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CaliT5 - rear internal boot courtesy light lamp change to LED -

Phil Hall

Phil Hall

VIP Member
Messages
59
Location
Yateley,Hampshire
Vehicle
T5 SE 180
Just changed the bulb from the normal filament to an LED.
As an aside - boy does the old filament bulb get hot even though it’s only on for the 10 minutes.

Anyhow, my issue is that new LED bulb works fine until the 10 minute timer turns off the bulb.
The LED replacement flickers continually in a low intensity state in the off mode.

I guess it’s the 10 minute gate circuitary in the off state has sufficient current leakage to drive the LED in a low intensity state.

However, whatever, - has anybody any thoughts on how to cure this other than putting the old filament type back?

Thanks
 
I've just found the same thing and I think it's probably staying on dimly permanently. Did you find an answer Phil, or did you have to go back to the old bulb?
 
I changed my filament festoon bulb to LED.
Sometime ago now but it had some weird results, the first one blew straight away then I think the number plate lights came on or the footwell lights maybe. I then tried canbus/not canbus varieties but in the end went back to the original filament. (Which does get very hot very quickly.)
I also put LED bulbs in all the footwells but concluded the van will get what the van wants.
All back to how it was now. Considering a switch for the boot light maybe, perhaps and when I'm bored one sunny day.
 
Often when you change an incandescent bulb for a LED one you need to fit a resistor in line with the feed. This stops the flicker.

I changed the reversing lights on my Cali for LED ones with no issues. However, when I did the same on our Saab they flickered all of the time when not powered, even when the ignition was off and the car was locked. I think it was to do with the body module sending a sensing signal around the canbus system to indicate if a bulb has blown or not.

Also, a LED bulb is polarity sensitive whereas an incandescent bulb is not i.e. fitting the LED in the festoon holder the right way round is important as one side of the holder is +ve and the other is connected to -ve earth via the body of the vehicle.

So not quite a simple swap as maybe first thought.

Alan
 
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