Vestigal Pre GPS. Paper maps/. Map light!!!

I still have a collection of local paper maps. and tomtom quit support for my ancient GPS!!!

Carl

 

the red light in the vent?

or the lamp under the dash cap edge?

the red one is not stock or factory, someone added it, maybe for an alarm.

the lamp at the dash cap edge is called the Map Light. It comes on with one of the square switches above the radio. If it does not come on, the bulb may be out or one of the two wires connected to it may be disconnected.

to replace the bulb, you pull the entire lamp out by pressing on the movable fingers one on each side towards the center. A pain to remove but doable.

 

And... to anticipate the next question - no there is no lens that goes in there. Just the bare bulb. Mine also comes on when either of the doors open (I have a Coupe).

Bill

 

Thanks! I new about the map light but didn’t know it was for a map, my question was about the red light because it’s always on ( even when the car is off) and in my half year of owning this car I’ve never known it’s use. I would assume it was the same person who thought a sketchy solar battery charger was a good idea.

 

the Map light is just an auxiliary center light, not neccesarily for maps.

the red light, if always ON, I have no clue.

Pull the black plastic vent off the dash and follow the wiring. The vent is held in place by springy clips, easy to pull off.

Note the wire colors connected to it and search and follow to see where the wires lead you. Can't be too far.

 

Hi, I think the red light is for an alarm system as well. If it is always on, I might be concerned about it draining the battery depending on how often you drive the car. That might explain the solar battery charger too ! If you decide to remove the system, draw a complete diagram before cutting / disconnecting any of the wiring. Depending on the installer, they may have butchered the factory wiring so if you just "cut it out", you might be left with a dead cat !

I would start as Jose suggested and trace the wiring to see where it goes, it might be a "fake" alarm ( light only ) to discourage break ins, kinda like the decoy security cameras they used to sell.

Cheers,
Brian

 

yes a "decoy" light like Brian said. I could not find the word. Some of those decoy lights "blink" when the car is parked and locked, so it could be connected to the lock side of the driver's door solenoid.