[HOW TO] Change bulbs on Multi-function Display Unit

[andrea]

Excellent guide and doesn't look to hard either.

I'll give this a go

[jobberwock]

Very good guide. Anyone tried the LED's yet?

[Bromptonaut]

Can anyone confirm the wattage of the bulbs. Struggle to see but originals appear to be 12v 0.4w. Lowest power in Halfords is 1.2w (and I have few of these still from my old BX). Don't want to use something with more load in case of heat or Canbus issues.

[philip]

Op you should write books for Haynes.

[Ol'Jeffers]

Try here:
http://www.auto-essentials.co.uk/ecomm/c...-2493.html

[Big_Jim]

Really useful post.
Just got two bulbs from my local car parts place for 46p + VAT. So much better than Peugeot's £4.95 each!!!

[redan]

Does anyone knows what is the serial number of the cbig clock, not the small one, its that appears in the photos in the begining of the thread.

Thanks

[Rogalicious]

They look like Christmas tree bulbs! It's a wonder they last more than one year! :lol:

[JQA]

One of my bulbs had gone, so I tried replacing them with LEDs using this howto. It worked, but there were 3 bright circles on the screen that ruined the effect. Swapped them for 1.2w bulbs from Halfords and it looks fine again. Seeing as I have the LEDs, I may try ways to dim them enough to work. Nail varnish, poster paint etc. Another option is an LED strip to fit into the back. I have some strips here that I used for my fish tank. I'm pretty sure you can cut them, so long as you do them in groups of 3. If that works, I'll post pics.

(edit) So I decided to try the LED strip method and I can tell you it works a treat. This is how you do it. Buy a 12v LED strip (you know, the kind you use to illuminate fish tanks or the footwell of your car) and cut 9 LEDs back from the wires. This fits the inside of the display perfectly. Pop out all 3 bulbs. Now you need to take the unit apart. Pop off the front black fascia and then there carefully open it up. I snapped one of my tabs doing this, so take your time. Thread the wire through one of the bulb holes. Take the bulb out of one of the plastic holders and attach the wires to the tabs that would hold it in place on the display. Solder or tightly wrap it. Now plug it in as you would if there was a bulb in it. Connect the display to the car and turn on the ignition. If it doesn't light up, turn the ignition off and spin the bulb holder 180 degrees to reverse the polarity of the neutron flow. Turn the ignition on again and it should light up. Now, get some double sided sticky tabs and use them to hold the LEDs in place, make sure the wires can't move and put the unit back together. Result, one display unit that looks brighter and clearer than with bulbs, and no bright spots.

[scotf]

Fantastic that was made much easier than it would have otherwise been