Update an ailing awning light

A simple exterior light upgrade turned out to be a bit more involved than Nigel Donnelly first thought!

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PENNY HAD AN outside light, but like a lot of things in our 1998 project van, it wasn't great. Age had taken its toll.

My first thought was just to replace and upgrade the bulbs, but taking a closer look, I could see there was evidence that the diffuser covering the electrics and the bulbs had been taped up. It was probably time to go for a replacement.

Assessing the task

I am no stranger to changing caravan exterior lights, so I was fairly confident I'd be able to find a like-for-like replacement.

The old one, made by Ring Automotive, was switched on and off on the light fitting. This is okay, but if you come out of the van in the dark, you have to flail around to find the fitting, which is located above and to the right of the door.

That said, it was there and working, so if I could have tracked down a straight swap, I would have done so.

Sadly, I couldn't do that. Amazon is awash with caravan exterior lights, but a lot of them are made for the global market.

This means there are loads of weird ones, designed for US RVs. Some have orange and red light modes, which I could not think of a use for.

I didn't want anything too big, and I also wanted an LED light, to protect the caravan battery after prolonged use.

I decided to search closer to home. After finding all manner of things online, I chose one sold as a 'Caravan Awning Light' by Euro Car Parts (ECP).