I don't know about garish, but I don't care for the orange that much. My Scion has orange dash lights, and if it's raining and I turn the lights on it makes the display HARDER to see.
I want to change them to blue. Problem is, they're LEDs and need to be unsoldered and the new ones soldered in. A bit of a chore, esp since the heater/radio LEDs are about 3mm big...
Well, I've been in AutoZone about 5 times just today! No covers available. Maybe if you live in a larger matro area they may have them, or if you live somewhere the kids like to bling their cars out.
The bulbs are available. There is one problem, though. the #74s are the ones in the heater, shifter and radio (depending on the radio you have...) They are harder that a BITCH to find, even in clear glass! I haven't seen colored one except on the web.
The dashboard lights should be #168 or #194. I think the 168s are 1.5 watts, and 194s are three watts, I can't remember. I think the Sylvania replacement book lists the wattage.
You twist out the holder, and then yank the bulb, being careful not to BREAK it! Then, on the new bulb, remove the wire from it's position and put it to the sides of the bulb. It has to make contact with the copper in the holder.
In Australia you can get them from the more "upmarket" parts shop chains, but if you go to
Forgot to mention, in Australia they are made by NARVA
Thanks Hachiroku for the info. Should I use the 194 0r 168 for the display? The difference in wattage means a difference in the amount of heat generated. I know that the license plate and trunk bulbs are 194.
Do not use a higher wattage bulb! The higher heat generated can melt surrounding plastic, blow fuses, and damage wiring.
My bad, i'd be using LED so heat generation wouldn't be aproblem
My bad, i'd be using LED so heat generation wouldn't be a problem
Nah, Ray! I have been using the higher watt bulbs with no problem so far. The traces on the IP are big enough to handle the wattage (shoot! I bet they could handle TEN watts!) and the IP and the bulb holders have shown no damage after 2 years.
I don't do too much without checking things out in advance... ;)
Local motorfactors near mine sell red,green blue and orange bulb covers for all sizes of dash bulbs, at about 50p each. Theyre like little coloured condoms.Or you could buy some of the LED bulb replacements now available
Blue makes blood more visible? How does that work?
I don't know how blue light makes blood more visible, I just read that claim in a SureFire flashlight ad. My guess is that it has something to do with light wavelengths.
AFAIK, it concerns how red objects, in this case the blood, tend to absorb non-red colours more than red (else they wouldn't look red ). Human skin (even that of dark-skinned people) gets an appreciable amount of its colour from blood flowing just beneath its surface. A truly "white" person is bloodless. Some of this runs in visible large vessels, some in capillaries. The clearly defined vessels tend to look dark beside bluer (due to reflected blue light) skin elsewhere.
MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.