Short circuit on LED bulb

backinblack · Nov 3, 2018

Just been tracing a problem with F11 blowing and taking out my side lights, while searching on here I found a reference to the number plate lights also on same fuse. I remembered I had changed the number plate bulbs to LED's and it looks like one has gone short, I have now put the standard bulbs back and all is well.

So much for modern technology.

Spot1 · Nov 3, 2018

There are many cheap (crap) automotive LED’s available that do go wrong. Either you pay good money for branded ones (Ring, Osram, Phillips etc) which will be well built and tested with a guarantee or if you go cheap flea-bay then you need to accept that they may not be that great but then others will be good and do their job.

Generally, the LED’s themselves will outlast a filament lamp. It’s just the construction of the rest of what comes attached to the LED’s that will let them down.

discool · Nov 3, 2018

Not always, i've had white led strips turning yellow after a year of use, no drivers involved just a mains to 12volt power supply, although it the driver in their various forms that gives the issues. The yellow LEDs are all working ok still, its a 'landing strip' both sides of my drive to the house, after 3 years on every day dusk to dawn.
But I have just had to replace a 7w LED bulb in a porch light fitting that was flashing in morse, the bulb was not a year old, lucky I always buy two so I had a spare.

So back to the Disco forum, I found that any small LED bulb used in a confined space such as a side light will have an issue eventually, again flashing or popping completely and that after a short while.

backinblack · Nov 3, 2018

These were from Halfrauds so should be a decent brand. Didn't have time to test due to the manager of domestic afairs wanting to go shopping, will have a play tomorrow.
Could be a heat issue I suppose but as they are for courtesy lights they are always gonna be in a confined space.

discool · Nov 3, 2018

backinblack said:
These were from Halfrauds so should be a decent brand. Didn't have time to test due to the manager of domestic afairs wanting to go shopping, will have a play tomorrow.
Could be a heat issue I suppose but as they are for courtesy lights they are always gonna be in a confined space.

Well, the courtesy lights are never on for the same duration as number plate or side lights hence don’t overheat, my courtesy lights are LED panels 48 leds in both roof fittings and something like a 6 led bulb in the boot fitting, been there for years without issues, just like the door edge and puddle lights in both the front doors which are a single led in each, all are illuminated for the short duration that the interior lighting has.
All my stuff comes from the LED capital Shenzhen and via eBay.

brian47 · Nov 3, 2018

I think you can put it down to "Murphy's Law"; if it can go wrong, it will.
It's electronics, these things happen, just replace the thing and get on with life.
LEDs are generally quite robust but they can fail.

lynall · Nov 4, 2018

discool said:
Not always, i've had white led strips turning yellow after a year of use, no drivers involved just a mains to 12volt power supply, although it the driver in their various forms that gives the issues. The yellow LEDs are all working ok still, its a 'landing strip' both sides of my drive to the house, after 3 years on every day dusk to dawn.
But I have just had to replace a 7w LED bulb in a porch light fitting that was flashing in morse, the bulb was not a year old, lucky I always buy two so I had a spare.

So back to the Disco forum, I found that any small LED bulb used in a confined space such as a side light will have an issue eventually, again flashing or popping completely and that after a short while.

Ive found in our house heat was the killer of cheap GU10 led bulbs, I started about 5/6 yrs ago converting the whole house to led and they were okay, not perfect but as they used so little power i could live with it, in the end I found the GU10 from Toolstation last well, so well I havent had to replace one yet and its been over 2 yrs now, the previous ones would start to die at 2 months onwards!

Leds in the D3 I have found all puddle lights last well, number plate lamps not so well, start to discolour after 12/18 mths and die shortly afterwards.
Front sidelight bulbs seem to last an age, I assume theres more space for the heat to dissipate.

backinblack · Nov 7, 2018

@discool fair point about them being on all the time.

The main reason I posted it was just to point out that they can short circuit and to check them before spending hours chasing a wiring fault as I nearly did.

Short circuit on LED bulb

backinblack

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Spot1

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discool

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backinblack

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discool

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brian47

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lynall

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backinblack

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