Climate control knob upgrade

More than one person has had the above problem when installing new knobs. When I went to remove mine they didn't want to come off (besides the fan speed control knob which has a plastic shaft, it pulls of easily) and I didn't want to break the control panel.

What I did was simple:

1- drill an 1/8" hole in the center of the knobs being careful not to drill into shaft



2- Drill holes larger using a 1/4" drill bit



3- Spray penetrating oil in holes and let sit for at least 5 minutes (use a rag to prevent dripping onto console)



4- Gently wiggle knobs side to side and gently pull and push on knob

5- Knobs should now pull of fairly easy

It's really easy to remove the retaining clips on the factory knobs by inserting a small screwdriver into the drilled holes and pushing them through. I ended up drilling a hole in my fan control knob too for this reason.
Obviously I had no problem with ruining the factory knobs which I had already planned on throwing away.





AJT Design climate control knobs, shift knob and RKE Fob.

 

Man i hate the knobs in my 3rd gen

 

Why?

 

Its hard to tell what setting they’re on. The notch is hard to see

 

I know it is an old thread but I just found it out. So what I did is i got my knobs and used red tail light tape and this are the results. The color is pretty close to dashboard

 

I have seen a few in this thread who may have 2011 or older Tacoma and do not like the ugly yellowish color from the light behind A/C Control. Your fix is an interesting one and seems to work well.

However, here is the route I took: I bought these led’s off of Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KVXTVZ6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_FV5kEb4QJMFC1 and they have worked well for me. I’m sure this size could also be found in amber, red, etc. if thats what you’re looking for.

here are my results:

 

didn't like the round ones with chrome trim.....likin the ajt's much more

 

I like these better as well.. just not for the steep price for a piece of plastic. I’m cheap

 

Does anyone have their stock knobs they want get rid of? I have misplaced mine

 

cool look of the USB port in the black spacer under the AC vent. did you just drill out a hole for that? I suppose that routes behind to your head unit ?

 

I have mine if you still need some XD

 

Thanks, handy for thumb drive music. Yes, drilled hole for it. It comes from GROM Audio adapter that runs off back of oem hu and adds ipod/3.5mm aux & USB. ipod and aux cables ran to glovebox. Also running Rostra bluetooth that plugs into oem harness to add fon option over stereo for calls, music from memory card or iheart or whatever...........mixed/matched black face with silver buttons on oem 6 disc hu with 2012 volume/tuning knobs that light up different than just around outside like the round solid ones they come with.

 

My thing with these is that the setting indicator is pretty much invisible during the day. Had some but prefer the gnarly look of the AJT plus clearly marked day or night.

 

I just did my AJT knobs last weekend. So much better than stock

 

Do you know if they are selling these yet? I can't find anything on them.

 

cool but still likin the ajt better......more options, more fun

 

I dont have any clue. A lot changed when Covid hit so they may have shelved it for a bit.

 

Yeah, I just got mine in the mail yesterday. Prolly took ~2 wks since I purchased them for $7.50

 

Those AJT Design knobs though! Big upgrade in my opinion.