Tech help!
Our panel of motorhome-owning experts are here to help you solve your motorhoming problems, however small
QCan I stop water collecting in my motorhome’s rear lights?
I own a 2016 Roller Team T-line 740 (purchased from new). We love the motorhome, but there is one issue that has given us constant problems since we purchased it.
All six of the rear lights constantly fill up with condensation which, in turn, leads to a puddle of water in the rear light and, in a couple of cases, the lights have failed to work. We had a number of lights replaced at two years old and then even more the following year ( for its MoT).
We regularly have to remove the lights, dry them out and refit them. Sometimes, we only get 10 weeks between this.
The lights are 95mm round lights, which I think are made by Jokon. Rather than keep replacing them with the same light units – which we believe will still have this ongoing problem – could you advise if there are any other manufacturers of rear lights that would be a direct replacement?
Alternatively (and preferably), could you advise if there are any manufacturers making LED lights to fit our motorhome and, if so, what is involved in changing them over?
Matt Russell
AYou are not alone! Replacing traditional bulb illuminated lights with a more modern LED alternative sounds easy; however, you could find yourself falling fowl of current legislation. Take the indicator lamps, for example; traditionally these are monitored for inrush current draw by the flasher unit, which will, in most cases, double the flash rate if a bulb has failed.
Yes, there are some LED clusters with a ballast resistor and even separate ballast resistor units on offer that aim to overcome this detection system so that the flash rate stays at its prescribed “normal” flash rate of between 60 to 120 flashes per minute. The problem with this system is that, if the LED part fails, the ballast resistor remains and you have no warning that an indicator is not functioning. You will find lots of these fitted to trailers and possibly also some caravans.
In the latest modern vehicles with a factory-installed LED lighting system, another level of technology is used. For example, each vehicle corner lighting cluster is controlled by its own local CAN module with only four wires leading away (positive, negative, CAN hi and CAN lo). Each cluster has lightmonitoring sensors that actually detect when each LED is illuminated; if one is not lit, an error signal is sent up to the driver’s display via the CAN network. And, of course, this level of sophistication is not just applied to the indicators, but to all the lights in each cluster. If you have to pay for a replacement of one of these clusters then you would wish it was just a bulb replacement!
I had a trawl for 95mm-diameter rear vehicle lights and a company called Commercial Vehicle Products
commercialvehicleproducts.co.uk (based in Tamworth) offers an LED range at around £21.38 a piece (colours in red, amber and white).
Car Builder Solutions carbuilder.com sells a 95mmdiameter range, while Kit CarDirect kitcardirect.co.uk has a universal 95mm-diameter set at £60 or £100 for both sides.
As you reported, Jokon 95mm-diameter units can even be found on eBay.
Although I could not possibly advocate it, I did not have any further problems with the rear lights on our previous Concorde Charisma suffering water ingress after carefully drilling a small 3mm-diameter hole through the lens at the bottom to allow water to drain out.
Clive Mott
I would like to add that if you find the LED replacement lamps to be too complicated, a quick search online for ‘95mm rear lamps’ turned up a set from Hella. Known as ‘ValueFit’, these are likely to be more of a direct replacement and use regular bulbs.
I have had many experiences of leaking rear lamps and agree with Clive in that it is often simpler to just carefully drill some drainage holes in the lower edge of the lenses!
Nick Fisher
QHow can I keep the rodents at bay?
Can you recommend a mouse repeller suitable for my campervan? It would have to be battery operated.
Tom Humphries
ASome basic rules first: never leave the motorhome parked up with food inside. At the end of the season, do a good deep clean, including cupboards, fridge, cooker, etc. Any crumbs and Mr or Mrs Mouse will sniff them out.
Mice can get through the smallest of holes and one place is to come up inside the engine bay and eat away at the foam seal between the bulkhead and cab where the wiring harnesses and services pass through. You need to ensure that gas drops associated with your gas installation all have a metal grill over them, mice will eat through plastic ones.
If you leave some heating on in the winter then mice or rats will search out warm places to make a nest.
If you accept that, despite any of your efforts, a mouse will get inside then you could deploy a trap. There are humane variants so you will need to take the rodent for a ride once caught. But that does mean you need to bait the trap with some food. Cheddar cheese works for us!
As for a deterrent, there are several 12V-powered rodent deterrents. The Viano unit, for example, sells for around £24. The Mouse Stop Pro, at £59, has its own internal batteries so no install is required. Then, of course, there are sprays that you can use to deter these beasts by smell. The RepellShield spray costs £13. However, I must add that none of these products come with an effectiveness guarantee.
How thick do my brake discs need to be?
QI am replacing the front discs and pads on a 2004 Adria Twin. The 280mm-diameter discs for the front axle come in two different thicknesses:
Payload 1,700kg, disc thickness 28mm
Payload 1,200-1,500kg, disc thickness 24mm
I am not sure if payload and max permitted load are the same thing. If you could possibly tell me which are the correct discs, I would be very grateful.
William Dickinson
AFirst, I have to assume that your vehicle is later than 2004, since the chassis number relates to 2006 onwards and the weights that you mention corroborate that.
If I still had access to Fiat’s online parts catalogue, it would be little help as it would list both types of brakes as possibilities for your vehicle.
Generally, the Ducato from 2006 (X250) is split into two groups: light and heavy. The light vehicles (11,15 and 17L) use
15in wheels with 280mm discs and the heavy versions (17H and 20H aka ‘Maxi’) use 16in wheels and 300mm discs.
So far, so good.
We will disregard the fact that there are some coachbuilders who have fitted 15in wheels on heavy platforms because it does not matter here.
There is an option on both types of chassis to select heavy duty front brakes. This is where the options that you have found come from. While the 2015 Maxi panel vans seem to have been mostly built with the heavy duty brakes, the lighter vans rarely had this option. The only vehicle I worked on that was a 17L with the heavy duty brakes was, strangely enough, an Adria Twin from about 2012. So, it is quite likely that this is what you have.
Thicker discs require wider calipers and different brake pads, too, so buy the discs and pads from the same source. To be certain of what you need, measure the old discs.
The heavy duty ones, if you have them, will not have worn below 24mm, so if they measure over 24mm, you know what you need. Anything less than 24mm and you will need to buy the thinner discs.
Measuring the disc thickness can be difficult but is possible from underneath the vehicle or once a wheel is removed. You will need a Vernier caliper, and if there is a significant ‘lip’ on the edge of the disc, there are special offset-jaw Verniers designed for the purpose.
If the prospect of measuring this yourself (especially if you do not have the correct tools) is daunting, it would be a good idea to get a garage to do it. Warn the company about the possibility of the heavy duty option, because few workshops will know this.
The parts may not be available on the same day from motor factors, because of their relative rarity, so do not be surprised if the vehicle is laid up overnight.
William later wrote back that he had measured the discs and they were worn to 22.1mm thick and were 280mm diameter with 16in wheels. This is proof that you cannot assume anything.
The converter must have specified a 16in wheel option for this vehicle, which would normally have had 15 inch. He did not have the heavy duty brake option, though. Therefore, the standard 24mm thick discs would be correct.
Nick Fisher
QHow do we improve the burner in our oven?
I have a problem with the oven in our Rapido 996. The flame burns the correct blue colour, but it will not turn up. Wherever I set the control, the flame is always low. The oven is branded as Rapido, but think it may be Dometic.
Bill Shallcrass
AIt is very likely that your oven comes from Dometic. By oven, I presume you mean just a big hole with a burner inside and not a cooker with a hob on top. Irrespective of where your hob is, just check that these burners give the normal range of flame control. This to rule out any possible pipework blockage. Having done that, then we can concentrate on the oven.
There are two aspects associated with the oven. Initially, you will need to hold something in during the lighting process until the flame failure device has sensed the flame and the burner will stay on once the knob is released.
The second is the thermocouple device, which regulates the oven temperature in accordance with the temperature setting on the external control knob.
It is this thermocouple device I believe has failed and needs replacing as it is reacting as if the oven is up to temperature, so has cut back to the lowest standby setting. This is a job for a gas certified specialist.
The parts can be obtained from Rapido, Dometic/Smev or somewhere such as leisureshopdirect.com
You will need to give the oven model and serial number to be sure you order the correct part.
Clive Mott