Better Reverse Light

[paulsmart]

Has anyone treid improving the reverse light on a Aygo?

I find the standard reverse light too dim and was thinking of a slightly higher wattage buld (not so much a burn out the wiring!) or an after-market light but the bumber is very low at the back so there isn;t much room.

Anyone found something suitable?

[Raistlin]

I've used LED lights in my car from day 2, there faster brighter and less likely to fail.

[rajivrattna]

I think the better bulb with 35 w output as opposed to the original 21W output, is the BA15s 12v 35 Watt bulb, with a transverse filament. I asked the same question in a candlepower forum and was told to try these. Here is the link to my question.

http://www.candlepow...r-382-P21W-bulb

[rajivrattna]

Just want to update this thread. Took my own advice and changed the reverse light bulb. With dark winter fast approaching tried the 35watt BA15s bulb as replacement for toyotas original 21Watt bulb and wow what a difference. Now I feel I have head light even at the back of the car. One of those must if you live in a dark winter countries of the northern hemisphere.

The bayonet type bulb holder in Aygo is a bit fiddly, both to get the bulb out and to put a new one in. It has plastic posts that support the bulb and being too high can restrict some bulbs during mounting. I had to sand the plastic post down to get the new bulb in. The bulb glass dome height is smaller than the original. The base is the same. The new bulb looks like this, artikel number 35541 at Biltema Sweden.

http://www.biltema.se/sv/Bil---MC/Bilreservdelar/Belysning/Glodlampor/Glodlampor-12-V-2-st-3515254/

[eygo]

ages ago i bought some 68 smd replacement bulbs for my reverse lights on another car as i have the rear windows tinted with the darkest tint you can get 5%,i tried these leds and looking from the back they looked great bright white light BUT the downside was that the light only illuminated directly behind and not 10 foot or so behind so reversing was still awkward so i have gone back to the std bulbs as they are better to see with

[rajivrattna]

ages ago i bought some 68 smd replacement bulbs for my reverse lights on another car as i have the rear windows tinted with the darkest tint you can get 5%,i tried these leds and looking from the back they looked great bright white light BUT the downside was that the light only illuminated directly behind and not 10 foot or so behind so reversing was still awkward so i have gone back to the std bulbs as they are better to see with

It is a known fact that LED bulbs (all these cheap LED bulbs on eBay etc) are junk as far as the light output is concerned. But this 35W BA15s is is not a LED bulb and is some thing special . The light output is great. Try it out and you will see. It is available in UK too.

[Raistlin]

People in the UK can get them here:

http://www.boatelectricals.co.uk/bulbs--tubes/general-bulbs/c4-2118-ba15s-bulb-10w-12v.html

[eygo]

they are halogen bulbs and they will create a lot of heat how will the lens hold up over a period of time ,also comparing the 35w bulb to a 21w bulb you are going to draw 66% more power than before

[Raistlin]

they are halogen bulbs and they will create a lot of heat how will the lens hold up over a period of time ,also comparing the 35w bulb to a 21w bulb you are going to draw 66% more power than before

I thought that so I found a 10 watt which will not cause the same heat issues in the limited time that it is lit. ;)

[rajivrattna]

Here is s another site and it is a halogen 35watt 12volt BA15s bulb.

ttp://directshopping4u.com/12voltvehiclelighting/R796

[rajivrattna]

they are halogen bulbs and they will create a lot of heat how will the lens hold up over a period of time ,also comparing the 35w bulb to a 21w bulb you are going to draw 66% more power than before

Your car reversing time is very short and it will hardly have the time to melt your reflector! Can the wire stand it? The gurus at the Candlepower forum that I referred to earlier think that the wire can handle it.

[rajivrattna]

I remembered something else about the bulb holder in the Aygo rear light cluster. It is very well made with broad and thick metal strips (not wire) connecting the bulb holder pins and that means good heat dissipation. I doubt if any heat is going to get concentrated at the contacts. As far as the heat from the bulb dome is concerened there is a lot of space betrween the bulb dome and the lens. I am not at all worried about the heat generated. Can the fuse handle it? I don't know, time will tell.

It is pitch dark during November in Sweden and I am glad for more light.

[paulsmart]

I'm going to try this: Link

I'll let you know how it goes. 

[unclefester]

Ha - i'm having one of those as i too think the reverse light output is sh*t. That said, making sure the rear clusters are always clean is a good start.

[paulsmart]

I fitted the 50W bulb from the link in my previous post and it works fine. 

At least no fires yet 

[eygo]

thats an increase of 240% you have more than double the loading on the cables in the car,

if a cable burns out it will take the surrounding cables as well and not just the cable thats

being overloaded so beware its your car.

[unclefester]

Drawing about 4A if my shaky maths is correct - for the 30 seconds it will be on at a time that's more than likely fine. Headlight cables aren't much thicker and they run 55/60W.

[paulsmart]

Wires look fine for 4A to me. And isn't there a common ground wire from the light cluster which can already take reversing light, indicator, running light and brake light all being on at the same time already? 

I'm more worried about the plastic in the light cluster melting TBH. 

 

[eygo]

only time will tell with the plastics

[unclefester]

Plastics are sh*t.

removed mine today in advance of fitting the new lamp, found the inner lamp shroud on the brake / tail had shattered so that's repaired and refitted but ......

Found that green tit thing sat inside the reverse cluster and that's because the outer plastic is tinted 'pinkish', the green thing reverts the light to white but at the loss of quite a lot of output as it's an opaqueish green filter.

So i've removed it and it really isn't that noticeably 'unwhite' without it. I'll see how much less strangled the output is tonight without it fitted. FWIW i think the 50W halogen could melt that over time and you'd not know because it would be inside the light itself.

If this isn't enough, i'll be quite happy to fit the 50W halogen reverse lamp now that the green thing is removed.

 

[unclefester]

Right. You NEED that green tit in place as it's also a diffuser and without it, you get a really weird beam spread. So i'll refit it, fit the halogen lamp  and check it on it every few weeks to see how it's doing.

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/301864217475

 

Ordered one of those as well - will try both but the LED is preferred as there's less heat ouput.

[unclefester]

Tried the Halogen - the LED in the link above has it licked both in brightness and in power requirements. Both fit without issue.