Who has done aftermarket dash and cluster lights?

an easy way to tell what your HVAC faceplate really looks like is to pull the knobs off (be careful not to lose the metal clip that always pulls out of the vent selector knob and push it back into the knob) once the knobs are off gently pry outward on the faceplate by sticking your key or screwdriver behind the holes for the knobs but be gentle and wiggle as you do so nothing breaks. then you will see that orange paint behind it

 

This^^ is the 98-00 style. 99.5-97 is all sliding controls, with the pull out cup holders just above the controls.

 

ahh, ok, thanks, its always good to have the most accurate info posted

 

Ok great ! Thanks for the links ! Ok so my faceplate is just like the original 01-04 plate pictured. So what would be the easiest way to acquire one of the correct plates, and would blue LEDs or incandescents work behind the new faceplate instead of the clear to make all lights blue -- ? I have a new stereo I'm going to replace the original with at the same time as all the bulbs, and it is blue as well. Thanks !

 

well I have one for sale but so far people want it for next to nothing and aren't willing to pay the $30 im asking for the white background faceplate and clear a/c & rec buttons.

once you install these you can put any color bulb you want and that's the color it will be but for some reason the blue section of the temp markings only shows up with white or nearly white bulbs.

I want $30 shipped for the face plate and buttons as a package deal. that's what I paid for them before I decided I wanted to replace the whole control to get the green LEDs for the buttons.

its now an extremely very hard to find item at salvage yards which is the only way to get them now and the price for it is very fair while admittedly not cheap.

the faceplate and buttons are in perfect condition and still look new

the faceplates sell new for $40 and the buttons cost $15 each new but the white background faceplate and clear buttons are discontinued and can no longer be ordered from the dealer so that's why the price is what it is.

if you or anyone is interested in the faceplate I have just PM me to exchange info

 

SOLD! the faceplate and buttons I had are now sold

 

Good deals! I had to get my face plate off some dude parting out his 4runner.

 

Man this is a hard decision. I want to go with green but and after reading most of this thread I saw it won't really look green once I'm finished with it due to the orange condoms.

 

You can go green on your dash no problem. The only issue you may have is if you have a 01+ because your climate control faceplate has orange on it. Only the climate control face will not be green.

 

as mike explained, the bulbs don't have condoms on 01-04 trucks, the faceplate that used to light up white, was added orange paint behind the white to make all the symbols glow orange, so there is no condom to remove or change. its the very very hard to find white faceplate only found on 01-02 4runners in the standard interior package because the limited editions and the sr5 editions had a different designed heat control.

 

Basically your saying I can put change my lights green on my dash without the color changing on me.

 

yes you can change the dash cluster with no problems but when it comes to the heater control, the 01-004 trucks are screwed because you can no longer buy a white faceplate to allow color changes.

several people change the heater bulbs and id does change the color, but it lights up a color that is coming through and orange tinted paint so its "off" color, not the color the bulb was.

 

Thanks for your help hopefully when I do change my A/C controls it won't make it much of a different, but I believe it will.

 

well I can tell you, if you put super bright whites in then it should be bright enough to look more like an antique white color then orange but opinions are subjective. I will say its not something you look at and think of orange right away, more like a dirty white.

what I didn't like was I tried colored lights they didn't light up the blue section of the temp markings so I went with the straight whites and they lit it all up nicely.

I did replace the faceplate with a white one but before I did, I put the orange faceplate on just to see what it looked like and I probably would have been happy with it if I hadnt already bought the white faceplate so I used it and the control stands out as the brightest thing in the truck at night. i think a regular standard brightness LED bulbs would have been a better choice then the super brights.

 

I guess I have no other choice than white LEDs. Not unless I can find and buy a white faceplate, which you said will be extremely hard to find.

 

hard to find, yes, but not impossible. might just have to keep looking and sooner or later you will find one pop up on ebay or watch for those pull your own parts salvage yards and watch for when and 01-02 4runners show up on their lot. so its a PITA to keep searching but you can find them if you don't give up.

try the super bright LEDs and see how it looks, I think you might like how little it still looks orange and I bet you decide you can be happy with it looking that way

 

I just need the front faceplate and that's it? And what kind of trim because I see a savage yard that has a base, limited, & SR5 on the 01 & 02 is the same thing.

 

I suggest you try to buy the whole control so you get the faceplate, buttons, knobs and green button LEDs.

you will need the buttons and the knobs too or they will still have the orange color so its best to just buy the whole control then sell yours, that way you get it all plus the button LEDs are green on the 4runner control.

I just checked and here is one: http://www.ebay.com/itm/01-02-TOYOT...ash=item280876580a:g:oIUAAOSwLqFV8dN0&vxp=mtr

and here is another: http://www.ebay.com/itm/01-02-Toyot...ash=item1a07f4714d:g:cXgAAOSwwbdWJos-&vxp=mtr

they go fast so if you want one I wouldn't wait, pick one and buy it.


the white control knobs are more available to find and here are some right now on ebay for $10 each http://www.ebay.com/itm/98-00-Toyot...ash=item2103d31895:g:i-UAAOSwVL1WCYF1&vxp=mtr

 

Man that's a lot of money for a faceplate. I will act on this soon if I can't find anything.

 

as I read it its the complete entire heater control you are buying so its a pretty fair price to be honest althought if I were to say what would be a good deal, I would say maybe $35

if all you want is the faceplate buttons and knobs they resell the control after you strip it bare. people who need a control to replace theirs often don't need all that other stuff anyway.