Interior LED Units

[RMP]

I am about to replace a second led unit inside my Hymer. They know how to charge for spares and, of course, you can’t source them anywhere other than a dealership. In my case the 3 year old faulty units are in the roof window surround and emit a faint glimmer when switched on. Has anyone else had this issue or can shed any light on it?

[Derek Uzzell]

It might be useful to know which model of 2015 Hymer you own, just in case the issue you have is known to be model-specific.

 

(Do you know the make/model of the rooflight?)

[Robinhood]

I'm not sure how much Hymer propose charging you (presumably for the replacement 3-led "board" inside the unit) but if you are having repeated issues with the lights, then there are potential alternatives.

 

The "board" itself, may be peculiar to Hymer - but if it has a standard mount (most likely G4 side-pin - or possibly back-pin) then carefully sizing the unit should give the opportunity to source a (or 4 for consistency) replacement led from a reputable supplier such as Aten:

 

https://www.atenlighting.co.uk/3led-side-pin-g4.html

 

(The above shown simply as an example, not necessarily a guaranteed fit).

 

Alternatively, the site below:

 

https://www.led-powershop.de/

 

is a good, well-priced source of OE compatible led fitments and bulbs.

 

If you can't put aftermarket bulbs in your existing units, depending on price you could consider buying compatible fittings, and then specifying your own bulbs to suit.

 

I suspect the following may be the appropriate replacement units for the rooflight:

 

https://www.led-powershop.de/epages/62876046.sf/de_DE/?ObjectPath=/Shops/62876046/Products/1302

 

(but note, they are bulbless and you need to specify your choice).

 

(I have bought from here, and the service was good).

 

 

[RMP]

Thank you for your post, Derek. It’s a Hymer Exsis i578, 15 plate. The lamps are made by Dometic, but the serial number doesn’t exist in their catalogue. Inside the lamp are 3 led’s on a board, glued to a silvered dish. Robinhood’s post is helpful, as the link to

https://www.led-powershop.de/epages/62876046.sf/de_DE/?ObjectPath=/Shops/62876046/Products/1302

Shows the same casing but with a replaceable “bulb” inside. I,ve been quoted £34 for a Hymer original part.

 

[Derek Uzzell]

I've seen ‘bespoke’ Dometic-branded light-fittings in motorhomes that have never appeared in the Dometic catalogue and, when Dometic ceases production of light-fittings that have been in their catalogue (which has happened a lot) sourcing replacements can prove very difficult.

 

The webpage Robinhood provided a link to does say that four of the light-units were fitted to Hymer rooof windows and this other PowerShop webpage

 

https://www.led-powershop.de/epages/62876046.sf/de_DE/?ObjectPath=/Shops/62876046/Products/1106&ViewAction=ViewAccessory

 

mentions that the units were used in Hymer motorhomes and caravans.

 

Your present type of light-unit (with 3 LEDs on a pcb) is also advertised on the Powershop website

 

https://www.led-powershop.de/Produkte/Wohnmobiltechnik/Zubehoer/Einbaustrahler

 

but you’d be better off getting ones with replaceable LED ‘bulbs’.

[Robinhood]

...good spot that, Derek.

 

I only had chance to do a quick browse yesterday, and quickly found those with the replaceable bulb (the review of these shows someone complaining about the "fixed" type that has failed)..

 

As I said, many OE lights used in German (and other) 'vans are available there at prices well below those generally charged in the UK (even when delivery is taken into account - especially if buying more than one unit).

 

I bought a couple of spotlights at significantly lower price than they were available in the UK - specified my own choice of bulb (which also required special retainers), and, as they were fiddly units to install the bulb in, was delighted when they arrived having been fully installed at the shop!

 

The choice now is to order one or more of the originals in anticipation of further failure, or pre-empt the whole thing and buy four with replaceable bulbs (which allows one to choose both colour temperature and lighting intensity). I'd just check the sizing, which is subtly different to the "all-in-one" units, but certainly looks like it would still function (it shows a slightly smaller hole size requirement, but given the outer diameter and the fixing method are the same, it should be fine).

[747]

Robinhood - 2018-12-28 8:42 AM

 

...good spot that, Derek.

 

I only had chance to do a quick browse yesterday, and quickly found those with the replaceable bulb (the review of these shows someone complaining about the "fixed" type that has failed)..

 

As I said, many OE lights used in German (and other) 'vans are available there at prices well below those generally charged in the UK (even when delivery is taken into account - especially if buying more than one unit).

 

I bought a couple of spotlights at significantly lower price than they were available in the UK - specified my own choice of bulb (which also required special retainers), and, as they were fiddly units to install the bulb in, was delighted when they arrived having been fully installed at the shop!

 

The choice now is to order one or more of the originals in anticipation of further failure, or pre-empt the whole thing and buy four with replaceable bulbs (which allows one to choose both colour temperature and lighting intensity). I'd just check the sizing, which is subtly different to the "all-in-one" units, but certainly looks like it would still function (it shows a slightly smaller hole size requirement, but given the outer diameter and the fixing method are the same, it should be fine).

 

There is a very slim LED strip light in my Burstner. It was fitted when I agreed to buy the van but missing when I checked it several months later. No wonder the Dealer nicked it, even at Continental prices (I only found one supplier) it was around £75 for a replacement. 8-)

 

I checked the links above (thanks for posting them) but did not see my type. After nearly 5 years, I have learned to live without that light. :-(

[madmick]

There are four LED fittings within the plastic surround of the Hymer skylight. Ours ran extremely hot and eventually failed at around two years old (limited usage). The dealer watched me arrive clutching the failed units and had replacement lamps on his desk by the time I opened the door. Replaced under warranty... I think the retail price was around £13 each (self fitted).

 

And yes, our Hymer is a 2015 model (MLT).

 

I'll now attempt to put some pics with this post (old unit, new unit, and Dometic part nos).

[Derek Uzzell]

That light-unit and a chrome-surround version are both available through the (German) led-powershop website for €12.95 each

 

https://www.led-powershop.de/epages/62876046.sf/de_DE/?ObjectPath=/Shops/62876046/Products/1622

 

https://www.led-powershop.de/epages/62876046.sf/de_DE/?ObjectPath=/Shops/62876046/Products/1621

 

RMP has said that he was given a price of £34 by a Hymer dealership, which proves that it pays to shop around!

 

My Rapido has four Dometic L22TM reading lights and a while back I considered adding an extra pair. Then I found that the asking-price of a L22TM light from a Rapido dealership was around £45, which made me think again. Production of this Dometic light was apparently discontinued a couple of years ago, but I’ve now located a UK advertiser offering them at £24. This makes adding a couple more lights a more attractive proposition as the L22TM unit is attractive and nicely made - though replacing its LED bulb can cause some head-scratching and the need to use brute-force to remove the light from its plastic base is something I don’t much care for.

[Robinhood]

Derek Uzzell - 2018-12-29 9:20 AM

 

My Rapido has four Dometic L22TM reading lights.........

 

....which are also available at LED powershop......

 

https://www.led-powershop.de/epages/62876046.sf/de_DE/?ObjectPath=/Shops/62876046/Products/1536

 

(though not at your £24, especially as you would need to source/specify a bulb at additional cost).

 

The fact that you can specify your own bulb is one of the attractive things for me, though if you were matching up with existing lighting this might be less so).

 

It does, however, demonstrate the value of looking at this shop if you are seeking to match up older OE lamps.

[Derek Uzzell]

The Dometic L22TM product will normally be used for a reading-lamp when a good deal of it’s light output will need to be directed outwards through the open end of the glass shade, and this means that none of the LED bulbs suggested on the led-powershop webpage is likely to be suitable.

 

An L22TM normally comes with a 30mm-diameter (nominal) back-pin G4 ‘bulb’ with 10 LEDs (as shown on attached photo). It should be practicable to fit smaller-diameter back-pin G4 LED bulbs, or alternative 30mm-diameter bulbs claimed to have a higher light output, but the dimensions of the glass shade are the limiting factor where bulb diameter is concerned.

 

The 10-LED bulbs in my Rapido’s L22TMs lights have proved satisfactory for reading in the lounge and in bed, so, if I can buy this light-unit for £24 complete with a 10-LED bulb, there’s no real incentive for me to increase or reduce the light output.

 

The other thing is that fitting the LED bulb requires it to be inserted ‘blind’ down the inside of the glass shade so that the bulb’s pins can enter the connector at the shade’s base. The original bulbs have a couple of shortish metal protrusions poking out near the bulb’s centre (visible in the photo) and a pair of needle-nose pliers can be used to hold one of the protrusions firmly while the hidden pins are guided into their connectors. Installing a LED bulb that lacked the central sticking-out-bits would be tricky.