LED replacement bulbs for Bay Window Transporters

[ImAddicted]

I used Katur "1034" for front directional\running lights.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XD7QJM9/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Katur 1034 in back for stop\tail, Alopee 1073 for directionals

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075QZY9QC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M4OADLZ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

And no name 7" 200w from Ebay for headlights

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1979 Transporter (sold)
KC1MUR

[VWSunny72]

https://vintagecarleds.com/shop/7-inch/vc3500-classic-kit/

These headlights were one of the easiest and bestest upgrades i've done on my bus. I installed them ~ 5 years ago and required no changes to relays or anything...plug n play. They look stock during the daytime and work very well to see where i'm going during the night time. Full low-beam/high-beam action.
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I am owned by a 1972 Westy named Sunny. She has a 1979 2.0L engine w/ dual Weber IDF 40s.

[vw donvieira]

I just upgraded to LED cluster, except for alternator, on my 1971.
- My turn signals are all crazy now.
-Seems like I am forgetting something.
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"No Give Up"

[telford dorr]

That's because the stock flasher is load sensitive, by design. If a stock front or rear turn signal bulb fails, the flasher is supposed to flash faster, so that you know a bulb is bad. LED bulbs pull so little current that the flasher goes nuts.

Solution: replace the flasher with a load-insensitive LED rated unit, or add suitable load resistors to restore the current draw to "normal".
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'71 panel, now with FI
'Experience' is the ability to recognize a mistake when you're making it again - Franklin P. Jones
In theory, theory works in practice; in practice, it doesn't - William T. Harbaugh
When you're dead, you don't know you're dead. The pain is only felt by others.
Same thing happens when you're stupid. - Philippe Geluck
More VW electrical at http://telforddorr.com/ (available 9am to 9pm PST)

[vw donvieira]

Awesome. Thank you.

-I do have regular bulbs at the frt/rear turn signals.

-Will the new flasher cause any problem with LED cluster bulb and regular turn signal bulbs?
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"No Give Up"

[ToolBox]

[telford dorr]

[jtauxe]

I used LEDs for the instrument illumination lights (ordered through SuperBrightLEDs.com). First tried white ones, then went with red. "Red light in the wheelhouse" inspired. The red was nice, but too dim, as it turned out.

I have since reverted to all original bulbs in the instrument panel. It turns out that they are not too bright, and not too dim. Just right, and they respond to dimming properly, unlike the LEDs.

If anyone wants some dashboard illumination LEDs in various colors, you can have mine for the shipping.
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John
"Travelling in a fried-out Kombi, on a hippie trail, head full of zombie..." - Colin Hay and Ron Strykert
http://vw.tauxe.net
1969 Transporter, 1971 Westfalia, 1976, 1977, 1976, 1977, 1971, 1973, 1977 Westfalias,
1979 Champagne Sunroof, 1974 Westfalia Automatic, 1979 Transporter, 1972 Sportsmobile, 1973 Transporter Wild Westerner, 1974 Westfalia parts bus, 1975 Mexican single cab *FOR SALE*, 1978 Irish 4-door double cab RHD

[KTPhil]

I like LEDs on the outside of the car, and for the otherwise dim interior (courtesy) light. I have them on the dash lights for the oil and gen, so they come on fast and bright when there is trouble.

Be careful using the dual-filament (tail/brake) combo LEDs in back. Many have the taillight TOO bright, so the effect of braking is not very noticeable. You want a very big difference between brake and tail brightness for safety.

[telford dorr]

There is a greenish dome over the instrument lights inside the instrument cluster that may block the red LED light. It can be removed with a little work.
_________________
'71 panel, now with FI
'Experience' is the ability to recognize a mistake when you're making it again - Franklin P. Jones
In theory, theory works in practice; in practice, it doesn't - William T. Harbaugh
When you're dead, you don't know you're dead. The pain is only felt by others.
Same thing happens when you're stupid. - Philippe Geluck
More VW electrical at http://telforddorr.com/ (available 9am to 9pm PST)

[ToolBox]

http://auto-hub.com/

LED bulbs for Porsche and VW instrument and interior lighting.

[mikedjames]

For the indicators dash bulb, you need a bulb which lights up both ways round , for when the hazard switch is pulled out with the ignition on ...

Dismantling basic 0.2" LED dash indicator

New parts

Soldered together

End result

The 3528 size LEDs were recycled from another project - but are pennies each, so are the little MB6S bridge rectifiers if you buy them in lots of 50.
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Ancient vehicles and vessels

1974 VW T2 : Devon Eurovette camper with 1641 DP T1 engine, Progressive carb, full flow oil cooler, EDIS crank timed ignition.
Engine 1: 40k miles (rocker shaft clip fell off), Engine 2: 30k miles (rebuild, dropped valve). Engine 3: a JK Preservation Parts "new" engine, aluminium case: 26k miles: new top end.
Gearbox rebuild 2021 by Bears.

1979 Westerly GK24 24 foot racer/cruiser yacht Forethought of Gosport.
1973 wooden Pacer sailing dinghy

[creative native]

[creative native]

I did replace the incandescent bulbs with LEDs in my camper light. I can see tomorrow, that is how bright they are. I also put an LED in my overhead dome light. It is quite bright. I bought these LEDs from www.superbrightleds.com.
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"The holy land is everywhere." ~ Black Elk
1979 Westfalia P27, California FI emissions spec. 100% VW fleet: '79 Westfalia, 2013 Touareg Lux (Toffee Brown/Cornsilk Beige), 2005 Passat GLX.

[mikedjames]

One thing to remember is that you should try to purchase exterior LED bulbs specified for operation over e.g. 6v to 24v . Because this means they will have a proper voltage regulator built in to the system. Often the headlamp regulator is a separate module in the wiring.

They are usually more expensive than the basic LED bulbs.

Cheap LED lamps have stacks of 3 LED chips in series with a dropper resistor. They will be specified for 12 volts only.
These have the characteristic that if the supply voltage drops to 10 volts the current through the LEDs drops to about 1/3 of that at 12 volts.
So any supply ripple, brake light voltage drop and the LED headlamps will dim badly.
Going the other way, at 15 volts the current through the LEDs will double and the heat produced by the resistor goes up by a factor of 4.. resulting in melted solder, smoke and short lived LEDs.
This is because the stack of three LEDs drops about 9 volts, fairly constant once the LEDs light up, the remainder of the (supply volts - 9 volts) is dropped by the resistor which heats up.

On eBay / Amazon comparing prices is a good guide. For indicator and tail light bulbs the better 6-24v regulator can be built in ; on one of mine the regulator module is 1/4" square.
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Ancient vehicles and vessels

1974 VW T2 : Devon Eurovette camper with 1641 DP T1 engine, Progressive carb, full flow oil cooler, EDIS crank timed ignition.
Engine 1: 40k miles (rocker shaft clip fell off), Engine 2: 30k miles (rebuild, dropped valve). Engine 3: a JK Preservation Parts "new" engine, aluminium case: 26k miles: new top end.
Gearbox rebuild 2021 by Bears.

1979 Westerly GK24 24 foot racer/cruiser yacht Forethought of Gosport.
1973 wooden Pacer sailing dinghy

[telford dorr]

[creative native]

[creative native]

The final follow-up:

PayPal attempted to contact www.auto-hub.com a.k.a. StarBrite and apparently the vendor never responded to PayPal either, so PayPal refunded my $43.25 today.

As I said before, I believe this is a one man operation and something must have happened to this man. This is sad and unfortunate, but I say this business should be eliminated from anybody's future consideration.

I have had great luck with www.superbrightleds.com over the past few years. I just wanted to support this StarBrite business since he catered to Volkswagens.
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"The holy land is everywhere." ~ Black Elk
1979 Westfalia P27, California FI emissions spec. 100% VW fleet: '79 Westfalia, 2013 Touareg Lux (Toffee Brown/Cornsilk Beige), 2005 Passat GLX.