Changing Instrumentation light colour on NB30P3

[RG.net]

i have done the dash, i'm not sure if its all the same as an nb8b/c but i'll write up a quick tutorial.

i also wanted a cool blue going throughout the dash and tryed the blue condoms over the existing bulbs which didnt work for me (the nb8a dash is coloured green, but i was told that the blue condom blub goes through the orange dash's) so i ended up getting some sets of l.e.d's, make sure they have more then one bulb built into them.

you will need 4 bulbs for the main gauges, if you wanted to change the trip meter you will need a smaller bulb.

1. take your steering colum off, it should just yank off
2. take the dash cover off, this should also yank off, you will hear a pop, this is normal
3. you will see four screws one in each corner, unscrew them
4. the gauges should be loose enough for you to pull towards you, flip it and remove the three plugs behind it for easier access.
5. the four green knobs are the main lights that will change the gauge lighting. if you are going to use the leds you will have to check all of them to see if they all light up.
6. put everything back together and enjoy. (yes i have done it lots of times lol)

this is my end result



as for the hvac controls, i am also looking on how to change the lighting, i remember a tutorial made some time ago, but i cant seem to find it, wasnt to hard though.

[Jaxom_2]

That's a pretty good display!
I'm not keen on the red display in my NB8C, so something like yours would be much better!!
Some friends purchased one of the new Kia's, or possibly a hyundai, that has a terrific dash-light setup, really easy to read but not intrusive.

Mike

[RG.net]

1. take your steering colum off, it should just yank off
2. take the dash cover off, this should also yank off, you will hear a pop, this is normal .

When you say 'Take your steering column off" I presume you are talking about the plastic shroud around the steering column? I cannot image how is at all possible to '"Yank" your 'steering column' out of your car????
My Steering Column 'Shroud' has two screws holding the top half to the bottom half (these screws are accessed from the under part of the shroud).

Is this what you mean?

You go on to say "take the dash cover off" are you talking about the 'cover' that is under the dashboard (the one that gives you access to drop the steering column) or are you referring to the "Cowl" when you say cover?

I am still a little vague on the specifics

yes and yes, i got a little lost for words

[Mr Morlock]

you are braver than me. I guess over the years I remember diy exercises which at times I wished I had not done. Dash lights which fail can be expensive to replace simply related to labour. Dipping in without really knowing where you are going or what you are doing involves a risk of damaging something else or assembling with errors. Blue better than orange etc etc- who cares--obviously some of you do.Good luck

[bruce]

Sounds like a major job for a minor finish to me.

[Okibi]

I replaced all the bulbs in my NB8A dash and A/C with red ones, figured it would be better for my night vision although i've since read its only an advantage if used at very low levels.

I prefer the red over the original green dash.

[sliq]

i reckon plain white would look very smart..

[RG.net]

i reckon plain white would look very smart..

thats what i am going to do next, but this is much hardrer to do as you have to take the needles off, the gauge face off and sand the green from behind the letters so no green shines through with the white, will match my gauges mounted in the air vents

[RG.net]

I replaced all the bulbs in my NB8A dash and A/C with red ones, figured it would be better for my night vision although i've since read its only an advantage if used at very low levels.

I prefer the red over the original green dash.

how did you do the ac colour? i have been looking for a diy for ages!

[RG.net]

I am leaning towards the 'Too Difficult' pile too.

Who would have thought that replacing a bulb would be so damn hard.
I feel sorry for anyone who has a bulb blow.

its not to hard at all, its a 10 minute job! the first time i did it, i was a little edgy on breaking something but is not as hard/daunting as it sounds!

[marcusus]

thats what i am going to do next, but this is much hardrer to do as you have to take the needles off, the gauge face off and sand the green from behind the letters so no green shines through with the white, will match my gauges mounted in the air vents

If you're going to do that, why not just buy some white gauges? Surely there'll be a NB8B/C being wrecked at some stage, so you can always poach the cluster and use the faces.

No sanding, but you'll still have the factory look when the lights aren't on.

As for white, the theory is good, but you need to get quite a soft white. If it's too bright, it'll be too eye jarring. You need to find a way to diffuse the light in just the right way, otherwise it'll be harsh on the eys. Perhaps a very light colour tint would help?

[Okibi]

I bet I could change the dash lights in under 10 minutes

[RG.net]

thats what i am going to do next, but this is much hardrer to do as you have to take the needles off, the gauge face off and sand the green from behind the letters so no green shines through with the white, will match my gauges mounted in the air vents

If you're going to do that, why not just buy some white gauges? Surely there'll be a NB8B/C being wrecked at some stage, so you can always poach the cluster and use the faces.

No sanding, but you'll still have the factory look when the lights aren't on.

As for white, the theory is good, but you need to get quite a soft white. If it's too bright, it'll be too eye jarring. You need to find a way to diffuse the light in just the right way, otherwise it'll be harsh on the eys. Perhaps a very light colour tint would help?

i dont like the white gauges, and if i was to put them in then the gauges would look out of place because they are black, i'll figure something out, and i'll post up some piccies when i'm done

[RG.net]

A 10 minute job??? You are joking right? It is a nightmare.

If you think that you can:
A) Remove two screws from the 'Dash Access Flap' under the dashboard
B) Remove said flap.
C) Remove two screws holding top and bottom Steering Column Shroud
D) Remove said shroud
E) Remove Instrument Cowl (People have stated "It can take up to 10 minutes of careful maneuvering so as not to break clips"
F) Undo the four screws holding the instrument cluster to dash.
G) Remove bulbs
H) Replace bulbs
I) Reassemble reverse of above.

If you can do that is 10 minutes - I will pay you $100 an hour to do it for me. That works out to $16.66 for 10 minutes work.

But I am sure I cannot do that in 10 minutes

i dont think, i know i can do it in 10 minutes the first time i took my time and ended up being about 30mins, but if you do it once then it will be alot easier the 2nd time (if needed).

if your located in sydney i could do it for you if you really wanted.

[Hammer]

I do a lot of night driving, how do you find the blue lights at night? Are they too distracting? Plus is the uneven light intensity around the speedo and tacho, annoying?

Plus while we're at this topic, any advice when removing and putting back in? What to avoid etc. I'm thinking at also putting the extra light for the "Fog lights-on" warning.

I'm worried once I pull it apart, when I put it back, it won't be as snug and tight fitting as when it came on from the factory.