The Auto-Sleeper Motorhome Owners Forum (ASOF)
Would you like to react to this message? Create an account in a few clicks or log in to continue.

Front high level Marker lights on Nuevo

+4
PLOUGHLIN
Knick-Knack
RogerN
inspiredron
8 posters

Go down

Front high level Marker lights on Nuevo Empty Front high level Marker lights on Nuevo

Post by inspiredron Mon Mar 27, 2023 6:32 pm

Th ebulb in my offside front marker light has failed.  It should be a simple matter to undo two screws, withdraw the lamp and its captive bulbholder from th ebody, rplace th elamp and screw it back onto the body.  HOWEVER, unlike the rear high marker lights, I cannot release th elight by more than a couple of millimeters from the "eyebrow" to which it is screwed.  Since there are no visible fixings for the eyebrow I am assuming that it is fastened over the boy/roof joint with a liberal dollop of Sikaflex.  I use the word "dollop" since, when I had to replace a failed high level vrake light on my van a few years ago, I discovered that it, too, was merely glued in place with liberal amounts of sealant which had been applied to hold it in place but with no regard at all for waterproofing around its flange - hence its premature failure!  I was LIVID but toothless!
Assuming that I would have to nibble away at the outer part of the light to break it off while being able to prevent the wires from disappearing irretrievably into the rear of th eeyebrow I tried to remove the nearside lamp to get some idea of how much slack should be on th ewires.  THAT ONE WONT MOVE OUT AT ALL OR EVEN ROTATE.
How on earth am I supposed to deal with this?  It would appear that they have applied so much sealant that the whole bulbholder is irretrievably stuck.  Photos are below of the marker light and of a rear marker lamp of the same type. Turning the bayonet bulbhlder in the body of the lamp takes all the stregth of my fingers to overcome the friction of the rubber ring seal!
Should I perhaps take it to the factory innocently asking them for a quotation to replace a marker light bulb?

Front high level Marker lights on Nuevo Img_2025
Front high level Marker lights on Nuevo Img_2023
Front high level Marker lights on Nuevo Img_2024

_________________
Best wishes - Ron
inspiredron
inspiredron
Member
Member

Male

Posts : 3436
Joined : 2012-06-02
Member Age : 83
Location : Ellesmere, Shropshire
Auto-Sleeper Model : Lancashire
Vehicle Year : 2012

Back to top Go down

Front high level Marker lights on Nuevo Empty Re: Front high level Marker lights on Nuevo

Post by RogerN Tue Mar 28, 2023 6:24 am

Looking at the photos, I would expect that to be accessed from inside 🤔
RogerN
RogerN
Member
Member

Male

Posts : 7
Joined : 2022-12-29
Location : Nottinghamshire
Auto-Sleeper Model : Warwick Duo
Vehicle Year : 2012

Back to top Go down

Front high level Marker lights on Nuevo Empty Re: Front high level Marker lights on Nuevo

Post by Knick-Knack Tue Mar 28, 2023 9:28 am

When I had to replace one of the rear bulbs, the bulb holder was very stiff- as you have said.  Have you tried using rubber gloves to give more grip?
Knick-Knack
Knick-Knack
Member
Member

Male

Posts : 113
Joined : 2016-04-05
Member Age : 72
Location : Salisbury, Wilts
Auto-Sleeper Model : Nuevo
Vehicle Year : 2009

Back to top Go down

Front high level Marker lights on Nuevo Empty Re: Front high level Marker lights on Nuevo

Post by PLOUGHLIN Tue Mar 28, 2023 9:28 am

RogerN wrote:Looking at the photos, I would expect that to be accessed from inside 🤔

No, they are accessed from the front, but AS provide very short tails on the cabling. On mine I was able to lengthen the cables for easier access.The bulb holder is a very tight fit in the rear of the lamp, a bit of grease helps with reinsertion.

_________________
Peter L
PLOUGHLIN
PLOUGHLIN
Donator
Donator

Male

Posts : 4879
Joined : 2014-06-24
Member Age : 54
Location : NORTH HERTS
Auto-Sleeper Model : MB Gloucester
Vehicle Year : 2011

RogerN likes this post

Back to top Go down

Front high level Marker lights on Nuevo Empty Re: Front high level Marker lights on Nuevo

Post by inspiredron Tue Mar 28, 2023 9:55 am

DEFINITELY from the front. The eyebrow in photo 1 is a big bulky trim glued over the join between the roof moulding and the front and sides of the body.
I discovered how tight the bulb holder is in the lamp body when I had to replace one at the rear. The rear cables were pretty short but the front is absurd.
Peter, when you did yours was there any slack and did you notice if the wires and/or the back of the light were gummed up with Sikaflex? If I thought that I would not lose the wires I would do some discreet levering so that the lamp unit popped off the wires. At the moment I can just about get a putty knife behind the lamp flange. I realise that once off I will have to lengthen the wires but I foresee some problem in doing that through a hole that is only about 2mm diameter. A slim soldering iron and heat shrink insulation I guess.  
When I did the rear I lengthened the wires and put some Vaseline on the bayonet holder washer. At least with the rear it came out enough for me to be able to grip the bulb holder.
I just pray that the nearside bulb lasts!

_________________
Best wishes - Ron
inspiredron
inspiredron
Member
Member

Male

Posts : 3436
Joined : 2012-06-02
Member Age : 83
Location : Ellesmere, Shropshire
Auto-Sleeper Model : Lancashire
Vehicle Year : 2012

Back to top Go down

Front high level Marker lights on Nuevo Empty Re: Front high level Marker lights on Nuevo

Post by inspiredron Tue Mar 28, 2023 10:08 am

Peter - I've just found your response to Alpinerambler in 2021 which gives answers to the questions I just asked and confirms my suspicions that Autosleepers' answer to Mr Blobby was one of the buffoons who assembled my van.
Order a replacement lamp (2 probably as I did at the rear), cut away the old lamp and poke around with slim tools looks like the way forward.

_________________
Best wishes - Ron
inspiredron
inspiredron
Member
Member

Male

Posts : 3436
Joined : 2012-06-02
Member Age : 83
Location : Ellesmere, Shropshire
Auto-Sleeper Model : Lancashire
Vehicle Year : 2012

Back to top Go down

Front high level Marker lights on Nuevo Empty Re: Front high level Marker lights on Nuevo

Post by FreelanderUK Tue Mar 28, 2023 10:17 am

While you have these off ,would it be better to change to led lamps , longer lasting than the glass filament type

_________________
Chris
FreelanderUK
FreelanderUK
Member
Member

Male

Posts : 2909
Joined : 2020-07-18
Location : Lincolnshire
Auto-Sleeper Model : Warwick XL
Vehicle Year : 2016

RogerN likes this post

Back to top Go down

Front high level Marker lights on Nuevo Empty Re: Front high level Marker lights on Nuevo

Post by Colin h Tue Mar 28, 2023 11:39 am

As a last resort, and only if the wires disappear, you could drill a hole, with a hole saw through the body adjacent to the light to gain access to the wires and then use the plug from the holesaw to refill afterwards. Desperate I know but having put a hole in the roof of my Nuevo last rear (long story) I found it fairly easy to repair with a fibreglass repair kit and some aluminium gauze. Good luck, may have to do mine one day?
Colin h
Colin h
Member
Member

Male

Posts : 10
Joined : 2020-09-13
Location : Crawley
Auto-Sleeper Model : Nuevo ek
Vehicle Year : 2009

Back to top Go down

Front high level Marker lights on Nuevo Empty Re: Front high level Marker lights on Nuevo

Post by Colin h Tue Mar 28, 2023 11:47 am

Front high level Marker lights on Nuevo Img_2015
Front high level Marker lights on Nuevo Img_2014
Colin h
Colin h
Member
Member

Male

Posts : 10
Joined : 2020-09-13
Location : Crawley
Auto-Sleeper Model : Nuevo ek
Vehicle Year : 2009

RogerN likes this post

Back to top Go down

Front high level Marker lights on Nuevo Empty Re: Front high level Marker lights on Nuevo

Post by inspiredron Tue Mar 28, 2023 11:56 am

FreelanderUK wrote:While you have these off ,would it be better to change to led lamps , longer lasting than the glass filament type
Good point but old lamp lasted 9 years. I am 82 this year AND I have developed wet macular degeneration in one eye. I guess a filament bulb will outlast my use of the van - and the nearside one is tighter to the body than the offside!
I'll buy two lamps at about £20 Inc postage and have a spare if the second does go. As far as nearside is concerned - if at ain't broke don't fix it - I think MOT may require matching lights on both sides even when they are not compulsory

_________________
Best wishes - Ron
inspiredron
inspiredron
Member
Member

Male

Posts : 3436
Joined : 2012-06-02
Member Age : 83
Location : Ellesmere, Shropshire
Auto-Sleeper Model : Lancashire
Vehicle Year : 2012

FreelanderUK likes this post

Back to top Go down

Front high level Marker lights on Nuevo Empty Re: Front high level Marker lights on Nuevo

Post by inspiredron Tue Mar 28, 2023 12:01 pm

Colin h wrote:As a last resort, and only if the wires disappear, you could drill a hole, with a hole saw through the body adjacent to the light to gain access to the wires and then use the plug from the holesaw to refill afterwards. Desperate I know but having put a hole in the roof of my Nuevo last rear (long story) I found it fairly easy to repair with a fibreglass repair kit and some aluminium gauze. Good luck, may have to do mine one day?
Thanks Colin - you did a brilliant job on your roof!

_________________
Best wishes - Ron
inspiredron
inspiredron
Member
Member

Male

Posts : 3436
Joined : 2012-06-02
Member Age : 83
Location : Ellesmere, Shropshire
Auto-Sleeper Model : Lancashire
Vehicle Year : 2012

Back to top Go down

Front high level Marker lights on Nuevo Empty Re: Front high level Marker lights on Nuevo

Post by gassygassy Tue Mar 28, 2023 1:11 pm

I have frequently bought new to me campers with rusty side lights like these. I chop them out and fit new sealed-for-life-work-for-ever LED ones from bongobongo land costing tuppence halfpenny for ten. I wire them in, with studious application of silicone of course. Even if the old lights are still working, if they are a bit dim or have moss growing I change them.

_________________
complexity is the enemy of reliability
gassygassy
gassygassy
Donator
Donator

Male

Posts : 1239
Joined : 2019-06-21
Location : Lutterworth
Auto-Sleeper Model : 1 Bourton 1 Polensa
Vehicle Year : various

Back to top Go down

Front high level Marker lights on Nuevo Empty Re: Front high level Marker lights on Nuevo

Post by gassygassy Tue Mar 28, 2023 1:12 pm

Duplicated post
gassygassy
gassygassy
Donator
Donator

Male

Posts : 1239
Joined : 2019-06-21
Location : Lutterworth
Auto-Sleeper Model : 1 Bourton 1 Polensa
Vehicle Year : various

Back to top Go down

Front high level Marker lights on Nuevo Empty Re: Front high level Marker lights on Nuevo

Post by bikeralw Tue Mar 28, 2023 5:23 pm

I didn't notice one of my top front marker lights was out till the day of the MoT last year. I mentioned it to the tester and he said although it's not compulsory, and wouldn't cause a fail, or even a serious advisory, it would have to be noted on the certificate.
I replaced it at some point last year, the wires came out quite a long way after giving them a tug. I think they're just held out of the way with a blob of silicone during manufacture.
Al.
bikeralw
bikeralw
Donator
Donator

Male

Posts : 3878
Joined : 2013-04-22
Member Age : 73
Location : High Peak & New Zealand.
Auto-Sleeper Model : Nuevo
Vehicle Year : 2004

RogerN likes this post

Back to top Go down

Front high level Marker lights on Nuevo Empty Re: Front high level Marker lights on Nuevo

Post by inspiredron Tue Mar 28, 2023 11:05 pm

Thanks for that bit of experience, Al. I'll keep my fingers crossed 🥺

_________________
Best wishes - Ron
inspiredron
inspiredron
Member
Member

Male

Posts : 3436
Joined : 2012-06-02
Member Age : 83
Location : Ellesmere, Shropshire
Auto-Sleeper Model : Lancashire
Vehicle Year : 2012

Back to top Go down

Front high level Marker lights on Nuevo Empty Re: Front high level Marker lights on Nuevo

Post by inspiredron Thu Apr 06, 2023 11:38 pm

Mission accomplished! Much easier than expected.
Received my replacement marker light this morning from AS spares after ordering late on Monday. As it was sunny, I thought I would start trying to get the old light out. Once I'd removed the two screws I found that my memory from last autumn had been poor - there was no play on the light at all. I could rotate it anti-clockwise though and to my total surprise the lens popped off the bulb holder. I was then able to replace the bulb easily.
Sadly, the new bulb didn't work but as I tried to remove it to try another it lit - and then went out again. A bit more jiggling and it stayed on -Phew.
I cleaned up the lens and the eyebrow, smeared a little Vaseline on the bayonet fitting of the lens and replaced the lens. One of the fixing screws for the lens had been difficult to remove as it had previously been overtightened but I found a screw in my store that was marginally fatter but with the same size head and was able to enlarge the hole in the lamp lens from 3.5mm to 4mm.
Luckily, it seems that AS had securely Sikaflexed the lamp to the eyebrow before assembly AND had lubricated the bulb holder and lens bayonet before it was fitted. A very slight smear of Vaseline on the sealing washer and the plastic bayonet fixing works wonders for ease of disassembly and reassembly.
I now have a spare front marker light in case greater tragedy strikes but would not relish having to remove the bulb holder from the eyebrow should that ever fail. There is very little room to root around it to break the holder's seal to the eyebrow.
Incidentally, eyebrow is the official AS name for that moulding.

_________________
Best wishes - Ron
inspiredron
inspiredron
Member
Member

Male

Posts : 3436
Joined : 2012-06-02
Member Age : 83
Location : Ellesmere, Shropshire
Auto-Sleeper Model : Lancashire
Vehicle Year : 2012

bikeralw, gassygassy and FreelanderUK like this post

Back to top Go down

Back to top

- Similar topics

 
Permissions in this forum:
You cannot reply to topics in this forum