As you may know, I've now purchased a 2013 passenger side sun visor that is complete with the factory lighted vanity mirror. So now needing to get power out to it, I've started research on how to best remove the 2011/2012 (2013 too?) interior lamp assembly from the car and have discovered a couple of interesting things.
The first will be most helpful to those of you who simply need to change out a bulb for whatever reason...the surround plastic is VERY soft. I even managed to mar mine with a nylon pry tool. On the plus side, I was able to massage the plastic back into place with the same tool (and a bit of help from my fingernail to finish things up).
If you are going to remove the lenses for ANY reason (the most logical being to replace a bulb), I recommend backing up whatever tool you'll be using with a thin piece of plastic, probably thinner than a credit card (it has to be thin otherwise you won't be able to get a tool in there too). I suspect what would probably work is your driver license or maybe one of those thin cards with just printing on it rather than embossing (my health insurance card is like this).
The lamp lens itself is held on with four clasps (rather like crab claws) that hook around posts. They look fairly easy to break if you don't pull the lens down straight, so try to take care. See the pictures in the how-to here:
http://www.paulstravelpictures.com/Nissan-Rogue-Map-Light-Bulbs-Replacement-Guide/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
This brings me to another observation - the same lamp/surround combo MAY* be used in other Nissan vehicles, including the 2008-2013 Rogue, the 2009-2013 Maxima; the 2009-2015 370Z, and the 2009-2015 Nissan GT-R (to name but a few), though I'm not sure about color options for all those vehicles.
*They all LOOK the same, but each appears to have a different part number. But I did confirm that the part number for the lenses is the same for all the models above.
The GT-R is interesting because they have different lenses available for it - clear plastic rather than frosted. The Nissan part numbers are 26432-JF00A (Left Side) and 26431-JF00A (Right Side). Available quite inexpensively from the online vendors (around $13 each if you shop carefully). A quick and easy way to make your LEAF interior look different. Write-up on the370Z.com:
http://www.the370z.com/diy-section-do-yourself/66150-diy-gtr-clear-lenses-install.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
It's also interesting to note that this lamp/surround combo can be found with an integrated factory sunroof switch. So if you ever fitted an aftermarket sunroof in your LEAF, you might be able to employ a lamp assembly with this switch for a nice finished look instead of trying to find a space for the aftermarket one. Some nice pics showing the lamp outfitted thusly here:
http://my7thgen.org/f57/how-install-interior-leds-63/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Then, for those of you who might be interested in adding a dash of contrast, the lamp for the 370Z is also available in black.
The first will be most helpful to those of you who simply need to change out a bulb for whatever reason...the surround plastic is VERY soft. I even managed to mar mine with a nylon pry tool. On the plus side, I was able to massage the plastic back into place with the same tool (and a bit of help from my fingernail to finish things up).
If you are going to remove the lenses for ANY reason (the most logical being to replace a bulb), I recommend backing up whatever tool you'll be using with a thin piece of plastic, probably thinner than a credit card (it has to be thin otherwise you won't be able to get a tool in there too). I suspect what would probably work is your driver license or maybe one of those thin cards with just printing on it rather than embossing (my health insurance card is like this).
The lamp lens itself is held on with four clasps (rather like crab claws) that hook around posts. They look fairly easy to break if you don't pull the lens down straight, so try to take care. See the pictures in the how-to here:
http://www.paulstravelpictures.com/Nissan-Rogue-Map-Light-Bulbs-Replacement-Guide/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
This brings me to another observation - the same lamp/surround combo MAY* be used in other Nissan vehicles, including the 2008-2013 Rogue, the 2009-2013 Maxima; the 2009-2015 370Z, and the 2009-2015 Nissan GT-R (to name but a few), though I'm not sure about color options for all those vehicles.
*They all LOOK the same, but each appears to have a different part number. But I did confirm that the part number for the lenses is the same for all the models above.
The GT-R is interesting because they have different lenses available for it - clear plastic rather than frosted. The Nissan part numbers are 26432-JF00A (Left Side) and 26431-JF00A (Right Side). Available quite inexpensively from the online vendors (around $13 each if you shop carefully). A quick and easy way to make your LEAF interior look different. Write-up on the370Z.com:
http://www.the370z.com/diy-section-do-yourself/66150-diy-gtr-clear-lenses-install.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
It's also interesting to note that this lamp/surround combo can be found with an integrated factory sunroof switch. So if you ever fitted an aftermarket sunroof in your LEAF, you might be able to employ a lamp assembly with this switch for a nice finished look instead of trying to find a space for the aftermarket one. Some nice pics showing the lamp outfitted thusly here:
http://my7thgen.org/f57/how-install-interior-leds-63/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Then, for those of you who might be interested in adding a dash of contrast, the lamp for the 370Z is also available in black.
