Wow. Dodge got me... fair and square. In all my years, I have NEVER, EVER seen something so blatantly stupid. Tonight was the equivalent of buying a garage door opener...without remotes.
Just to sum up this experience... it went something like this:
Sitting in my car the other night listening to music (yeah, there isnt an engine in it...dont ask...alcohol was involved) I noticed the Oil Pressure Gauge light was out. After flipping the lights on 19 or 20 times in my drunken stupor just to make SURE, I determined that it was...burned out.
So, OK fine... its a little light bulb, no biggie. LOL, if only I had known at that point. I head to Dodge a few days later (recovery time, ya know?) and order a complete set of bulbs. They come in, at about a buck a peice, its no big deal...hahahaha.
Tonight, the saga began. I pulled off the center trim sections, figuring you could access the side gauge cluster screws with them removed- AS THE MANUAL SAYS YOU CAN. Where is the manual writer so I can wring his neck... right after the engineer that is.
Whats this? Oh, the MAIN DASH is in the way of the left 3 screws. You have got to be kidding me. ugh... so, onto removing that section. start pulling it apart... HUH? The Steering column covers are in the way. Remove them. OK...coming out. NOT! The Knee Bolster is in the way. Remove that...after removing the two kick panels to get to that, that is. OK... back to coming out. Eh... wrong again. Rearview is in the way now. And this continues to include the other parts of the center console, various other tidbits in the dash, speakers covers... etc. Before I knew it, I was one step from just pulling off the damn steering wheel and pulling the whole dash out!
All of this over a $1.32 light bulb.
In conclusion, if you have a bulb burn out, you have four options:
1. Sell the car
2. Buy Nightvision
2. Take it to the dealer, and pray to whatever Gods you can get the names of that you wont end up with the speedometer in the glovebox
3. Suffer nobly, and take your chance spinning the wheel of fortune, or in this case... the wheel of potentially broken parts. However, do yourself a favor... REPLACE EVRYTHING WHILE YOU ARE IN THERE! There are 9 gauge lighting bulbs, 1 bulb for the LCD, and 6 bulbs for warning lights, etc. Plan on wasting full day on the nightmare..at least. And you may as well get cleaning while in there too...the amount of crap I found was insane, bugs, dirt, plastic filings- all kinds of neat stuff.
Just to sum up this experience... it went something like this:
Sitting in my car the other night listening to music (yeah, there isnt an engine in it...dont ask...alcohol was involved) I noticed the Oil Pressure Gauge light was out. After flipping the lights on 19 or 20 times in my drunken stupor just to make SURE, I determined that it was...burned out.
So, OK fine... its a little light bulb, no biggie. LOL, if only I had known at that point. I head to Dodge a few days later (recovery time, ya know?) and order a complete set of bulbs. They come in, at about a buck a peice, its no big deal...hahahaha.
Tonight, the saga began. I pulled off the center trim sections, figuring you could access the side gauge cluster screws with them removed- AS THE MANUAL SAYS YOU CAN. Where is the manual writer so I can wring his neck... right after the engineer that is.
Whats this? Oh, the MAIN DASH is in the way of the left 3 screws. You have got to be kidding me. ugh... so, onto removing that section. start pulling it apart... HUH? The Steering column covers are in the way. Remove them. OK...coming out. NOT! The Knee Bolster is in the way. Remove that...after removing the two kick panels to get to that, that is. OK... back to coming out. Eh... wrong again. Rearview is in the way now. And this continues to include the other parts of the center console, various other tidbits in the dash, speakers covers... etc. Before I knew it, I was one step from just pulling off the damn steering wheel and pulling the whole dash out!
All of this over a $1.32 light bulb.
In conclusion, if you have a bulb burn out, you have four options:
1. Sell the car
2. Buy Nightvision
2. Take it to the dealer, and pray to whatever Gods you can get the names of that you wont end up with the speedometer in the glovebox
3. Suffer nobly, and take your chance spinning the wheel of fortune, or in this case... the wheel of potentially broken parts. However, do yourself a favor... REPLACE EVRYTHING WHILE YOU ARE IN THERE! There are 9 gauge lighting bulbs, 1 bulb for the LCD, and 6 bulbs for warning lights, etc. Plan on wasting full day on the nightmare..at least. And you may as well get cleaning while in there too...the amount of crap I found was insane, bugs, dirt, plastic filings- all kinds of neat stuff.
