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Gauge Color Change, Offical GB

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Matt R

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This is now the official GB for the gauge color change. Total is going to be $50. This will include:
  • Removal of green from stock gauges.
  • Paypal fees.
  • Shipping.
  • LED installation in color of your choice, in:

  1. Green
  2. Blue
  3. Red
  4. Orange/Amber
  5. White
  6. UV/Blacklight
Now your options on how this can be done:
  • You can remove your entire gauge cluster and send it to me.
  • You can remove the individual gauges and bulbs, and send them to me.
  • You can remove the gauge faces and bulbs, and send them to me.
Obviously, each has it's own issues and advantages. Shipping would be cheapest on the last option but the most work, and vis-versa on the first option.

I currently do not have any core clusters I can loan out, so sending me just the faces is your best bet. i can mail you a photocopy of the gauge faces to stick on temproarly if requested.

Instructions for gauge/face removal:

To remove the gauge cluster from the dash:

  • Pop out the Contour logo in the dash, and the defroster switch holder.
  • Unplug the multiplugs.
  • Remove the 5 screws holding the bezel in: one behind the defroster switch, 2 above the lexan cover, and 2 behind the Contour logo.
  • Remove the bezel, then unscrew the 5 screws holding the cluster in.
  • Unplug the 2 multiplugs and pull the cluster out.
To remove the gauges from the cluster:

  • You need to pop off the lexan cover by pushing on the 5 black plastic tabs holding it in. It takes a little while, but you'll get it. Keep pulling on the cover and pushing down the tabs with a screwdriver.
  • Remove the torx screws holding in the gauges. You can use a flathead screwdriver if you don't have a torx bolt, but be careful.
  • Pop out the gauges gently with a flathead screwdriver, starting with the speedo, then the tach, then the fuel and temp gauges.
To remove the gauge faces from the gauges:

  • Remove the needles with 2 spoons. Put one on each side and gently push up till they pop off. If you are careful, you won't have to recalibrate them.
  • Take a small screwdriver, or something very thin, and get it under the edge of the gauge face. Go around the entire edge carefully seperateing the glue.
  • Finally, VERY carefully peel the face up and off the plastic.
To remove the bulbs needed:

  • Any 5 bulbs will do. But you want to try to get the right ones. The best way to find them is twist a bulb out, and hold the cluster up to the light. See what is light up. If you send me the whole gauge cluster, I'll remove them for you and mark them with a Sharpie.
Please read the information in the interest thread for anything else: http://www.contour.org/ceg-vb/showthread.php?t=353

Pictures of my current gauges:
0917061925.jpg
0917061939.jpg


To make this more effective, please post your name and your color choice.

Payment instructions:

Paypal is robisc31@potsdam. I accept all forms of payment via Paypal.

I also will accept checks or money orders. Please add yourself to the list and PM me for my address.
___________________________________________________________________________________

This GB is much easier on everyone if you post and are DEFINATELY 100% in so I know the correct amount of LEDs to order. Any questions, please PM me, I will most likely be checking this multiple times daily.

Edit: Option 2 above changed. Forgot to add bulbs in that option.
 
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Could you list final prices for the other options? For example I'll be doing option 2, and I think that shipping the faces would be cheaper than shipping a whole cluster and there won't be any LED's involved.
 
hotdimmes said:
Could you list final prices for the other options? For example I'll be doing option 2, and I think that shipping the faces would be cheaper than shipping a whole cluster and there won't be any LED's involved.
Click to expand...


Sure. $40 for the full deal w/ the whole cluster. $37 for sending the gauges not in the cluster. $34 for just the faces. I was thinking of breaking down the charges like so:

LEDs: $2 each w/ shipping, so $10.
Shipping: $7 for the whole cluster, $5 just for the gauges, $2 for the faces (bubble envelope and cardboard).
Paypal/check fees: $3
Labor: $20 (very cheap considering it takes 3-4 hours to do this correctly).

So just figure out your own total, and add your name to the list. Example:

1. Matt R- gauge faces in red. $35.
2. Matt R- whole cluster, w/o LEDs. $30.


You are welcome to do the LEDs yourself by ordering them, but they will much cheaper this way since the shipping is a rip-off. Plus you don't have to deal with micro glass cuts from the bulbs. :laugh:
 
Sounds good. I'm gonna do a LED order real soon, so let me know ahead of time what color you want, if any. Even if you are going the 1 watt LED route I can throw them in an order and save you a few dollars. Same for anyone else on here that might just want LEDs. That is an option, to have me just install LEDs for you.
 
Where are you ordering LED's from? I'm going to be ordering a bunch of various kinds from superbrightleds to do the rest of the interior. If it would help you lower costs, by volume, I could just give you my order and have you send them back with the gauges.
 
I was going to order them from superbrightleds.com as well. But you will probably be ordering more than me. No one else is ordering any so far, and I wanted to get a few LEDs for my interior. Maybe I'll just have you throw my stuff in the order, and you can deduct the cost from the total from the gauges.
 
sure, that works too. I need to get around to making a parts list of what I need. PM me with whatever you'll need as well.
 
If I am understanding everything correctly. I will pull off my whole cluster pay for shipping to you. Paypal 40 dollars to you and you will put Blue leds in and ship it back to me. If I have this is correct I may need your address.
 
Troy00690 said:
If I am understanding everything correctly. I will pull off my whole cluster pay for shipping to you. Paypal 40 dollars to you and you will put Blue leds in and ship it back to me. If I have this is correct I may need your address.
Click to expand...

Yes, and remove the green film which makes doing a simple LED swap impossible. Let me know if you are interested.
 
This sounds super sexy. I would love to see some other color pictures when they are done. How long do you plan to do this GB? I wouldn't be able to take off my gauges until the next long weekend?

Also, do you plan to maybe expand to the HVAC and headlight switchs? If I change my gauges, I'd want to change those as well...


Lemmie know when you can, Cheers.
 
I don't have a set time this will end. The gauges take a few days each, so I'll be doing them individually as they are sent to me. I can't do HVACs because the material is so thin it just gets ruined when you try to scrape it, same w/ the headlight switches.
 
Trademark said:
do the needles light up at all? it's very hard to tell from the pics. they look really dark compared to the faces.
Click to expand...

They do, but they are much dimmer than stock. Too bad auiotour isn't here, we could ask him about putting LEDs behind the needles. Import Intelligence sells a kit for that for $70- for freaking 4 LEDs.
 
I'll be shipping my cluster on Monday hopefully. :cool:

I finally got my other cluster installed and calibrated so I can use something while you mod them.
 
PayPal payment just sent. Red LEDs please. PM me with your address so I can try and ship out tomorrow afternoon. :cool:

Also, would it be possible while you have everything apart to roll my odometer foward for me so I won't need to do it when I get it back?
 
What I can try to do is take one of the gauges I'm doing and hold up a blue piece of plastic behind it to show. I'm not doing any in blue currently. And yes, I can do the needles if requested. It would be a little extra, maybe another $5 for paint and stuff. I just don't have the means to recalibrate them, that would be up to you.
 
The only one I could really show is the SVT cluster I'm doing in red, and it won't look any different than the pics of my cluster above, FYI.
 
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