This is my write up on how to replace the lights behind your HVAC controls.

Start with removing the trim around the controls. It is secured by pushpins so with a little tug you should be able to pop all four out. Be careful not to bend the trim too much so it doesn’t crack.

The HVAC controls will be secured with two small screws. I’m not positive on the size of the wrench needed but I easily used some needle nose pliers and they do the job just fine. Probably easier since it’s kind of tight.

You’re not going to have much play room once you take the screws off. You can unplug the connectors but it’s not necessary.

Here I used a mirror to show you where the light bulb connectors you’ll be removing are located. You just need to grab the plastic part and easily turn right to take them out.

Here I used the same mirror to show you the hole the bulb locks into. You’ll be aiming for these when you’re ready to put everything back together. Take notice of how you took the lights out as you’ll be doing the opposite to put back in.

Here is a picture of the #74 bulb. These are a PITA to remove. I would recommend just using your needle nose pliers and shattering them. Be sure to cover it so you don’t have glass flying everywhere.

Here is what the socket looks like once the bulb is out. If you break the bulb, be sure to get a small flat head or a knife and break up all the excess glass remnants of the bottom of the bulb.

I used tweezers to grab whatever I could and tug the rest of the bulb out. I managed to grab a hold of one of the filament connectors and yanked the rest out. Good luck!

These are the bulbs I ordered and that’s the website.

Here I have just plugged in one of the new LED bulbs. The bulbs I used were polarized, so if you plug them in and they don’t light (make sure you have your lights on) then just pull it out, turn it, and try again. On a side not, I did notice that these little suckers can be almost as difficult to get out as the stock ones. So when testing to make sure you put them in the right direction, only push them in a little. I pushed mine in all the way and it was wrong and had a heck of a time getting it out without breaking it.

I was going to go with 2 blue LEDs here to go with my stereo head unit. I decided to change this. I’ll explain why in a bit. (The bucket is what I used to catch the rest of the glass from the old bulb I took out.)

Now, I didn’t get a picture of this, but use the following picture as reference. When I put in both blue bulbs the red in the control piece cancels out the blue light. So look at the picture. Everything that is red, was not visible when 2 blue bulbs are in. So all I could see was the blue line for the cool air and the first three dashes on the right.

That didn’t please me, so I put in a red bulb on the left socket and a blue bulb in the right socket. Which is how I came to this. I think this looks best. It’s really up to you. I tried putting 2 red bulbs but this was just the opposite of what happened with all blue.

I apologize for the crappy quality but my camera apparently doesn’t do so well in low light conditions. This last picture is with the radio head unit in. It wasn’t exactly what I had anticipated but I think it looks great. A much improvement to having no light! Installation is the reverse of removal. Put it all together and enjoy!

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Tags: HVAC, interior lighting, LEDs