Wenn Sie hier auf Links zu eBay klicken und einen Kauf tätigen, kann dies dazu führen, dass diese Website eine Provision erhält.

........for the newly replaced lens from my awning light that dropped off somewhere between York and Christchurch last Sunday.

Bugger! Bugger! Bugger!

New one ordered from here for £15 delivered if you need to replace yours: Werbung: Hymer spare parts

There's a perished rubber gasket (like an elastic band) in the lamp body that no longer seems to be obtainable so I'll probably use some liquid gasket to seal (and hopefully stick) the new one in place when it arrives.

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Quote: Aaron Calder wrote in post #1

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There's a perished rubber gasket (like an elastic band) in the lamp body...

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Quote: Pepé Le Pew wrote in post #3

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[quote="Aaron Calder"|p5332] You need to sort out that busted lug at the bottom, too. That's probably why the cover fell off, though I expect you knew that.

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Wenn Sie hier auf Links zu eBay klicken und einen Kauf tätigen, kann dies dazu führen, dass diese Website eine Provision erhält.

What about this one? The only reservation I have is that it protrudes 9cm (3.5") from the caravan wall.

Werbung: Awning light

Wenn Sie hier auf Links zu eBay klicken und einen Kauf tätigen, kann dies dazu führen, dass diese Website eine Provision erhält.

You can get the dark grey version of the OEM light Werbung: here. They ship to the UK. If you fitted a white lens cover from Hymer (like the one which fell off), I doubt you'd notice the grey back piece and you'd have a spare lens too, albeit a grey one.

The advantages of swapping like for like are obvious; fixing holes, fittings, wiring...

We can find you some LEDs to replace those G4 halogens, no bother.

You could, of course, e-mail them in your bestest Boche and ask if they've got a white one. You never know.

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That's a brilliant bit of research, Pete. Thanks for your help, dear boy!

I've emailed them in my best schoolboy German - including an appropriate apology - asking if they can do one in white. If not, I'll get a grey one and fit the white cover to the grey base as you suggest.

It's interesting to note that the whole assembly from Germany including postage costs €18.80 (£15.03) while just the cover from the UK is £15.07 inc P&P.

I've just had a very helpful and prompt response from the German company in Pete's link above (Brand GmbH, Riesa). Unfortunately they don't have any white awning lamp units in stock and have advised me that they cannot obtain any.

So I've ordered one in grey from Germany and will fit the white cover that I've ordered from Brownhills/Hymer UK to the grey base unit. I don't think that the grey part will be noticeable once the cover is in place.

The total cost to me so far is £16.33 to the German company plus £15.07 to Brownhills = £31.40. It would have been an incredibly cheap fix had the white complete unit been available but even so, I bet a complete replacement from Hymer would have cost me a lot more. It just goes to show what obscene markups some companies put on 'genuine' spare parts.

I had exactly the same experience when Jandi wanted more than £80 for a 'Hymer' high-level brake light and I obtained a genuine Hella replacement through eBay for £22 delivered.

Moral: always shop around.

I now have to obtain some suitable leds to replace the 5W halogens that will be in the new unit.

I'll post a picture when it's done

Sorted

As promised, here are a couple of pictures of the new awning light.

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My advice, if you are thinking of replacing yours, would be to:

1. remove the terminal blocks from the old fitting and to cut the metal contacts off the wires so that the wires can be pulled through the hole in the rear of the fitting being careful to keep the two wires from each terminal block together (put a bit of tape around each pair to make sure). Remove old unit.

2. similarly remove terminal blocks and wires from new fitting as they are not needed

3. pull original wires through hole in new fitting and screw new unit to caravan wall (new grey one had only three screw holes, original white one had four)

4. solder one of the removed metal terminals to each wire, refit each pair into terminal blocks and clip in place

5. insert bulbs and test that light is working by connecting EHU and switching on before refitting cover

6. snap cover into place over locating lugs.

Notes:

1. so why didn't I do it the way described above? - Because I thought I could cut corners and I learned from my mistakes. If I were to do the job again, I'd use the above method.

2. the unit comes with 2 x 5W halogen bulbs that are as dim as TocH lamps and have a limited lifespan. They get hot so the plastic casing soon becomes brittle and the cover is difficult to remove without damaging it. If you replace them with higher wattage halogens they will melt the plastic lens - been there, done that, got the T-shirt.

3. because of the above, it's a good idea to replace the bulbs with LEDs that don't get so hot, are brighter and have a much longer life so the necessity to remove the cover is less likely.

4. when I fitted my white cover to the grey base, there was a gap between the top of the cover and the caravan wall which I sealed with Silkaflex 512 mastic to prevent water ingress.