Suspension sinks on Sundays! C5 X7 that works hard + 206 GTi HDi (and 406 Coupe and 306 HDi). - MattBLancs

[CitroJim]

Ready for later today:

Because Sunday wouldn't be Sunday without a trip to the tip

[myglaren]

It's tripped and fallen over

[CitroJim]

It's tripped and fallen over

Clearly overloaded

[MattBLancs]

It's tripped and fallen over

Clearly overloaded

Ha ha, I've more than learnt my lesson there! Quite light stuff but the trailer itself is a heavy lump!

But more trailer action, my little trailer is lined up for an airport trip next week, so I thought I'd test the lights as it's not been anywhere for I think a couple of years!

All but left rear sidelight working. Which actually turned out to be miraculous frankly!

Trailer lamp cluster stripped down, very, very corroded spade terminals found.

I came off in me hand!

[MattBLancs]

That'll have been the issue won't it!?

Nope!!

Spoiler: show

it turns out that was the best bit of the wiring, here's the trailer socket:

A wonder any electrons made it through that mess!!

[CitroJim]

Looks like it's been out at sea for a few years Matt!

[bobins]

I think all trailer lamps and electrics are made out of a very special fast dissolving metal as they always end up like that

[MattBLancs]

I think all trailer lamps and electrics are made out of a very special fast dissolving metal as they always end up like that

Yes, seems so!

Also every trailer lamp cluster I've come across seems incapable of keeping the water out. A tide mark at the bottom pretty much standard!

Yes Jim, if it was a boat trailer I'd probably say "fair enough, that's to be expected dunking it each launch!" But it's definitely only done land based things with me!!

[MattBLancs]

Cored the cables bit further up and it's usual black, oxidised, horrible mess. So currently dunked in vinegar to try and find something copper coloured!

Fixings of new socket copper greased.

Heat shrinked the two cables (Erde / Daxara = cable from each lamp cluster all the way to the socket) together and another larger piece to shrink over the new socket's rubber end seal.

Whether it keeps the water out or just gives additional hurdles next time it fails...

...TBC!

[mickthemaverick]

I used to have the same problem on an annual basis with the boat trailer but in the end I found a method which lasted from its inception to the point of sale which was about 6 years. I encased each loom in bicycle inner tubing sealed at the connections with self amalgamating tape applied correctly as I was taught in the GPO. Once done no further failures occurred at all!

[MattBLancs]

[MattBLancs]

All back together and....

Brake lights= functional both sides.
Tail light = still dead, left rear.
Indicators = right: faultless, left: comes on sporadically with percussive maintenance.

So a step backwards basically!!

I remembered that Daxara / Erde in their wisdom include an additional bonus moisture ingress point, I mean electrical connection, behind each tail light (or in other words roughly inline for a good deal of spray from the trailer wheels)
Funnily enough this does not look great.

And percussive maintenance has cracked (or alerted me that it was already cracked) the lens of the uncooperative tail light too.


So, off to Amazon / eBay and I'll change the lot.

[MattBLancs]

Not stated, but bulbs checked obviously! (Multimeter on Continuity mode with help from my 5 year old who enjoyed manipulating the probes and triggered the meter to beep!

[MattBLancs]

£40.86 has got me two full sets of LED tail lights, each with 10m cabling (so about 7 metres spare worth cutting off) and new sockets. So both small trailers can be fixed (it was the other small one's lighting which was playing up last time - though not pre-wired Erde nonsense there. That is a "Franc" trailer)

If arrives by Thursday I could potentially get that fitted ahead of the Friday Airport Trip as planned. Can fall back in my magnetic set as a backup plan.

More eBay stuff!

[MattBLancs]

Odd: Two lots of £20.42 doesn't equal £40.86 but that's what I paid.

WHERE'S MY 2p GONE EBAY!?