Dash light bulbs

[gtjoe]

My dash bulbs have given up the ghost in my mk 3 polo GT coupe. I've seen some people have got blue dash light bulbs in their mk 3 polos... does anybody know where you can get these from????

[GroovyCarrot]

To change the colour of your backlight all you need to do is change the acetate strip that gives the standard lights their green colour. The lights themselves are just standard panel light bulbs, you can buy them at motor accessory shops, whereas the acetate would be available from art/craft shops most likely.

[Steve_O]

I soldered some blue LEDs directly to the terminals on mine!! Hey - they'll outlast the car!!

I think these are the right ones for a direct swap tho...

http://www.ultraleds.co.uk/advanced_sea ... 8121574d23

...and then change the green strip for some tracing paper.

[GroovyCarrot]

Hmm.. very handy. I soldered red LED's / resistors into my last set of clocks.. worked alright, but without the acetate there to diffuse it all I got was a bright strip through the middle and nothing around the outsides. I guess the tracing paper idea would help with that though..

[DelG40]

This is what I did to mine. Posted this a while ago when I first joined.

... and for the instrument panel and heater controls I used a sheet of red coloured acitate. Removed the original green strip from the instrument panel and cut some red to match, slipped it in and there we go. Pitty about the green LCD, but hey. I can't have it all. The heater control panel was the same dealie. Some red acitate to filter the light.

I got an A4 sheet of red acitate from an art supply store. Total cost: 54p

Looks like this:

[gtjoe]

chers people, wot's it like strippin down the dash insert???

[DelG40]

Once you remove the clocks unit, you'll see a green membrane carrying the current to the bulbs. I think if I remember, you remove the bulbs (twist action) and then slide the membrane up over the little spindles holding it on. Remove the green strip, replace it with your custom one then put everything back in reverse from above. Easy as...

Something along those lines. But either way, it's not hard or tricky to do. Just be careful with that current membrane.

[gtjoe]

okay chers mate.