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Dash bulb replacements. Thanks Landshark! Posted by bobc [Email]  (#473)  [Profile/Gallery]
(more from bobc) on Mon, 27 Oct 2008 18:25:24
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For some reason, the tiny seat heater and SID bulbs are awfully pricey. at 4-6 bucks each it adds up. And as a 900 and 9000 owner I know that replacements never seem to last as long as the original (no idea why, maybe its just me)
The "rice grain" bulb replacement is documented for the seat switches, and at $1.79 for two it's quite a bit cheaper than OEM. If you have tried this, getting that little green cover off of the old bulb and onto the new one is quite a challenge.
A few Weeks ago "Landshark" posted that he had found an alternative: LED bulbs. At $1.29 each I was intrigued and decided to give them a try.
The easiest way to find these bulbs is to do a google search on this string:
"NeoWedge Instrument LED bulb"
Be sure to include the quotes. it's the first hit. In fact its the only hit.
Note that these LEDs *can* be dimmed, its a neat trick and seems to be all th rage in modern LEDs. Remember that LEDs are polarized so when you pop them in, if they don't light up just turn them 180 degrees.
Seat heater and ventilation switches:
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I found that the NEO3-x (3mm) are almost the right size. They are a awfully snug and although I am sure that they can be squeezed into place, I choose to open up the socket in the switch a bit. I used a 3/16" drill bit twirled between my fingers. I took a few turns to shave off just enough to make a good fit.
You can get green LEDs (NEO3-G) for the OEM look. I went with red LEDs (NEO3-R) for the seat heater, and blue LEDs (NEW3-B) for the ventilation switch (credit goes to Landshark for that idea as well).
SID :
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The SID takes a larger, clear bulb and I found that the NEO5-x (5mm) were almost the right size. Again the fit was not quite right so I did a little surgery. I removed the burned out SID bulb from its base. Then removed the LED from its slightly-too-large base. No soldering iron needed here, the leads simply unwrap from the base in both cases. Then I swaped the LED into the original SID base, and re-wrapped. took about a minute and it popped in for a perfect fit.
I used NEO5-W (white) since the OEM bulbs are clear. However it might be a good idea to use green (NEO5-G) for the bulbs that light up the buttons (since the buttons are green).
Results: For now I like the red/blue look, but I may get tired of it and opt for the green OEM look. The LEDs are brighter in some directions than the original incandescent bulbs. Landshark suggested using a black sharpie to reduce the bulb's brightness. It's a good idea.
_______________________________________ '08 9⁵ 2.3T SportCombi, Polar White '01 9⁵ Aero Midnight Blue (benched) '00 9⁵ Aero Midnight Blue (rescued) '99 9⁵ Base model, Cosmic blue '00 9⁵ Aero Silver (RIP - transmission )
, Mon, 27 Oct 2008 18:25:24 <-- Viewing This Message, Mon, 27 Oct 2008 18:26:38
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, Mon, 27 Oct 2008 18:58:06, Mon, 27 Oct 2008 21:02:42
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