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I was debating whether to change
the old filament bulbs in my dash gauges for modern LED equivalents. LED bulbs
produce less heat and are much brighter than their filament cousins. They also
can be fitted with no modification required to your vehicle - providing you
obtain the correct ones of course.
I decided to perform this upgrade when I found it increasingly difficult to tell if my main beams were on or off. The reason for this is due to the blue filter, which with age loses its translucency.
In addition I found that the
speedometer and tachometer were also quite faint at night, so these two were to
be replaced also. These are not bayonet fittings but a flat blade type fitment.
Two bulbs are required and these bulbs also illuminate the petrol gauge and the
water temperature gauge, if fitted.
It wasn't difficult at all to
order the correct bulbs I required first time. This was due to Gil Keane who
runs a company called 4Sight
automotive. Gil has been involved with classic cars for many years and was
very helpful and knowledgeable following a call which resulted in an order. He
also offers a complete money back guarantee if you're not happy with the
result. My requirement was that I didn’t want the light to be too harsh and I
think the result is quite good. Gil also advised that a blue light for the
main beam would make it less harsh.
The result, I can finally see my
gauges properly! One thing to note with LEDs, is that the dimmer knob becomes
redundant since LEDs run at a constant brightness, turning the dimmer knob
down will result in the LEDs not lighting up at all. Edit...I have since been informed that Gil can provide a rheostat that can be used in conjunction with LEDs.
