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Hi please can you help, I've fitted a strip light which contains several led bulbs into my Mercedes e250 boot, which I connected to the boot light. The boot light is the type that comes on slowly and dims off slowly, the problems is that with the ignition on the bulbs keep going off then trying to come on again, but with the ignition off they works okay. I believe its the car computer detecting irregular currents. What can anyone recommend to me that will fix this? and how to install it please and to which wires the original boot light wires or to the new LED's wiring?? Thanks, Chris 07956597848
Is the original Bulb incandescent or LED? Is the original bulb still in the circuit? You may need to add a resistor, if the new if the Led Strip draws LESS current than the original Bulb.--- If the LED Strip draws MORE current than the BULB, you may need to use a different source for the 12V current.
Hi, the original Bulb is incandescent and I have tested it with the bulb fitted and with it removed and still the same problem. Like I said it's when the ignition is switched on that the error happens. Can you suggest what I need to buy and where to fit it please.
This is what I've added purchased from Amazon
The lights appear to draw about 1.25A (30 x 0.5W) which maybe more then the bulb your replacing. What are you grounding this string to?
I would suggest using a voltmeter to see what is actually happening to the power feed with your ignition on and off. If you have steady 12V then the issue is probably related to the draw.
I suspect that Mike03 is right: I did not realize that it was 30 LED lights. If it were my car, I'd disconnect the 12VDC from the switch-- and then run a fused power wire from a NON-canbus source (like the battery or fuse block to the switch to power the LEDs. When the key is ON the circuit is being monitored by the controller network (it's not monitored when the key is off)-- I believe the current draw is greater than what is expected by the controller. (The controller actually monitors the voltage on the circuit; if the lights draw MORE current, the voltage drops.) If a 3-5 amp fuse is used on the new isolated (new) source, it will be safe. A suitable wire and fuse holder would be very inexpensive.
I previously drove BMW's; on the Bimmers one can "disable" the voltage monitoring on every single light circuit on the car (all 45 of them) individually. M-B does not make it easy to change any controller programming.
Thanks for all your helpful advice guys, I am half capable of completing some of the work you suggest but I feel I should get help from a professional auto electrician so as to avoid causing any damage, I did contact the electrician in my local garage but he said they do not do the sort of work I wanted??
If anybody in the UK knows of a competent auto electrician in the Harrow area I would really appreciate the contact details.
Thanks so much again for all involved with helping me with this issue.
10-29-2019, 10:38 AM
