The Grand California can be ordered from the factory with LED headlights, which sounds really good and especially bright, right? Another point that must be attributed to the LED headlights is definitely the optics.
When we picked up our first Grand California almost two years ago – it’s amazing how fast time flies – and set off on our first night tour, we quickly became completely disillusioned. The light output of the LED headlights is, let’s put it kindly, moderate to modest. What is not really a problem on German roads yet, as there are lights here and there, became a drama on winter vacation in Sweden. On the long forest roads in the pitch dark, you didn’t really see well even with high beams. There we made the decision: we absolutely need additional headlights!
Due to the conversion of our first GC, the rebuild had dragged on for another six months. So it wasn’t until October 2022 that we decided to buy the TRIPLE-R 750 ELITE from Lazer Lamps.
Why Lazer Lamps?
Why did we choose the Triple R? Two reasons:
- Lazer Lamps offers the possibility to integrate the lamps directly into the vehicle with the help of a radiator grille kit.
2. Honestly? As the stockbroker says: “The Trend is your Friend”. It seems that every second person drives Lazer Lamps in his car, if he has additional headlights. And what everyone uses can’t be bad, or can it?!
No, we are really happy with the Lazer Lamps and also the installation in the radiator grille is just great and fits perfectly to the Crafter. But it wasn’t until we received some queries via Instagram and Facebook that we really got to grips with the issue. That’s why this blog post is coming up, we want to give you a few pointers.
Technical data TRIPLE-R 750 ELITE
Let’s start with a few technical details about the TRIPLE-R 750 ELITE:
All data refer to one headlamp in each case. A distinction is made between the E-Boost and E-Mark modes, an explanation of which follows in the rest of the text:
| E-Boost | E-Mark Mode | |
|---|---|---|
| Voltage range (DC) | 10-32V | 10-32V |
| LED lifetime | 50000 hours | 50000 hours |
| Weight | 1 kilo | 1 kilo |
| High beam function | ||
| Total brightness | 5068 Lm | 1267 Lm |
| Color temperature | 5000k | 5000k |
| Number of high power LEDs | 4 | 4 |
| Energy consumption | 45 watt | 11.5 Watt |
| Current consumption | 3.1 ampere | 0.8 ampere |
| CERTIFICATION | ||
| High beam | Not available | ECE R112 |
| LED Ref. Number | Not available | 12.5 |
Wow, okay, now we’ve taken a look at the Elite’s spec sheet and what’s immediately noticeable here is that there are two “variants” – one is the E-Boost mode and the other is the E-Mark mode.
How do E-Mark and E-Boost modes differ?
A small but fine component makes a big difference. In order for the Elite to have approval in the ECE area and be used on the road, they must meet certain requirements. These are tested by an organization, such as TÜV, and if everything fits, a so-called E mark, or more precisely an ECE test mark, is issued. This ensures that this component may be used without further approval in the countries participating in the ECE regulation.
The Lazer TRIPLE R have such an ECE mark, but only when operated in E-Mark mode. This is activated by default when the headlights are delivered.
However, in the box you will find two small magnets with which the party really gets started. The magnets are inserted into the sides of the headlights to increase the output from 11.5 to 45 watts, or from around 1200 to 5000 lumens. Thus, the TRIPLE R are simply incredibly bright, but also incredibly inadmissible, everyone should have that in mind! Only without the magnets in E-Mark mode are these auxiliary lights approved.
Installation (instruction) Triple – R Elite
As mentioned at the beginning, the Triple R Elite can be mounted in the grille of the Grand California. You can order a complete package, which includes the lamps, a switch and the installation kit including mounting for the radiator.
1. radiator grille
The first step is to prepare the radiator grille and cut it out accordingly. For this purpose, a template is included in the scope of delivery, this fits, as shown in the picture, only in one position in the radiator grille. To make room for the headlights, the grill must be cut out along the inside of the template.
To make the adjustment, we used a simple metal saw blade without a saw, since the teeth are fine enough not to fray the plastic. Initial attempts with a Dremel were too complicated and impractical.
This is how the sawn grill should look:
2. wiring
The standard wiring provides that the lamps are automatically switched on with the high beam. We have decided to additionally install an intermediate switch. Only when this is switched on do the auxiliary lamps switch on together with the high beam.
Since the Grand California has two batteries, the agony of choice now arises, which battery to take?! Since the headlights are not part of the camping setup, we connected the lights to the starter battery.
Yes, there are again ten opinions whether this is so good or not. The vehicle has a battery monitor and allegedly the direct connection of consumers can lead to faulty monitoring of the state of charge or discharge. However, we could not determine this on the last 20,000 kilometers, but you are welcome to do otherwise 🙂
Route power cable from engine compartment to battery
- Remove AGM battery
2. disconnect fuse block, distributor block behind AGM battery.
Remove the footwell trim on the driver’s side and open the battery compartment.
4. lead the power cable from the engine compartment to the inside. For this purpose, we used the original cable gland, which is located behind the distributor block.
To guide the cables into the interior without any problems, you should use a pull-through aid(available at Amazon https://amzn.to/3FgpnrX).
5. install switch
Also included in the Lazer Lamps package is a switch, we have installed this in the fuse flap of the cockpit.
Connect the high beam signal cable.
In order for the lamps to turn on when the high beam is operated, the high beam signal must be tapped at one of the headlights. The corresponding cable can be found in the wiring diagram of the Crafter. For the LED headlights you can find here a video how I searched and found the cable 🙂
7. connect lamps
In the last step of the wiring, the lamps are “only” plugged in.
3. screw headlight into grill
Once everything is connected, the Lazer Lamps are screwed into the grill using the supplied brackets and self-tapping screws.
We are aware that this is not a detailed guide, just a description of how we solved it. Please do not install the lamps yourself if you do not feel one hundred percent confident about it, the grille will be sawed during installation, this step can NOT be undone! If you have any questions about the installation, please feel free to contact us. Please note that the instructions are an example and for any damage when “imitating” we assume no liability or stuff like that.
Where to buy Lazer Lamps
Please purchase your Lazer Lamps either from the manufacturer directly at this link:
https://www.lazerlamps.com/triple-r-750-elite.html
Or at Genesis Imports:
https://shop.genesis-import.de/de-de/
The price for the headlights is around 900 euros without installation. As far as we know, installation is possible at Genesis Import.
General information about auxiliary headlights
When choosing auxiliary headlights, it is important that the total light intensity does not exceed the reference number of 100. In other words, your low beam plus supplement must not be brighter than 100.
What is the reference number and what does it say
It is clear that high beams can dazzle. For this reason, the regulations set limits on light intensity. In Europe and many other countries, a maximum of 300000 candela per car is allowed. The USA and other countries with comparable regulations only permit 150,000 candela – which, by the way, could dampen the desire of some European tuners for “real US light”. Now, candela is a practical unit for people receptive to physics. And Latin people know that the word actually means “candle”. In fact, 1 cd – which is how candela is abbreviated – corresponds to the light of a simple candle. For this reason, North Americans sometimes still speak of “candle power” (cp). Otherwise, however, the unit of measurement means nothing to most people. This insight led to the introduction of the reference number for the main beam from headlights according to European rules. It is located on the headlights near the round E mark. Previously, the whole thing was poured into the glass. Today, the information can be found somewhere on the case. Theoretically and by regulation, they should catch the eye at the latest after opening the hood. But sometimes, unfortunately, a meticulous search is necessary. For US headlights, by the way, it does not lead to success with the reference number. The Americans don’t work with it.
So we have a limit of 300,000 candela, which corresponds to a reference number of 100. So much for the technical and bureaucratic aspects. This gives you a reference number of 50 per vehicle side. The Crafter LED headlights have a reference value of 17.5 and with a little math we determine, we may therefore install one or more auxiliary headlights with a total reference value of 32.5 per side. The Lazer Lamps have a value of 12.5 in E-Mark mode and are thus absolutely within the permitted range.
When buying, be sure to check the reference number, otherwise it can be expensive if you have to check it.
