Garth

Hi Stu Mail sent - let me know if you do not receive it. Garth

Bought this sub loom for my car (Caterham part number 76149) only to discover I had a pre-fitted one on the car already! Free + postage to a good car!

Look like 15's to me?

Got the pedal thanks Andrew

Thanks for the comments - here is s link to some photos I posted a while ago - beam pattern is very good and they passed my MOT after the height was adjusted correctly! I can now see when I drive at night - the improvement over my old lenses with the extra bright bulbs is very significant! The beam pattern is smoother than with the old lenses and there is no problem blinding other cars when dipped. I asked Classic Car LED's about the legality of the LED bulbs and this was their response - see below - makes for interesting reading and I think my LED bulbs are much better than any Halogen equivalent I have tried. That makes them safer in my view so I will use them on the road for now! Hi Garth, Thank you for your email. The question of LED upgrades and legality, particularly headlights, is a complex issue which is not made any clearer by the fact the regulations stem from the RVLA. Generally LED conversions are not 100% road legal for external bulbs, though ours all show the correct output and beam patterns (which many don't) so are not normally picked up by MOT testing and don't give glare to other road users. Many insurers are now becoming tolerant of them though and allowing the use of good quality LEDs such as ours, particularly on classics, as they are CE marked and they see them as a big safety improvement. Changing to LED for external lighting is a vehicle modification that you need to advise your insurer of as with any other modification from factory specification. The changes made in May 2018 to UK MOT law banned HID conversion for headlamps and some inspectors are treating this as LED too though many customers are reporting passes since the change was made. We will not guarantee a pass though as the pass is at the discretion of the examiner. Other fittings such as sidelights, brake lights and indicators may be OK for MOT purposes but again this is at the discretion of the examiner. The Road Vehicle Lighting Act (RVLA) gives some exemption to vehicles of certain ages but as the act does not specifically mention LEDs it cannot be inferred by their absence that they are legal for road use. As a result we are cautious and sell all our external LEDs on the basis of "Off Road Use" only. It's a grey area between safety and legality that we leave to customer choice. Our Terms and Conditions which are linked to on every page on our website and email footer cover this. Internal LED conversions are 100% legal and are not covered by the RVLA. External LED conversion is an area where the law has not kept pace with technology and there are many industry members lobbying for this to be changed. However there is the battle with the large vehicle manufacturers and the influence they have with the authorities due to tax revenues, who do not like their vehicles being open to the aftermarket. At present, and we believe unfairly, LEDs, to gain homologation, need to be approved in every single light unit they could be fitted to. As you can imagine, this is an impossible task. The wattage referred to in the RVLA actually refers to the light output, not the load. It's another reason the legislation needs to be revisited and updated as it is seriously behind where the industry is with technology. We've been looking at this for a couple of years. The result of our research and correspondence received from a number of sources is as follows: LEDs used for headlamps as LED modules for example, are always approved in combination with the complete headlamp (Regulations Nos. 112, 113 and 123). According to the Department of Transport (DfT), the Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989 do not mention more recent developments in alternative light sources at all, such as HIDs (or LEDs) and, according to the DfT, this means that, strictly, such light sources are not allowed under British law. Many people presume that, because something is not mentioned, it is allowed, which is incorrect. The date exemptions shown in Schedule 4 only apply to technology that was available at that time, being filament bulbs. We've also checked with United Nations Economic Commission for Europe and they have advised that no type approval currently exists for any LED module in the EU despite what is claimed by some. We have seen LEDs available that are E marked but when you delve deeper they are only approved for Electromagnetic Interference UN Regulation No.10 Uniform provisions concerning the approval of vehicles with regard to electromagnetic compatibility. This does not make them legal for road use. There are working groups within UNECE looking at retrofit LEDs but no decisions have yet been made As far as we are aware, this is the full legal position for external vehicle LEDs which is why we state "off road use only". We are continuing to find an approval route but it will not be quick unless the various bodies decide to look carefully at the excellent products now available and the fact that the beam patterns and lighting are often better than older filament fittings and provide a safer motoring experience. Please let us know if you need more detail? Kind regards

Can someone please explain why we think LED bulbs are not legal? Is it a bit of a myth? My understanding is that if they are in a normal reflector and dip like a normal bulb they are fine? It is only some of the complete LED units which do not use the standard reflectors which are not approved? I could be wrong of course! Garth

Hi Andrew Interested in the accelerator pedal - any chance of sending a pic. Also interested in the half doors if not already sold! Sent pm with my email address. Thanks Garth

Have lost a couple of the collars that my wheel nuts came with. Caterham do not appear to do the same nuts anymore (all one piece now?). Was hoping someone may have a couple of spares knocking around that they do not need anymore and I could buy? Not critical I know but would like to keep them the same!! Cheers Garth

Welcome to borrow mine but I am in Wimbledon - I am sure someone nearer will offer you a loan!

CageyH - recent thread on this here with some pics of my conclusions. I went for Wipac Freeform reflectors which are a big improvement on the Caterham reflectors and LED lamps from Classic Cars There are also some quite good replacement LED units like this type (not suggesting this particular one!) which may be worth exploring? Good luck

Are you sorted on this now? I have one I could let you have if not!

Also just fitted a 3rd brake light and discovered there were existing connections on my original loom so did not need the sub loom - may be worth checking you do not have them too?

I used some ikea table legs screwed to the wall with a bit of pipe insulation!

I think Stu's suggestion is about the best mirror solution out there at the moment! Here is a link to Eccles mirror mounts and the SPA mirrors come in a few different sizes but I would keep it relatively small and make sure they are convex! Hope you are on the road soon

I would consider other options before drilling the doors - I think there are better alternatives out there? You could always mount them on the windscreen stanchion for the approvals and then put on what you want later? No damage done to the stanchion doing this as the IVA mirrors are just mounted in an existing screw hole! The mounts that use the hinges have the twin advantages of fewer vibrations and they are also higher so easier to see over the rear wheel arches. All in my humble opinion of course!!

You need to make sure the clutch is fully dis-engaging! Especially if you have brought the stop out. On a type 9 box you check by letting the engine idle in neutral, depress clutch fully wait 2 seconds and then engage reverse - should slip in easily - if any grinding etc then clutch is still engaging the pressure plate. Probably simiar for Mazda box? Something like that I think!. Good luck

Not set up yet - bit too much on as self employed - will let you know when I am done - have watched a few youtube videos!

Sorry I interpreted your description 'ZZS 195 x 50 13' as being 13 inch rims - should it be ZZS 195/50R15?

Alan I did this change without any work to the wings - you could try out my fronts to see how they fit! Garth

Have added links to post with photos Jonathan - could not send you mail as your inbox is full!

That is what it says on the box! not tried rotating them yet!

With the help of Alan I fiddled around with my headlights on Monday and here are my comments...... All pics taken with an SLR using the same exposure settings. New lenses and LED bulbs as listed in my earlier post - Wipac Freeform lenses and Classic Car LED's. I have 7" lenses so used the LED's with the external driver which are meant to be slightly brighter than the Classic car version without. Bit fiddly to fit though as you need to fix the driver to the housing and I am also going to need to tape the push fit connection to ensure there is no contact between the wiring and the housing (this push fit usually sits on the back of the bulb so is held clear of the housing!). Looking for some heat resistant insulation tape as I suspect it gets quite hot in there! First pic is with my original Caterham lenses (smooth reflector with glass fronts that 'focus' the beam) and +120% bulbs. The lenses are for LHD car hence beam pattern Second pic is with new lens and +120% bulb on right. Left side untouched. Intensity much the same but there is a more even and focused spread of light from the new lens. Shows how 'patchy' the original lens is. Last pic is with the original on left and new LED bulb and lens on right. The LED beam spread is slightly wider and apart from a few 'wispy' bits on the edges is a good spread. Photo does not really show how much brighter the LED looks to the eye. Could have fiddled with the exposure but life is too short! In my view the Freeform lenses give a much better spread of light and the LED bulbs are significantly brighter. Now just need to get them adjusted correctly - any pointers would be welcome! Garth

LED bulbs have arrived - look and feel like they are well made - are a bit heavy though - are going to slow me down - will have to eat less!

I looked at the paddoock spares ones thanks Bricol, but could not find them on the Wipac website so was a little concerned they might be knockoffs!? (not sure if thatmatters!). SVC recommended the Freeform ones so went for them - they look very similar from the pics I have seen. I am advised that the LED's I have gone for are substantially brighter than the Halogen+ bulbs so I hope that is true. Hopefully I have not wasted my cash! Will experiment a little with different bulbs As usual I expect these things to be straight forward with an obvious answer - but they never are! Garth

Going for the Freeform lenses and the Classic cars LED's. If I have time I may experiment with the different lenses and bulbs taking photos with my SLR on the same settings to see if I can get any decent comparisons! Thanks for all the comments. Garth