Can Finally See My Gauges at Night!
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Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 247
Likes: 62
From: Lindenhurst, NY
Can Finally See My Gauges at Night!
My dash gauges barely lit up when I got my XJ-S. Not surprisingly, four of the five original 3w bulbs were shot when I pulled the control cluster.
The green plastic bulb covers looked to be in good shape, so I just cleaned them a bit and installed 194LL (5w) bulbs. I could then see my speedometer somewhat if it was really dark out, the barrel gauges a little better, but the tach was still mostly dark (only one bulb there).
I did some research and purchased v12s.com LED Gauge Illumination Upgrade in green. This time I pulled the bulb covers, as they obviously were not passing enough light. Two of the covers required the removal of the speedo and tach, which was surprisingly easy to do. Cleaned all contacts and tightened all connections while I had things apart.
The installed LEDs make a huge difference. Even with the dimmer control on minimum all gauges are plenty bright and readable.
I also changed the gear selector indicator, lighter, and console pushbutton switch bulbs to LEDs. The gear selector indicator is clearly visible even in bright daylight, the cigar lighter is about the same brightness, and the console pushbuttons now show their green (off) or red (on) status, but just barely (because of the nature of the switch, no fault of the LED).
You could probably find less expensive LEDs, but the installation process was straightforward, and the LEDs work regardless of their orientation in the sockets.
The green plastic bulb covers looked to be in good shape, so I just cleaned them a bit and installed 194LL (5w) bulbs. I could then see my speedometer somewhat if it was really dark out, the barrel gauges a little better, but the tach was still mostly dark (only one bulb there).
I did some research and purchased v12s.com LED Gauge Illumination Upgrade in green. This time I pulled the bulb covers, as they obviously were not passing enough light. Two of the covers required the removal of the speedo and tach, which was surprisingly easy to do. Cleaned all contacts and tightened all connections while I had things apart.
The installed LEDs make a huge difference. Even with the dimmer control on minimum all gauges are plenty bright and readable.
I also changed the gear selector indicator, lighter, and console pushbutton switch bulbs to LEDs. The gear selector indicator is clearly visible even in bright daylight, the cigar lighter is about the same brightness, and the console pushbuttons now show their green (off) or red (on) status, but just barely (because of the nature of the switch, no fault of the LED).
You could probably find less expensive LEDs, but the installation process was straightforward, and the LEDs work regardless of their orientation in the sockets.
Veteran Member
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 2,168
Likes: 417
From: Houston, TX
Always wondered about the v12s.com gear. Thanks for sharing your experience!
Also - I just LOVE the barrel gauges. Does any other vehicle use them?
Now fill 'er up and go for a drive
Also - I just LOVE the barrel gauges. Does any other vehicle use them?
Now fill 'er up and go for a drive
Last edited by Flint Ironstag; Apr 20, 2014 at 01:45 AM.
Veteran Member
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 1,162
Likes: 246
From: Chicago, IL
My dash gauges barely lit up when I got my XJ-S. Not surprisingly, four of the five original 3w bulbs were shot when I pulled the control cluster.
The green plastic bulb covers looked to be in good shape, so I just cleaned them a bit and installed 194LL (5w) bulbs. I could then see my speedometer somewhat if it was really dark out, the barrel gauges a little better, but the tach was still mostly dark (only one bulb there).
I did some research and purchased v12s.com LED Gauge Illumination Upgrade in green. This time I pulled the bulb covers, as they obviously were not passing enough light. Two of the covers required the removal of the speedo and tach, which was surprisingly easy to do. Cleaned all contacts and tightened all connections while I had things apart.
The installed LEDs make a huge difference. Even with the dimmer control on minimum all gauges are plenty bright and readable.
I also changed the gear selector indicator, lighter, and console pushbutton switch bulbs to LEDs. The gear selector indicator is clearly visible even in bright daylight, the cigar lighter is about the same brightness, and the console pushbuttons now show their green (off) or red (on) status, but just barely (because of the nature of the switch, no fault of the LED).
You could probably find less expensive LEDs, but the installation process was straightforward, and the LEDs work regardless of their orientation in the sockets.
The green plastic bulb covers looked to be in good shape, so I just cleaned them a bit and installed 194LL (5w) bulbs. I could then see my speedometer somewhat if it was really dark out, the barrel gauges a little better, but the tach was still mostly dark (only one bulb there).
I did some research and purchased v12s.com LED Gauge Illumination Upgrade in green. This time I pulled the bulb covers, as they obviously were not passing enough light. Two of the covers required the removal of the speedo and tach, which was surprisingly easy to do. Cleaned all contacts and tightened all connections while I had things apart.
The installed LEDs make a huge difference. Even with the dimmer control on minimum all gauges are plenty bright and readable.
I also changed the gear selector indicator, lighter, and console pushbutton switch bulbs to LEDs. The gear selector indicator is clearly visible even in bright daylight, the cigar lighter is about the same brightness, and the console pushbuttons now show their green (off) or red (on) status, but just barely (because of the nature of the switch, no fault of the LED).
You could probably find less expensive LEDs, but the installation process was straightforward, and the LEDs work regardless of their orientation in the sockets.
Very nice upgrade indeed. I'd looked at their site as well before, but its nice to see someone has had a good experience with their products. I'm considering ordering the white LEDs for the dash.. might make it even brighter! Thanks again!
Veteran Member
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 2,168
Likes: 417
From: Houston, TX
Yeah, I've had a couple of E38 BMWs that had some really crisp deep orange / nearly red instrumentation. Very very nice at night without affecting your night vision. Green is one of the worst colors for nighttime illumination, but it looks so good on our dashboards and vintage Alpine head units with the big square buttons.
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