MINI2

joegarrelli · Feb 7th, 2003, 03:23 PM

Does anyone have any experience with removing, or at least know how to remove the needles from the gauges in their MINI? I am changing my interior illumination from amber to blue and I need to remove the needles to get at the LEDs beneath the gauge faces. I tried to lift up on the needles but they didn't seem to want to release very easily.

chiph · Feb 7th, 2003, 08:40 PM

Google found a couple of pages on needle removal, but one (important!) unknown is whether the MINI's needle is press-fit or threaded.

If press-fit, take a look at:
http://www.linkline.com/personal/dba...tefaceinstall/

If threaded, you'll need to find a way to hold the shaft without damaging it while you unthread the needle (warning: possible left-hand thread!)

BTW, if you screw up, it's likely to be very expensive to replace. (but I'm sure you knew that!)

Chip H.

minizzin · Mar 2nd, 2003, 03:06 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by joegarrelli
Does anyone have any experience with removing, or at least know how to remove the needles from the gauges in their MINI? I am changing my interior illumination from amber to blue and I need to remove the needles to get at the LEDs beneath the gauge faces. I tried to lift up on the needles but they didn't seem to want to release very easily.

have you done this yet? id love to see pics of what it looks like

joegarrelli · Mar 2nd, 2003, 11:43 PM

Sorry the picture is kinda dark. If I use a flash you can't really see the blue. I'll post a better pic when I can. I'm still trying to change the heater controls to blue- its more difficult because the illumination is from bulbs shining through orange plastic. And just for the record, the needles on the gauges are pressed on and need to be carefully pryed off.

6f7 · Mar 3rd, 2003, 12:41 AM

SO COOL!

Is this difficult to do? Would you mind putting together a quick how-to or list of bulbs needed? I'm inspired to start taking taking things apart!

Any idea if it possible to do this to the stock stereo so it would match too?

noahe · Mar 3rd, 2003, 03:18 AM

That's really unique. Bound to be pretty-near one-of-a-kind, 'cause although I think it's really cool, I'm WAY too scared to go to the extreme of replacing every LED, especially since it means tearing out the dash.

Great job though... Looks kinda like the VW dash. I wonder what other variations might look nice? White LED's are neat, but run on 4.5v rather than the standard 3v.

Did your OEM orange LED's get destroyed in the process? Some people were looking for these orange LED's for custom stereo, radar and other installs, for example, swapping out the LED's on a HU for these exact orange ones, for the perfect match... Just a thought, maybe you could make someone really happy, or even get a few bucks for them.

mars31971 · Mar 3rd, 2003, 04:16 AM

Where did you get the supplies nessisary to do this project, and can you give some how to's.I think this looks awesome and would love to do it in my MCS.

joegarrelli · Mar 3rd, 2003, 04:32 AM

I'll post info on the blue LED swap soon. I have to finish some artwork before my deadline first.
-André

chiph · Mar 3rd, 2003, 01:23 PM

That's really cool, not only from an aesthetics point of view, but also from a practical viewpoint. One my concerns is that I'll miss one of the red "something is seriously wrong" lights because it's too close color-wise to the orange background. Switching to blue LEDs means that the contrast will be greater, and a red light will attract my attention that much sooner.

Chip H.

CooperSpeed13 · Mar 3rd, 2003, 04:05 PM

How exactly did you change the color???

ARitz · Mar 3rd, 2003, 07:55 PM

Looks great

I remember seeing a custom dash that had a gradient from blue to red on the speedometer as the MPH increased. That would be cool.

How does the blue affect your night vision since it's on the other side of the gradient? Supposedly red affects night vision the least (orange bing second

).

-Andrew

Romhog · Mar 5th, 2003, 10:48 AM

so is this blue dash for real or what. The thread is quiet.
Thanks

Nosdrovni · Mar 5th, 2003, 11:03 AM

this is awesome man

If this was an option kit I'd pay 100 upto 200€ for it for sure! I remember I was thinking when I ordered my MCS 'pitty the dash lighting aint blue' ..

C'mon MINI stuff & spares sites!! put a kit together !!

Cheap production costs, cheap parts, and a high cool-factor. You could make a good profit on these kits !! what are you waiting for

joegarrelli · Apr 15th, 2003, 10:35 PM

sorry for the wait everyone, here is some info about the LED swap-

If you can't solder very well you might want some help in doing the LED swap.
You will need roughly 50-60 LED's depending on if you are also changing the illumination on the toggle switch panel, sunroof switch, clock, etc. And incase you might damage any during soldering it would be good to have some spares. I found flat-top blue surface mount LED's at a couple of sites:
http://www.alliedelec.com/catalog/pf.asp?FN=479.pdf
and
https://www.netdisty.net/ds/smr10r3kh/default.asp
I used the AND6BB model from allied electronics- at 470nm it is a bright blue, the other model at 430nm is closer on the spctrum to blue-violet.
The tach is held with 2 T-25 torx screws from behind. remove the tach and then pull off the dash piece behind it(the piece with the rubber attached - there are 4 clips holding it in). Remove the 2 phillips screws on the back of the tach and then you can unclip the rest of the cover. You have to pry the needle off carefully(mine was held very tight and actually launched into the air when i pryed it off). *PAY ATTENTION TO THE POSITION OF THE NEEDLES BEFORE YOU REMOVE THEM* Once the needle comes off you can remove the gauge face and then you will have access to the LED's.
For the center dash cover you must remove the glovebox for access to the screw on the lower right side of the panel. The upper screws are right above the hazard and dimmer switches -all are T-20 torx. My dash panel had no screw on the lower left behind the drivers knee bolster, but yours might so check to be sure. Once the 3-4 screws are removed the panel just pulls away from the dash- it is held by 4 retaining clips. Now remove the 4 T-20 screws holding the speedo assembly to the dash and then disconnect the 2 plugs on the back of the panel. Now you can just unclip the cover for the panel and carefully pry off all 3 needles *REMEMBER TO PAY ATTENTION TO THE POSITION OF THE NEEDLES BEFORE REMOVAL*. You should be able to remove the speedo face now and gain access to the LED's.

joegarrelli · Apr 15th, 2003, 10:42 PM

this is the piece behind the tach to be unclipped

joegarrelli · Apr 15th, 2003, 10:45 PM

this is the center dash cover after removal - the little covers for the hazard and dimmer buttons pop off when you remove this panel

joegarrelli · Apr 15th, 2003, 10:47 PM

this is the whole speedo panel after removal

NYCguy · Apr 15th, 2003, 11:30 PM

That's quite ingenious! Thanks for posting all the info.

very mini · Apr 16th, 2003, 03:31 AM

sooooooo nice!

MINIDean · Apr 16th, 2003, 09:37 AM

How do you remove the top part of the dash?

Feb 7th, 2003, 03:23 PM	#1
joegarrelli MINI2 Newbie Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Hightstown, NJ Local Time: 01:46 PM Posts: 13 Offline	Help! Question about gauges Does anyone have any experience with removing, or at least know how to remove the needles from the gauges in their MINI? I am changing my interior illumination from amber to blue and I need to remove the needles to get at the LEDs beneath the gauge faces. I tried to lift up on the needles but they didn't seem to want to release very easily.

Feb 7th, 2003, 08:40 PM	#2 (permalink)
chiph Spectator Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Raleigh, NC Local Time: 02:46 PM Posts: 1,574 Offline	Google found a couple of pages on needle removal, but one (important!) unknown is whether the MINI's needle is press-fit or threaded. If press-fit, take a look at: http://www.linkline.com/personal/dba...tefaceinstall/ If threaded, you'll need to find a way to hold the shaft without damaging it while you unthread the needle (warning: possible left-hand thread!) BTW, if you screw up, it's likely to be very expensive to replace. (but I'm sure you knew that!) Chip H. ex-MINI Cooper S owner and all around good-guy

Mar 2nd, 2003, 03:06 PM	#3 (permalink)
minizzin MINI2 Regular Join Date: Jul 2002 Local Time: 06:46 PM Posts: 124 Offline	Re: Help! Question about gauges Quote: Originally posted by joegarrelli Does anyone have any experience with removing, or at least know how to remove the needles from the gauges in their MINI? I am changing my interior illumination from amber to blue and I need to remove the needles to get at the LEDs beneath the gauge faces. I tried to lift up on the needles but they didn't seem to want to release very easily. have you done this yet? id love to see pics of what it looks like i love my mini

Mar 2nd, 2003, 11:43 PM	#4 (permalink)
joegarrelli MINI2 Newbie Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Hightstown, NJ Local Time: 01:46 PM Posts: 13 Offline	Sorry the picture is kinda dark. If I use a flash you can't really see the blue. I'll post a better pic when I can. I'm still trying to change the heater controls to blue- its more difficult because the illumination is from bulbs shining through orange plastic. And just for the record, the needles on the gauges are pressed on and need to be carefully pryed off. Attached Thumbnails

Mar 3rd, 2003, 03:18 AM	#6 (permalink)
noahe MINI2 Master Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Toronto Local Time: 01:46 PM Posts: 1,639 Offline	That's really unique. Bound to be pretty-near one-of-a-kind, 'cause although I think it's really cool, I'm WAY too scared to go to the extreme of replacing every LED, especially since it means tearing out the dash. Great job though... Looks kinda like the VW dash. I wonder what other variations might look nice? White LED's are neat, but run on 4.5v rather than the standard 3v. Did your OEM orange LED's get destroyed in the process? Some people were looking for these orange LED's for custom stereo, radar and other installs, for example, swapping out the LED's on a HU for these exact orange ones, for the perfect match... Just a thought, maybe you could make someone really happy, or even get a few bucks for them. Chilli Red/White Cooper S, Sport Pack & Sunroof. Delivered June 12th, 2002! Now with MCS Winter Tire Package.

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Mar 3rd, 2003, 12:41 AM	#5 (permalink)
6f7 MINI2 Regular Join Date: Apr 2002 Local Time: 12:46 PM Posts: 264 Offline	SO COOL! Is this difficult to do? Would you mind putting together a quick how-to or list of bulbs needed? I'm inspired to start taking taking things apart! Any idea if it possible to do this to the stock stereo so it would match too?

Mar 3rd, 2003, 04:16 AM	#7 (permalink)
mars31971 MINI2 Newbie Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Aurora , Colorado Local Time: 12:46 PM Posts: 18 Offline	Where did you get the supplies nessisary to do this project, and can you give some how to's.I think this looks awesome and would love to do it in my MCS.

Mar 3rd, 2003, 04:32 AM	#8 (permalink)
joegarrelli MINI2 Newbie Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Hightstown, NJ Local Time: 01:46 PM Posts: 13 Offline	I'll post info on the blue LED swap soon. I have to finish some artwork before my deadline first. -André

Mar 3rd, 2003, 01:23 PM	#9 (permalink)
chiph Spectator Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Raleigh, NC Local Time: 02:46 PM Posts: 1,574 Offline	That's really cool, not only from an aesthetics point of view, but also from a practical viewpoint. One my concerns is that I'll miss one of the red "something is seriously wrong" lights because it's too close color-wise to the orange background. Switching to blue LEDs means that the contrast will be greater, and a red light will attract my attention that much sooner. Chip H. ex-MINI Cooper S owner and all around good-guy

Mar 3rd, 2003, 04:05 PM	#10 (permalink)
CooperSpeed13 MINI2 Regular Join Date: Mar 2003 Local Time: 02:46 PM Posts: 80 Offline	How exactly did you change the color??? CooperSpeed13

Mar 3rd, 2003, 07:55 PM	#11 (permalink)
ARitz MINI2 Regular Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Hudson,Ohio Local Time: 10:46 AM Posts: 193 Offline	Looks great I remember seeing a custom dash that had a gradient from blue to red on the speedometer as the MPH increased. That would be cool. How does the blue affect your night vision since it's on the other side of the gradient? Supposedly red affects night vision the least (orange bing second). -Andrew

Mar 5th, 2003, 10:48 AM	#12 (permalink)
Romhog My mini is my casket Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Dayton, Ohio Local Time: 01:46 PM Posts: 511 Offline	so is this blue dash for real or what. The thread is quiet. Thanks

Mar 5th, 2003, 11:03 AM	#13 (permalink)
Nosdrovni MINI2 Regular Join Date: Dec 2002 Local Time: 07:46 PM Posts: 266 Offline	this is awesome man If this was an option kit I'd pay 100 upto 200€ for it for sure! I remember I was thinking when I ordered my MCS 'pitty the dash lighting aint blue' .. C'mon MINI stuff & spares sites!! put a kit together !! Cheap production costs, cheap parts, and a high cool-factor. You could make a good profit on these kits !! what are you waiting for

Apr 15th, 2003, 10:35 PM	#14 (permalink)
joegarrelli MINI2 Newbie Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Hightstown, NJ Local Time: 01:46 PM Posts: 13 Offline	sorry for the wait everyone, here is some info about the LED swap- If you can't solder very well you might want some help in doing the LED swap. You will need roughly 50-60 LED's depending on if you are also changing the illumination on the toggle switch panel, sunroof switch, clock, etc. And incase you might damage any during soldering it would be good to have some spares. I found flat-top blue surface mount LED's at a couple of sites: http://www.alliedelec.com/catalog/pf.asp?FN=479.pdf and https://www.netdisty.net/ds/smr10r3kh/default.asp I used the AND6BB model from allied electronics- at 470nm it is a bright blue, the other model at 430nm is closer on the spctrum to blue-violet. The tach is held with 2 T-25 torx screws from behind. remove the tach and then pull off the dash piece behind it(the piece with the rubber attached - there are 4 clips holding it in). Remove the 2 phillips screws on the back of the tach and then you can unclip the rest of the cover. You have to pry the needle off carefully(mine was held very tight and actually launched into the air when i pryed it off). PAY ATTENTION TO THE POSITION OF THE NEEDLES BEFORE YOU REMOVE THEM Once the needle comes off you can remove the gauge face and then you will have access to the LED's. For the center dash cover you must remove the glovebox for access to the screw on the lower right side of the panel. The upper screws are right above the hazard and dimmer switches -all are T-20 torx. My dash panel had no screw on the lower left behind the drivers knee bolster, but yours might so check to be sure. Once the 3-4 screws are removed the panel just pulls away from the dash- it is held by 4 retaining clips. Now remove the 4 T-20 screws holding the speedo assembly to the dash and then disconnect the 2 plugs on the back of the panel. Now you can just unclip the cover for the panel and carefully pry off all 3 needles REMEMBER TO PAY ATTENTION TO THE POSITION OF THE NEEDLES BEFORE REMOVAL. You should be able to remove the speedo face now and gain access to the LED's.

Apr 15th, 2003, 10:42 PM	#15 (permalink)
joegarrelli MINI2 Newbie Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Hightstown, NJ Local Time: 01:46 PM Posts: 13 Offline	this is the piece behind the tach to be unclipped Attached Thumbnails

Apr 15th, 2003, 10:45 PM	#16 (permalink)
joegarrelli MINI2 Newbie Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Hightstown, NJ Local Time: 01:46 PM Posts: 13 Offline	this is the center dash cover after removal - the little covers for the hazard and dimmer buttons pop off when you remove this panel Attached Thumbnails

Apr 15th, 2003, 10:47 PM	#17 (permalink)
joegarrelli MINI2 Newbie Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Hightstown, NJ Local Time: 01:46 PM Posts: 13 Offline	this is the whole speedo panel after removal Attached Thumbnails

Apr 15th, 2003, 11:30 PM	#18 (permalink)
NYCguy MINI2 Regular Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: New York Local Time: 01:46 PM Posts: 200 Offline	That's quite ingenious! Thanks for posting all the info. '03 Cooper S

Apr 16th, 2003, 03:31 AM	#19 (permalink)
very mini MINI2 Regular Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Montreal, Quebec Local Time: 01:46 PM Posts: 123 Offline	sooooooo nice! MINI Cooper Feb'03 built

Apr 16th, 2003, 09:37 AM	#20 (permalink)
MINIDean MINI2 Regular Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Colorado Springs, CO Local Time: 11:46 AM Posts: 77 Offline	How do you remove the top part of the dash? MCS, DS/B, All Options and JCW!

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