LED replacement lamps |
Several owners have replaced the interior and/or
exterior lamps with new LED equivalents and this might not be a bad
idea. Standard filament lamps have a very high current draw. This means
they can run down your battery if left on very long. A common way this
occurs is if you leave the tailgate or bonnet open for an extended
period of time (like in a car show) in an S4 or newer Esprit. Doing so
causes the lights in the boot, front luggage compartment and cabin to
remain lit. If you are going to have the bonnet or boot open for an
extended period of time, I recommend that you temporarily unplug the
connector to the plunger switch that controls the lights in these cars.
If you replace the lights with LED units, you must be
aware of one possible side effect. The reduced current draw on these
units can create problems in your electrical system. One common
occurrence is for the ABS or SRS airbag tell-tale lights to illuminate
or flash unexpectedly. The way to get around this problem is to make
sure to install load-balancing resistors in line with the new LED lamps.
This fools the car's electrics into thinking it has the same electrical
load as with the standard filament lamps.
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