All about modifications, shiny alloys, chrome wheel nuts & mirrors, body skirts and much more!
Moderator: Ian
-
helen&tony
- Supreme Being
- Posts: 9869
- Joined: Thu Nov 18, 2004 12:49 pm
- Location: Bulgaria
Post
by helen&tony » Fri Apr 04, 2014 6:46 pm
Hi
Mike...
Strange, that reminds me....I re-wired mine 7 or 8 years ago to stop it coming on as a courtesy light, and it lights the front light in the cab instead.....can't give passengers too much luxury, or they won't know they're born....

...It only comes on when you use it as a switched light, and I never use it....Plus I have an LED "touch-light " on the rear window pillar
Cheers
Helen
In the beginning there was nothing , then God said "Let there be Light".....There was still nothing , but ,by crikey, you could see it better.
-
mikeonb4c
- Supreme Being
- Posts: 22877
- Joined: Sun Nov 05, 2006 10:49 pm
- Location: Living with Mango Bongo in the North West but with a tendency to roam
-
Contact:
Post
by mikeonb4c » Fri Apr 04, 2014 9:25 pm
helen&tony wrote:Hi
Mike...
Strange, that reminds me....I re-wired mine 7 or 8 years ago to stop it coming on as a courtesy light, and it lights the front light in the cab instead.....can't give passengers too much luxury, or they won't know they're born....

...It only comes on when you use it as a switched light, and I never use it....Plus I have an LED "touch-light " on the rear window pillar
Cheers
Helen
You're a girl of many talents Helen!

-
mikeonb4c
- Supreme Being
- Posts: 22877
- Joined: Sun Nov 05, 2006 10:49 pm
- Location: Living with Mango Bongo in the North West but with a tendency to roam
-
Contact:
Post
by mikeonb4c » Sat Apr 05, 2014 8:11 am
I enjoyed that. Looks like it gives good light too. I hate 'de-originalising' the Bongo though in case the LEDs don't last as well as they should (my front interior light LEDs haven't).
-
mikexgough
- Supreme Being
- Posts: 6158
- Joined: Mon Sep 08, 2008 9:02 pm
- Location: Cambridgeshire - where the all the Slodgers reside
-
Contact:
Post
by mikexgough » Sat Apr 05, 2014 8:27 am
I understand you point Mike about not keeping to "original" spec or as near as... changing a bulb for a bulb is easy and easy to return to factory.... I have looked to see if there is a U shaped LED replacement tube like the straight tube for our Early versions.... I guess there will be a time where some with U shaped tubes will scour the breakers for the earlier strip versions and fitting the led tubes... waiting for my tube to arrive... I'm not too bothered about the brightness as compared with the standard tube as the LED front cab lights give a light that can't be compared with the "yellow" T10 that were in the unit. So long as it lights enough to see and read I will be happy... It'll also help on the October to March nights out.... sans point électrique... Solar rules...

Conversant with Bongo Top Pinion Oil Seals
Bongo owning Velotech Cycle Mechanic
-
peanutcrusher
- Tribal Elder
- Posts: 546
- Joined: Thu Feb 26, 2009 6:59 pm
- Location: Portsmouth
Post
by peanutcrusher » Mon Apr 07, 2014 11:52 pm
I must say i like to keep my bongo looking a original as possible hence why i when to the breakers and brought the replacement roof light and that's the one i modded i still have the original one which i can just put back in at any time.
it only cost me £15 with a u shape bulb so now i have a spare u shaped bulb and a normal straight light including bulb.
it one of my LED's dies then its easy to replace just watch the video your see how easy it was to put together in the first case.
Bongo now work later !!!

-
mikeonb4c
- Supreme Being
- Posts: 22877
- Joined: Sun Nov 05, 2006 10:49 pm
- Location: Living with Mango Bongo in the North West but with a tendency to roam
-
Contact:
Post
by mikeonb4c » Tue Apr 08, 2014 8:18 am
peanutcrusher wrote:I must say i like to keep my bongo looking a original as possible hence why i when to the breakers and brought the replacement roof light and that's the one i modded i still have the original one which i can just put back in at any time.
it only cost me £15 with a u shape bulb so now i have a spare u shaped bulb and a normal straight light including bulb.
it one of my LED's dies then its easy to replace just watch the video your see how easy it was to put together in the first case.
That's the way I'd do it. Just in case I came to regret the mods I'd made. Or if I was concerned about effect on resale value.
-
bongojoe
- Bongolier
- Posts: 178
- Joined: Sat Apr 20, 2013 10:53 am
- Location: Edinburgh, Scotland
-
Contact:
Post
by bongojoe » Fri Apr 11, 2014 3:24 pm
I ordered one of these as soon as I read this thread. It arrived yesterday....
Look before you leap, as they say.

1999 2WD 2.5L Diesel AFT
-
Simon Jones
- Supreme Being
- Posts: 9341
- Joined: Mon Aug 29, 2005 3:34 pm
- Location: Salisbury (ish), Wiltshire
Post
by Simon Jones » Fri Apr 11, 2014 9:17 pm
It's very inefficient to step up 12v to 240v and then back down for about 2v for the LEDs. If saving power is the aim of the excercise, it would be better to bypass the inverter in the existing fitting and get some 12v LEDs.
-
stuc
- Supreme Being
- Posts: 1990
- Joined: Wed Dec 01, 2010 12:25 am
- Location: Ryton,Tyne+Wear
-
Contact:
Post
by stuc » Mon Apr 14, 2014 10:06 am
What's wrong with the original? Mine is, and it is very bright, easy brihght enough to read by. Is it just when they get older?
Do what you like.Like what you do.
-
dave_aber
- Supreme Being
- Posts: 2884
- Joined: Tue May 12, 2009 4:33 pm
- Location: Elgin, Scotland
Post
by dave_aber » Mon Apr 14, 2014 10:13 am
Fitted mine last night.
Agreed that it's not the most efficient way to create light, but at the current involved it's not going to flatten a 113Ah leisure battery too quickly.
I don't think the 90% less power quoted in the original pot is quite right - the Amazon page lists them as 2W compared to an incandescent equivalent of 20W, which would be a 90% saving. However the standard lamp is a T5 6W lamp, so there's a 66% saving, if we assume that the 2W listed is the total drawn power, including that used by the electronics taking the 240v back down to LED voltage. Either way, it's a saving.
My original tube was very dim and yellow. The replacement (traditional) tube was much better - and to be fair was bright enough to read with etc. This LED one is brighter still. Not really a requirement, but it does look more modern. I've kept the tube lamp as a spare.

...
There are 10 types of people in this world.
Those that understand
binary, and those that don't.
-
digitalgypsy
- Bongolier
- Posts: 378
- Joined: Sat Jan 07, 2012 8:24 pm
Post
by digitalgypsy » Mon Apr 14, 2014 3:22 pm
Hello all...
Just in the process of trying to fix my cab light...I documented the notes on another post. I may well just end up replacing the tube with the LED lights, following that youtube video that peanutcrusher kindly added

Anyways, does anyone know how to disconnect the white connector? I have someone helping me and that's what they asked
Oh btw peanutcrusher, did you happen to get round to taking any photos of the LEDs at night? Be great to see em!
Steve
-
g8dhe
- Supreme Being
- Posts: 10697
- Joined: Sun Apr 13, 2008 10:06 pm
- Location: Worthing, West Sussex.
Post
by g8dhe » Mon Apr 14, 2014 3:28 pm
The white connector just has to have the release tag depressed, its a locking type on all the plugs in Mazda, turn the connector over and you will see a little plastic tag that has to be depressed to release the latch.
Geoff
2001 Aero V6, AFT, full side conversion.
-
digitalgypsy
- Bongolier
- Posts: 378
- Joined: Sat Jan 07, 2012 8:24 pm
Post
by digitalgypsy » Mon Apr 14, 2014 3:35 pm
Thanks g8dhe! Bongo Fury is the most helpful forum on the planet.
-
notlob
- Bongolier
- Posts: 181
- Joined: Sat Feb 23, 2013 12:24 am
- Location: Southport
Post
by notlob » Tue Apr 15, 2014 1:35 pm
Excellent, fitted mine last week and tried out this weekend - much better, though to be fair I think my original was on it's way out anyway!
Dave