The Lotus Grand Tourers

The mirror tiles are self adhesive and easy to work with and quite pliable if you need to know

I third the use of LED bulbs, I've just fitted the ones in this link:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01 ... UTF8&psc=1

The difference is tremendous, my rear lights were dim enough to be difficult to see in daylight (although still ok to pass an MOT last month) but the LED bulbs are much more in line with modern lights.

I'm off to research front sidelight replacements now...

Bagpussawake wrote:........

I'm off to research front sidelight replacements now...

Crappy £3.50 LEDs replaced with high end £7.00 units http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/261480761633? ... 1423.l2649

If you replace the rear lenses with new or clean them thoroughly as some have done using the dishwasher then lights will be 10X brighter using standard bulbs. Its not the bulb that's the problem it's the old lenses.

Mark.

marky wrote:If you replace the rear lenses with new or clean them thoroughly as some have done using the dishwasher then lights will be 10X brighter using standard bulbs. Its not the bulb that's the problem it's the old lenses.

Mark.

I would expect a dishwasher to to remove the silvering, but having seen new units on Gracie's car at the NEC they are definitely 10x brighter.

marky wrote:If you replace the rear lenses with new or clean them thoroughly as some have done using the dishwasher then lights will be 10X brighter using standard bulbs. Its not the bulb that's the problem it's the old lenses.

Mark.

I agree that the bulb is probably not really the main problem. On my car the light lenses looked pretty clean though and I suspect the main issue with mine would be voltage drop across the various 31 year old electrical connections from the battery to the bulb and then to ground.

Much simpler for me (and less chance of me breaking something else!) to switch to LED bulbs that draw less current and operate at the same brightness over a range of voltages rather than to dig around in aged wiring trying to clean up all the contacts!

Bagpussawake wrote:I third the use of LED bulbs, I've just fitted the ones in this link:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01 ... UTF8&psc=1

The difference is tremendous, my rear lights were dim enough to be difficult to see in daylight (although still ok to pass an MOT last month) but the LED bulbs are much more in line with modern lights.

I'm off to research front sidelight replacements now...

I've just fitted these and couldn't agree more. Straight replacement. Much brighter lights.

Just a top up note on extra brake lights. If you use the "un-used" BA9 light on the rear cluster as an extra brake light, remember that the addition of 2 extra 21 watt blubs will draw extra current in excess of the 4 Amp rated fuse. so you will need to uprate it

I've also found that buying a white LED bulb to put in a red filter doesnt work very well.

It seems that if you are going for brakelight LED, it is best to buy a red LED for the red filter rather than what I did.

I'm now using the whites on my reversing lights and ordering more red led bulbs.

Do you have the details of those red LED bulbs?
My Reversing lights are in need of something extra to be seen

thanks

Hello,

went out and got me some of these LED's for my rear lights

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01 ... UTF8&psc=1

but the break lights are always on, faulty bulbs or am I missing something??
I put the old bulbs back in and all works fine

any ideas?

sketch wrote:Hello,

went out and got me some of these LED's for my rear lights

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01 ... UTF8&psc=1

but the break lights are always on, faulty bulbs or am I missing something??
I put the old bulbs back in and all works fine

any ideas?

Are your wires correct on bulb holder? Try leaving the earth in position and swap the tail and stop connections

I think they are as the old bulbs work fine, I hit the breaks the lights come on.
will have a play at the weekend.

thank you for the advice

Those bulbs worked fine for me. Straight swap.

sketch wrote:Hello,

went out and got me some of these LED's for my rear lights

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01 ... UTF8&psc=1

but the break lights are always on, faulty bulbs or am I missing something??
I put the old bulbs back in and all works fine

any ideas?

Probably a faulty earth somewhere so you have some current leakage through the brake bulb circuit. It won't be enough to illuminate the incandescents, but the LEDs will operate at much lower levels.

Put a voltmeter across it to check.