halogen strip lights

[eric hobson]

Hi, can anyone offer any advice on the halogen strip lights in my Autotrail. These lights flicker on and off and are not really usable. Although the vehicle is less than two years old they are out of warranty. I have priced them with Autotrail at £38-00 plus VAT plus delivery. I am told that they are just bulbs and I should just pay up and replace them. As there are 6 units they are expensive bulbs. I do not know the cost of fitting if taken to a dealer and anyway I would undertake the fitting myself. The strips appear to be fitted to the underside of the units with double backed tape and will just peel off, although I cannot see as yet how they are plugged in. Any advice would be appreciated as would info from anyone who has had the problem with Autotrail as I am told I am the only Autotrail owner with this problem. :-(

[747]

Hi there,

 

Google LED strip lights and have a look at them instead. With a bit of basic know how, you can fit them into the existing fitting. They will use a lot less power than the Halogens.

 

Good luck.

[flicka]

eric hobson - 2010-03-24 2:53 PM

 

Hi, can anyone offer any advice on the halogen strip lights in my Autotrail. These lights flicker on and off and are not really usable. Although the vehicle is less than two years old they are out of warranty. I have priced them with Autotrail at £38-00 plus VAT plus delivery. I am told that they are just bulbs and I should just pay up and replace them. As there are 6 units they are expensive bulbs. I do not know the cost of fitting if taken to a dealer and anyway I would undertake the fitting myself. The strips appear to be fitted to the underside of the units with double backed tape and will just peel off, although I cannot see as yet how they are plugged in. Any advice would be appreciated as would info from anyone who has had the problem with Autotrail as I am told I am the only Autotrail owner with this problem. :-(

 

Hi Eric

From your description, "lights flicker" and "I am told I am the only Autotrail owner with this problem."

I would suspect a cable /connection fault. If the halogen's failed you would have no light. They are not like fluorescent's which can "flicker".

Once you have removed the double sided tape, there may be hidden screws or snaplock fittings to get them apart.

[flicka]

Hi Reic

Looking at Autotrail site for something else.

Noticed they have LED Striplights in the on-line shop.

http://www.autotrail-online.co.uk/index.php/specialoffers/orion-led-light-500mm-strip.html @ £10.99

http://www.autotrail-online.co.uk/index.php/specialoffers/orion-led-light-1mtr-strip.html @ £19.99

 

one may suit as replacement for your halogen.

[eric hobson]

Thanks for info. The lights I have are actually LED strips, sorry if I misled. I have contacted the manufacturers ( Labcraft ) who state that the lights were a bad batch and they have now changed manufacturer. The new lights carry a 3 year warranty instead of 1 year. The ones at present carried by Autotrail are apparently the old batch. To replace the two which are currently giving problems will cost £66-69. To replace the 8 units in my van will incur a cost of just short of £250-00. I am now weighing up my options. Thanks again for help. *-)

[Clive]

If you have "bad batch" formerly then you are in a negotiating position. So put it to Autotrail that as they have stated yours are from an "bad batch" they should offer you something a lot better than the deal currently on the table that is available to any punter.

Suggest that you offer to provide all the labour to replace them yourself if they provide the parts.

 

I would!

 

The publicity of such a result would do them no harm.

 

C.

 

 

[eric hobson]

Thanks Clive. Autotrail have not actually stated they are a bad batch. It was Labcraft the light suppliers but I will still put the question to Autotrail. Labcraft also state that Autotrail are not in possession of the new lights yet.

[Guest Tracker]

If you have an email from Labcraft why not send it to Autotrail with your thoughts politely put and asking for their help?

Maybe Autotrail will contact the sender at Labcraft for clarification and that might allow them to help you with some justification for their own needs?

[eric hobson]

I have spoken to the managing director at Autotrail after being unsuccessful with their parts department. He is going to contact Labcraft for their views. So far Autotrail parts have offered 33% discount on the lights. One is around £38-00 less 33% but is available at £19-99 on their website anyway. I will await the reply from Mr. Stuart Turpin ( managing director Autotrail ). I appreciate both sides of the argument ie: If Labcraft supplied a product with a fault ( albeit it didn,t manifest itself for some time ) and Autotrail have used these units in good faith giving the same 12mths warranty, but unfortunately I am piggy in the middle with neither side offering much of a solution.

[Brian Kirby]

Eric

If you bought the AT new from a dealer, it is the dealer who is legally liable for the early demise of the lamps.  Since they are expensive led units (for which you paid within the price of the AT), that should ordinarily last pretty much as long as your motorhome, their early failure is clear evidence of a fault.  Since Labcraft has admitted there was a defective batch, assuming yours can be identified as being part of that batch, there seems no scope for argument over the existence of the fault, or that it was present at the time you bought the motorhome.  That makes the dealer liable.

Labcraft could save themselves a lot of time and grief by, having admitted the fault, replacing the units directly to you free of all charges.  Autotrail could do likewise whether or not the units are under warranty, because I'd guess if you take the van back to your dealer and show him the Labcraft admission, he will have no legal option than to replace them, no doubt contra-charging AT for his time and materials, who in turn will no doubt contra-charge Labcraft etc.

I suggest you put your firmer, sterner, hat on, and start talking to first Labcraft about the wisdom of their stance and, if they are intransigent, switch to AT, and if they won't play, simply go back to the dealer and tell him you've tried all the others, who won't play, so will he please arrange to get the units fixed by whatever means he chooses.

If he says no, or that he is only prepared to do so if you meet the cost, or some part of the cost you find unacceptable, go and talk to Trading Standards and show them the admission by the manufacturer that the units are from a faulty batch.

I think you will then have two options.  You could elect to pay the dealer, with a view to taking him (not, note, any of the others) to the small claims court to recover your cost from him, or not to get the work carried out and take the dealer to court for the cost of replacement units.  However, be guided by TS on which route to follow. 

Before all else, however, be prepared to argue your case politely but firmly with Labcraft and AT, and finally if necessary with the dealer, and try to negotiate them into providing replacements, because if they will see sense and do the obvious it will be far easier for all concerned, and much cheaper for them.

[DJP]

I have an 08 Autotrail. I have had a replacement led unit replaced in the bathroom. Another replaced in the lounge. Both in January this year. A third LED has failed this weekend (different one again). They were/are being replaced under warranty. Bulbs are not covered under warranty. LED's (light emiting diodes) are not bulbs and are supposedly good for 1000's of hours use. That was my argument with the dealer. I won. (^)

[flicka]

Hi Eric

If you could post full details of the LED lights it may help others, as I suspect Autotrail are not the only manufacturer using this supplier.

 

 

[eric hobson]

Thanks for all comments. The MD of Autotrail came back to me as promised. He had spoken to Labcraft who gave him a different version of the converation with me. Unfortunately none of this is in writing. Autotrail withdrew the offer of 33% discount and told me I could buy on their web site or from their parts dept. at the same rates as anyone else. Initially when I queried the differential in price between their web site and their parts dept. I was told the parts on the web may be cheaper because they could be faulty. Once again this is purely my word against theirs. Why would I want to buy units which may well fail again in 12mths time? I was also told by Autotrail that and I quote " electrical fittings are fickle and can fail at any time, hence the warranty period" I will now try the dealers but don,t hold out much hope without the backing of Labcraft who are not going to place themselves in a difficult position with Autotrail or any other company they may supply to. Don,t want to go down the court road, life is too short. If I don,t get any satisfaction I will replace the lights from another source, maybe a different type and then point out to visitors to my van why they are different. Not the best solution but it will give a modicum of satisfaction. :-)

[Guest Tracker]

You could off course make AT aware of the unfavourable publicity and ask for their help as a matter of PR for them as much as customer satisfaction?

[flicka]

Tracker - 2010-03-30 2:05 PM

 

You could off course make AT aware of the unfavourable publicity and ask for their help as a matter of PR for them as much as customer satisfaction?

 

DITTO - Labcraft

[eric hobson]

Just an update on progress. I contacted the dealers who have not yet replied. I also sent an e-mail to Labcraft outlining the problems and the conversation I had with Autotrail. They replied promptly expressing regret re the problems I was having with their products and offered to replace them outside the warranty. They did not attempt to hide the fact they had had a faulty batch and were surprised about my comments regarding them talking to Autotrail as no-one recalled receiving such a call. Hopefully this will now resolve the matter and everyone is happy. With regard to the question about type of light for other motorhome manufacture, the fittings are Labcraft orion in 500mm or 1000mm sizes. As I said in an earlier posting Labcraft are now in the process of replacing this model. The new ones will have a 2yr warranty. They also will have one with a 3yr warranty but I haven,t gone into why this is, presumably it is a higher spec. unit.

Once again thanks for all help and comments,hope I can now put this to bed.

[Guest Tracker]

Three cheers for Labcraft!

 

In the future whenever I need a lighting product I will certainly favour those from Labcraft even if they might - or might not - cost a bit more!

[flicka]

I agree with Tracker, lets hope someone at Autotrail is monitoring this thread.

Nothing better than a supplier acknowledging a problem and resolving the issue. Does wonders for their reputation and future business.

[eric hobson]

I have now received 3 led strips from Lab-craft and fitted them. I believe they are the new fittings with less led,s. On my motorhome(Autotrail Arapaho) the lights are connected with spade fittings in the overhead cupboards. It is relatively simple to remove the base shelf and plastic cover, disconnect the spades and reconnect in the same way. You will have to fit the relevant spade connectors to the led units. Sorry if this appears to be condescending to some but if it helps someone with only a little DIY skills then good. I did find out when I removed the diffuser on the light in the kitchen that it was made up of two units (1x500mm/1x1000mm) but didn,t think it was required so just fitted the 1000mm.I then capped off the 2nd connection. This is quite adequate for us but may not be for others. I have sent a mail to Lab-craft to thank them for their prompt attention. Likewise I have sent a mail to Auto-trail along with the original mail from Lab-craft. I await their reply. It is now 11 days since I contacted the dealers but they still have not had the courtesy to reply. Hope this is of interest and apologies for being long winded. :$