# Fitting replacement LED bulbs - HELP!!!



## trackerman (Aug 16, 2005)

I have bought 4 LED bulbs to replace the G4 Halogen bulbs in the spotlights above the bunks in our 2004 Autotrail Tracker EKS. I have been trying, unsuccessfully, most of the afternoon to open the spotlights to access the bulbs, but have only succeeded in breaking one of them (and I'm still none the wiser how to open them up correctly!).

The spotlights in question are approx. 3 in. in diameter, surface mounted, round, gold in colour, made of plastic, have an integral black on/off switch in the bottom rotating section which also has an opaque glass lens approx. 1.5 in. in diameter set at an angle. I have have looked in the CAK Tanks catalogue for a picture, but this particular item is not there.

My question is how do I get access to the bulbs without breaking any more of the spotlights? - there must be someone out there who has been through this exercise successfully!

 Stuart (frustrated of Cambridge)


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## 104477 (May 13, 2007)

Can you post a picture? There are so many types and ways of getting into them.
On ours we had to turn the face plate one quarter turn anti-clockwise, though some were very tight and getting a good grip was difficult.

Regards Rob.


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## mangothemadmonk (Aug 6, 2006)

I take it that they are the ones that are flush fitting?

I am wondering if these are the ones which have a couple of spring clips that when you shove the unit up into the hole the springs spring out to the sides and keep them tight to the surface. You have to over come the springs by gently but firmly pulling down on one side.

To remove the glass the gold bezel twists and the glass can then be removed and the bulb changed.

""THAT'S IF THESE ARE THE ONES I AM THINKING ABOUT""

I wouldn't like you to break anymore with duff info from me.

Would a trip to a caravan/motorhome dealer be the best and safest option?

Hope you get sorted.

Johnny F


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## trackerman (Aug 16, 2005)

Hi Mango & Rapiodrob - thanks for your replies. I have now found a picture of the lamp fitting on O'Leary's Motorhomes Online shop - model nos. SLS2100 & SLS2500. As you can see it is a surface mounted unit with a lower part that rotates approx. 90 deg.

Stuart


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## mangothemadmonk (Aug 6, 2006)

Well done Rob and glad you got sorted Stuart.

Johnny F


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## trackerman (Aug 16, 2005)

Actually Mango I'm not sorted - I've only found a picture of the lamp concerned, I've still not found how to get it apart!!!

By the way, what MG do you have? - mine's an 1977 BGT (yes, I know it's a rubber bumper, but that's all that I could afford at the time!).

Stuart


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## trackerman (Aug 16, 2005)

JohnsCrossMotorHomes - do any of your service staff recognise this spotlamp?

Stuart


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## geraldandannie (Jun 4, 2006)

Hi Stuart

Is it worth trying to detach the whole assembly from where they are mounted? Sometimes it's easier to work things out when it's out of situ.

Other than that, can't help I'm afraid. I've replaced some of ours, but they're a slightly different design.

Gerald


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## trackerman (Aug 16, 2005)

Thanks Gerald, but that's not possible as the lamp is screwed to the shelf whilst the lamp is in 2 parts, so no fixings are from above!

Stuart


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## mangothemadmonk (Aug 6, 2006)

Stuart, I just rung up O'Learys and he says you just flick the whole chrome or gold cover off. If you get a flat blade under the lip and tease it off it should come away. If the whole lamp comes away from the base there are two recesses which you can get a screw driver in and flick the cover off.

Very helpful chap at O'Learys.

Hope that helps.

Johnny F

ps MGB roadster 1977 rubber bumper cos thats all I could afford as well lol. BUT chrome bumper conversion is only £450 for full conversion through MGBhive surrey. My next big purchase :? :? :?


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## hilldweller (Mar 8, 2008)

mangothemadmonk said:


> ps MGB roadster 1977 rubber bumper cos thats all I could afford as well lol. BUT chrome bumper conversion is only £450 for full conversion through MGBhive surrey. My next big purchase :? :? :?


You are a very helpful person - above and beyond the call of duty !

My first car was an MG TC. Complete with brand new gold seal motor I paid £100 for it. Followed by a Triumph TR3A, also £100 if my memory is still firing on all cylinders. But I went as far as £350 for a TF.

Those were the days my friend, we thought they'd never end......


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## trackerman (Aug 16, 2005)

Mango (Johnny F) - very many thanks for your very valuable assistance (as hilldweller says - "above and beyond the call of duty"). I shall retreat to the m/home this afternoon armed with a small screwdriver and a large shot of courage! I'll let you know later how I get on.

Regards
Stuart


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## mangothemadmonk (Aug 6, 2006)

hilldweller said:


> My first car was an MG TC...


I bet you wish you still had it.

Hope you get sorted..... this time Stuart.

Johnny F


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## hilldweller (Mar 8, 2008)

mangothemadmonk said:


> hilldweller said:
> 
> 
> > My first car was an MG TC...
> ...


You bet, though the TR3A was the special one, my first ton up, totally legal, lovely growl but rotten as a rotten thing, just like the TC.


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## trackerman (Aug 16, 2005)

Mango (Johnny F) - the man from O'leary he know what he talking about! With great trepidation I took a small screwdriver to one of the spotlights and after several attempts (each with slightly greater force) the cover "snapped off" to allow access to change the bulb to one of my new LED's - reassembly also took several attempts (again each with slightly greater force).

Thanks again for your valuable assistance. We are off to SW Scotland for 2 weeks on Sunday so will see how we get on with the LED's as the evenings draw in. 

Stuart

PS My ideal MG would be an MGA, but my pocket isn't deep enough (nor my pension big enough!).


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## mangothemadmonk (Aug 6, 2006)

Glad I could help.

Have a great trip.

Johnny F


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## 114954 (Jul 30, 2008)

*Trouble changing bulbs?*

My light fittings are smaller diameter than yours, but her goes... Imediately against the glass lens is there a circular plastic piece? if so look at it very carefully and you may see it is not continuous. If a break can be seen take a pointed knife and lever one side of this split rim into the centre of the glass lens untill it can pass inside the end it butted against. By getting ready to catch the lens as it falls with one hand use the other to pull the loosened end of the split rim inwards and away from the lens. Good luck.
Thetruckers


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## trackerman (Aug 16, 2005)

Hi thetruckers - from you description it would appear that my fittings are different to yours, but thanks anyway. I was able to use the information kindly obtained and posted by Mango earlier to successfully disassemble the lights and fit the new bulbs.

Stuart


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## trackerman (Aug 16, 2005)

A 2 week tour of SW Scotland (soggy!!) meant that we've had chance to see if the replacemnt LED's live up to their reputation.

After reading the previous threads on the subject I decided that the Aten Lighting "6 bright LED's, warm white" were probably the ones for our applicatin and these were duly ordered via e-bay. The service from Aten was excellent.

I put 2 LED's in general lighting positions - one over the entrance door and one in the toilet compartment - and 2 in the over bed reading lights.

The 2 in the general lighting positions are "acceptable" (although they are certainly not as bright as the Halogens that they have replaced - perhaps would have been better with white rather than warm white), however those in the over bed reading lights were completely unacceptable and were quickly replaced by the original halogens (again due to the reduced level of light - in these positions I would require much brighter units if they are available).

So we have partially improved our lighting power consumption, but are still having to rely upon halogens for our main reading lights.

I hope that these comments are of some assistance to anyone who is contemlating the changeover to LED's.

Stuart


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## 92859 (May 1, 2005)

*LED's*

Greetings,

We have now changed all our main halogens for LED's, apart from the two in the luton which we do not use,

We bought 4 warm whites from GVL at the show in Lincoln which are very good, we bought two more from them at Pickering, we also bought three bright white ones from Alten but we think that the ones from GVL were marginally better.

I have put a fluorescent light each side in the rear storage area to replace the thirsty car bulbs and they give a much better even lighting.

We lasted 5 days at Pickering with the two batteries but we also used our microwave and charged the batteries of the mobility scooter, our solar panel for some reason was not charging but we still ended up with 11.9 volts on Tuesday morning.


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## Bobfiggis (Mar 30, 2008)

I'm surprised by Trackerman's experience.

I've changed the two small halogen reading lights over the table in my Hymer for the MR11 6 warm white LEDs and consider the light equally bright. 
I've also replaced the 4 x10w bulbs in the bathroom with a strip of LED's, again with equal, if not better illumination .

With all these lights on, 5amps has become 0.6amps - hardly a twitch on the ammeter needle and the battery can't thank me enough!


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## averhamdave (May 21, 2005)

I would agree about the light level being good.

I bought 2, warm white bulbs from Alten at Pickering to try and am very pleased with them. (should be I suppose at £8 each!) I would guess light level is as much as 30% greater than the 10w halogens they replaced.

I have, this week ordered a pack of 5 bulbs off e-bay from a Lincoln trader and he assures me that his 1w bulb emits the equivelent to that of a 15w halogen.

I should have them tomorrow so will let you know.


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## trackerman (Aug 16, 2005)

Bobfiggis & averhamdave

I can only report on *my* actual experience with the replacement LED's that I obtained form Aten, and will confirm that in the over bunk reading lamps they give an unacceptable light level compared with the halogens that they were supposed to replace.

Stuart


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## rolyk (Aug 24, 2007)

I've recently replaced the 10w G4 halogens with warm white leds from Aten Lighting. They are the new type which are advertised as the brightest and consist of four leds on a backplate. Nevertheless, whilst they give out a brightish light they are not as bright as the halogens and certainly not bright enough to confortably use for reading. But they only use 0.1amp as opposed to the 0.9amp of the halogen.

I used the type that had rear pins so that they would fit in the existing Autosleeper type lamp. But the pins were too short to reach the holder so I had to solder on some stiff fine wire extensions, which was not an easy job. Aten told me afterwards that they can supply them with longer pins! 

I managed to fit them in front of the reflector so that they looked better. This involved separating the reflector from the bezel and lighly glueing the glass to the bezel.

Here's a picture of one of them, unlit of course.


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## Bobfiggis (Mar 30, 2008)

Hello Trackerman

Apologies if you felt I was questioning your own experience - I merely wanted to contrast it with mine.

I had been a little sceptical as to whether the LED's would match the halogens, but considering that I even replaced the glass cover of the fitting over the LED unit, I was pleased with the result.

I suspect your reflectors are slightly larger than mine so perhaps you were accustomed to a brighter environment. I presume from your note that you have reverted to halogens?

Rolyk - I think only 4 LEDs would be disappointing for me as well. Unlike your fitting I had no problems with pin length, except that, as I chose to replace the glass, I had to put in 2mm of spacers to create the necessary gap.


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## averhamdave (May 21, 2005)

This is where I'm now at with LED bulbs:

As I said I bought two from the show from Alten. They are the 4 led type that ROLYK has fitted. These are the brighter of the two types Alten sell (the other being a 6 led type which emits less light).

I can categorically say they are brighter than the original 10w halogens fitted by Autotrail in my van. I would guess by 30%. I don't know if there are iffering light outputs from halogens, I suppose there may be and this could explain the discrepancy.

Downside was they are £8 each.

I have now bought and received from E-Bay, 5 off led lamps for just over £15 delivered. These each have 15 small yellow diodes.

I was told that the light output would equate to a 15w halogen. Well I have fitted 3 of them and can say that it doesn't! It is a pleasant warm light but I would guess about 75% as bright as the halogen. We think they are OK for where we have sited them but they would be unsuitable for reading from.

My van also has 4 off, recessed halogens fitted. I have took the cover off one and see it has a car sidelight type bulb (the little glass one as big as your fingernail) so I'll now try and source some led's for them.


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## havingfun (Oct 31, 2007)

*fitting replacement led bulbs*

hi,

nothing tenchnical,just my own opinion,we have a hobby,and its got 20 lights,yes 20,even one in the wardrobe...,and i have a bad habit of leaving lights on,and we wildcamp,not a good combination.,i used to be so bad with lights,a local taximan said,i know you,re house it,s lit up like blackpool illinations,reaction against not being allowed to go from one room to another without being shouted,switch that light off our margaret.

i digress,we bought lights frow america on ebay,lights from england on ebay,and special fitting ones from the show.some soft light, in the lounge area,which i personally like,we maybe have 2 on now instead of 1,but no eyestrain.bright lights over the cooker,vanity sink and toilet,and a combination in the others.

we also were at pickering for 5 days,and used heating etc,and lots of lights...,and bernard said we still had lots of power.

if you use hookup,and sites all the time,i would say it is a lot of money just for bulbs,about 90 pounds all in for us,but for peace of mind at shows etc,well worth it.

mags


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## 92859 (May 1, 2005)

*LED bulbs*

Greetings,

Just been down Hessle Road in Hull and they had some LED bulbs MR16 type for £4 each at Grattans catalogue shop.


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