03 Corolla LED light upgrade - interior map light

Cheap upgrade PART II: Change 2003 Toyota Corolla interior map lights with bright, aftermarket LED light bulb.

Following up with Part I, where I replaced interior overhead dome light. It was a lot of fun and I loved the result. So it in only natural that I replace the map lights as well.

I went out and purchased a set of these 12V T10 5SMD (or SMD 5050) LED light bulbs. They are fairly inexpensive and come in sets of 4. You only need two, but you can keep the rest or put them in some where else.

Here is a close up of what the LED light bulb looks like

First, remove the clear plastic cover. It is pretty easy, I pried it off with just my finger nails. 

You will need a plier with long tip like the one shown below. These pliers are called "Needle Nose Plier" It will help you get into that tight space to pull & remove the factory light bulb 

This would be the "hardest" part. Carefully insert the plier into the tight space, gently wiggle and pull the factory light bulb out. You don't need apply a lot of force, but you do need to be careful. You really don't want broken glass in the socket.  

Stock light bulb compare to the LED light bulb

Insert the LED light bulb into the socket

Test if the light bulb lights up. If not, try pull it out, turn the metal contact on the end of bulb the other way (reverse) and try it again. 

LED vs the stock light bulb. Notice the difference, even in broad daylight! 

Put the plastic cover back

Looking good! 

The result was pretty awesome. I love the bright light, specially during the night. The natural white light is really easy on the eyes and they look great! 

Hope you like this upgrade. Next up: LED head light! Stay tuned! 

See Part I here

How to repair this, any suggestion?

One of the hinge on the door broke off, so I just took the whole thing out.

Anybody got any suggestion as what I can replace it with? Where to get the matching color & style? Or replace the entire center console with something else?

03 Corolla LED light upgrade - interior dome light

Cheap upgrade PART I: Change 2003 Toyota Corolla interior dome light to a bright, aftermarket LED light bulb.

The yellowish interior dome light is weak and depressing, so I want to brighten things up. I went ahead and bought the inexpensive 12V 31mm SMD LED Light Bulbs to replace the dome light.

It is pretty easy to remove the plastic cover of the dome light. I just use my finger nail to pry open the cover alone the edge.

Factory light bulb. 

It is pretty easy to remove the light bulb. First, slide the light bulb towards the "hook shape" metal spring to the other edge of the bulb comes free.  

Pull the light bulb out as the shown in the arrow. No tools needed! 

This is the factory light bulb. Don't throw it away, keep it somewhere safe. You might need it in the future for different applications, you never know. 

This is the 12V 31mm SMD LED Light Bulbs I bought online. They are fairly inexpensive, so I just bought a pair. After you see its cheap price, you might feel like buying more :D

Place the LED light bulb into the socket.

Let there be light! I love the white LED, looks awesome! 

The light bulb is really bright, I took this shot during day time and it still looks very nice. I will took another shot at night and you will see the difference. 

This is a cheap and useful upgrade. I am very happy with the result and wonder why I didn't do it sooner. 

Stay tuned for PART II, where I will upgrade the two map lights under the rear view mirror! 

See Part II here