A few days ago whilst visiting that little corner of Manchester, which will forever be Stepford [ie. B&Q in Old Trafford], I came across this packet of six brass downlights in the bargain bin, for a fiver. How could you go wrong at that price? Just the right look to complement Herman’s rustic timber interior.

Only one problem tho’, the lights were 240v only. Still, I thought it would work out cheaper to buy them at this knock-down price and convert them, than to splash out on some 12v versions.

I found a place called TheLightBulbShop.co.uk were I got 5 x 12v bulbs to fit in the light housings [£1,62 each] and also 5 bulb sockets to hold them [76p each]. Naturally the 12v and 240v versions of these bulbs have different fittings to stop you putting the wrong ones in!

240v version on the left. 12v version on the right

12v fitting socket

Next, I drilled out the existing 240v fittings from inside the light housings and replaced them with the 12v housings. Unfortunately there was no way to arrange the 12v housings so that I could screw them in, so I opted to use a hot glue gun and seat them in with a blob of that.

240v fitting removed

12v fitting substituted and hot-glued in

Testing [at 4v to begin with, but I worked my way up eventually, when the house didnae burn down!]

[jeebus! - that’s the worst one yet!]

with the long nights drawing in,  i found myself driving herman in the dark a few days back, on the way back from mazza’s mum & dad’s.  i noticed that his charge warning light was glowing very faintly and slightly less faintly, when i had to put my headlights on.

so today, working on the tried & trusted ‘try the cheapest remedy first’ approach, i thought it was time to fit a new alternator belt and see if that helped things along. unfortunately this would involve patronising that den of uselessness known as halfords.

needless to say, they didnae have anything listed in any of their parts catalogues for an LT, but - knowing them of old - i had taken the precaution of getting under herman with a tape measure before setting off and measuring the existing belt’s vital statistics.   so i was able to find a belt of suitable dimensions.  it did take a while tho’, as i had to stand there for about twenty mins, plucking likely candidates off the shelf, taking them out of their cardboard sleeves and measuring them, then sticking them back in their sleeves again - until i found the right one.

you willnae find it listed under VW LT, in the parts catalogue, but this belt was the closest i could find to the size of the one that was already fitted:

when i got home and took the old belt off, i was glad i’d decided to replace it, even if it turned out not to be the cause of the warning light - as it was on its last legs;  cracked and crumbling and fraying along the edges.



the old belt.  t’was probably about to fall to bits anyway


fitting new drive belts is always a ball-ache of a job at the best of times and this was no exception.  the pain was slightly ameliorated tho’ by the cunning use of a set of cogs; one on the alternator holding bolt and another on the bracket.  this allowed you to ‘wind’ the alternator out along the bracket until you got the required tension, just by turning the head of the bolt.  a nice bit of simple german ingenuity there.  on all the previous motors i’ve owned it’s been the old ‘try and brace the alternator with a screwdriver wedged between it and the engine block, with one hand, while simultaneously trying to do up the holding bolts with the other’ dance.

german ingenuity - taking a wee bit of the pain out of drive-belt fitting.


with the new drive belt in place, i was feeling confident that this would sort the problem [especially after seeing the state of the old belt]. but when i climbed in and fired up the engine, i could just make out that old warning light, still glowing gently and mockingly at me.


new alternator drive belt fitted


o well - further investigation on that one is another job for another day.