Disclaimer: I assume no responsibility for any modifications you do on your car. If you don't feel comfortable working with automotive electrical wiring I suggest you let someone with some experience do these modifications. Laws in your country/state/region/ may not allow you to modify systems such as the lighting system on your car. Always check with your local authorities.

After I having the cool blue interior lighting in my VW Passat, it was a bit of a letdown going back in time to the ugly green lighting of the Toyota Sequoia. I was happy to discover that this could be changed easily by taking out the green light bulb covers that Toyota put in and replacing them with different ones.

I ordered both T1 and T1 3/4 bulb covers from McMaster-Carr.com because there are 2 different bulb sizes in the dash area. I ended up using only the T1 (smaller) size covers and putting them on all the bulbs. Bulb covers are available in amber, blue, green, red, or yellow. I ordered 2 packages (20) red and 2 packages (20) blue covers because I didn't know what I would prefer. 

I decided to go for red--like Audi . I wanted to convert all the interior lighting, but these ones were the easiest. Other bulbs are either LED or too much effort, so I'm going to leave it as it is. I'm happy with it.

The Final Results

Note: Some of these pictures below were taken with the lower dash panel under the steering wheel removed. It's simply held into place by four bolts and pulls right out. You'll need to disconnect the hood release on the left and the sensor socket on the right so that you can remove the entire panel from the vehicle.

Tools required: Philips screwdriver, 10 mm socket, 17 x T1 coloured bulb covers, (plus 1 homemade fixit -- see note) 

Driver's Side Foot Well (1 bulb)

Green bulb cover replaced with red

This bulb is located near the parking brake and was the easiest to change. The socket unscrews so that you can remove it from the holder. I peeled off the old green cover and put on the red one. The bulb is extra small (like the one for the key ring and the glove box) and I used a size T1 bulb cover.

Ignition Key Ring (1 bulb)

Remove the screw at the bottom

Replace the green bulb cover

This bulb was also easy to access. Once the panel under the steering wheel is removed, simply remove the screw at the bottom (circled in the picture) and the whole assembly comes out. I then unscrewed the bulb socket to get access to the bulb, removed the green (T1) cover and replaced it.

Gauge Cluster (5 bulbs)

Remove the trim

I wasn't sure how easy the gauge cluster would be to change, but it was surprisingly simple. First I removed the trim. It's held in by two screws at the top and some clips. I pulled the entire trim straight out. 

Remove four screws 

Once the trim is removed you will see four screws holding the entire gauge assembly. Remove the screws.

Behind the gauge cluster

I didn't bother disconnecting the wire socket in the back to remove the entire housing. I just wriggled it around and was able to get enough clearance to reach all the bulbs (5 in total). I apologize for the blurry image below, but at least you'll get an idea of what it looks like. The green bulbs were marked and labeled. I simply unscrewed the entire socket and replaced the bulb covers. Update: I found a diagram of the back of the "combination meter" (as Toyota calls it) and circled the bulb locations.

Gauge bulb

This is a picture of the bulb inside the bulb socket after it has been removed from the gauge cluster. It reminds me a little of Christmas lights sockets. You can see the green bulb cover. The bulbs behind the gauge are bigger than the other bulbs and match the T1 3/4 size bulb covers. However, with the larger, thicker bulb covers I thought the light was too dim so I stuck the smaller T1 bulb covers on instead. They look really tiny, but I was able to work them on--they were like tiny little condoms . Because they are stretched thinner, the light is brighter. I think it looks better. I found 5 bulbs all together. Two on the left, one near the left-center, and two on the right.

Gauge Cluster - The Results

With blue bulb covers vs. stock green

I tried the blue bulb covers first but the colour was really washed out and to my eyes it didn't really look that blue (more whitish). I wasn't anything like the blue that Volkswagen uses and it definitely wasn't what I had in mind.

With red bulb covers vs. stock green

This is a picture with the red bulb covers on one side. You can see how it compares to the stock green colour.

The final results

It's difficult to capture how it really looks with a digital camera, but I hope these pictures give you an idea. I really like the effect and the red colour is really easy on the eyes. I left all the indicator lights with their stock colours--although I'm thinking of changing the 4x4 indicator to red instead of green. The two pictures below show you the relative brightness of the gauge lights compared to the stock lighting.

Glove Box (1 bulb)

Glove box light

The glove box light is also relatively easy. There are two screws that hold the entire box in. Once I have removed them, I disconnected the plug for the light and took out the whole glove compartment. The bulb is in a socket with a hinged door. I removed the socket and took the pictures below. In stock format, there is no bulb cover at all. I added a red one (T1) to make it match the drivers' side. 

Glove box bulb socket

Bulb removed with red T1 bulb cover

Center Console (10 bulbs)

Getting behind the center console (integration panel) is also very easy. All you have to do is angle the vents upward and you will be able to see one screw above each vent. Remove the two screws and then pull the entire panel out by grabbing it by the screw holes. There are 5 clips that hold it in. You can remove the connectors, but I didn't (the first time).

You can access two of the bulbs without removing the back cover (shown above), but if you want to get the other 8, you have to remove 7 little screws around the edge. 

You can see all ten bulbs in this picture. The two bulbs with the blue sockets are for the climate control and even though they are marked as "BL" on the circuit board, they have green covers on them. (I wonder which Toyota cars have blue lighting?)

Center Console - The Results

At first, I'm wasn't satisfied with the way it looked....

Problem #1

• The part I liked least was the temperature control knob. Since the graphics are already coloured (red for hot, blue for cool) after changing the bulb cover, the red was really intense and the blue was a very dark purple that was hard to see. What I figured I would have to do was remove the cover altogether, and some how colour the word "TEMP" so that it showed red. I'm thought maybe some red lens repair tape might work but I wasn't patient enough to wait until I bought some.

The Fix

• I disconnected the integration panel and opened the back by removing the 7 screws (as described above).

• Then I removed the screws that held the circuit board and disconnected the plug for the two dial knobs.

• With the circuitry removed, the clear plastic light ring can be removed by carefully releasing three clips:

• Ghetto-fix #1: I took a red permanent marker and colour in the word TEMP directly on the plastic. But the tip on the marker I had was too thick to reach all the edges of the lettering. Plus I was worried that the red colour wouldn't be dark enough and could potentially fade in the long run.

• Ghetto-fix #2: I removed the ink with a cotton swab and a little alcohol (for the swab, not me--really) and started searching the hardware cupboard in my laundry room for something I could use instead. I found a plastic bag with red on it and cut out a little square and glued it over the letters with some Weldbond white glue. It dries clear and I'm not worried about heat because the bulb is located on the opposite side. Here's a picture of the tools I used and the resulting fix:

The Result

• The blue is clear, the red is intense, and the text matches. I thought the plastic might be too thick and make the letters too dark but I think it looks perfect.

Problem #2

• The lights on the individual buttons still light green when the button is pressed. Buttons like AUTO and A/C I use all the time so it would be nice if they would light up red. 

The Fix

• The problem is that these bulbs are actually coloured LEDs and I don't have the knowledge or skill to change them.

The Result

• I'll leave it the way it is.

Problem #3

• The cigarette lighter and the ashtray light are still green. 

The Fix

• What a nightmare. In order to remove the lower panel to get behind the cigarette lighter, you have to remove the front floor console (where the 4x4 shifter is). But before you can do that, you have to remove the center floor console. And in order to accomplish that, you have to make sure to remove the bolts that hold down the factory DVD player and the two screws that are hidden by the front seats. Only then can you remove the one hidden bolt at the bottom of the lower panel. Don't forget to take the glove box out, too!

• I couldn't figure out how to take the cigarette lighter out. There must be an easier way. It looked like it was attached to a separate little panel but I couldn't figure it out. Plus I couldn't tell where the light came from.

• There looked like a bulb socket (like for the key ring) above the ashtray, but I couldn't get it out. I think that this bulb probably controlled the ashtray and the cig lighter.

The Result

• Put everything back together the way it was. It's not worth the effort until I know more. I'm not sure if my wife would have been very impressed to see the Sequoia's guts open to the world, if she had happened to walk in during this procedure.

Problem #4

• Oh, yeah. The radio is still green. I just might have to start looking for an aftermarket system...with a navigation system and rear back-up camera .