[Skurvy_Pirate]

A week or so after I got my R I noticed that the heated seats and defrost buttons weren't backlit. I took apart the console and found the bulb was dead. I order up some replacements along with a red and a blue to test the different colors.

I thought I would do a write up to show how to tear down the center console and replace the bulbs for anyone who needs to in the future. I am sure people will, when I was replacing this one another one burned out on me! Luckily I had extras...

A few things to note:

• I did not disconnect any wiring for this. It would be much easier to disconnect the wires and pull the unit off but I didn't want to mess with the battery. It is very much possible to leave it connected unless you are replacing one of the hard to reach bulbs
• If you are tearing down the whole dash, you WILL need to do the proper battery protocol first so that when you unplug things and plug them back in you don't get error codes
• Be careful not to drop anything down around the gear shifter! See below for consequences...
• It is a very quick job once you know how to take apart the console

Here are the tools:

Start out removing the pen holder (AKA Droid Navigation mount ):

It's easiest to pop up one side and hold it out while popping out the other side. Be careful not to scratch the surround:

Next remove these two torx screws. Again, be careful not to drop them into the abyss!

The bottom of the unit can now be pulled out:

Here it is removed. I left the wiring attached so I didn't have to do the battery dance:

I think there are 6 (at least) backlighting bulbs:

They come out using a regular screwdriver. They lock/unlock with about 1/8th turn. Unlock them, tilt the unit with your hand behind the whole to get it out. Be careful not to drop it! Then pop the replacement in and lock it in:

Here are some pics of the red. It looks almost pink in some, but I assure you, it is REALLY red. It is by far the brightest and almost too bright.

Here are some pics of the blue bulb. I like it the best. Though it is not as bright as the original lighting:

Here I only replaced one for the dial so you can see it changing from the regular backlighting to blue:

Here is the regular bulb (white) with no covering or filter on it. You can move the filter from the old bulb onto it, or buy some that come with the filter. If you don't use it, it looks a light reddish. In the photo it looks almost orange but it is not, it is a soft red. I left it with the filter off because I like how it looks for the "heating" buttons.

When replacing the pen holder make sure the two inner tabs are on the outside of the tabs they are near. Then push the whole thing on, it should snap right on:

If you need to, or just for reference. Here is how to take off the shifter surround. Make sure to pop the two tabs in front first and pull it up a little. Then pop up the side tabs:

And here are the results from my fishing trip! She is a beauty! Took about 40 mins of poking around. BE CAREFUL NOT TO DROP ANYTHING! Haha:

Some closing comments:

• The blue looks REALLY good I think. But is about 60% of the brightness of the original backlighting. It is hard to tell in the pictures but it is fairly dim. I do like the color though.
• The red is by far the brightest and VERY red. It would look better I think if I had put a filter on it to dim it down a little.
• The original without the filter looks good for the "heating" buttons as it has a faint red glow to it. It looks orange in the pics but it is not. I will try to get a better picture in the daylight.
• The bulbs are Neo Wedge T4.
• I got the colored ones from here: http://autolumination.com/74.htm I got the instrument panel ones towards the bottom, not the LED ones. About $8 for 3 shipped (1 red, 1 blue, 1 white)
• I got 5 clear with filters for $1 ($8 shipped! WTF!) from here: http://www.allelectronics.com/make-a-store/item/LP-70/14V-NEO-WEDGE-BASE-LAMP/1.html
• If you are looking for blue and want brighter bulbs, the LED ones may be worth a try. But they aren't actual "bulbs" so the filters won't fit on them to dim them, so you would have to go another route.

Hope this is helpful! Enjoy!

 

[Jexx]

Excellent write up! This is actually a common problem in higher mileage P2 Volvos from what I've seen. I didn't know that Volvo had made them so user-friendly to replace, either. Nice to see some variations on the colors, too.

 

[rsxer63]

Excellent info. I want to do the same to our 2 Volvo V70 T5s. I want to go Blue LEDs though. What are these filters you are talking about?

 

[Crito]

Nice write-up but you really need to buy a bone tool.

Image pilfered from IPD: http://ipdusa.com/product.asp?strParents=&CAT_ID=0&P_ID=197

No, it’s not a tool to use at your local archeological dig sight. It’s a tough nylon tool that’s used to take apart instrument clusters and interior trim. Most of these interior parts of cars are made of plastic and are held in place by clips or snaps. To remove them, you have to get underneath them and pry them off. A screwdriver or a metal prybar is not a good choice for this as metal tools tend to scratch these panels very easily and generally make a big mess. The bone tool is stiff enough to act as a pry bar but soft enough to leave most plastics unscratched. It has rounded edges and slightly pointed shape that’s just right for doing this type of work. Factory technicians have used them for years. If you plan on doing any type of interior work on your car then these tools are a must. They also work great for popping off exterior moldings without scratching the paint. They might even be just the thing for that brontosaurus you’re digging up in your back yard!

LOL

 

[ss60]

Nice write-up but you really need to buy a bone tool.
LOL

The metal on plastic made me cringe too, but given how marked up his car is inside, I don't think he cared.

 

[n23]

Good write up. I'll add that the buttons in the CCM (like the DSTC one) each have their own bulbs. Recently my DSTC switch lost its light, replacing it means pulling out the CCM and unscrewing it, then prying it apart to get to the buttons. I'm not worried though as I have a new one to install anyway.

I've ordered from Allied before and been astounded at their shipping and handling charges, $5 to pick the part and 12 to ship, for a $3 battery holder! Crazy!

Also, did you get any pictures of the 'clear with filter' lights that you got from Allied?
Thanks

 

[Skurvy_Pirate]

I didn't know that Volvo had made them so user-friendly to replace, either.

It's not so bad once you can actually find the bulbs! Haha. That was the hard part for me, those little things were hard to find at first.

Excellent info. I want to do the same to our 2 Volvo V70 T5s. I want to go Blue LEDs though. What are these filters you are talking about?

They are these little rubber covers that come on the bulbs. Take a look at this: http://forums.swedespeed.com/showthread.php?148435-Name-that-bulb!&highlight=bulb for pictures of it.

Yeah a bone tool would have been nice . My car is mostly just dusty, it never really got detailed properly I don't think. I am going to clean it Sunday. But it isn't too hard to do it without scratching if you are careful, but I would definitely recommend the bone tool if you have it, or even if you don't, get one.

I can get some pictures after this weekend of the clear with filters, I left them at home and am going to the Civil War today! But they look exactly like the ones that I linked. They are from AllElectronics also, not Allied.

 

[ss60]

Excellent info. I want to do the same to our 2 Volvo V70 T5s. I want to go Blue LEDs though. What are these filters you are talking about?

yellow bulb + blue filter = green light

 

[JesseHays]

very cool, now if we can only backlight the gear positions on the shift base. But thank you for the demo I will be doing this first thing next year.

 

[Short Circuit]

Thanks for this excellent writeup and taking the time for such detailed explanations and pics! Sticky!

 

[jclough]

Good write up. I'll add that the buttons in the CCM (like the DSTC one) each have their own bulbs. Recently my DSTC switch lost its light, replacing it means pulling out the CCM and unscrewing it, then prying it apart to get to the buttons. I'm not worried though as I have a new one to install anyway.

I've ordered from Allied before and been astounded at their shipping and handling charges, $5 to pick the part and 12 to ship, for a $3 battery holder! Crazy!

Also, did you get any pictures of the 'clear with filter' lights that you got from Allied?
Thanks

The following comment is based on an '07R so I apologize if the '04R is different.

I don't think this is accurate. I've put in a couple of these buttons (aux lighting and folding mirrors) and the buttons just plug into an area (of the CCM). The light is inside the button itself with no obvious way to replace it. I think you would have to replace the entire button if your light is out.

 

[ss60]

The following comment is based on an '07R so I apologize if the '04R is different.

I don't think this is accurate. I've put in a couple of these buttons (aux lighting and folding mirrors) and the buttons just plug into an area (of the CCM). The light is inside the button itself with no obvious way to replace it. I think you would have to replace the entire button if your light is out.

Absolutly correct. The DSTC button on an 04 is accessible from the front of the ccm button panel. Process would be - remove button trim piece, replace DSTC button (replace bulb), replace trim piece. The CCM remains bolted in the whole time. I have an extra DSTC button with a working light if you are intrested (at n23).

 

[tomedkaz]

Started my project the other day - the color matches R's blue dials perfectly!

Replaced most of the climate bulbs, except that I left out the ones indicating the warmer temperature (that way cold is blue, warm is white/red-ish)

I still need to replace the bottom half as well as the radio bulbs. Does anyone know what bulbs are needed for the radio controls?

Thanks!

 

[phuz]

Cool project! For the temperature dial, what if you did a blue bulb on the cool side and a red bulb on the warmer side? lol

 

[rsxer63]

I did mine today too... I used the brightest blue LEDS I could find and it looks awesome! I goofed though and I am one short. I am placing another order now to finish this one off and do our other V70 too. I also did the cluster but I got the 5mm removable bulb LEDs and they just barely fit... it is hit or miss and I would like to be able to turn them a little more. Is everyone else using 5mm or are they using 4mm?

tia,
Ron

 

[jozooka]

Started my project the other day - the color matches R's blue dials perfectly!

Replaced most of the climate bulbs, except that I left out the ones indicating the warmer temperature (that way cold is blue, warm is white/red-ish)

I still need to replace the bottom half as well as the radio bulbs. Does anyone know what bulbs are needed for the radio controls?

Thanks!

Looks great! LED or standard? Source?

 

[Ocean Racer]

EXCELLENT WRITE UP!

I also need to update my lights.
I need to brighten the green + orange aircon on/off lights. In daylight you can't see if they're on or off.

 

[tomedkaz]

Looks great! LED or standard? Source?

Thanks
LEDs from eBay. I believe they were all T4 bulbs

 

[n23]

Absolutly correct. The DSTC button on an 04 is accessible from the front of the ccm button panel. Process would be - remove button trim piece, replace DSTC button, replace trim piece. The CCM remains bolted in the whole time. I have an extra DSTC button with a working light if you are intrested (at n23).

Huh, I always had read/has assumed that I had to disassemble the entire CCM to get a the buttons. I'll see if I can pull off the trim surround. I always figured that it would be a lot of work for a volvo tech to take the entire thing apart just to replace a light bulb. It turns out I had another bulb from another DSTC button (I accidentally bought two a while back).
Thanks

 

[ss60]

Huh, I always had read/has assumed that I had to disassemble the entire CCM to get a the buttons. I'll see if I can pull off the trim surround. I always figured that it would be a lot of work for a volvo tech to take the entire thing apart just to replace a light bulb. It turns out I had another bulb from another DSTC button (I accidentally bought two a while back).
Thanks

I'll make a couple pics of how to do it and post them up for you (on Monday).