Reference: 07-09 GT hatch mid-panel bulbs & access

[proDJtege]

I took apart my mid panel (which is easy as popping up the panel around the shifter and the cup-holder assembly, while your armrest compartment door is open) today to replace the LEDs eventually.
And so I took the liberty of marking down the area for anyone who needs the reference...
My car is a 2008.5 GT 2.3L hatch.

Here's the panel, pulled open, marked. Notice I already removed a grey housing around the clip that holds a bulb for the ring that lights up around the cig lighter.


The ashtray area under the cigarette lighter panel has a light in it too, which can be replaced with LED of course...
The grey 'A' shaped thing is held to the tray by a small plastic screw, which I removed to expose the bulb here..

Easier to see the difference here...


For reference, here's the bulbs, that plastic screw, and housings that are removed in order to get the bulbs out..
The smaller bulb with the dark plastic cover was from the cig-lighter ring. The other bulb is for the ashtray area.


The tiny bulbs are essentially #74.
I've ordered numerous possible replacements and will report back with findings.

[proDJtege]

Now that I received my order of replacement LEDs.. on with the install..

All the LEDs I bought for the mid-panel are either red or superwhite(aka cool white) #74 size.
Most of the ones I used are the 3x SMD LED fixtures which claim to have 360 degree output, instead of the claimed 120 degree output of the single LED/SMD alkternatives, which also give less light (lower lumens).

In some cases the single LED/SMD 120degree output fixtures could be ideal for pointing light at something rather than lighting an area or saturating an enclosure with reflectors, such as the exterior lights.

So here are the size comparisons of the LEDs to the original bulbs, and the trusty coin for reference..

reds


whites


Here's the white one for the tray area removed..


The red one for the tray area removed




And remember that the lighter ring needs a red LED to match the housing. I tried a white one and it looked horrible.


In daylight, here's the 3x SMD #74 in the tray, installed (output is excellent)


And for those like me that want the uniform red in the front mid panel, here's the tray with 3x SMD LED #74 installed..

also great output here.

white tray area with 3xSMD LED In daylight..


The same but the red one..


With the lights off, garage closed, here's the red 3x SMD LED in the tray (ooooo pretty)

[proDJtege]

Finally, before closing up the mid-panel, I spliced the wires that feed the lighter-ring LED and ran a wire about 2 feed long, back behind the tray area, underneath it, and beside the shifter, crossed opposite before the handbrake and up to the plastic that receives the cup-holder piece on the front of the arm-rest and taped down another 3xSMD superwhite LED to illuminate the arm-rest compartment.

From driver-side view


From above


I've always found an issue with not having light in this compartment at night. Problem solved.

[Zuluwun]

Awesome, thanks for taking the time to do this. I have to replace the bulb that illuminates the heated seat symbol (not the off/on indication) and I wasn't sure what the back of the panel would look like