When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I will post pics and directions if it pays off. I was able to place a LED light behind the buttons however, the buttons are not transparent so the numbers will not be lighting up. I will have to wait till tonight to see if I get a glow around the buttons or what. There were 2 screws under the Enform and the front is merely held by push clips. Be careful pulling down on the front as the plastic is thin.
I have good news for the sunglass holder people. Lexus did a quick mod on the change over to the Enform system. The enform button is on a hinged panel that I believe can be replaced with the sunglass holder. Obviously this will not work if you still use Enform. You can not completely disconnect Enform, you would have to relocate the button up in the header. If you completely disconnect it she goes crazy, all kinds of lights come on and she tells you it is not connected and you need to go to the Dealer. Looks to me like all the areas for the spring clips etc to operate the sunglass holder were left, no new mold for that piece was made. So if you ordered the sunglass holder piece for the first production model you should be able to convert it. No guarantees on this and I have no intention of doing this myself since I don't wear sunglasses.
It's a sad day This should officially end the debate whether we can convert the overhead buttons to light up or not. It was a no go. The buttons are so close that no strong visible light comes out around them and of course the buttons do not illuminate. The light spilled over into the dome light area and gave it a soft glow but that was it. Lexus would have to modify the entire panel for this to happen so I doubt if we will see it on this generation.
I found it interest that there was so much room around the Enform/SOS button. That could have easily been placed elsewhere and retained the sunglass holder. Definitely a bad after thought.
Went to the Auto Show Friday and I was surprised that the new GS was not on display, big let down. Also, sat in an Audi A8 and it's homelink buttons were not lit. They did however have a LED lit band that wrapped around the overhead console to help illuminate it. What do you expect for twice the money.
A lame suggestion perhaps...but what about drilling small holes in each button. One in button 1, two in button 2, three in button 3. Small to not be seen by the casual observer in the daylight, but allows light to peek out. Smaller than the hole with the LED that lights the gear shift. I suppose each button has electronics in it that prevent drilling the hole. And suppose the "spilled" light in the dome area is objectionable. Never mind....
You could drill a hole through the buttons as they are hollow, look at pic. I am going to pull it all down today and remove it. I am not willing to drill holes in the buttons. Not worth the effort and since I use the center button I really don't have trouble finding it at night. I just thought it would look nicer to have them lit.
I found it interest that there was so much room around the Enform/SOS button. That could have easily been placed elsewhere and retained the sunglass holder. Definitely a bad after thought.
Went to the Auto Show Friday and I was surprised that the new GS was not on display, big let down. Also, sat in an Audi A8 and it's homelink buttons were not lit. They did however have a LED lit band that wrapped around the overhead console to help illuminate it. What do you expect for twice the money.
I would not drill any hole in your new car just for the homelink buttons. At first the buttons were hard to find in the dark, but after a while, we have all the button's position memorized. It really is not as big of a deal as some make it out to be.
That Enform PC board is so small that Lexus could have put it anywhere, they didnt need to take away the sunglass holder for that.
I agree G Man about the location of the Enform button. We certainly could have had both. However, the same holds true for the location of the heated/ventilated seat controls. They are really bad since you have to completely take your eyes off the road and look down and back to find them. These are just two issues, and there are others, of what I believe are poorly thought out control locations. I think that Lexus needs to find a new design team to address the ergonomics of cabin design.
It would be great if all we had to do was to purchase the sunglass holder and replace the Enform button. I really wonder if that is possible. I will try to look into that and if I find out anything useful, I will let everyone know.
I have a 2012 RX350, I find it hard to understand why Lexus didn't illuminate the upper control area (i.e. garage opener, sun roof and vent ,etc. At night its hard to find the right button. Everything else is lit up:
I question these decisions at time as well. There's a mix of LEDs and bulbs. Why? Some areas are missing little details like that. Maybe it's the Kaizen approach.
Germans do it the opposite way. They've put so many LEDs everywhere in my audi. There's even foot lighting for the rear seats.
Just spent a couple hours drilling holes in the overhead console buttons and planting amber LEDs for backlighting ... turning out great .... no more fumbling in the dark looking for the garage door button ...
WOW, TN7CON,, Im a fan,, Good thing for me I dont need to do it on My RX,,first of course i can never do it,, and i never use that garage door opener,, coz i dont have a garage, But thats super impressive .congrats !
Just spent a couple hours drilling holes in the overhead console buttons and planting amber LEDs for backlighting ... turning out great .... no more fumbling in the dark looking for the garage door button ...
Great job! This is going to be my next mod as I think it was huge miss on Lexus' part.
Q: At night time, how soft are these lights? They can be a distraction ... human eye keeps looking for lit-up stuff [peripheral vision when looking ahead] (unfortunately this is very subjective and I hope to get a unbiased answer)
Q: Did you tie the +12v to dimable instrument cluster supply? If yes what pin connector would that be (sorry I dont have the wiring diagram)?
Q: Which bulb would you recommend that blends with the existing lights?
Q: Can you please give us a night shot of the panel? I am interested to see if at night we simply see light sources or one can make out the pictograph on the button. I was thinking of single bulb from the center console shining light above on the full panel [unfortunately this setup would require spot lighting and many many other issues. So I like your solution but want to delve into it with as many knowns as possible].
Q: What hook up wires did you use? Hard to tell by the picture, but hopefully you used multi stranded instead of single core. since multi stranded have a flex, they work better in switch which moves.
Q: Any thoughts about going to 10 or 11 bulbs and hook then in series? The down side it if one goes nothing lights up.
Q: With the LEDs sticking through, the push force by finger will most likely go on the bulb. Are you glueing them in the hole?
Finally, Please do not think of my questions as dislike, they are simply there to help me address the obstacles I foresee and I really appreciate and thank you for leading the charge.
11-26-11, 01:12 PM
This should officially end the debate whether we can convert the overhead buttons to light up or not. It was a no go. The buttons are so close that no strong visible light comes out around them and of course the buttons do not illuminate. The light spilled over into the dome light area and gave it a soft glow but that was it. Lexus would have to modify the entire panel for this to happen so I doubt if we will see it on this generation.
