Brake Lights Giving up the Ghost

[DiscoSaffa]

Hi All

Had an issue last week with the brake lights on my D3…….. I was driving in convoy and someone noticed that my brake lights weren’t working. The high level one on the tail gate was operating, but the two in the left and right light clusters had given up the ghost. I checked the fuses (the dam fuse box behind the cubby hole in the passenger foot well is well designed isn’t it!) and all ok…… Being in Ballina these days with no dealer near by took it to Ballina Performance and Auto, ARB. I asked them to check it out for me. Turns out both bulbs had blown. Now it could be that one had blown a while ago, but I had been driving in convoy for two days so I don’t think so.

With it being rather unusual for both bulbs to blow at the same time, I am wondering if anyone has had the same issue and if there is an underlying problem I should be worried about?

As an aside, the guys at Ballina Performance and Auto, ARB were incredibly friendly and helpful, squeezing the vehicle in late on a Friday, charging me only for the two bulbs and no labour, despite checking the system over looking for problems. So if anyone is ever in the area with any hassles, they come highly recommended, just expect a light hearted ribbing about your choice of vehicle…….. :D

[WhiteD3]

Blown brake light bulbs is a common problem, for me anyway. I get about 12 months out of a bulb and always carry a spare. Maybe its the pulsing that wears them out?

I changed brands from Varta(?) to something else (Philips?) last time to see if they'll last longer.

[DiscoSaffa]

Blown brake light bulbs is a common problem, for me anyway. I get about 12 months out of a bulb and always carry a spare. Maybe its the pulsing that wears them out?

Thanks WhiteD3...... 2 spares is no in my cubby hole..........

[jonesfam]

Is it possible to fit LED (or is that LCD?) bulb clusters instead of the normal bulbs? Or would this cause some sort of problem like LED trailer lights?
I changed all the Parking & tail lights to LED on our ex Terracan due to it constantly blowing the bulbs in the bull bar. Worked a treat.
Might not in a D3 though?
Jonesfam

[DiscoSaffa]

Good question Jonesfam...... and worth investigating, would be a good fix to the problem..... one concern though, would LRA be able to use changing the bulbs to LEDs as an excuse to deny any warrantee claim?

[jonesfam]

I don't see how LR could knock back a warranty claim unless they warranty cover the bulbs which I am pretty sure are considered a consumable item. I haven't got the Warranty book in front of me.
My concern would be does the car pulse test these bulbs like it does trailer lights? Or is there some other reason (like disengaging cruise control) that it need a strong current draw on the Brake light bulbs.
Most cars have a switch on the brake pedal lever but LR do like to do things differently.
I will phone the D3 Guru in Townsville next week & find out.
Jonesfam

[WhiteD3]

Keep in mind that what ever you buy at Supercheap or Repco is probably crap quality so after the original bulb goes I think its down hill from there, hence why I tried a different brand of bulb.

[DiscoSaffa]

I don't see how LR could knock back a warranty claim unless they warranty cover the bulbs which I am pretty sure are considered a consumable item. I haven't got the Warranty book in front of me.

My concern is fitting a non standard bulb (in particular LED) could be grounds for denying a claim on the lighting system due to fitting non standard hardware..... cynical I know, but I have owned Land Rovers in 3 countries and the dealers are all the same...... :(


I will phone the D3 Guru in Townsville next week & find out.
Jonesfam

Would be interested to know what he has to say!

[jonesfam]

Well, got on to the bloke in Townsville & the short answer is YES! You can fit LED lights to the rear of a Discover 3.
Land Rover have a dealer fit LED tail light set up for the D3 for, wait for it,
$1200 + fitting. It is exactly the same as the D4 set up.
As for fitting after market LED cluster bulbs, fine for tail, brake & fog lamps, not recommended for indicators unless some sort of device to increase resistance is also added as the car checks these bulbs. Also not recommended for the fog lights, no explanation.
Will not effect warranty unless any fault can be attributed to the fitting of after market bulbs.
Hope this is of some help.
When I got the LED bulbs for my ex Terracan I got them on Ebay for a few $ each (about $3 I think) so even as an experiment, retaining the old bulbs if there is a problem, it would be cheap enough to try out.
I won't at the moment because I don't see the point in pulling bits of my car off when I don't currently have a problem
Jonesfam

[Hooroo]

Well, got on to the bloke in Townsville & the short answer is YES! You can fit LED lights to the rear of a Discover 3.
Land Rover have a dealer fit LED tail light set up for the D3 for, wait for it,
$1200 + fitting. It is exactly the same as the D4 set up.
As for fitting after market LED cluster bulbs, fine for tail, brake & fog lamps, not recommended for indicators unless some sort of device to increase resistance is also added as the car checks these bulbs. Also not recommended for the fog lights, no explanation.
Will not effect warranty unless any fault can be attributed to the fitting of after market bulbs.
Hope this is of some help.
When I got the LED bulbs for my ex Terracan I got them on Ebay for a few $ each (about $3 I think) so even as an experiment, retaining the old bulbs if there is a problem, it would be cheap enough to try out.
I won't at the moment because I don't see the point in pulling bits of my car off when I don't currently have a problem
Jonesfam

Very common problem (even with D4 LED's!!!), so don't worry
CAUTION: the brake lights feed info back to the computer. A blown one may lower the suspension of give other warnings!
My two bobs worth? Carry a LR spare. They only take 30 secs to change (I've had plenty of practice)
Good ol' British car electrics [wink11]

[Basil135]

Question - would the fitting of after market LED bulbs still be compliant with the ADR's?

I have a fleeting recollection that some of these replacement LED's do not meet the requirements.

Might be worth checking.

[DiscoSaffa]

Very common problem (even with D4 LED's!!!), so don't worry
CAUTION: the brake lights feed info back to the computer. A blown one may lower the suspension of give other warnings!
My two bobs worth? Carry a LR spare. They only take 30 secs to change (I've had plenty of practice)
Good ol' British car electrics [wink11]

BOTH of mine blew, and I got NO warning..... forgot to ask this question in my first post...... was surprised by the lack of alarm bells and warnings.....

[Hooroo]

BOTH of mine blew, and I got NO warning..... forgot to ask this question in my first post...... was surprised by the lack of alarm bells and warnings.....

Check your handbook to see if there's a 'brake light out' dash warning. I haven't had one with my blown bulbs. The most effective warning is the screeching tyres of the car behind conducting an emergency stop ;)

[DiscoSaffa]

Check your handbook to see if there's a 'brake light out' dash warning. I haven't had one with my blown bulbs. The most effective warning is the screeching tyres of the car behind conducting an emergency stop ;)

I don't recall any mention in the handbook (must read the whole thing one day :)), but would have thought brake lights being a safety critical element, and the fact that they are already linked to the carputer, there would be something.

That said, the item is now on my radar and will make sure I check regularly.