RobPE

So here is my issue. The lights for my driver side climate hot/cold/auto only come on when I give it a firm tap. This started after I replaced the fun light the illuminates the gear box...no human fingers can pull that bulb - had to use tape...a rant for another time! So after I tap, they stay lit...but even if I don't move the car, the next time I try to turn them on, they need to be tapped again to work. I know when I removed the bow shaped trim to get to the gear box light, the drivers side trim was particularly difficult to remove, esp by the climate buttons, so I'm wondering if maybe I bent/warped the board or something with my pry tool. After reading some posts where folks had trouble with these lights, esp after changing a few, thought I'd see if anyone had similar issues and fixes before I just dive in again and change some bulbs, only to not solve the issue and risk further problems. My hope is that the bulbs simply got loose, but the chances of two bulbs getting loose at the same time seems slim. Also, since they are wedge lights, they lock in, so again, getting loose seems unlikely. Really thinking they got warped with the previous work I did. Also, when I changed the gear box light, that bulb too was not burned out - tap tap and it worked - but that bulb is a slide in vs wedge and think either from age or heat the wires from the bulb got thin and just weren't making constant contact...works perfectly fine since being replaced. Also coincidentally, the gear box light issue started to happen after I took the dash apart the first time to run mic/aux/usb cable from my cig lighter opening to the aftermarket bluetooth unit in the trunk. Part of me wants to just leave it alone and not risk bigger issues, but my OCD won't let me! :-) Seriously, my iPhone 6 blocks most of it anyway docked from the vent, but alas I still see a little of the dark at night! Anybody have any thoughts or ran into similar issues? If I do change, I plan to bite the bullet, spend the $50 and change all 10 bulbs around the screen. Thanks!

thoiboi

they could have worked themselves out, they're twist in wedge bulbs.

wusty23jd

I agree with thoiboi 110%. I have replaced almost all of my interior bulbs with LEDs, so I know your pain. After 6 months or so, two of my climate control lights flickered on an off, would stay on sometimes, and would not be on other times. I took the dash apart for a different project and alas, the bulbs had simply come loose. Those cheap plastic bulb housings can get warped if you twist too hard or if they're not OEM, sometimes the plastic housings just don't fit snug. I would start there first before you get too intense with your troubleshooting.

RobPE

Thanks guys! I can't explain why, but now they seem to be working perfectly fine for the last 5 days or so. Maybe my few perfectly placed whacks...or they just warped back into shape magically...so glad, at least for now, that I decided to just leave it alone for awhile...