Community Forums

Croakers · 08-31-2017, 08:43 PM

We purchased a 2007 Phaeton 6 weeks ago and have on again off again problems with the light fixtures in the bathroom. There are 2 fixtures that use halogen bulbs. Both fixtures stopped working then the left worked but not the right. Next the right fixture worked but not the left. Then both worked for about 4 weeks. Now both have been off for 3 days. Any suggestions?

Skip426 · 08-31-2017, 11:14 PM

Welcome to iRV2.

Sorry you're here with problems .
Because of the heat involved with halogen lights , I'd say check out the wiring very carefully. I'm thinking you'll find overheated wires/connections.

Mr_D · 08-31-2017, 11:29 PM

I have the halogen can lights, some of the lense surround have melted and others have melted the vinyl headliner. So, as was said, heat is a big suspect. I've replaced over 60 of the halogen bulbs with LED's.

aldera · 09-01-2017, 06:01 PM

I bought a 2010 Phaeton back in June. First thing I did was replace all the halogen bulbs (60+) with LEDs. They run so much cooler and use a whole lot less electric. I had a similar problem to yours in the bathroom. Pulled out one of the overhead light fixtures and found a loose connection on one of the crimped connections.

Good luck.

Croakers · 09-03-2017, 05:30 AM

Removed both fixtures to check connections and look for overheating. No visible problems. Could it be a problem at the switch? The bathroom plugs all work fine.

Skip426 · 09-03-2017, 09:22 AM

Yes, switch; or connections wiring at the switch ; could be the problem, as could the fuse for the lights.

Remember the lights are 12 volt powered and the plugs ( outlets ) are 120 volt .

Croakers · 09-08-2017, 03:14 PM

Mission accomplished. Let there be light! The switch was complete toast. Two wires in the connection to the light fixture looked alright but were bad. Received the new switch from Tiffin and installed it today. Many thanks for the help.

ProjectPro · 09-14-2017, 05:42 PM

That switch was the first thing that failed on our Phaeton. Ours failed in a way that the switch wouldn't move at all. After changing out the switch I replaced all eight bulbs with LEDs. Virtually no heat produced and plenty of light. Before the swap, turning the bathroom light on caused a noticeable sag in any exhaust fan running, and those bulbs caused a LOT of heat! But with LEDs the fans aren't affected at all. I expect that the new switch will last longer than I will, since 1) the current draw (and resulting heat) is negligible, and 2) the sparking associated with turning off the halogens (technically, back EMF from the inductive load) is eliminated.