johndeerebones

I was in St Louis today so went by the Honda dealer to check prices for the bulbs in the cruise switch (2), and the sunroof switch. HOLY COW they want almost 10 dollars a piece. 4 or 5 I would have been fine with for the convenience of not having to order them. 3 lights that's 30 bucks! I'll order them all from hondapartscheap.com for 2 or 3 a piece. Anyway that's just a gripe. The question is this. The light bulb is also out in my power mirror switch. Went to a Radioshack up there and they had nothing even close to that size in leds or lights. Where can I get a bulb. AND can I put an led in there? I can solder and desolder, that is no issue, just need to know where to get it.

CraigW

iTrader: (1)

I cannot see how they can charge over MSRP $4-$6 msrp each ? Show them the msrp and ask why the markup.

The shipping on a small online order would kill any savings.

For my 05 mirror switch I used a similar sized neo-wedge bulb and took bulb apart and soldered it in switch. You might try a "grain of wheat" bulb but the brightness may not match mine was a little bright with the neo.

johndeerebones

It isn't worth the trouble to price match. They are 70 miles away.... I did go to a different radioshack though and found a bulb that is a perfect match as far as size. Just have to solder it in. I don't know if the intensity matches, I never had a light since I have owned it. It is a 12 volt bulb, NOT an led, so the bulb condoms change the light as they should, AND the bulb condom fits perfectly. It was a direct replacement. Two in a pack for 1.99. Radioshack part number is "272-1092". They are 10000 hour bulbs, so they should easily last the rest of the cars life.... They are only a 60ma bulb, so they shouldn't pull enough amps or make enough heat to fry the switches circuit board.


I think the other bulb I have in my pack would work on the others too with soldering. The sunroof switch only has one bulb so it would be the guinea pig, ONE PROBLEM. I took it and the cruise bulbs out months ago with intention of replacing them then and put them in a zip lock and kept them. I CANNOT FIND THAT BAG ANYWHERE! Not positive that they will fit them anyway, but worth a try...

CraigW

iTrader: (1)

Not price match internet prices but...way above msrp of the parts is not right. My dealer charges msrp to the penny and if I get the right guy he will discount.

Some of the neo-wedge state current draw...60ma could be very bright.

The rubber covers on the factory bulbs are thinner than aftermarket. You could try to make a replacement but the neo-wedge bulb/socket are hard to beat for simplicity and brightness matching.

johndeerebones

I DID find them. They had fallen off my dresser and were under it. The bulbs fit those perfectly too. They also just go in the holders and the wire terminals just bend around the base. There is NO soldering on these bulbs. The only problem I ran into was that the bulb condom for that bulb would not come off of the bulb. I tried smashing the bulb then getting the glass out of it. THIS DOESN'T WORK. If you intend to use the old condom get it off before you break the bulb. I tried to color it with a blue crayola marker and it didn't work. The light is a different color now, BUT it does work. The blue was almost a perfect match to the condom so I think it would be fine if it would stick to the bulb. A blue sharpie MAY work, don't have one so can't say...

CraigW

iTrader: (1)

Hard to say, the bulbs get very hot for their size. It might just bake off.

CraigW

iTrader: (1)

http://www.hondapartsnow.com/genuine...0-S5N-C11.html

This is a bulb for the sunroof (may not be for yours) it is rated at 60ma at 14 volts so your RS bulb may be pretty close replacements. And the msrp is $4

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

im glad i went to leds for the dash lights. got sick of replacing those bulbs that got very hot for a tiny area. my custom led setup is now 5 yrs old and no problems (ironically using cheap chinese leds but running at low power). and i like to have my lights on when its cloudy or the sun is down so i use them more than just at night. honda dealers can set the markup whatever they want. for example i had an emergency and needed a new solenoid asap cause i couldnt wait 2 weeks for majestic to ship it, i ended up paying $50 OVER the honda list price. but the plus is i got the part the next day. so i figure you are just paying for the overnight shipping which in some cases is worth it.

johndeerebones

Second they can charge whatever they want. Capitalism. Supply and demand. They COULD charge 50 bucks a bulb if they wanted. Doesn't mean they would sell it though....
The bulbs aren't bright, I CAN tell that, just don't know about matching the rest of the dash. GB the low voltage is the key. At 14 volts, if you are running red led lights, which need 2 volts, that is a lot of power to hold back. The result is heat. Led lights need a certain voltage or they won't turn on, more voltage doesn't make them brighter. I am gonna go back to RS and get two more for the cruise switch. I only had 2 and they went to the mirror switch and the sunroof switch.
Led lighting is by "taste", they give off different light than incandescent bulbs do. Bright lights in my peripheral screws up my eyes. I have to turn my side mirrors away or the guy's behind me headlight glare screws me up.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

mine are slightly brighter than stock (my choice because i could never see them otherwise in a lit city), but they are orange and very easy on the eyes. no effect on night vision and actually the oem gauges with white leds are a bit more distracting even dimmed down. i added some orange leds to the bottom of the cluster as well to match the dash. i hardly even notice them while looking at the road. i think red, orange, or amber leds at low enough brightness is fine. its the blue and white you have to worry about. i had all blue before and man my eyes were messed at night.

some pic of the orange dash leds and oem cluster with red/white leds and orange bottom glow. they are not as bright in person. just wanted a long exposure to show the details.

CivicUnrest

When I got my used 2003 Civic back in April of this year, all the illumination was out for the entire bank of Cruise/Sunroof/Mirrors switches. I grabbed some bulbs from the wreckers and got 2 good out of 6. Incidentally, I swapped out the p-mirror switch because I couldn't find a bulb socket, so I figured the bulb was hardwired internally.

Thanks for the tip about those micro lamps. I'm going to The Source (formerly CDN Radio Shack, but with more consumer electronic goods versus hobbyist parts) and buy a few packs because I'm more than retentive about burned out bulbs. Overpriced bulbs from the stealership... no thanks. However, the same twin packs of micro bulbs are listed for $4.99... damn The Source/Circuit City (owned by Bell Canada) extra capitalist markup. These bulbs probably ship out of Taiwan for a mere 25 cents a pack.

Perhaps a hair dryer or heat gun may make the colored bulb condoms easier to remove without shredding them because I'm also retentive about the same color shade.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

yeah the mirror bulb is soldered to the board.

anibis

So radio shack has bulbs that will fit in the cruise control switch? Mine went out all at once, like there was a short or something, seems others have had the same issue.

I just replaced all my climate control lights, ran me about $20 for the 4 bulbs from the dealer.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

all of the stock bulbs (except mirror) have their own holder. the bulb simply installs into it and then you wrap the wires around the bulb base like it was before. you just need to find the correct rating of bulb. too much wattage and you could melt inside the switch. i think www.hondaautomotiveparts.com lists the mA power ratings of the bulbs so you can look for something similar at the auto store or radioshack. you are looking for bare bulbs with the two wire leads hanging down.

anibis

Radio Shack bulbs worked perfectly.

Getting the condom off without destroying it is a lost cause I do believe, they seem to get melted to the bulb over time. I'm sure it would've come right off new but not so much after 7 years. I was lucky and have amber dash lights so the color difference is minimal, I just don't have a green cruise light anymore.

Maybe the condoms being over the bulbs are making them even hotter causing them to burn out quicker? Seems a lot of people have issues with the bulbs in these switches and they're the only ones w/the condoms covering the bulb.

Is it possible to crack open the mirror switch and solder in a new bulb? Kinda stupid they didn't make it like all the other switches in the car.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

yeah the mirror switch can be opened, just do it carefully bc there are many small pieces that can fly out of place. its pretty easy to put them back, but you dont want to lose any. the bulb is right there and pretty easy to solder. i put a led in there and put the resistor on the power wire since there is no room in the switch. bulb condoms are pretty dumb and tend to melt into the bulb over time.

CivicUnrest

I just experimented on my old mirror switch to disassemble it, but I could only get it partially separated... the heated mirror button wouldn't release and finally broke off however it was contained within the base, leaving the white plunger and button intact on the upper housing. I'm presuming the heated mirror button should pop off first, somehow? I also experimented on removing the bulb condoms and if you're patient with a steady hand, it can be done. I used a wooden toothpick to pry millimeter by millimeter around the condom up to the top. I figure a pin would be easier, but prone to poking through far too easily. But yeah, I'm sure the condoms tend to promote overheating the bulbs leading to premature burnouts... although, even bare, those little bulbs are predisposed to die an early death as the tiny fiber filaments don't dissipate heat well.

anibis

I was able to salvage the condom for the mirror bulb, it was in really good condition compared to the others. I'm not sure when the mirror light stopped working but I assume it was early on. I don't have heated mirrors, not sure how this would effect the switch but getting mine apart was easy, it was basically two solid pieces, all the parts stayed in place. Also very easy to solder the new bulb in.

I colored the cruse light with blue and green hi-lighter, not perfect but it looks more normal now, a bit more blue than green though. I'm going to attempt to color the other bulbs with a red hi-lighter and see how that goes.

Still happy I got all these bulbs fixed for a total of $4. Considering my dealer wanted $25 for 3 the condom bulbs and $30 for a new mirror switch not too shabby.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

yeah sorry i didnt know canada had the heated switch on there too. i was referring to usdm version being easy to open.

CivicUnrest

^ That's okay, that particular mirror switch was only a spare part to be experimented upon. ^ I thought you had a CDN Civic... a Veloz, special CDN package. At least that's what your Civic looks like, the Veloz skirts and painted carbon fiber bezels. The Civic edition that I wanted. Hhaha I picked up a 2pk of bulbs tonight (last pkg left until next week), so I'm finally able to replace the burnt sunroof switch bulb and freshen up another bulb. I also noticed that my spare mirror switch has a much better condom on the dead bulb, weird. It must be because the bulb is manufactured with the switch itself from a different supplier than just the bulbs? I think I'm going to gut more mirror switches at Pick-n-Pull for the bulb condoms to refit all the switch bulbs with. I was looking at my switch cluster tonight and the mirror illumination is slightly more amber than the others, likely due to the better quality condom in there. Places like Autometer sell bulb covers of different colors. I saw them on Amazon.com when I was browsing for stuff. To me, markers would be hard to get a uniform color coating on the bulb and I wonder how long that would actually last. But, hey, it's probably way better than dead bulbs. -sorry, but the 'enter' to make paragraphs apparently isn't working for me sometimes and the replies are upside down... all on top of the original topic.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

i dont think ive seen bulb covers that small, usually they only work on the larger 194 bulbs. in which case getting a natural amber bulb is a much safer choice. and yeah i have a regular old 2002 usdm civic ex nothing special. just some oem parts and aftermarket headlamps and grill.

oh the reason for the mirror switch looking different is due to the way the switch symbol cover was made. it passes more light so usually it will be brighter than the nearby switches.

anibis

I'd have to agree with your theory that the switch manufacturer probably used a different supplier for the condom and is better quality. When I pulled my mirror switch apart the condom was perfect. It could also be there is more room for the heat to dissipate in the mirror switch so the condom doesn't get all melted, who knows.

The marker thing isn't gonna work, I can already tell the cruise light as faded a bit. I didn't try it with the amber lights. I rigged up a condom using the red rubber from a electrical connector cover. I ended up only using it to cover half the bulb because fully covered it was too red, I found that leaving the tip of the bulb uncovered it made it more amber, not a perfect match but it's pretty close.

Now I'm wondering if I could cut up a balloon and get it to match better.

CivicUnrest

I put 2 fresh bulbs in tonight into the cruise and sunroof switches, luckily salvaged both orange condoms from both. All lights on the 3 switches are now good. I'm still going to replace the cruise 'on' and keep a spare for the mirror switch even though I'm tempted to swap them out just so all bulbs are equally fresh... my bad, I have to first figure out how to take apart the mirror switch without breaking the internal heated mirror switch. There's always a catch.

It's kind of odd how those mirror bulbs don't last either though if better cooling came into play. The name on the circuit board is 'ALPS'... did you happen to notice that the mirror condom is kind of a pink color versus the burnt orange condoms on the other bulbs?

I don't know if a balloon would hold up to the heat and how would you secure a piece around the bulb? Hmmmm... what color(s) are you missing? A green for your cruise 'ON' or pretty much all of your amber? Why don't I just send you my spares in an envelope instead of that trouble trying to fab something that may or may not work? I haven't went to the wreckers in a while, but on hand I have 1 green, 1 blue (WTF?! Where exactly did that come from?!), 1 orange, and 1 pinkish one (mirror). I'll probably go to Pick-n-Pull on Sun to see if there are more extra mirror switches to experiment with, and I'll gut other switches for their bulb condoms. If you're retentive like me, color matching those bulbs any other way will drive you mad. Hahhaa

anibis

Yeah I suppose my condoms got fried during my pizza days when I'd run my lights for 4-5 hours non stop 5-6 days a week. I tried the toothpick method and also tried using a tiny flathead screw driver and it just wasn't happening. I'd push up ever so slightly and it'd rip.

Yeah the mirror condom was pink/peach for sure, had to be from a different supplier. Too bad they didn't use that supplier for all the condoms, seemed to be much higher quality rubber.

Fabbing stuff is fun to me so I don't mind, gives me something to do. I was able to get the balloon to stay on the bulb, I just made a long thin piece, pulled it over the bulb and held it from the back as I turned the bulb in, I had the thin piece covering the lil clip things so it wouldn't cover the wires. Color's didn't match though....it could work but you'd have to find the perfect balloon. The green was too dark and the pink (which was an extremely close match compared to the mirror condom) was red. I'll prob just buy some new bulbs from Honda and keep these as spares for the bezel lights. At least the mirror switch is perfect.

You are lucky you have a you-pull junkyard. All the JY's around me no longer allow people to pull their own parts for liability issues, it's stupid because that was 90% of the fun.

CivicUnrest

Like you said, those condoms likely were fried solid to the bulbs with a lot of evening driving. The ones on mine weren't too bad and I just whittled them with the toothpick (later substituted for the top loop of a sewing needle which was thinner) spirally from the base of the condom to the top.

Yeah, I was raising an eyebrow at the mirror condom not being orange because it lights up as orange as the dark orange condoms. It sure does seem more resilient towards heat and it's too bad Honda didn't get the other condoms though that switch manufacturer... I guess they got those crap illumination bulbs and condoms for cheaper elsewhere.

Like I said, I've got those condom spares that I'll probably never use. Also, if you replaced the factory deck, you can use the orange condoms in there... they're even better quality than the mirror one.

I don't know what I'd do without picking the parts myself except paying premium on used parts? There are only two self-service yards we have and they're both low grade in respects to have 01+ Hondas/Acuras which I'm sure are sold through full service yards for maximum profit. I was lucky to grab a newer fuel door cable from an Acura EL because I haven't seen anything newer than 2000 for about six months. But yeah, I'm very lucky that those two SS yards survived and keep thriving thus far.

anibis

Is there any way to remove the face off the factory unit without breaking it? It seems like the circuit boards are glued to the face or something, I can't get it to slide off.

I'd rather not break it in case it's gotta go back in the car sometime...

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

the radio? yeah it will break to pieces if you start pulling the face off.

anibis

Yeah I didn't break anything, the buttons came flying out but I was able to get it back together.

Got the 2 amber condoms I needed, good call CivicUnrest!

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

oh good, i thought the radio bulbs were bigger tho?

anibis

The top half of the condom is normal size then it tapers out a bit. I was able to get the bottom half around the bulb housing and it seems to be snug. Colors are not a perfect match compared to the mirror switch but it's close enough for me to stop messing with it lol.