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Replacing the red light above the cigarette lighter

Posted: Tue May 24, 2011 12:05 am
by craigeth
Hey guys.

Just wondering if anyone has or knows how to replace that red light that's above the cigarette lighter. I want to go more of a blue look inside my lancer but getting blue footwells and other stuff will clash with that little red light. It comes on when my headlights are on which is pretty much all the time.

Any ideas? Can I just chuck a blue LED in there and if so which type?

Thanks heaps!

Posted: Tue May 24, 2011 12:09 am
by Dire
What red light? Is this only on newer cars or am I just confused?

Posted: Tue May 24, 2011 6:49 am
by Speedie
They are attached to the AC control board, so you would have to unsolder the red ones and solder on new ones.

Posted: Tue May 24, 2011 8:47 am
by craigeth
wow that's annoying. does the soldering occur at the light itself or somewhere else?

Dire, it's a little light that shines down over the ashtray and cig lighter. My lancer is a 2010 activ so maybe it is just on newer models.

Posted: Tue May 24, 2011 11:23 am
by ofey
The soldering will occur on the circuit board itself. It's usually a SMD of some sort.

I've seen a guy on Project Lancer do it before where he changed all the back lighting in his car to blue. They're small discrete parts which require alot of care de-soldering.

Posted: Tue May 24, 2011 11:23 am
by ofey
The soldering will occur on the circuit board itself. It's usually a SMD of some sort.

I've seen a guy on Project Lancer do it before where he changed all the back lighting in his car to blue. They're small discrete parts which require alot of care de-soldering.

Posted: Tue May 24, 2011 11:55 am
by SXLancerMum
Yeah maybe people just haven't noticed it. I only noticed it the other day and I've had the thing for 3 months and I do drive it at night. I had my iphone in under there charging and it was reflecting off the phone.

Posted: Tue May 24, 2011 1:43 pm
by Blakey
its quite easy to change if you have the right tools,

so anyone feel free to go out and buy me the $700 smd soldering station, and ill glady lend my soldering services to you and do the job for free.

if only i could do it at work.. they have a very decent, one in our test area, >$1500 of soldering station haha its got soldering, smd soldering desoldering and rework station, something i wish i had.. but id never use it that often to have the need to own it..

Posted: Tue May 24, 2011 4:39 pm
by craigeth
Gee blake I'd love to buy that for you and fly you up here to do it, but I think I'll just put up with the red ^_^

Posted: Tue May 24, 2011 6:35 pm
by tadz0rz
What some people have actually done is just put a small blue neon tube down there and the brightness of the blue tube actually drowns out the red.