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custom90

Member Since: 21 Jan 2010
Location: South West, England.
Posts: 20472

Trailer LED lighting

Just trying to check others thoughts here but I want to go for LED trailer lighting.
7pin 12N electrics on mine only and don't really want to add 12S or 13 pin due to cost and the trailer is 12N wired too.
Anyway, my question is the LED indicators....
I know keeping the trailer light on dash when towing on the CAN system is a legal requirement so I will need resistors I am assuming.
I am currently running the LR relay for indicators but soon will be getting the RDX LED indicator relay.
It's pretty obvious with either relay that even if the RDX relay does work which it probably will as it should do, they mention in the description that the dash light will not work with a trailer on.
So this leaves me with one option and that is to fit resistors to the indicators either side, not ideally what I wanted but the positives of the LED lighting outweigh the negatives IMO.
I like quality LED lighting, it's just a pain that incorporating the fitting of them into vehicles isn't always that easy due to manufacturers design.
Quite happy and confident to hard wire in but the resistors are a bit annoying.
Thoughts?
I currently have these: http://www.aspoeck.at/index.php?inc1=30&am...eintnr=555
Looking to fit these:
http://www.towingandtrailers.com/trailer-p...h-fog.html
Superseal connectors seem the best idea for these along with rubber boots.
E marked too so all good there...
Thinking I might add a 3rd brake light too for good visibility, a single 380mm LED E marked strip.
The jist is the trailer light on dash would have issues detecting the indicators due to the low current, where as with incandescent lighting it does not.
With the LR relay with LED lighting fast flash might be an issue too much like trying to fit LED indicators to the LR without going for the RDX relay.
The RDX relay cures the LR fast flash indicator side of things and probably for the trailer too except the dash light for towing.
I bet VOSA / mr policeman would make a bee line to check for it's presence too so I won't risk not having it illuminated.

11th Apr 2014 10:45pm

willyj

Member Since: 23 Oct 2009
Location: Carmarthenshire
Posts: 189

2011 Defender 110 Puma 2.4 USW Stornoway Grey

Ive LED lights on my 18' flatbed and I dont have any problem with the flashing. Only thing is that the trailer indicator on the dash does not show, been told that if I changed to using LED on the defender with a proper relay it should all be back to normal, with the dash working properly.

Hope that helps?

12th Apr 2014 5:46am

grafty99

Member Since: 15 Aug 2012
Location: North Devon
Posts: 4787

I have just fitted an adjustable wipac led flasher relay to my 90. Works really well, you can adjust the sensitivity of the trailer warning light manually and it automatically senses the vehicle lighting load and sets the flash rate accordingly. I have mine setup for incandescent bulbs as all my trailers currently run them, but I think it has enough adjustment to cater for led trailer lights, although I don't have experience of this, even so with a couple of load resistors on the trailer it would be fine.

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1990 Vogue SE
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12th Apr 2014 7:07am

munch90

Member Since: 26 Oct 2013
Location: guildford
Posts: 3558

I tried the rdx flasher unit and found flash rate looked a bit slow , the adjustment as far as I know doesn't change the flash rate it changes the load setting so the trailer light on dash will work with led indicators on trailer , but have one trailer led and one normal bulbs , but anyway I never used it as found the flash rate bit slow looking (It was still within mot flash rate but I didn't like it ,looked like a old mini bi-metal flasher unit rate )

and yes it doesn't work with trailer led , I found you can adjust it down to work with trailer led but then its on without trailer connected , so not really much good

im sure legally you can have a buzzer or light , I fitted a buzzer at the back in speaker housing , works with led indicators fine

12th Apr 2014 7:23am

custom90

Member Since: 21 Jan 2010
Location: South West, England.
Posts: 20472

Copied from RDX:
Have you noticed when you indicate the trailer light may flash once even when you are not pulling a trailer, well most other normal cars do not put a trailer light on for one flash. Well ours puts the trailer light when you are actually pulling a trailer. When you are driving without the trailer and you indicate the little trailer light will not flash.

The trailer must be using incandescent bulbs or LED lamps with load resistors for the Trailer light to flash. It cannot detect trailers solely on LED lamps it will make them flash ok but will not flash the trailer light as the extra load is too little to detect.

12th Apr 2014 9:32am

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