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USB compartment light / Light under the radio

38K views 38 replies 16 participants last post by  deanamartinez3607 
#1 ·
As directed by thealliance43, I decided to start this thread simply for all of us 2013 Altima owners with the light that illuminates the USB compartment. I believe that not all Altimas come with it, but seeing as the majority of us have switched every bulb in the car to both HID's and LED's, it only makes sense to switch this last bulb out.

thealliance43 has managed to access the bulb and will post instructions on here soon.
 
#2 · (Edited)
Yes, this is the one bulb I've not done yet! It looks dim (good) and yellow (Bad). Please, anyone who has done this, do tell us how to get to the bulb!

Update:
Most people can just reach under the AC/heater controls and you will feel a spot you can get a hold on. Pull it down with a sharp, firm jerk to free the 4 snaps. It hinges at the bottom and the top will come down. The bulb is right there, a 1/4 turn will release it. In some rare cases you may not be able to get it to unsnap, then follow the instructions below a couple posts down.



If you do install a larger bulb, first snap off the black cover:


Then snap out the white bulb holder:



Remove the white cover (just snaps out):
 
#3 ·
Hey guys,

I replaced this bulb the 2nd day I had my car. It's kind of a pain the first time you do it but anyone can easily do it.


The idea is to remove the silver panels on the sides of the rain. They pull straight out. I went from the drivers side and lowered the panel right by your "right knee" Once thats down you'll have enough leverage to remove the silver panel. Then it's basic phillips on the ac controls. A quick swap and your done.

The Bulb is #74

I got mine from Autolumination.com (I had good experiences with them in the past)
 
#6 · (Edited)
Glove Box light replacement...


It's not that easy to get to, there are two options I know of.

1) I used small needle nose pliers with double sided tape on them to grab the glass bulb from the glove box and pull it out, it pulls to the right towards the passenger door. It's harder to put back in then it is to pull out, a mirror would help so you can see what you're trying to do.

2) Take the screws out on the top (3), inside in the upper middle section (2),

and three under the glove box.

Pull the side cover off (door goes up against it when closed) and then pull the assembly out.

On the top of the glove box there is the bulb connector. 1/4 turn and it pulls out.


This is of the glove box light from directly under it, after I installed the LED's and looking up at it on.


 
#5 · (Edited)
Here is my How To to replace the bulb under the radio:

Most people can just reach under the AC/heater controls and you will feel a spot you can get a hold on. Pull it down with a sharp, firm jerk to free the 4 snaps. It hinges at the bottom and the top will come down. The bulb is right there, a 1/4 turn will release it. Refer to the instructions below for photos. In some rare cases you may not be able to get it to unsnap, then follow the instructions below.

First remove the lower panel in the drivers footwell against the center console by simply pulling it towards the drivers side door. The panel needs to be removed due to this snap circled in red holding the panel above it down:

Be sure to note how the back needs to slide together at the back of the panel for later re-assembly.

Next remove the panel below the push start button just where it meets the silver bar that runs next to the radio. It locks into the silver part.

Now the left side silver rail can just be pulled straight out and away.

For the other side, you can just pull it out, but the very top may not come completely free, but it doesn't need to:

Now you can remove the two screws circled in red:

Then the AC controls and lower unit can be snapped away from the dash, two harness connectors will keep it from completely pulling away. One for the AC controls and the other is the light we want to get to.


Here is where the bulb is we need to change out, the black part can be removed with a 1/4 turn revealing the bulb.

At this point I could not get my fingers in there and I could not get the two pieces to unsnap. I'll post how i got to those parts soon in this thread...
 
#9 · (Edited)
Continued... getting to the bulb...

Since my snaps refused to release the lower part from the AC controls upper part, I removed the control module first. There are 4 screws holding it on and two snaps:


Once removed I was able to manually release the stubborn center snaps and separate the lower and front panels. It was just the center two that gave me trouble, I've circled the snaps.

At this point I replaced the 4 screws and replaced the AC controls to that panel. The lower panel with light assembly is now fully exposed and can be snaped back on once you're ready to put everything back.


The small black cover over the light assembly can be snapped off as well, then the white assembly will also snap off. This should no be necessary unless you are doing something special with the bulb or installing a bulb too big to fit through the side hole.

All Done!
 
#11 · (Edited)
Both places use the same connector and twist lock, they use a #74 bulb. DDM tuning has a shop near me so I usually use them. I got a SMD 5050 based bulb they offer for both applications, $1.59 each. http://www.ddmtuning.com/Products/T5-LED

I cut the base and bend the emitter over 90 so it shines directly down rather then the way the bulbs come, which would shine towards the side of the light enclosure. You'll have to test which way it lights before you modify it (Ground should be down, towards the glove box and it's labeled on the LED, the resistor is on the positive). The black twist lock bulb holder has a bump on it that stops it's rotation when inserted, that bump faces directly away from the direction you want the light to face. Be careful not to short the leads, I add either heat shrink or insulation pulled form a wire to the ground lead just to be safe.

For the glove box I bought two and soldered a second 5050 onto the first such that they center nicely in the bulb area of the glove box and have twice the light of a single bulb. I searched websites for hours and could not find a better bulb for our application then my modified one, they all seem to face the wrong way so you only get a reflection off the black plastic, no direct light. I'm using an epoxy now to join them so they are strong and can be inserted and removed from the glove box without taking anything apart. PM me if you would like one made for you.

Here are some photos of my modified LED bulb using two down facing SMD 5050 ultra bright LED's and the process making them. I'm using 5 minute epoxy putty.




 
#14 ·
wow thats a lot of work. Worth it tho LED's are just badass.
 
#17 ·
call me crazy, but i like the subtle stock glow over a bright light above the USB compartment. I'm planning on changing out the license plate and rear passenger lights only...Seems I'm in the minority on this one though :) . BTW, i've got a 2.5 SL w/the light...noticed someone above said theirs didn't, odd.
 
#18 · (Edited)
No, I just ran one 5050 bulb, about 12 lumens, and it's not much brighter then the stock bulb. The difference is it is a LOT whiter, rather then yellow light the stock bulb had. I agree that for this location you don't want it very bright, the white cover also helps dim the light, so I left it on. If you look at my first post on this I mention dim = Good, yellow = bad. :rolleyes: It's hard to tell in the photo, but it is not bright, leaving the white diffuser off would make it much brighter I think, which I didn't want.

]


Bright in the glove box is nice though!
 
#20 · (Edited)
ok sry took me so long was waiting for new bulbs to show up so heres a shorter walk through on changing the bulb its whiter but not much brighter unless u stick ur hand under it u can see. its got to do with how the bulb is mounted side ways if it was straight down probably be way brighter.

pry on the side radio trim towards you work way up slow and even

i just pulled it to the side to get it out of the way but u can remove it be careful of the top click need to get a screw driver to push the clip down to let the trim come all the way out at the very top.

then just grap the trim under the ac controls and pull towards you and down slowly.

theres the bulb twist and remove

tried both and the smaller one has 3 led and was brighter just plug n play it a samsung led bulb
 
#21 ·

I know this is an old thread but I am hoping someone who has changed USB compartment light can help. I have removed old bulb with black housing however I am unable to remove bulb from housing. Is this possible or do I have to find a LED housing for LED bulbs? I can't find Any info on this and I didn't see a explanation in this thread. Thank you.
 
#22 ·
It doesn't pull straight up? You might have to wiggle it a bit. THat looks like a 194 bulb, which just pushes in and pulls out.
 
#23 ·
Crisis averted, and persistence paid off. This small bulb is a PITA.
Funny thing is I haven't even received my new LED bulbs yet, I'm just getting my self familiar with all the bulbs, spaces, etc. Thanks to this old thread for help with USB compartment. Now I decide if I want to deal with the Glove Compartment!

First time doing anything to a car other that washing and cleaning. Lol.
 
#25 ·
The glove box is a bit more detailed you have to drop the glove box to get to it. I think I've used glove box light maybe 2 time since its on only with the lights on.


Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App
 
#29 · (Edited)
Not sure about you experience, but it would take me less then 10 minutes to do the glovebox bulb. I think it's like 8 screws, not exactly a difficult task. I (in this thread)and others have posted instructions. The bulb does go on and off with the rest of the dash lights.
 
#32 ·
So I went ahead and did the glove box too! Pretty easy following above write up. Took me about 10 min. Thank you Westly for details. Need a better bulb as the angle isn't that great to reflect light.
 
#33 ·
I've been inspired by all LED mods I've seen in this forum, so I added this light.
I figure since I have the door panels removed, I might as well do whatever mods I can: I replaced the stock door speakers, replaced below-the-door light with LEDs I rigged up.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/52891333@N08/15638165425/

What this light looks like looking up from under the handle.
This little light is amazing, so bright for a little LED; I had to add a 1k ohm resistor to both limit the current and lengthen the life of the LED as well as to dim it down a bit.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/52891333@N08/15452225507/

Here's what I rigged up for under the door light to illuminate the ground when you open the door. That's before I was made aware of something called a COB LED by Westly197 in this forum. His version is brighter and involves less work. A COB LED is a flat LED panel made up of multiple LEDs. I have bought and will use the COB LED on the other side of the door.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/52891333@N08/15005001694/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/52891333@N08/15626605682/

Next I will attempt to add the LED above the USB compartment or below the AC/heater controls. I have the 2.5S version so the light is currently not there, but I'm sure I rig up something.
 
#34 ·
The door led looks good. Let us know how the led above the USB goes. Nice work.
 
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