jrprich

Has anyone been successful in getting the OEM bulbs out of their vanity mirror sockets and replaced with LEDs?
I can't seem to get the OEM bulbs to come out.

Thanks,
Jim

oelarse

Yes , I have replaced mine with LEDs.

I removed the sun visors from the car first and then used a 1mm drillbit to push the bulbs out from the back of the socket .

jrprich

Thanks,
What size LED did you use?
Jim

oelarse

I ordered these LED's




Due to these LED's need correct polarity I recommend you to check the polarity before you put the sunvisors back in the car.
These photoes show how I did it .


Checking polarity

Gluing the pieces together

Ready for installing back in to the car

jrprich

Thanks for the detailed instructions!
Jim

FX VETTE

Hey Jim! You could also just pry the plastic lenses off with a very small flathead screwdriver, pinch some duct tape to the exposed portion of the bulb and just pull them up and out.

I’m using my phone and don’t have access to the photos I took when I did mine. I am not sure how to capture the link of the ones I bought off of fleabay, but you should be able to find them using the keywords below or maybe the link will work. They are bright white and I am happy with them -

4 x 6000k White T5 37 74 LED Visor Vanity Mirror Footwell Light Bulbs https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?m...2F321979787529

jrprich

Hey, thanks for the tip.
I will try your duct tape trick first!

Jim

helphos

I just replaced mine with LEDs. I glued shrink tubing over the bulb, then heated the shrink tube and waited a few minutes. Then pulled the tube and the bulb came out. This didnt work for all the bulbs so I put shrink tube on the tips of needle nose pliers (for grip) and pulled like hell. That worked.
This was mostly to reduce parasitic drain on my battery. The lights don't always go off when you close the vanity mirror. The LEDs are a lot brighter and 'newer' looking.

jrprich

I managed to break clean off one of my OEM bulbs while using needle nose pliers

So I have nothing left on that one to pull on..............ANY suggestions as to what to try next?

Thanks in advance,
Jim

RicRo

Your only alternative is to basically 'dig out' the remainder of the glass base that's still inside the socket. A slow tedious.... slow tedious... just a slow tedious process. Patience is the key and swear words really don't help or speed up with removing it. Actually did one yesterday evening, no lie... that is "dug out' the remainder of the glass base remaining after busting the OEM bulb with a pr. of duckbills. On a Good News note, I didn't even blow a fuse. If you do blow the fuse it's #2 fuse located at the passengers foot rest panel location.

I have a set of Snap On picks and one of them in that set has a slight twist at the end of it and pointed. Not a full curved (looped) end, but again, it basically has a 'twist' at the end of it and is pointed as mentioned. That one's the ticket for this job. It allows you to reach in at the the sides (L/H & R/H sides) of the bulb base (inside the white socket) and move the remaining glass base from side to side. And as you're making your way in to the sides of the base of the bulb, you're kind of pulling towards you as well with the slightly curved pointed end of the pick. And after multiple many times of going side-to-side with that curved tip pick and pulling towards you, the base loosened up to a point where it basically came out. A very joyous moment. The bulb contacts are at the top and the bottom of the white socket, so the side-to-side 'digging' shouldn't tamper with the contacts, and that's where the patience comes into play and a good light so to be able to see inside the white socket as you're 'digging' in there.

I use a 'miners' type LED light that is on an elastic headband with an adjustable click angle (a past Costco purchase), for literally a perfect aim of LED light into the white socket with the car sun visor tilted at just that perfect angle. That's the other ticket to this process, so to be able to see inside the white socket as you're 'digging' in there so to NOT tamper with the contacts inside the white socket. The right type pick is going to be your saving grace and the correct type of light (not having to hold in your hand) is the other piece of the puzzle. That's my success story with removing a broken sun visor vanity mirror bulb.

C5 2003 - Thanks.

Autoeng

Push out from behind like the 2nd post in thread???

jrprich

RicRo,
Thanks for the detailed process you used.
Jim

v6turbo87

I just spent the $145 and got a new set of visors off eBay last year. Much better then the floppy eared stock ones and the vanity lights are LED.

cmdrken1

If one wanted to eliminate the chance of a parasitic draw from the sun visor bulbs and never use them anyways could you just remove all the bulbs and be done with it?

*Same question for the hood light *