michaelmorris Posted January 16, 2019 Share Posted January 16, 2019 I'm always on the look out for ideas to cheaply and easily improve our 2003 Elddis Autoquest 200. I'm very conscious that this may well be the only motorhome we can ever afford, so I'm a bit paranoid about minimising the risk of it getting damaged.. I've already fitted a reversing camera, which definitely reduces the risk of pragging it. The camera isn't hooked up to the reversing light, it is on constantly when the ignition is turned on. It struck me the other day that, because of the van's age, it doesn't have a high level brake light. Getting 12V to a high level brake light would be easy as I already have it nearby to power the reversing camera. However, running a signal cable from the existing brake lights all the way up to a high level brake light is going to be a right royal pain. Are there any (preferably cheap) after market LED strip brake lights that can be triggered via a wireless signal? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 Michael, A High Mounted Stop lamp does not necessarily have to be mounted high on your MH. The only legal requirements I am aware of are that it must be reasonably centrally placed (if only one) and that its Min Height must be no lower than the mandatory stop lamps. So you could mount it much lower down and not have the hassle of getting the wires up high. An added advantage is that it would then be at eye height for following car drivers rather than ten feet from the ground! Keith. PS And I have only ever seen hard wired lights which require a positive wire to the existing brake light and a ground to anywhere suitable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 Michael The ‘technical’ requirements relating to obligatory and optional stop-lamps are defined here http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1989/1796/schedule/12/made High level stop-lamps would fall into the ‘optional’ category, and it would appear that - provided that your motorhome met the ‘obligatory’ stop-lamps Number, Position and Visibility requirements (stated in Paragraphs 1, 2 and 3) - you could position any number of extra stop-lamps as long as they are ‘centralised’, with no stated maximum/minimum above-ground height restrictions. The high-level LED brake-light on my Hobby motorhome became problematical. The wiring to the light was inaccessible and, if I had chosen to replace the light, I would have a run a new cable from one of the low-level brake-lights into the interior of the motorhome, up the inside of the interior rear wall (carefully disguising the cable-run) and then through the wall to where the replacement brake-light would go. I echo Keith’s suggestion that - if you MUST add an extra stop-lamp - it would make sense to install it lower down where cabling to it should be simpler and its potential value would be better. (‘Wireless’ brake-lights are marketed, but aimed at motorbikers/cyclists. GOOGLE-search if you are interested.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pepe63xnotuse Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 Would a small,neat,colour-appropriate conduit tucked into the vertical corner of the van wall not be acceptable? Presumably there are overhead lockers,which would hide the horizontal run,and also the wire exiting from the lamp.? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted January 18, 2019 Share Posted January 18, 2019 That’s what I did when I fitted a reversing-camera to my Hobby motorhome - so to run cabling to a replacement high-level brake-light, I would have been able to exploit existing conduit. The attached photo is said to be of a 2003 Elddis Autoquest 200’s rear panel. I’m not sure what the two little (what look like) extra lights are for, but it appears that a 3rd brake-light could be fitted unobtrusively just below the rear window, or (perhaps even better) be fitted inside the motorhome so that the light shone through the window. (Obviousyl, if Michael’s motorhome has a rear-mounted bike-carrier, there would be restrictions as to where a lower-level 3rd brake-light could go.) One of the advertised pluses of an LED 3rd brake-light (which most are) is that they illuminate more rapidly than the bulb type, so rather than add an extra light, Michael might consider replacing his motorhome’s existing brake-light bulbs with LED equivalents. This action can cause problems when a motorhome has a CAN-bus wiring system, but should be OK for a 2003 Peugeot Boxer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chas Posted January 18, 2019 Share Posted January 18, 2019 Personally I do think that the fitting of a high level brake light is best fitted as high as possible. On busy motorways its good to be able to see brake lights coming on from a distance, and not being obscured by the tail gating fraternity behind the van. My van is the same type model as mentioned by the OP, but a 05 reg, I have thought of adding one to mine but have not got round to it as yet :$ but my course of action would be to get a connection off a rear brake light but use twin cable to make sure you have a good earth, bring it up via the bottom seating and running it up in the corner inside a white square small plastic cable conduit to the underside of the wall locker, although it could be seen you would notice it after a short while, then inside the lockers to a central van position before drilling a small hole through the wall, making sure to well seal that with suitable mastic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelmorris Posted January 18, 2019 Author Share Posted January 18, 2019 Thanks for the replies. It looks as though running a cable up from the rear break light is going to be the only option. I'll probably mount it either just above the reversing camera or just under the rear window (thanks for the latter idea). Shame that there doesn't appear to be a wireless trigger available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robinhood Posted January 18, 2019 Share Posted January 18, 2019 chas - 2019-01-18 9:21 AM ......and running it up in the corner inside a white square small plastic cable conduit...... I think I'd consider mini "quadrant" trunking. It looks quite neat in a corner, and you have an option of putting a "dummy" in the opposite corner to match up. The rounded profile would look much more like an original corner finisher. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted January 18, 2019 Share Posted January 18, 2019 I agree that the higher position would improve visibility to following traffic. As an aside, since LEDs have become more powerful, the higher mounting would reduce night-time dazzle to following drivers in static/slow-moving traffic. A higher mounting would also keep the brake light above the rear camera which, being permanently in use, would begin to suffer dazzle from a lower mounted brake light at night, possibly reducing its potential usefulness as a reversing aid when most needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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