12v lights burn

[Scubabuzz]

We like to use the 12v LED light above the sink to light the interior while we are away for the evening. We came back last weekend to a burning smell in the camper and the light above the sink was toggling on and off. I went to inspect and the cover fell off in my hand. As can be seen from the photo the light had almost caught fire under the cabinet. Anyone know of a more quality brand of replacement for these lights? I don't think I can trust these things anymore. Just another in a list of quality issues I've found with this "Quality" brand camper.

Joe

[howson]

Scubabuzz -- wow -- that's a new one (at least I don't remember a similar incident).

There was a recent thread on replacement overhead lights here: https://gdrvowners.com/forum/interio...overhead-light

Back in '20 forum member colan recommended a replacement overhead ceiling light which I subsequently installed in my 315RLTS. I've been very pleased with the product--definitely superior to the Facon brand originally installed by GD. While not 100% applicable maybe that brand has a size and style to fit your need. Here's a link to that thread: https://gdrvowners.com/forum/operati...erior-lighting

Howard

[familytruckster4]

Although its discouraging to see stuff like this I doubt it had the potential for a fire. Anything electrical is going to fail some day. Most LED components are the same or very similar, its how well they are assembled that makes the difference. We had a breaker that melted inside the panel on our first house. No short and the breaker didnt trip. It was a respected brand part and still failed. Light ballasts in fluorescent fixture fail all the time, they are smellly and sometimes a little smoky but I never saw one that started an actual fire.

[Scubabuzz]

howson - Thanks for the info on the replacements
familytruckster4 - Yeah, I am quite familiar with ballast failures. Was an electrician for many years. What you don't see in this photo was the melted hanging plastic strings, the melted cover or the screw that use to hold the circuit board to the plastic base before the plastic melted and the screw fell out.

It's just a bit disheartening to think a brand can call themselves quality when you have things like:
- Missing kitchen heater floor duct and vent (not evena a hole for one) with 90deg elbow left in furnace pointing at bottom of kitchen sink (wife burned hand on sink before we discovered this one)
- Bedroom outlet wired to hot water heater so it is unusable if you want hot water (wife found this one as well)
- Several of the kitchen draw slides are losing the ball bearing all over the kitchen floor
- Kitchen P-Trap cracked from over-tightening presumably to try and stop a leak from a defective P-Trap

They give you a one year warranty knowing that you won't find most of these things on your fist season so then you are responsible for the repairs yourself. My dealer is about as useful as a left handed monkey wrench. They told me the missing duct work wasn't suppose to be there anyway until I showed them the duct work on two other same model campers on their lot. Then they changed their tune.

Good thing I'm a handyman......

-- Off soap box

Joe

[familytruckster4]

I had some family that was discussing getting a travel trailer, I talked them out of it since neither one could/would do basic home repairs. I understand the frustration. None of the trailers we have owned have been without issues. Fortunately our GD problems were relatively minor and I repaired them at home.
The whole dealer issue is a rabbit hole. I could tell story after story about problems with ours. We almost didnt buy the 2nd GD trailer due to the dealer being exclusive to lower MI.
At the end of a tour of the Reflection plant in late 2018 the group had a Q&A with one of the VP's of GD and the dealer issues came up often. His take was that although they try to guide the dealers, in the end they are independent businesses and GD has only so much sway with them. They know there are problems but it seems like a balancing act between the 2. ultimately the customers suffer but I personally think the RV OEM's are as much to blame since the repair rates they pay are never enough to cover a competent tech.
Fortunately you have the advantage of expertise to make the needed repairs.

Scott