Swapping DB9 interior bulbs

[Simpo Two]

Thanks to Ian at AMupgrades I have a set of LED jobbies. The most important ones to fit were the front map-reading lights, which I've done and look fine.

However I've hit a snag on the rear ones. The fitting looks the same from the front, but is different behind. Prising off the bezel leavesme with this:



The black bit doesn't seem to want to pull forward or twist, and if I reach in and pull the old bulb out then go to push the new one in I fear the unit will disappear into the bodywork. What's the way forward please?

[westhumbler]

Be careful. Exactly that happened to me and you'll never fish out the piece that will fall down the back.

[Simpo Two]

Quite. The instructions (official AM ones) say:

1) Taking care to protect the trim panel, lever the lamp unit from the trim panel

Well, the front bit came off, leaving me with what you see in the photo.

2) Lever lamp in line with locating clips

Nothing to lever, it's flush and floating.

3) Twist the bulb holder approx 20 degrees anti-clockwise and withdraw the lamp holder.

Except you can't twist it because it's set in with nothing to get hold of.

The instructions work for the front lights but the rear ones, and the boot I think, are a different design. The only other option I can think of would be to twist the silver bevel, but it's set into the trim so there's nothing to grip. And it's not there any more because I did (1).

[Simpo Two]

westhumbler said:

Be careful. Exactly that happened to me and you'll never fish out the piece that will fall down the back.

How did you get out of it?

I think that by holding the outer black bit in position with fine-nosed pliers I can change the bulb, but can't figure out how to push the bezel back on because there's nothing to push against.

The other plan is that maybe I can wiggle the black bit out... will try tomorrow.

Plan C if all else fails: Superglue...

I think the black bit was supposed to come out with the bezel - but it didn't.

Edited by Simpo Two on Sunday 30th July 23:59

[Phuketpaul]

Its just a few small bolts (well quite a few) to remove the trim so you can get to it from behind..

Alternatively the black part is held in place by two tabs opposite each other, if you can pull these in towards the centre the black bezel should just pop out.

BTW, when I had mine out, to improve the light output, I painted the inside of the bowl with plastic primer and then chrome paint so that the light got reflected out rather than just absorbed by the matt black.

[Simpo Two]

Phuketpaul said:

Its just a few small bolts (well quite a few) to remove the trim so you can get to it from behind..

Alternatively the black part is held in place by two tabs opposite each other, if you can pull these in towards the centre the black bezel should just pop out.

Ah thanks, I like the sound of the latter idea best so will give that a go later

The LEDs are certainly bright enough but the light is very cold; I might try a disk of orange lighting gel inside the cover to get a little warmth back.

I like the fanciful idea that anyone is going to be sitting in the back to read anything anyway...!

[Simpo Two]

Solved it - but nothing like how they say.

1) The black holder portion is held into the bodywork by two strong metal wires/springs that run vertically in each side. You can see the tabs sticking out of the holder, and they stick out way too far to be able to get them past the wires/springs, even if you push the wires/springs one way with a screwdriver and pull the holder the other way with pliers. The holder won't rotate enough to get the tabs clear either.

So the holder isn't coming out. Right, so the bulb will have to be replaced in situ.

2) The glass bulb is set too far into the holder to get your fingers on, and the glass is too shiny to get a grip on with tweezers or small pliers. So I made some special tweezers...



The jaws are given grip and flexibility with two little squares of draught excluder. This proved to be The Secret in swapping the bulbs over. A third little square of draught excluder is stuck on the end of the bulb because I was tired of having my retinas burned out by it whilst fighting with the fitting.

A little pushing and prodding satisfied me that the holder was not going to disappear down inside the car. It moves, but not too far to get back with pliers. So now we go in with the modified tweezers, grab the bulb and pull. Bingo, the bulb is out.

Now to get the LED in. But you can't just push it in because the holder isn't fixed. You have to grab the side of the holder with some pliers to hold it in place, then align and push the LED into the slot. DO NOT look at the LED if it's likely to light up - put something over it, as I did with the bulb. It took a few goes but we got there.

Close door, open door to put the interior lights back on - bks the LED isn't working. I must have broken something. Arse. Then I remember the bit in the instructions where it says LEDs are polar. I thought that only referred to the puddle lights... I must have been lucky with the first four LEDs I fitted because they all worked first time (though you do have to close the door and lock/unlock the car to wake them up, I discovered).

So I prise the just-inserted-with-great-effort LED back out with pliers. It goes 'ping' and falls into the back seat. Arse. Now I don't know which way is the other way. So I will just have to guess. Go in tweezers in one hand, pliers in the other, get the LED back in. 50:50 chance. Yay it works!

Now pull the bit of draught excluder off the front, taking care not to look what you're doing because you really don't want to look at these things when lit.

And finally, refit the silver bezel. Except you can't, because the holder isn't fixed to anything so the moment you try to push the bezel onto it it says 'bye-bye' and retreats back into the bodywork. I can't think of a way round that, short of unbolting the many-bolted side panel. But as I can't see any bolts, that's a non-starter. I mash the bezel back into the trim, and it stays there, sort of.

To finish, just repeat with the other side. If the bezels fall off I'll just have to glue them on.

Hope this may be helpful in the future to any other poor sod who comes the same way

Edited by Simpo Two on Monday 31st July 19:46