Has anyone replaced the factory led strip lights on the nose? - Dutchmen Owners
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Old 06-25-2019, 07:42 PM   #1
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Has anyone replaced the factory led strip lights on the nose?

I have the giant v-shaped led lights on the front of the camper and they are starting to peel off and a few are not working. It looks like it may be 2 strips with the wires entering the camper at the bottom of the V, it's hard to tell because of the giant lump of silicone they used. I'm wondering if i peeled it off would there be enough wire to attach a new strip? The last thing I want to do is to clear out the pass through and have to tear into the front wall.
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Old 06-26-2019, 02:04 PM   #2
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I have the giant v-shaped led lights on the front of the camper and they are starting to peel off and a few are not working. It looks like it may be 2 strips with the wires entering the camper at the bottom of the V, it's hard to tell because of the giant lump of silicone they used. I'm wondering if i peeled it off would there be enough wire to attach a new strip? The last thing I want to do is to clear out the pass through and have to tear into the front wall.

Dunno about being enough wire to attach a new strip but if true to form by the 'lectricians there may be a half mile of wire stuffed in there somewhere.
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Old 06-26-2019, 02:53 PM   #3
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Dunno about being enough wire to attach a new strip but if true to form by the 'lectricians there may be a half mile of wire stuffed in there somewhere.
I got impatient yesterday and took a razor blade to the silicone blob, you can definitely tell they are 2 different strips and the wire goes into the nose at the bottom. I ordered new led strips but I don't have time to tear into the inside up before we leave. I'll either have the coolest blue lights installed or nothing but a fresh silicone blob on the wire hole
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Old 06-26-2019, 05:21 PM   #4
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I got impatient yesterday and took a razor blade to the silicone blob, you can definitely tell they are 2 different strips and the wire goes into the nose at the bottom. I ordered new led strips but I don't have time to tear into the inside up before we leave. I'll either have the coolest blue lights installed or nothing but a fresh silicone blob on the wire hole

Cool blue LEDs would be nice but how about some RGB LEDs that fade? Now that would be trick, especially at night on the road.
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Old 06-26-2019, 06:03 PM   #5
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Cool blue LEDs would be nice but how about some RGB LEDs that fade? Now that would be trick, especially at night on the road.
I'd look like a 24ft Christmas tree going down the road. I replaced my under awning leds with the blue and we love them. The stock cool white was too bright and attracted mega bugs.
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Old 07-02-2019, 02:33 PM   #6
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Due to the overwhelming responses to my question, the lights were easy to replace

As per RV building codes the wiring was less than ideal. They decided to butt splice a 2" piece an inch away from holes they drilled through the nose. I was able to get a connector on them with great effort. Probably not ideal but I was rushed for time and they can be removed later without wire loss. The old leds left a residue that can only be described as permanent Instead of going hog wild with silicone I opted to just fill the drill holes and am going to put black butyl tape over the connectors. The old silicone did not come off as easily as I had hoped.

It's next to impossible to get a good night pic, but they look amazing.





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Old 07-02-2019, 04:49 PM   #7
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She's pretty again, good job.
For what it's worth I'll soak Silicone with Goo Gone. Let it sit for awhile and the Silicone gets less adhesive and come off very nicely.
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Old 07-02-2019, 05:19 PM   #8
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Great Job! now i know what to do when mine go out! One thing I'm surprised about is they used the proper color code and now 22 awg telephone wire.
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Old 07-02-2019, 05:44 PM   #9
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She's pretty again, good job.
For what it's worth I'll soak Silicone with Goo Gone. Let it sit for awhile and the Silicone gets less adhesive and come off very nicely.
I have a bottle and couldn't find it
I was shocked at how well it was staying on, I guess silicone does have a few RV applications.
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Old 07-02-2019, 06:05 PM   #10
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I have a bottle and couldn't find it
I was shocked at how well it was staying on, I guess silicone does have a few RV applications.

I think that no Silicone on RVs is another old RV wife's tale. My dealer doesn't subscribe to that rule and I'll use it where appropriate when Dico sealant isn't prescribed.
Silicone is used on spas and boats that are fiber glass so why not on the RV?
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Old 07-03-2019, 11:34 AM   #11
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As I understand, there is nothing wrong with the silicone itself, but rather nothing else will stick to the area again even after cleaning. Again, could be just RV rumor.
Rusty
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Old 07-03-2019, 02:35 PM   #12
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I always hate it when the silicone starts to peel off.
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