[Cobra617]

Folks,

Can anyone shed some light on how I can replace the bulbs in the headliner above the visor? I pulled the clear lens off. I popped the one bulb but it "fell" into the headliner. I used pliers to hold the other one while I removed it. But now, I have no idea how to get the new bulb on. Does the black outer part of the bulb housing detach from the headliner? (This is the only way I can think off to make this doable)

Thanks,

 

[KunoMochi]

Yes, supposedly the housing can be pried out from the side, where it has a keyed indentation that looks like a flat head screwdriver would go. It's just that for some reason it is ridiculously hard to remove. I know someone has pried it out before but even they said it was hell to pry out. lol

https://www.kioptima.com/vanity_lamp-762.html

 

[Cobra617]

I ended up trying it earlier today. The housing does come out. It was really difficult. I took a pic for future reference. This is the driver's side.

 

[KunoMochi]

One has to question: Why is it so ridiculously hard to pry off?? lol

 

[Cobra617]

One has to question: Why is it so ridiculously hard to pry off?? lol

Exactly. Part of my issue was not knowing which side to try and pry off. But even when I went to the 2nd side, it was still very tough.

 

[KunoMochi]

Wait, is the side clip metal? It's hard to make out from the picture in that guide. That would mean I won't have to worry too much about the clip breaking when I go try again.

 

[Cobra617]

Wait, is the side clip metal? It's hard to make out from the picture in that guide. That would mean I won't have to worry too much about the clip breaking when I go try again.

Yes, it is metal. And just to be clear it is on the side facing the door. (So driver's side is on the left, passenger side is on the right)
I had to really struggle to get the screwdriver up there to pop it out.

 

[K5iFound]

Post pics of the new lights 👍🏽

 

[Cobra617]

Hard to see what it actually looks like. But it is brighter and it is the same color temp as the other lights.

 

[emsguy4you]

What’s the bulb type???

 

[KunoMochi]

It's a festoon-type bulb, the ones that look like a fuse but with pointy ends. I can't remember the exact size of them but it's either a 28mm or 31mm size festoon bulb. It might be a very tight fit with the 31mm size bulb but if anything, you can adjust it by bending one of the ends a little to accommodate the size.

Going by what the previous Optima had on there, though, it's probably a 28mm. Both models actually use the same vanity light housing. Just to be on the safe side, I would take out the bulbs already in the car and measure the size first before choosing the size.

 

[YetisEverywhere]

This is great, nice photo too. Should be able to swap mine out today, just stick a 4140 into the side where the metal clip is and apply some pressure. I just used my vanity this weekend for the first time and was greeted with a yellow color, even though my package has the LED interior lighting upgrade 🤷🏼‍♂️