Towing Caravans with LED Road Lights

k9sam
k9sam Forum Participant Posts: 76
edited October 2019 in Towcars & Towing #1

I am in the process of buying a new Swift Caravan. Swift say "certain vehicles may require a secondary fuse box when towing caravans fitted with LED road lighting"
I tow with a 15 Plate Discovery 4 HSE and need to know whether my car is compatible or I need to fit the secondary fuse box referred to by Swift. As I will not be able to test my car on the new caravan for at least two months due to it not being built yet can anyone please advise as to whether my car would be alright? If not where to buy and how to fit the fuse box?
Many Thanks.

Comments

  • flatcoat
    flatcoat Forum Participant Posts: 1,571
    1000 Comments
    edited October 2019 #2

    Ask Swift or your supplying dealer, try Swiftalk forum or a Disco4 forum.... the modules are VLM and usually made by Sargeant, maybe try them too.

  • Vulcan
    Vulcan Forum Participant Posts: 670
    edited October 2019 #3

    Can't you try in on another new swift at the dealers.

    Land Rover usually provide specific details regarding trailer bulb loads in the owners handbook towing section.

  • biggsy
    biggsy Forum Participant Posts: 54
    edited October 2019 #4

    I've recently bought anew swift it has led lights I took my car to the caravan dealers and pluged it into a new swift all was ok but I've got a Honda crv .good idea to try on another van as Vulcan suggested

  • k9sam
    k9sam Forum Participant Posts: 76
    edited October 2019 #5

    Just been to a local Swift Caravan dealer and connected car to an equivalent caravan. All lights worked as advertised with no indication of any problems with either the car or caravan. 👍👍👍

  • Matthews1963
    Matthews1963 Forum Participant Posts: 47
    edited November 2019 #6

    I took delivery of a new swift caravan last weekend. My towbar supplier dealt with the led lights he told me he just fits a different relay. We have now towed over 200 miles since collecting the van and all led road lights worked fine.

  • Hakinbush
    Hakinbush Forum Participant Posts: 286
    edited November 2019 #7

    Picked up my new Swift Vogue, Wednesday, now havn't got my audible beep beep in my freelander 2 when indicaters are selected, but they all work fine, the very nice chap at the dealers said it was because of the LED lighting on the Swift..

  • EmilysDad
    EmilysDad Forum Participant Posts: 8,973
    1000 Comments
    edited November 2019 #8

    probably not pulling enough current for the car too 'see' the trailer's indicators ..... an audible beep would drive me daft so no beep would be a plus point smile

  • cyberyacht
    cyberyacht Forum Participant Posts: 10,218
    1000 Comments
    edited November 2019 #9

    When I towed, I found the beep reassuring that the indicators were still working.

  • Vulcan
    Vulcan Forum Participant Posts: 670
    edited November 2019 #10

    Freelander 2 has a visual trailer indicator warning on the instrument panel (trailer icon).

  • EmilysDad
    EmilysDad Forum Participant Posts: 8,973
    1000 Comments
    edited November 2019 #11

    but my Merc & the one before it & the Vauxhall before that only told you that an indicator did NOT work rather than the beep to tell each time that is IS working .... just like your car does solo by double rate flashing the remaining lamps.

  • Hakinbush
    Hakinbush Forum Participant Posts: 286
    edited November 2019 #12

    The one thing I have noticed when you plug the van in to the car socket is the reassuring green light on the ATC thingy.

  • LeTouriste
    LeTouriste Forum Participant Posts: 348
    edited November 2019 #13

    If the tow car provides trickle charge to the leisure battery, after taking care of the vehicles electrical requirements, then a relay in the caravan’s road lights circuit could be fitted so as to operate the LED lights via the leisure battery.

    Concerning caravan trafficators, some years ago some vehicle manufacturers made the “bulb failure warning light” the sole means of confirming that all road lights were working and this includes the caravan as that circuitry is identified by the tow car’s system.    This deviation from the norm was accepted in principle by the UK Department for Transport.   I questioned the position in 2005, when I got my first car with this arrangement. I still have somewhere the confirmatory letter from the DfT. 

  • Matthews1963
    Matthews1963 Forum Participant Posts: 47
    edited November 2019 #14

    I’ve got a new Swift caravan with led road lights my towbar fitter asked if the van had led lights and fitted a different relay.  Now towed over 400 miles without any road lights problems.

  • Tirril
    Tirril Forum Participant Posts: 439
    100 Comments
    edited December 2019 #15

    I had a 2016 swift Elegance with LED lights and a 2016 Discovery Sport. Although the road lights all worked the following issues arose. The 'trailer' indicator on the dash display did not work.  Worse still when reversing the car reversing sensors sounded as it thought it was too close to an obstruction. The problem arises because the wattage rating of the LEDs is too low to register that a trailer has been connected. You need a Sargant VLM 4 box (go to their web site) It costs about £40 and you should have your caravan chassis number handy as you get a discounted price of about £10. It is possible to fit the device yourself.  Under the left seat at the front inside of the caravan the road lights wiring can be found and there are two snap link plugs which you part and plug the unit in between. It is impossible to get it wrong as the plugs are colour coded and different fittings. It was fiddly as there was not a lot of room in my caravan and I had to fit the device between the bulkhead and the seat strut. It worked perfectly though.

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