discovery rear light mods.
 

Hi there.
I have fitted a heavy duty rear bumper to my 300tdi disco. The new bumper does not have the cutouts for the lights, which the original has. How can i overcome the fast flashing of the indicators, now that there are two indicators missing? I have tried to source a different relay from Landrover, with no success at the moment.
Secondly, can i just connect the wires from the original brake lights, to each other, to enable that circut to work again? At the moment, i have no brake lights at all.
Sorry for the dumb questions guys, but electrics are just not my thing!
Thankyou,
Nick.

The reason why your indicators are now flashing faster is because with one less indicator there is less resistance on the flasher circuit. To sort that you need to go to a decent car/truck electrical specialist who will be able to sell you a little box of tricks (basically a resister!) to wire into the wiring circuit. Actually if you know nowt about car electrics it might be best to get them to do it. This is a common problem with trucks and coaches where the standard bulbs have been replaced with LEDs which draw less current to the extent that sometimes the indicators don't flash at all.

Not quite sure what your problem is with the brake lights. If it's just a matter of wiring up some new lights using the feed to the old ones-yes go ahead. If I've misunderstood what you're saying, explain more.

Q

Rear bumper lights
 

Hello Quintin.
Thanks for the reply.
Regarding the brake lights, i was hoping to just remove the plug from the two wires which went to the rear light in the bumper, and just join them together. Hoping that would complete the circuit, and the brake lights in the rear pillars would work as normal.
However, that doesn't seem to be the case. I guess there being less resistance in that circuit too? Looking at the manual for electrical diagrams, it seems that these lights are linked in with other circuits too. I think i will have to consult an auto sparky to sort this out for me. Perhaps i should of paid more attention at school.
Thanks again,
Nick.

Why remove the bulbs from the loom at all? You could just keep the bulbs and holders in place and tape them up out of the way somewhere or see if you can draw the cable up into the pillar section so they keep dry and out the way.

if you remove your rear lights you should tell your insurance company, as you've effectivly modified the vehicle away from its original type-approved design....

i'd say the easier option would be to cut the lights into the bumper, and stick them in with mastic.

rear lights in bumper
 

Hi there.
I forgot i posted this until today.
An update.
If you want to fit heavy duty bumpers to your landrover, (or other car come to that), get the right ones.
This should have been a straight forward job. Swop the bumper, maybe 3 hours. Instead it took about two months.
Yes i should have bought the later bumper with cutouts, but i carried on regardless. Yes i had to get a different flasher relay, but not easy to find when you don't know what you are looking for. And lastly, try telling the insurance company the reason why you have done what you have, again and again and again. Now it is all sorted, the mot has been a breeze, and all the lights are still legal.
Stay sensible, don't cause yourself aggro when preparing for a trip. If it breaks when you are away, sort it out then. Sometimes it isn't wise to imagine the problems you may face while away, better to wait and see if it does?
Happy travelling,
Nick.

Hi Nick,

best option I think,

Get the 200Tdi rear light units, (same as a Morris Marina Van I think by the way).
They have built in indicators. (orange lights)
I found the connecting plug of the 300Tdi Disco is already wired up with both brake lights and indicators, it just needs swapping some pins.
If you use a test light, you can check which wire you need.
I swapped 2 pins in the connector, and now have driving lights, indicators and brake lights all in one unit.
Greetz,
Joey