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The lights on my Buick's dash are randomly going out.

2K views 14 replies 10 participants last post by  Stingroo 
#1 ·
I put this here since this is for the lesabre, but It is a great (and boring coma inducing snoozer) car. It just clocked 130K miles and I want to get at least another 100K out of it, cause I am a cheap bastid. So I am mildly annoyed that everyday I get in the car less and less lights on the dash and steering wheel controls light up. What's the deal? Is there a way to fix this without spending a boat load on new everything. I just replaced the HVAC control cause the one I had was not functioning. It was a used one and low and behold it has lights out just like the last one.

I don't want to replace the radio cause I have XM and I like my steering wheel controls. So what would you do. As far as the car goes it is mechanically sound, comfortable and now the airconditioning works again. This is just annoyance more than inconvenience.




^ Best pics I could get
 
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#3 ·
I've noticed this too about the early 2000s Buicks. The garage I use for the older Cads has an early 2000s PA as a shuttle car, and all the digital lighting in the radio and HVAC control are out, too. I don't know there's a way to fix it except to replace the digital readout elements.
 
#5 ·
One time I jerry rigged a dodge neon dashboard by dismantling it, finding which of the 48 (IIRC) terminals powered the dashboard and indicator panel lights and hardwiring it directly to a toggle switch. It is my understanding that several mechanics could not figure this problem out (neither these nor the headlamps worked) for several years answer the car could not be striven at night. It has been well over a year since I did that. Maybe two. Either way, I am told that they still work flawlessly.

Not sure if that applies here. Just a thought.
 
#9 ·
This sucks, I have no desire to get rid of this car over something like this, but I still think an 8 year old car should have all it's lights working. I have never replaced a bulb in the dash of the cadillac and they all work. I think we have come a long ways backwards here in 30 years. I would at least replace the radio with a rebuilt one (the presets and the display are all that light up at night), but I hate that I have to pay a dealer to program it to my car. This Theftlock is crap. I was in my youth when people still stole car radios and I never heard of a black market for stolen stock radios.
 
#10 ·
HAZZARDJOHN said:
This sucks, I have no desire to get rid of this car over something like this, but I still think an 8 year old car should have all it's lights working. I have never replaced a bulb in the dash of the cadillac and they all work. I think we have come a long ways backwards here in 30 years. I would at least replace the radio with a rebuilt one (the presets and the display are all that light up at night), but I hate that I have to pay a dealer to program it to my car. This Theftlock is crap. I was in my youth when people still stole car radios and I never heard of a black market for stolen stock radios.
You only have to have it reprogrammed if theftlock is turned on (99% of people don't bother with it)
 
#12 ·
All 2003+ theft lock radios are tied to the vehicles VIN. As in without being programmed it will only work with the car it came in. There is a ******* fix you can find on YouTube, but I'm not comfortable with it. Dealer want 200 to program it here if I brought in my own radio.
 
#11 ·
My 99 Park Avenue light didn't last much more than 100k either. Crap desgn considering it was top of the line.
My hvac control took a dump so I replaced used also, those lights have gone out over the years too. I did pop it apart once and they could be changed IIRC. The steering wheel control button lights can fairly easily be changed. Radio lights are just soldered in, so would be easy to do those if you just want to replace. If you want to do LED's gonna be much more complicated.
 
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