I've had a few people ask me how I made my HVAC lights red, so I decided to write a quick how-to on the matter. The bulbs in the HVAC controls are #74 bulbs seated in a T1.5 adaptor and can be pulled directly out of the adapters without having to get behind the circuit board. I've found through trial and error that the majority of LED lights aren't really suited for this application as they are primarily forward firing and only light up small spots on of the dash. The best type of bulb for this application would be painted incandescent bulbs, size #74. I purchased mine from autolumination.com. Now to get down to business, start by removing your 3 control knobs by pulling them straight out towards you. Underneath the outer two knobs, you will see two screws, labeled #1 in the photos below, unscrew them and don't lose them. To remove the trim, grab the inside of the knobs and pull straight out towards you again, you will hear some clicking, try to pull it out evenly, the trim panel is held in by 4 clips on the side and inch below and above each corner. You may disconnect the radio if you like, but if you're like me and hate having to reset your clock, radio presents, and equalizer settings, just balance it carefully on your dash on top of a cloth. Next remove the four screws labeled #2 in the photos below, and remove the 3 black button thingamajigs and the clear diffuser(?). Now you have your bulbs in the open, pull them straight out, but take car not to squeeze to hard as they will break and then you'll have to pull out the adapter from behind and yadayada yada. Just don't break them. Once you have them out, put the new ones in, but wear rubber gloves whilst you're doing them if you want them to last longer. (Oil from your skin can remain on the bulb leading it to burn out quicker due to heat) Reverse the steps and you're done! Afterthoughts: The red bulbs can be a little bright as you can see from the little guys head on the air selection being brighter than the rest, the black piece of electrical tape I placed on the clear diffuser over the left side bulb seems to take care of that.
