Tweeters/lights

[teh vxc wolfkid]

Hey everyone first post is a question on my freshly acquired 1999 ES300. One tweeter grate is rusted up and I'm afraid to pop it off without asking how. Second stupid (but annoying at night) aesthetic question; how do you replace console bulbs for seatwarmers and such? At least a quarter of my green lights are shot.

[gbhrps]

Its been too many years since my last ES (a 97, same body generation as your 99) to remember specifically where the tweeters are located. They're either on the A pillar, on the inside triangular finisher over the door mirror, or part of the lower door inner panel.

If on the A pillar, you'll need to pull the A pillar finisher to be able to remove the tweeter grill from the finisher. Do so gingerly to avoid breaking any clips, and be careful not to pull the finisher too far from the windshield before reaching in behind it to disconnect the wiring connector to the tweeter.

If the tweeter is in the triangular finisher over the inside mounting position of the outside door mirror, it simply pries off if no visible fasteners can be seen. Again, be careful not to pull the finisher too far off before reaching in behind to disconnect the tweeter wiring.

If the tweeter is part of the lower inner door panel, the inner door panel must come off before you can disconnect the grill from the panel. In this case the tweeter usually will stay in the door itself and no wiring need be disconnected. Usually the speaker grill can be disconnected from the inner door panel after the panel has been removed from the door, usually with screws. In some cases the manufacturer plastic welds the grill surround to the door panel and it cannot be removed. In this case, you'll have to surface prep the grill (to remove the visible rust) and then mask the entire inner door panel before you try a rattle can paint job on the grill.

I've done many of these types of fixes at the antique auto restoration shop where I work, and they are fairly simple DIYers. If you need specific steps to follow to remove the inner door panel, or the paint prep explained any further, get back to us and I'll do my best to help. Good Luck!

[gbhrps]

Duh! I didn't answer your second question.

I've replaced the switch light bulbs and console light bulbs on many vehicles, but not on any of the Lexus models that I'ved owned over the years. Again, its fairly straight forward, if you take your time. Typically, Toyota dealers and the like, want you to replace the entire switch. But if you remove the switch from the dash or console, it usually is possible to take the switch apart, and replace just the one bulb that is burned out.

In the case of the seat heater, there are two bulbs, one to light the switch at night, and the other to indicate when its turned on. When taking the switch apart, be very careful not to lose any internal springs and electrical contacts that might fly out under compression (been there, done that). You'll usually find the bulbs are very tiny with 2 short pigtails that are wound around plastic holdowns within the switch body. These 12 volt mini bulbs, with about 2 two inch long wire pigtails, can be sourced from Radio Shack in a 2 bulb bubble pack for about $3.00. (I recently replaced some in my Subaru, again for the seat heater switch within the last year) Once you have them installed in the switch, you'll simply cut off the excess pigtail length that isn't required. Note: Toyota used to put a tiny green/blue condom onto the bulbs in order to cast the required hue when lit. You may have to remove the condom from the old bulb and install it on the new one. Newer cars have the green/blue hue installed on the switch viewing window, rather than on the bulb.

The switches can usually be pried out of the console top, using a very thin flat blade screwdriver (taped to prevent scratching the plastic). If this proves too risky, you'll have to take the console apart and either unscrew the switch from the bottom of the console or pop it up through the bottom of the console. With the console apart, you'll be able to access the shifter's lighting bulbs as well. Good Luck!

[teh vxc wolfkid]

Thanks for both answers. I've spent hours so far cleaning/polishing the car out of my mother's abuse and now I can attack some of these little things. I'll try tomorrow slow and easy like you said.

I might go crazy and replace them with dulled LED's and a resistor. Not sure about color though I'll test first.