Numberplate Lights

[R0B]

I thought i would replace the bulbs with LEDs But the LED bulb only works on one side,Its as if one side is + earth and the other - earth.Anyone else had this..

[a1winchester]

Had a problem with an LED indicator light today but think it was the lamp holder.

I read on the CVC website that some LED bulbs need to be one way round so try turning 180 deg in the holder. Have you tried that? Or perhaps swap the feed wires round?

[R0B]

Tried turning the bulbs,no difference.Some cutting of wires and soldering next.

[carthago ian]

I fitted led lamps to the number plate lights ,worked perfect, the difference was amazing : went from yellowish to brilliant white

[R0B]

Did you have to alter the wiring?

[a1winchester]

Forgot to mention that I replaced my number plate bulbs too with no problem and as above the difference is literally brilliant. Indicators, stop lights, reversing lights, curtesy lights and rear fog also.
All I have to do now is the front side lights and main headlights. I am waiting for the main lights. They are on back order.

[carthago ian]

No : simply fitted the led's ... I got my with the Go Westy bundle , all the led's you could shake a stick at

[irishkeet]

No : simply fitted the led's ... I got my with the Go Westy bundle , all the led's you could shake a stick at

I also fitted LEDs cheap from fleabay and they work fine no messing with the wiring...

I found this link helpful with identifying led replacement bulbs that are very cheap on fleabay but for sale on various vw sites for a lot more....
http://t3wiki.org/wiki/LED_Lights

done the reverse, brake, number plate, tail-lights all for a fraction of the price of other places

[CovKid]

Agree. The only thing I would say, is I'm even more DIY than that as I prefer to calculate the resistors needed myself to reduce overdrive. A lot of 'off-the-shelf' replacement bulbs are being driven way too hard due to a poor resistor choice or bad design and therefore the failure rate can actually be higher than incandescent bulbs. Truth.

Put it this way, all the lights that I upgraded with 'commercial' replacements failed after 2-3 years (sometimes less), whereas the ones I built, and at least did the maths on, are still going strong. Brightness is one thing but its important to not overdrive them. They're ALL made in the far east even if rebranded, or retailed by others. I'm always particularly dubious about super-brights as there are way too many out there that are only that bright because they're being stressed to the absolute limit. The factories don't care - the sale is made, and those who end up with failed bulbs, generally don't kick up a fuss even if inconvenienced. They just buy another type, well, until that one fails too

Anyone who has had to negotiate with companies out there will know how quality control soon diminishes after the first batch and many of these LED bulbs are so badly designed in the first place. Just because something is modern and brighter doesn't make it better. Depends who actually made it. More expensive ones are no guarantee of better quality either. You can see why I opt to make my own.

Incidentally, theres enough room under tailgate opening lip to fix an LED strip. Worked for me and even easier to replace.

[boatbuilder]

Same here I glued a 100mm led strip up in the groove and did away with the crazy complicated array of multiple parts needed for the original setup.

Sent from my GT-I9195 using Tapatalk

[Sir Brixalot]

Forgot to mention that I replaced my number plate bulbs too with no problem and as above the difference is literally brilliant. Indicators, stop lights, reversing lights, curtesy lights and rear fog also.
All I have to do now is the front side lights and main headlights. I am waiting for the main lights. They are on back order.

I've just bought the relay upgrade for headlights on FB. I'm a bit dubious about its potential longevity. Can the headlight leds you've got on backorder
plug into original wiring and if so can you pop a link one here?
cheers

[a1winchester]

I've just bought the relay upgrade for headlights on FB. I'm a bit dubious about its potential longevity. Can the headlight leds you've got on backorder
plug into original wiring and if so can you pop a link one here?
cheers

They have arrived and are my project for today. They are from Campervan Culture. There is info on them plus video on their web site.http://campervanculture.com/shop/vw-t25 ... grade-kit/
The leds fit to the existing wiring and the old bulbs can be refitted afterwards.
I have square headlamps so there are 4 bulbs to replace. You have to drill a small access hole in the outer bulb holders and drill or file the inner ones for the spots, but the old bulbs will still fit.

[Sir Brixalot]

Looks easier than fitting the relay kit. Will hopefully put an end to the dip/beam/wiper problems I get from time to time. If you know the size of the cone drill can you let me know so i can order one without taking lights out. Thanks for the advice

[a1winchester]

Looks easier than fitting the relay kit. Will hopefully put an end to the dip/beam/wiper problems I get from time to time. If you know the size of the cone drill can you let me know so i can order one without taking lights out. Thanks for the advice

UPDATE
I managed to fit the front light LEDs today. It took most of the day because you don't just do the job in hand, you sort the rust on the lamp holders, paint the VW badge with chrome paint, polish the paintwork behind the grill while it's off, clean up the rubber seals at the back of the lamps, etc. etc.
Anyway, it was an easy job, and I just used a rat tail file to make the hole bigger for the spot LED. No need to buy a drill bit really.
The only problem I had was sticking one of the ballast units to the bodywork. One side stuck ok. The other side just didnt want to know.
I used contact spray liberally on all the lighting connections and didn't have to fiddle with them as the LEDs all worked first time.
Not sure if the lights will need the beams adjusting. I may take the van out this evening to see the improvement and assess the beam spread+

UPDATE +

Took the van out in the dark and the difference is astonishing. I think my main beam might be a bit high but otherwise all is good. Clocks go back in a couple of weeks so a timely upgrade I reckon.