter attached to it. just tug on the silver sides and it will pop off. after that remove the cup holder section. same thing, just pull it off. it should look like this. i just left the cigaretty lighter attached to it and moved it to the side but you can unplug it if you want.
ok now is time for some good 'ol elbow grease. you're gonna have pull from the lower left corner where im pointing to. gently tug and wiggle at the same time you are pulling it up. but be sure to control urself because u may risk breaking something. you should hear a single click first. that means one of the clips are unhooked. it'll make the rest easier to take off since you got some slack now. so after the bottom left corner is loose, continue to take the face plate off from the entire left side and then to the right side.
Notice the black plastic piece that is still on the shifter. try not to move that around as much as possible because it'll be a pain to re-align with the shift pattern.
ok next step. take a look behind the plate and you will see the bulb with a yellow rubber cap over it. it is attacked to a clear plastic piece. BE VERY CAREFUL WITH THIS PLASTIC PIECE! it is very very sensitive and if broken, ur gonna hafta replace it otherwise it wont illuminate the shifter properly.
now, you will have to remove the clear piece from the shifter face in order to get the light out. use your thumb to hold down the clip circled red in the picture. then use a small flat head screw driver to gently lift up the plastic piece. i recommend placing the screw driver next to your thumb holding down the clip. it should lift up real easily.
now, twist the black plug and remove it from the clear plastic piece. pull the wedge bulb out, replace it with your led. check to see if it turns on.
attach it onto the clear piece and put the clear piece back into the face plate. you will have to slide the top part in first and then press down so that the clip you held with your thumb clicks back on to hold the clear piece snugly to the face plate. you should hear a couple of clicks that the clips make which means the clear piece is securely back on. turn it on again to make sure it still works.
put everything back on in the reverse order that u took off. now remember that black piece that stayed on the shifter? after you put the face plate back on, shift around to see if it is still all lined up. if not you will have to take it off again and re-align it. re-aligning it is basically trial and error. took me about 5 min to re-align cuz i actually took that piece off
ok onto the cubby hole!
ok go to the passenger side and pull the carpet out a little bit. there will be one clip that you will have to unclip to get enough room to work with
now, feel for the cubby and find the plug that has the cubby light on it. twist it then wiggle and pull at the same time to get it out.
now, same as the shifter bulb, pull out the wedge bulb and replace it with the led. again, turn it on to see that its working
put it back in the reverse order. stuff the carpet back in and dont forget to put the clip back on. turn it on again...
and your done! enjoy the finished product! it is much brighter in person and even brighter if its led. like i said im still waiting for mine to come in so these are regular bulbs in there right now.
First, shift to neutral and put on the e-brake. then take the shift **** off.
Next, remove the part of the console that has the cigarette lighter attached to it. just tug on the silver sides and it will pop off. after that remove the cup holder section. same thing, just pull it off. it should look like this. i just left the cigaretty lighter attached to it and moved it to the side but you can unplug it if you want.
ok now is time for some good 'ol elbow grease. you're gonna have pull from the lower left corner where im pointing to. gently tug and wiggle at the same time you are pulling it up. but be sure to control urself because u may risk breaking something. you should hear a single click first. that means one of the clips are unhooked. it'll make the rest easier to take off since you got some slack now. so after the bottom left corner is loose, continue to take the face plate off from the entire left side and then to the right side.
Notice the black plastic piece that is still on the shifter. try not to move that around as much as possible because it'll be a pain to re-align with the shift pattern.
ok next step. take a look behind the plate and you will see the bulb with a yellow rubber cap over it. it is attacked to a clear plastic piece. BE VERY CAREFUL WITH THIS PLASTIC PIECE! it is very very sensitive and if broken, ur gonna hafta replace it otherwise it wont illuminate the shifter properly.
now, you will have to remove the clear piece from the shifter face in order to get the light out. use your thumb to hold down the clip circled red in the picture. then use a small flat head screw driver to gently lift up the plastic piece. i recommend placing the screw driver next to your thumb holding down the clip. it should lift up real easily.
now, twist the black plug and remove it from the clear plastic piece. pull the wedge bulb out, replace it with your led. check to see if it turns on.
attach it onto the clear piece and put the clear piece back into the face plate. you will have to slide the top part in first and then press down so that the clip you held with your thumb clicks back on to hold the clear piece snugly to the face plate. you should hear a couple of clicks that the clips make which means the clear piece is securely back on. turn it on again to make sure it still works.
put everything back on in the reverse order that u took off. now remember that black piece that stayed on the shifter? after you put the face plate back on, shift around to see if it is still all lined up. if not you will have to take it off again and re-align it. re-aligning it is basically trial and error. took me about 5 min to re-align cuz i actually took that piece off
ok onto the cubby hole!
ok go to the passenger side and pull the carpet out a little bit. there will be one clip that you will have to unclip to get enough room to work with
now, feel for the cubby and find the plug that has the cubby light on it. twist it then wiggle and pull at the same time to get it out.
now, same as the shifter bulb, pull out the wedge bulb and replace it with the led. again, turn it on to see that its working
put it back in the reverse order. stuff the carpet back in and dont forget to put the clip back on. turn it on again...
and your done! enjoy the finished product! it is much brighter in person and even brighter if its led. like i said im still waiting for mine to come in so these are regular bulbs in there right now.
01-22-2006, 02:31 AM
#2
wow, you did the cubby light the hard way. imo
the easier way would be just to take the top consol off and reach in there and swap it out, but i never even thought about taking the carpet out.
looks good none the less
the easier way would be just to take the top consol off and reach in there and swap it out, but i never even thought about taking the carpet out.
looks good none the less
01-22-2006, 02:52 AM
#5
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Looks good, bro! Glad to see you did the DIY. 
Changing the Cubby Hole light all depends on your hand size. If you have S-M sized hands, you could probably do the "pull-out-the-pin-reach-behind-center console" thing. If you have L-XL hands, then your best bet is to just detach the plastic piece that houses the radio cover (close the door first!) and AC controls. (You already have the Shifter piece with the Cig Lighter detached, so it makes removing the other piece easy.) Start from the bottom and work your way up. Just be careful around the center AC Duct because you have to dislodge it from the piece. You'll see the wires. Change the bulb and put back together in reverse order. If you need a little better "lit up" shot, I can post mine here.
Changing the Cubby Hole light all depends on your hand size. If you have S-M sized hands, you could probably do the "pull-out-the-pin-reach-behind-center console" thing. If you have L-XL hands, then your best bet is to just detach the plastic piece that houses the radio cover (close the door first!) and AC controls. (You already have the Shifter piece with the Cig Lighter detached, so it makes removing the other piece easy.) Start from the bottom and work your way up. Just be careful around the center AC Duct because you have to dislodge it from the piece. You'll see the wires. Change the bulb and put back together in reverse order. If you need a little better "lit up" shot, I can post mine here.
01-22-2006, 02:56 AM
#6
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Originally Posted by davedavetC
its all good, u got it done thats all that matters haha
and for the record it looks really good!
just need some red interior lighting, and red gauges to set it off real nice
and for the record it looks really good!
just need some red interior lighting, and red gauges to set it off real nice
01-22-2006, 03:03 AM
#7
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Nice job! What was the light u used for the shift part? Pleasssse don't tell me its the same as the one in the cubby hole? Cuz I already changed mine to white...meaning I would have to pay for another one with more shipping. blah! Anyways, good job!!!
01-23-2006, 07:41 AM
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Originally Posted by dischinezeboi
where did you buy your bulbs from?
Just scroll down a bit. The bulb size is #74.
01-24-2006, 02:30 AM
#13
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05-09-2006, 06:20 PM
#16
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Originally Posted by metalhazetc
When you get LED's installed at the dealer do they get rid of the cubby light?? I don't have one! Maybe they forgot to put it back in....Does the 2006 model have a cubby light??
I thought- weird- is it because he has the ipod upgrade and i have stock radio/cd/mp3?
then one night i was pokin' around the carpet trying to decide how hard it might be to install some LED's in a few places, glanced inside the cubby and saw a light glowing BEHIND the hole where the light is supposed to be. So- you're not the ONLY one who was lucky enough to fall victim to this mistake. oh well- i plan to change my bulb anyway. This only motivates me to get on with it.
