LED Dome Light

By Bill "BillaVista" Ansell
Photography: Bill Ansell
Copyright 2018 - Bill Ansell
(click any pic to enlarge)

Introduction

This quick mod is the third in a series where I intend to convert all of my spider's lights to LEDs.

Brighter, cooler, longer-lasting, and consuming far less current...LEDs are clearly superior to regular incandescent bulbs. Frankly, in 2018 I'm surprised that manufacturers still use incandescent bulbs. Still, it is quite possible and fairly easy to convert them yourself.

The 124 Spider's dome light is fairly easy - here's how:

	This is the stock incandescent bulb. It's listed in the manual simply as a 10 Watt bulb. The manual doesn't list a type or part number, but Amreidan's Blog lists it as a DE3175. It's 31mm long.

	This is the replacement I bought from AliExpress for $1.76 for a pair (that would do the dome and the trunk light if you wanted). The link I used is HERE.

	Specs are: Brand Name:KaTur Item Weight:5g Wattage:1W/bulb 2W/Pair Interface Type:Festoon-31mm Voltage:12V Item Type:Reading Lights Lumens:140Lm Model Name:c5w led c10w Color temperature:6000K White Base Type:Festoon LED Base DE3175 DE302 Features:CanBus Error Free Cross Reference:6428 7065 DE3021 DE3022 DE3175 C5W DE3423 DE3425 6411 6418 6423 6461

	This is what I received.

	Start by moving the rear-view mirror out of the way.

	Set the dome light switch to OFF...that's the far-right position. If you want to be extra safe, disconnect the battery negative terminal and depress the brake pedal once to eliminate any residual charge.

	Locate a suitable tool to pry out the lens cover. I used a small screwdriver. A plastic or wooden tool would be even better to reduce the chance of scratching anything.

	The manual suggest inserting the tool in the little slot on the forward edge of the lens cover, seen here.

	View of the slot from the inside of the lens cover.

	The problem is, there's very little room to work at the front edge so, thanks to a helpful tip from 124Spider.org forum user "jetlag", I carefully pried at the corners until I could get my fingertips on the lens and pop it out of place. It's tight, and comes out with a rather nerve-wracking SNAP!

	Inside is the factory bulb. I used a small pair of needle-nose pliers to carefully grasp the bulb and pull it free.

	Factory bulb and LED replacement side-by-side.

	Press the LED replacement in place. Make sure the LED chips are facing down, as shown here.

	Then just snap the lens cover back in place with your fingers. And you're done!

Total:

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