Toyota Repair: 98 Toyota Corolla - Lighting & Side Air Bag Questions, side air bags, toyota corolla

Question
We just purchased a used 1998 Corolla LE.  We drove it at night for the first time last night.  When I got in, I realized that there was no light on the gear shift and the left half of the climate controls isn't illuminated.  I think I found the answer to how to get in to replace the bulbs, but was wondering if removing the console is something that should be left up to a professional.  

My second question is related to the air bag warning light.  Again, last night when I was driving the car, I noticed a small piece of electrical tape on the dash.  Today, I removed the tape and thought nothing of it.  Later, I noticed the airbag light flashing while we were driving.  According to the manual, this indicates the side air bags need to be serviced.  What does this entail usually?  Are side airbag repairs costly?  Could it just be a malfunction in the electrical system?  (The previous owner had an automatic starter installed a couple of years ago. Could that have interfered with something?)

Thanks.


Answer
the bulb in the shifter is tricky and you could break the shiftertrying to dissassemble. May be better to get smeone to do it.

the air bag light needs to have a code pulled from the system to determine where the fault lies.
Youll need a scan tool or have it scanned at a repair shop. Let me know what the code.The auto starter may or may not be the culpret.

Mike