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Old 03-03-2019, 10:08 AM   #1
BryanA
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LED Lights dying

I have a 2017 Laredo model 5th wheel. We are starting to have LEDs start to dim and flicker.

I was under the impression LED lights lasted forever. Why are these lights dying? I opened light cover up and see they are a disc of LED lights, that are soldered directly to the 12v wiring. Are we not expected to replace these ourselves?

Anyone else have this issue? What are you doing to replace your LED lights that are failing?
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Old 03-03-2019, 01:15 PM   #2
KeithInUpstateNY
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Let voltage is the usual culprit for early led bulb failure, though high voltage can do it too. This is reflected in the ratings of after market LED bulbs on Amazon. Bulbs with wider operating voltages have better reviews. And workmanship when the fixture is being assembled can be a big factor too. The replacement led fixtures I bought for my 2015 trailer lasted one season. I ended up reinstalling the original fixtures and replacing the bulbs with after market LED bulbs that are still going strong after 2 seasons.
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Old 03-04-2019, 02:55 AM   #3
Frank G
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BryanA View Post
I have a 2017 Laredo model 5th wheel. We are starting to have LEDs start to dim and flicker.

I was under the impression LED lights lasted forever. Why are these lights dying? I opened light cover up and see they are a disc of LED lights, that are soldered directly to the 12v wiring. Are we not expected to replace these ourselves?

Anyone else have this issue? What are you doing to replace your LED lights that are failing?
This appears to be a common problem, as noted early on in this forum Keystone has been known to replace the lights under warrantee within the warrantee period. How much have you used your unit? The best pricing I found for replacements was Trekwood RV parts, about $14.00 each. The ones I ordered were shipped by Keystone.

A little background, our unit was hit by lightning last September and it took out most of the electronics and appliance control boards and several of the LED puck lights. The lights continue to fail so I have 2 or 3 more to replace. We winter in our unit about 6 months a year so they see plenty of use.

The replacement lights had twice the amount of LED's in them but give off the same light brightness. I think they did this to extend the life of the units.

Good luck with your replacements, they are easy to change out, you have to supply the new wire connectors.
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Old 03-05-2019, 10:02 AM   #4
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The light on the Left is a new light as provided by Keystone sold through Trekwood RV parts. The one on the right is the defective one removed from the 17 Laredo. Both light carry the same part number and Manufacture Command Electronics Inc. "Made in USA" The old one had 6 LED lights and the new one 9 LED's. They appear to have the same brightness, hope the design change improves longevity.
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Old 03-05-2019, 02:27 PM   #5
Canonman
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We had "flickering" LED's from the get go. After much interaction between Keystone, CW and WFCO, we finally convinced Keystone to send out replacement fixtures for the Cougar.
Seems the transformer in the fixture is not always compatible with the WFCO converter due to the converter changing output voltage depending on the charge state of the batteries.
Quick question, is there any difference in the LED operation with shore power or without?
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Old 03-05-2019, 04:32 PM   #6
PARAPTOR
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Without shore power and the onboard generator not running those led lights will see 12 VDC or less depending on the state of your battery. When hooked to shore power and the converter AC Breaker on those same leds will be seeing a voltage generally higher than the 12 VDC battery voltage. The actual voltage will depend on the battery status and the stage your converter is currently running in to charge the battery.
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