Land Rover's vs. LED ????

[racoco]

Has anyone experienced this...

We are towing a 2007 Bambi 19' with a 2006 Land Rover LR3. As soon as we connect the cable to socket on the truck the LED tail lights begin to blink; similar to Hazard signal only dimmer. Everything else works fine, but if you are driving down the road, you're blinking.

The trailer tested out perfect and worked fine attached to a different TV. So we turned our attention to the truck. And we found that the signal terminals were feeding between .03 and .04 volts without the signals active.

So, logically, I contact the dealer we bought the truck from and who had installed everything for us before we purchased the vehicle. They say the truck is incompatible with LED fixtures and will not even look at it. AND that plugging in the trailer may damage the truck's computer "brain."

Dumbfounded and looking for a solution, I contacted Airstream to see if they could help me. Service knew immediately what I was talking about and told me that Land Rover's are the only vehicles they had seen this on so far and they did not have a solution yet.

SO... I am temporarily stumped. Logic tells me to fix the TV, so that any trailer from an Airstream to a Wells Cargo or even a U-Haul will work right. The LED lamp manufacturer sent me information to add a resistor in the circuit, but while I am fairly mechanical, I am electrically challenged.

Has anyone had a similar problem? Or has anyone even heard of this before?

I am I was sold a vehicle that I specifically stated what I wanted it for, to tow an Airstream, only to find out it is "incompatible." FYI; we purchased it from Land Rover-Ft. Worth and they say they can't help us. Thanks everyone for letting me vent a little while asking this question.

[craftsman]

Contact Land Rover Nort America customer service. I worked for the company when the corporate headquarters was here in Lanham Md.I'm sure that there is someone in the company knowledable enough to address the problem. Make sure you let them know that you were blown off by the dealer. There are direct dollar incentives tied to customer satisfaction .. or lack of.

[woodedareas]

Originally Posted by racoco

Has anyone experienced this...

We are towing a 2007 Bambi 19' with a 2006 Land Rover LR3. As soon as we connect the cable to socket on the truck the LED tail lights begin to blink; similar to Hazard signal only dimmer. Everything else works fine, but if you are driving down the road, you're blinking.

The trailer tested out perfect and worked fine attached to a different TV. So we turned our attention to the truck. And we found that the signal terminals were feeding between .03 and .04 volts without the signals active.

So, logically, I contact the dealer we bought the truck from and who had installed everything for us before we purchased the vehicle. They say the truck is incompatible with LED fixtures and will not even look at it. AND that plugging in the trailer may damage the truck's computer "brain."

Dumbfounded and looking for a solution, I contacted Airstream to see if they could help me. Service knew immediately what I was talking about and told me that Land Rover's are the only vehicles they had seen this on so far and they did not have a solution yet.

SO... I am temporarily stumped. Logic tells me to fix the TV, so that any trailer from an Airstream to a Wells Cargo or even a U-Haul will work right. The LED lamp manufacturer sent me information to add a resistor in the circuit, but while I am fairly mechanical, I am electrically challenged.

Has anyone had a similar problem? Or has anyone even heard of this before?

I am I was sold a vehicle that I specifically stated what I wanted it for, to tow an Airstream, only to find out it is "incompatible." FYI; we purchased it from Land Rover-Ft. Worth and they say they can't help us. Thanks everyone for letting me vent a little while asking this question.

I have a 2007 Land Rover Sport. I was tols that I could easily pull a 25' Airstream. After a great deal od confusion they installed a brake contoller and a hitch. I then was advised that the tongue weight was too much for the Land Rover, and further that the Land Rover was really not comprable to a Ford 150 truck that had an actual tow package, improved axel, and cable socket.I purchased the truck. Perhaps the Bambi is better suited, but clearly the land Rover is NOT the best vehicle for pulling a trailer. In my opinion it is not designed for that pupose. I realize that people use all types of vehicles to pull an Airstream, but after driving 3,000 miles this past week, I would only travel with a proper truck and a hensely hitch. An Airstream can be enjoyable but if not properly equipped it can be dangerous.

[TIMEMACHINE]

I agree with Craftsman2, contact North American Land Rover.

But FYI..because LEDs typically draw far less amperage, if they are connected to a vehicle with "bulb out" systems, the lower amperage draw tricks the CPU into believing a bulb has burned out. Toyota discovered this when it added rear wings with LED center high mounted stop Lamps (CHMSL). The solution was adding a fix kit which consisted of a small electronic box containing a circuit which added the additional amperage draw to overcome the Bulb out trigger. That is why they recommended adding a resistor to the circuit.

But still, contact the authority, the manufacturer, to make sure that you don't void your warranty before doing anything. Get it in writing to be safe.

John

[TIMEMACHINE]

Originally Posted by woodedareas

I have a 2007 Land Rover Sport. I was tols that I could easily pull a 25' Airstream. After a great deal od confusion they installed a brake contoller and a hitch. I then was advised that the tongue weight was too much for the Land Rover, and further that the Land Rover was really not comprable to a Ford 150 truck that had an actual tow package, improved axel, and cable socket.I purchased the truck. Perhaps the Bambi is better suited, but clearly the land Rover is NOT the best vehicle for pulling a trailer. In my opinion it is not designed for that pupose. I realize that people use all types of vehicles to pull an Airstream, but after driving 3,000 miles this past week, I would only travel with a proper truck and a hensely hitch. An Airstream can be enjoyable but if not properly equipped it can be dangerous.

I agree with woodedareas, don't try to pull a 25' AS with a Land Rover, the wheel base is too short and as stated the tongue weight is too much. As for the 19' Bambi, although it is not ideal it should be just fine assuming it is within the rated specifications and you use a good WD hitch set up properly.

Check your owners manual specs to be sure.

John

[racoco]

You won't believe this - I did call Land Rover North America and the Tech I spoke with was equally stumped. I'm going to try back this afternoon hoping I get someone with more experience.

Woodedareas - Did I understand your post; you bought a 2nd truck to pull your trailer? I know Land Rover sells to the equestrian market and a 2-horse trailer is heavier than our Bambi. The LR3 is rated for 7700#'s. Is Land Rover advertising something they can't pull off?

Thanks guys.

[racoco]

John - LR3 specs say up to 7700#'s with 770#'s on the tongue. And the Bambi falls below both. Interestingly the manuals specifically state DO NOT use a WD setup on this vehicle. I assumed it had something to do with the silly removable hitch. If you haven't seen this, it's bizarre. You can actually unlock and remove the hitch. Not the ball etc.; literally the hitch receiver.
I appreciate your help.

[Coloradobus]

I think the warning about weight distributing hitches used on some Rover has to do with the air suspension. Not sure about the LR3, but the old style Range Rover 1997-2002 had a buton to push to keep the Rover at a constant height. Otherwise, with the active air sir suspension, once you achieve highway speed, the car drops a bit for ground hugging mode.

As for the LED trouble, our local Land Rover dealer was very familiar with this problem..Flat Irons Land Rover, Superior,Colorado, Service advisor "Scott" 303-554-3000
We had a similiar problem with our Globe Trotter after we added all new LED lights to it and wanted a flasher unit to flash all marker lights using the trailer battery in case of roadside trouble. Scott agreed with us, that if you add one incandenscent clearance/marker lights in or around the trailer's power jack and incorporate it into the trailer's wiring before the rest of the trailer's lights, you should have no more trouble. Scott is just surprised that someone hasn't created an inline item to plug into the car to create the resistance needed to run LED's. Land Rover's are not the only vehicles out there that have this problem with sensitive car computers.

[Airhog1]

We just sold a 23' Safari to customer's with a VW diesel SUV that had the same problem...when they hooked it up on their first visit here it set off a code in their TV...they had a resister made (to plug inline between the trailer cord and tv plug) at the VW place and when they came to pick up their trailer everything worked fine.

G

[rickandsandi]

Right from their website:

Payload & Towing
Feature curb weightV8 SE/HSE: 5,426-5,796 lb. (2,461-2,629 kg)
V6 SE: 5,135-5,787 lb. (2,411-2,625 kg)Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR)7,121 lb. (3,230 kg)Maximum PayloadV8 SE/HSE: 1,325-1,695 lb. (601-769 kg)
V6 SE: 1,334-1,806 lb. (605-819 kg)Maximum roof-rack load165 lb. (75 kg)Maximum trailer weight: trailer without brakes1,650 lb. (750 kg)Maximum trailer weight: trailer with brakes7,700 lb. (3,500 kg)Maximum tongue weight550 lb. (250 kg)
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Looks like the best you can get is 550 lbs on the tongue. Never did like the Land Rovers for TV. I have a friend in the UK who tows with one but he doesn't have a choice, and for the same price as a LR you can certainly get the proper TV. I agree 100% that the wheel base is way to short for towing a 25' AS. As for horse trailers they weigh a lot less than a 25" Airstream but what makes a bigger difference is the length. Having towed both horses and Airstreams I would rather tow any one of my AS any day.

[Devoman]

The Touaregs do this with all trailers with LED's.There is a fix and I got it from A friend of mine a long time ago but it only fixes the brake lights.I did this on the Bambi when I had it but have not done it to the newer Airstream.Everytime I turn the vehicle on the warnings come up but I can turn them off.
There is a bit of blinking but it is very dim and does not hurt anything in the vehicle.It is just a matter of finding the right resistors to trick the vehicles sensors into thinking it is ok.

Here ya go.This is a post I did in 2005.Maybe this will help other vehicle also if the resistor we use for the Touareg is the same for yours.
LED Fix

[lewster]

You need to 'load balance' the LEDs for connection with the LR. I had a customer who towed an LR with his Country Coach MoHo and had BIG problems with feedback from the coach lights into his LR tail lights. The factory had no clue either!

You will need to show the LR that you have the draw of incandescent lighting and will need to install load balancers on each LED circuit. An electronic flasher is also not a bad idea as they are NOT load dependant like regular flasher units are.

BTW, these items can be had at SUPER BRIGHT LEDS home

ELECTRONIC LED FLASHERS

We now offer 2-Pin and 3-Pin (1/4 inch spade lug type) LED compatible Flasher Units in this category
You should definitely use one of these instead of Load Resistors if we have one to fit your vehicle
They operate at the correct flash rate with LED or standard filament bulbs
10~15 Volts DC - Flash Rate: 80 per minute
Note that some of these flashers operate silently, they do not make the familiar clicking sound when operating. One solution is to connect a common automotive relay to the output along with your LED bulbs
Also note that these flashers do not replace all flasher units. Before you order, please see the pin outs of our flashers in the table below and compare with the one you are replacing. Click the part numbers for complete spec sheets. You can usually find your flasher pin out printed right on your flasher. Failure to check this and installation in an incompatible vehicle can blow your fuse, destroy the flasher and void the flasher warranty
<A href="http://www.superbrightleds.com/cgi-bin/store/commerce.cgi?product=CAR">

LOAD RESISTOR KITS

One LOAD Resistor is required for each turn signal bulb

6 Ohm, 50 Watt resistors can be connected across the turn signal bulbs to simulate the load of a regular filament bulb (2 Amp load). This will solve LED related turn signal problems such as hyper flashing or burnt out bulb indications. Resistor measures 1.96L x .64W x .60H inches, leads are 12 inches long.
Kit Includes gel filled moisture resistant splice taps.

CONNECTION INSTRUCTIONS: Using included splice taps, connect one wire to ground and the other wire to the turn/brake hot wire. Splice taps allow for installation without cutting your turn signal wires.
We also offer 25 Ohm, 25 Watt Load Resistor kits which can be used with LED side marker lights (194/168 type) to prevent bulb-out indicators from turning on.

[woodedareas]

Yes I did purchase aFord 150 truck to pull the AS. I use the Land Rover Sport for everyday use. The tongue weight was only 550#. Trucks such as Ford, Dodge, etc are designed to work and pull and come equipped with a tow package and other design features such as suspension, etc that I beleive are best suited for my AS.The Rover is a great vehicle but did not safely pull my 25' AS. The hitch was better suited for pulling a boat and when compaed to a Hensely it was like a toy. I was mislead when I purchased the Rover for towing and I payed the price. I would be certain that you have a quality hitch with sway control and not the hitch installed by Rover.This has been my experience with a 25' AS, perhaps the Bambi may work for you. If the GVW and Tongue Weight are adequate and you use a quality hitch all may be well.

[woodedareas]

Yes I did purchase aFord 150 truck to pull the AS. I use the Land Rover Sport for everyday use. The tongue weight was only 550#. Trucks such as Ford, Dodge, etc are designed to work and pull and come equipped with a tow package and other design features such as suspension, etc that I beleive are best suited for my AS.The Rover is a great vehicle but did not safely pull my 25' AS. The hitch was better suited for pulling a boat and when compaed to a Hensely it was like a toy. I was mislead when I purchased the Rover for towing and I payed the price. I would be certain that you have a quality hitch with sway control and not the hitch installed by Rover.This has been my experience with a 25' AS, perhaps the Bambi may work for you. If the GVW and Tongue Weight are adequate and you use a quality hitch all may be well.

[Dwight]

Call David Tidmore at 817-596-0050 tomorrow. He is the manager at Roger Williams Airstream outside of Ft. Worth. He had the very same thing happen to a customer's Land Rover and their Airstream and he ended up adding a relay in the trailer to stop the blinking tail lights. It has to do with the electrical system in the Land Rover. He can tell you exactly what to do and tell him I sent you!

Dwight