Failed trailer collection - Saturday 10th July
Re-attempt - Friday 16th July
LED trailer light bollocks
So with the car serviced and everything well, it was time to nip over to borrow a car trailer from the same top bloke as last time.
However the collection went tits up as upon plugging it in the trailer lights weren't doing what they were meant to.
Tail lights - okay
Brake lights - okay
Right indicator - flashing, but also flashing right brake light
Left indicator - flashing, but also flashing both indicators and rear brake lights.
Bollocks.
Yer man's suggestion was the wiring on the Jizz, as his Landcruiser was operating them fine. It wasn't the trailer wiring as I rewired the whole lot October 2019 when I last borrowed it as the monkey previously paid to do the job maid a right arse of it with twisted together wires, etc. Anyway, an hour was wasted mostly trying to put the 12N socket back together on the car to which nothing was found wrong with. I had my doubts as I'd been towing my own trailer recently without issue.
I thought it might be the LED lights on the trailer, so went off back home to RTFM of my Jizz wiring kit.
Re-read the IKEA-like instructions and nothing was forthcoming. Downloaded a more up-to-date set of instructions and found this panel which isn't in the earlier ones:
- Screenshot_20210725_123255a.png (36.21 KiB) Viewed 1860 times
This wanking warning box wasn't compatible with LEDs. Now I could of pissed about with some load resistors on the trailer, but I didn't want to go there. I wanted to just sort the car. What I need was "an upgrade" (read robbing you a second time) of this 52400006:
- 52400006_AFC_module.jpg (52.5 KiB) Viewed 1860 times
Now it may be an AFC in German, I think it could be called a Trailer Interface Module (TIM) in English or just a fucking expensive trailer flasher relay 52400570:
- jaeger_led_afc_modul_52400570-1.jpg (348.61 KiB) Viewed 1860 times
I phoned four trailer/towbar places in Dublin. Two didn't have a fucking clue what I was on about and two had clue but didn't have anything like it in stock. So it was time to fuck the local economy and shop abroad.
First I found PF Jones didn't have it on their website, but did have an ebay listing - £73
and over £70 in shipping/export fees on top of that. WTF? I phoned them to see what the story was and they said postage to Ireland was £9.50.....but they haven't had one of those in stock since late last year and it may take "up to 8 weeks" to get one. "So WTF are you listing them on ebay for?". "Don't know, I'll have to ask our ebay department".
Then I spot the unit required for £62.50 (ex-VAT) at Anglia Towing Centre showing a stock of 8. I quickly mash the keyboard, see the £25 shipping and checkout at £87.50. Dash off to work, then find an email following the order up. "Our minimum order to ROI is £150, is there anything else you'd like to bring it up". No thanks, your checkout is shit not flagging that up before taking the money. I understand it may be due to new VAT rules. Just refund me it, I'll get one from Germany.
Now the cheapest in Germany is less than €55 (inc. VAT, ex-shipping),
https://www.qp24.de/de/led-afc3-modul-1 ... 570/347270
However, DOES NOT SHIP TO IRELAND.
They have an Amazon.de store - DOES NOT SHIP TO IRELAND.
Out of idle curiousity, I check Amazon.fr - SAME FUCKING GERMAN COMPANY - Sold and shipped by qp24. Shipping to Ireland €15.08. Click, click, click. Bought.
Now I'm expecting wholly to get a cancellation of the above order, but no it goes through on Wed 14th and arrives on Mon 19th. Thought it would take longer.
Rewind to Thursday 15th, and in desperation to get this car trailer moved from North to South Dublin, I buy a universal bypass relay (PCT ZR2000) kit for around €45 (containing wiring and 12N plug, etc. I'll use it on another motor eventually).
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There's no way I'm going to rip my plug-in wiring loom out and fit it, but I will tin the ends of the wires with solder and jam it into the multi-plug and use a couple of split pins as jumpers.
- resized_IMG_20210716_142606.jpg (54.49 KiB) Viewed 1860 times
As shown earlier in the thread. It did the job
Yer man didn't have his Landcruiser handy, so I had to pull the trailer out of the drive so he could take the Lexus off. I made it out onto a busy Friday rush hour M50 and N7 and didn't get had by the guards.