Can anybody help me with LED bulbs?

[Igurisu]

First thing, not for my CLK, for the good lady's MX5.

The illumination that is behind the heater panel is very poor in the dark. The bulbs used are a T5/286, but I have no idea how this notation works. I guess it refers to a fit/size and brightness or wattage.

My question is does anybody know what I would look for if I wanted a brighter LED?

Sorry for being a bit vague but this really isn't a subject I know anything about.

 

[jefrs]

The 286 is a part number which would be a 12V 1.2W "wedge" bulb
Alternative is a 284 12V 2.3W same fitting but brighter. Halfords use these p/n.
Little push-fit dash light glass envelope bulb goes into a tiny bayonet mounting.
Car Bulbs, Headlight Bulbs, Wiper blades, headlamp bulbs, Xenon Bulbs: Autobulbs Direct Ltd

Not a LED since they usually dim with the dash (also used there on MB)

You can get LED types but they won't dim the same way, nor are they as bright as incandescent. LED are available in other colours

 

[Igurisu]

Thanks jefrs, is swapping out for the 284 likely to cause any power draw or fuse problems in the dash?

 

[andy27168]

Hi,
Something you also might want to consider is the extra heat of the higher wattage bulb might damage the surrounding plastics.
It might just be worth replacing like for like intially as the bulbs could of blackened over time effecting their brightness.
Had a similar issue with the dash lights of one of my 2.8i Capri's I had years ago, dash lights were so dim that they were unusable, replaced all the illumination bulbs as everyone of them had blackened pretty badly, after the illumination was markedly improved.