question about bulbs

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SketchyRollin564
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Joined: Sat Mar 24, 2007 4:06 pm
Car: SR hatchback in the werks

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So i figured screw led, its gonna be way easyer to just do the bulbs... so since most my inside lights are burned out anyways, im gonna replace them with new bulbs (as well as the old ones so they dont burn out on me), but since i wanna do red, i need a bulb condom

my two questions are

where the fawk do you buy bulb condoms?

and how do you know what size bulbs to buy for each little thingy?


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SketchyRollin564
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Joined: Sat Mar 24, 2007 4:06 pm
Car: SR hatchback in the werks

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anyone?

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Infinitiguy19
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Car: 1993 Infiniti Q45 188580 Miles
1994 Infiniti Q45a 240000 Miles

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Try radio shack.

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morsecode
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Joined: Wed Nov 12, 2008 6:55 pm
Car: 2004 Infiniti I35

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Auto parts shops sell them. They are sometimes called "colored light bulb covers" instead. These places often have charts where you can see what bulb condom you can use for your bulbs.

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TurboZenki
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Car: 1995 Nissan 240SX

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I used competition orange spray paint on my gauge cluster bulbs and it provided a nice red/amber color.

S14 Gauges

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morsecode
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Car: 2004 Infiniti I35

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These look great!

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goody90q45
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Joined: Wed Aug 17, 2005 2:07 pm
Car: 1992 Q45 (sold)
Location: Orangevale, CA

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SketchyRollin564 wrote:... so since most my inside lights are burned out anyways, im gonna replace them with new bulbs (as well as the old ones so they dont burn out on me..........my two questions are.....and how do you know what size bulbs to buy for each little thingy?
If it's anything like the Q45, you're going to have a tough time getting replacement bulbs from the stealership. At best, you'll need to buy the entire component (window switch) to get a single bulb. There's two sizes of microlamps in the car and for the most part all of the larger ones are available from the stealership. It's the smaller bulbs, shown in the pic, that burn out and need relamping. They work in the door switches, head unit, heater control, etc..

These are the Radio Shack bulbs that PaulWall noted. You'll need a magnifying glass and small wire cutters to replace each bulb but at less than $1/ea. it's a pretty good deal. It will only take you a couple of minutes for each one.

......and nail polish in the color of your choice does work great in place of the bulb shield (condom).


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SketchyRollin564
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Joined: Sat Mar 24, 2007 4:06 pm
Car: SR hatchback in the werks

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the window switch seems liek too much of a pita for now, so im just gonna do the HVAC and the cluster, but how do you find out what size bulbs to use?

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goody90q45
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Joined: Wed Aug 17, 2005 2:07 pm
Car: 1992 Q45 (sold)
Location: Orangevale, CA

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The instrument cluster for the most part is going to use a sealed bulb, like the larger one in the background of the pic. On the Q45 there are 2 or 3 types and they're all available from the stealership. The Q instrument cluster has only 2 smaller bulbs (for the trip odometer) like the gray ones in the pic.

The HVAC controller and pretty much everything else illuminated inside the passenger compartment use the same bulb with many different sockets. These are the Radio Shack bulbs shown in the original pic. None of these socketed bulbs are available through the stealership. They expect you to buy the entire component to replace the burned out bulb. Components with replaceable bulbs include: window/door switches, Bose head unit, HVAC controller, clock, all switches and buttons on dash. There's a few different styles in the pic and except for the lager bulb I pointed out they all use the same Radio Shack bulb from the original picture.

The only way to tell what bulbs you've got or need is to pull the component out of the door or console. You can get to most anything on our cars in less than 30 minutes once you've done it one time. Good luck.



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