I need some replacement dash instrument bulbs 12v W3W wedge.
Mine are clear bulbs but look orange through the clocks. Are there orange inserts inside the display?
I want to keep the orange look. Is there a bright good alternative in LED that I can use and what ones should I look for to fit?
In order to keep the orange should I keep to the white LED bulbs if they are suited?
Cheers
Yes.
If this was my project, I'd just put in more bulbs and be done. LED conversions do not lend themselves to the dimmer function very well.
Moreover LED's usually have a narrower emission angle.
Yes.
Dunno - but LEDs will almost certainly not give the same colour.
Panel lights usually last a long long time so I'd stick with the originals.
Yes, but in addition those are 16V filaments in those bulbs. They run them at lower than rated voltage so they last a long time and glow slightly orange.
No. The LEDs will not give even illumination and they will also look different because they aren't complete spectrum sources. Stick with the regular incandescents.
--scott
Don't run them "full blast" and they'll last a lot longer.
I never run my dash lights "full on", I always dim them a bit. A couple of cars I have had for over ten years, and I never had a bulb burn out on me.
I also keep dash lights slightly dimmed and have never replaced one in over 18 years. Lights for the LCD clock are another story.
Speaking of dimming dash lights --- I have an E46, and the green LEDs on the heater control buttons don't dim with the dash dimmer. After my eyes become accustomed to the dark, those LEDs are like green spotlights shining into my peripherial vision.
Has that been fixed in the newer model 3-series?
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