LED Road lights-are there issues?

[JTQ]

I understand my new caravan will have LED road lighting.

Are there likely to be any issues with the tow vehicles CanBus system?

My understanding is that the CanBus is continually sending pulses to the its towing sockets to detect the presence of any trailer. And that it uses this to facilitate switching off the rear parking sensors and modifying the dynamic stability control system.

Any knowledge out there from other members with Audi, Merc & Land Rover vehicles using CanBus systems and LED caravans please?

 

[mauron]

Hi JTQ.

We tow a Lunar Clubman which is fitted with LED rear light array.

We tow with a VW Passat. We had a towbar fitted at a non - VW fitter and everything woks fine.

As you say, the rear parking sensors do not work whilst towing.

If the stability control is affected, I have not noticed any adverse affects but the caravan is fitted with the Alko ATC setup and handles really well.

Hope this helps,

Ron.

 

[PeakPaul]

I think the LED light clusters on your caravan are a red herring, it doesn't matter is the caravan lights are LED or filament bulb.

It depends on whether your car makes changes to things like parking sensors when it detects a trailer is plugged in. The chances of your car dealer knowing this info is slim, Delphi & VDO used to make body computers & instrument clusters for Volkswagen Audi group, I wrote the trip computer software for one of the VW clusters in 2001

 

[JTQ]

Thanks guys,

The new Passat looks if its got an LED rear light system so maybe its ECU is aware of LEDs and might be set up to cope with them. Anyway that info is encouraging so either VW or Lunar have it sorted, thanks for that Ron.

I don't share your confidence Paul that it does not matter if the lights are LED's or filament. Earlier systems at least used the additional current draw to determine if the van is attached. There trailer LEDs would be most unlikely to give the correct feedback.

Thanks anyway for trying to help; looks if I will have to wait and find out.

 

[rob_jax]

Our tug is a new MB E-class with LED rear lights / canBUS and an Eriba caravan with filament bulbs.

Trailer detection can work inat least these ways:

The canBUS slave unit in the boot could monitor a micro-switch in the 13 pin ISO 11446 connector - so when the connector is plugged in, a trailer is "detected" and the appropriate action is taken (and in pre-canBUS days this would switch a relay to turn the fog-lights off, etc).

The canBUS slave unit could monitor the 13 pin socket for a connection return on the side-light circuit. And if this is the case then there is a possibility you'll need to hook up and find out. Why? It depends how the LED bulbs are configured in the caravan - they may have a resistor that simulates the load drawn by a filament bulb, they may not - and the VW may care or it may not.

If when you connect up - turn on the side-lights and you DO NOT see a "trailer bulb failure" in the car instrument cluster then you should be fine - the canBUS slave has detected that the trailer lights are drawing sufficient current.

If you see a "trailer bulb failure" when you turn on the side-lights or switch-on the indicators - then the caravan LEDs might just need the resistor version of the LED bulbs - but I'd trust that won't be the case.

Robert