Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 04-05-2017, 09:51 AM   #1
Junior Member
 
joeplante's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: Texas
Posts: 20
Lightbulb Headlight Question for Berkshire

Question / Issue ... I have a 2016 Berk 40 BH. Headlights are a HUGE issue , they were focused to aim about 20 feet out so my first trip, I drove with high beams on (super scary) then I adjusted them to what I thought would be better . I guess the conclusion I have come to is I need to either get a better bulb or no drive at night ..

SO , what bulb is an upgrade or what have you done to improve the head lights ? Current bulb is Au-lite H9 12V 65W
__________________
2016 Berkshire XL 40 BH: Travels with Tosha my wife and 4 boys Colton 8 yrs, Hunter 4 yrs, JoJo 3 yrs, and Wyatt 2 yrs . Season 1 logged 5100 miles and 36 nights.
joeplante is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-05-2017, 10:07 AM   #2
Senior Member
 
ceedog's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 378
I switched mine to HID's. Huge improvement.

Go to Amazon, cross reference your bulb, order the kit for your coach.

They're plug & Play, takes about 30 mins to install low & high beams.
__________________
It ain't easy being me...I've tried.

ceedog is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-05-2017, 01:17 PM   #3
Junior Member
 
joeplante's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: Texas
Posts: 20
Thank you . I will try that .
__________________
2016 Berkshire XL 40 BH: Travels with Tosha my wife and 4 boys Colton 8 yrs, Hunter 4 yrs, JoJo 3 yrs, and Wyatt 2 yrs . Season 1 logged 5100 miles and 36 nights.
joeplante is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-05-2017, 11:07 PM   #4
1sd
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2017
Posts: 12
New member here but not new to RV's. I'm also a "car guy". My 2016 Mirada's headlights were HORRIBLE. Worst I've ever seen. Replaced factory high and low beam bulbs with LED bulbs. HUGH difference. Don't fall for the cheap ones on the auction sites though. Also with LED's (or HID's) you've really gotta make sure they're adjusted correctly because they are BRIGHT.
1sd is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-06-2017, 01:04 PM   #5
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 1
I have a 2016 38A same thing with the head lights. I've tried changing the bulbs. No Better. I just don't travel at night
That is about the only thing I can say bad about the 38. I'm full time and love it.
Terry Hall is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-06-2017, 04:00 PM   #6
7 Year Class A RV'er
 
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Winter Park, FL
Posts: 1,068
The factory headlights on the Berkshire and the Legacy are pure garbage. There needs to be a formal complaint filed against FR for this and other issues, for sure. The headlights are simply designed wrong, just like the wiper blades. They grabbed the first stock item they could find and stuck them in. I solved the wiper issue (blowing off the windshield) by installing 28" blades instead of the 32" factory blades - all better, but why did I have to spend $120 to fix it ($60 for the first 32" replacement when the destroyed themselves and $60 for the smaller blades that worked)? Only solution I've heard from a friend who builds racing cars is to get some good driving lights and install them where the fog lights are. He says the headlights are simply too far off the ground. Since they were destined for Yes in a Chevy pickup, I tend to agree. FR: Do you guys ever intend to address this issue or will you wait until someone dies because of it???
__________________
2015 Legacy SR340 360RB
2014 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Toad

Gigi, Poppy and Sadie Lady...On the road, but not full time!
conceptumator is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-06-2017, 05:11 PM   #7
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: N. j.
Posts: 129
To forest river people I have a 013 bunk house model love everything about the unit but the head lights I've tryed everything to make them better . Please don't give that B/s don't drive at night .at that price point I should be able to drive it anytime I like . Do I think you are going to call me and tell me your going to fix it not for a New York second .going to up grade in 018 rest assured it will not be a Berkshire
Blazer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-07-2017, 12:00 PM   #8
Senior Member
 
ceedog's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 378
RV's are built on a truck chassis. That being said the headlight location is designed on the chassis for the driver to be sitting lower than they would be in a RV.

Most, if not all, of the components used on RV's (some cabinetry is coach specific), are from another application or vehicle manufacturer. For example, the paint on my Berk is from the 2006 Audi & 2007 Mercedes paint lines. The headlight enclosures are the same ones used on the 2011 Winnebago models. I could go on but hopefully I made my point.

There are many mods that will improve the illumination issue that are inexpensive.

As stated earlier, after recognizing the problem I sought out & installed a fix. I've also changed all of my outside lights, except for the docking lights to LED's. I haven't found a LED replacement for the halogen OEM bulbs in the docking lights. By the way, they're the same bulbs I use in my under cabinet lighting in my house.

A wise man once said, "Rather than curse the darkness, light a candle". In other words, instead of complaining about a problem, find a solution.

Okay, rant over. I'm out.
__________________
It ain't easy being me...I've tried.

ceedog is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-07-2017, 12:48 PM   #9
Junior Member
 
joeplante's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: Texas
Posts: 20
Thank you all for input .. I agree, I have driven at night and was so scared in the mountains on interstate driving that I had pulled over and adjusted them up or just hi beam .. I am looking at changing the bulbs and or an LED solution ..
__________________
2016 Berkshire XL 40 BH: Travels with Tosha my wife and 4 boys Colton 8 yrs, Hunter 4 yrs, JoJo 3 yrs, and Wyatt 2 yrs . Season 1 logged 5100 miles and 36 nights.
joeplante is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-25-2017, 09:05 AM   #10
Junior Member
 
joeplante's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: Texas
Posts: 20
Angry FR Customer Service Fail

So, my bulbs have no part number on them (outside of the ones I have found from other members) I decide to call Forest River to get the part number so I could do as others recommend and upgrade the bulb.

But when I call forest river "berkshire group" speak with a Suzy who tells me there is an issue and based my vin# and the style of headlight (she even asked me to email a picture of the front of my coach to verify) she knows they are working on a fix and even gives me the replacement part numbers that she thinks they are working on . Then she recommends me to speak to Mike in warranty who could help. Mike is more the gatekeeper for not wanting to help, tells me they are adequate for driving based on federal guidelines, that cause they buy them assembled they don't know what bulb is the one to use. He makes it sound as if his colleague and I are crazy. Suzy had way to many details of what was going on with my 40BH even knew about the issue with the Atwood hotwater recall. I asked him if he has ever driven one other than in the lot . At night, on a two lane hwy that has some curves ??

Then today, 5 days later Suzy is dancing a different tune about the headlights and such .. TO ME THIS IS A HUGE FAIL ON THEIR PART WHEN THEY CAN'T EVEN TELL ME THE BULB THAT IS IN MY RV SPEND 200,000 WITH THEM AND THEY COULD CARELESS . EXACT WORDS " WHY WOULD WE KNOW WHAT BULB WAS PUT IN YOUR RV , WE BUY THEM ASSEMBLED AND WE CAN BE EXPECTED TO KNOW THAT." my feedback is then don't use parts so cheap that they don't even mark the items with part numbers, so we could fix an issue that FR clearly is trying to cover up or not address.

GRRRRRRR
__________________
2016 Berkshire XL 40 BH: Travels with Tosha my wife and 4 boys Colton 8 yrs, Hunter 4 yrs, JoJo 3 yrs, and Wyatt 2 yrs . Season 1 logged 5100 miles and 36 nights.
joeplante is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-25-2017, 12:35 PM   #11
7 Year Class A RV'er
 
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Winter Park, FL
Posts: 1,068
I feel for you, for sure. As I said earlier, the Legacy lights don't just suck, they're flat out dangerous. Yes, the assemblies they install are certified to meet federal guidelines....on the pickup they were designed for! Putting them farther apart and higher than they are on that vehicle negates that certification. Rant done. I, too, hot quite the run around on bulbs, etc. I had one low beam bulb burn out last week and had to replace it. I actually pulled the bulb out and found it was a standard H3 halogen bulb. For now, I replaced it with the same bulb but I used a Phillips Silverstar, hoping for a little better performance. Won't be sure if it's improved until this Thursday - my wife gas been hospitalized in Texas for two weeks and is being discharged tomorrow so a buddy is flying in and we're going to drive straight through to Orlando from DFW. Night driving, here we come. To change the bulbs, look at the back of the assembly and you'll see a sort of rubber dome, like a half of a ball. Just pull it loose and there's a spring clip that holds the small bulb in place. Unhook one side of that and the bulb will fall out. It has one wire with a blade therminal; just disconnect it from the power wire. I priced replacement bulbs at Walmart and found them to be $20 EACH for a no name bulb. Amazon sells the upgraded Silverstar by Phillips for $25 per PAIR with prime shipping. I've always been told these bulbs change color slightly as they age, so I replaced them as a pair rather than just the bad one. Hope that helps some. Good luck. I really think a class action suit against FR for blanket coverage of safety issues is a possibility. That might rouse Warren Buffet's attention level a bit. I have several safety shortcomings to add to that bonfire!
__________________
2015 Legacy SR340 360RB
2014 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Toad

Gigi, Poppy and Sadie Lady...On the road, but not full time!
conceptumator is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-25-2017, 06:19 PM   #12
Dragonship Captain
 
Oscarvan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: Eastern PA, USA
Posts: 1,335
While I agree that the FR snow job is deplorable, as it was with the Atwood, I'm OK with the lighting on my 38A..... provided I run the fog lights. Not sure if my 2017 has different ones, but they are pretty bright and augment the indeed wholly inadequate headlights to the point where I'm OK seeing, and my almost 60 year old eyes are not what they used to be.

All that said, an improved headlight would be a welcome addition.
__________________
2020 RAM 3500 DRW Long Horn. In the hunt for a Palomino TC, formerly a 2017 Berkshire 38A: https://dragonship.blog/
Oscarvan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-25-2017, 06:48 PM   #13
Senior Member
 
silver's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2011
Posts: 765
perhaps one of those old doctors reflective head bands and a candle would help. :-)

My 2008 with Ford SHO headlights is great.
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	Doctor.JPG
Views:	143
Size:	21.0 KB
ID:	135894  
silver is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-27-2017, 02:06 AM   #14
1sd
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2017
Posts: 12
If you're able to get under there and pull the bulbs, it should say on it what the bulb is. If not, just go to a search engine and bring up some pics and compare. Also, most MH's have headlight assemblies from some other vehicle. My Mirada's come from a Chevy Tahoe (but they're after market assemblies, I assume Forest River wanted them to be "different") At any rate, it should be fairly easy to figure out which bulbs you need.
1sd is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-28-2017, 04:22 AM   #15
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 653
Quote:
Originally Posted by conceptumator View Post
The factory headlights on the Berkshire and the Legacy are pure garbage. There needs to be a formal complaint filed against FR for this and other issues, for sure. The headlights are simply designed wrong, just like the wiper blades. They grabbed the first stock item they could find and stuck them in. I solved the wiper issue (blowing off the windshield) by installing 28" blades instead of the 32" factory blades - all better, but why did I have to spend $120 to fix it ($60 for the first 32" replacement when the destroyed themselves and $60 for the smaller blades that worked)? Only solution I've heard from a friend who builds racing cars is to get some good driving lights and install them where the fog lights are. He says the headlights are simply too far off the ground. Since they were destined for Yes in a Chevy pickup, I tend to agree. FR: Do you guys ever intend to address this issue or will you wait until someone dies because of it???
1. Question did the 28" blades stop the drivers blade from lifting off the windshield above 40 mph? this is driving me nuts.

2. I found this on the web- http://www.irv2.com/forums/f115/head...de-126394.html
headlights seem to be an industry wide problem, but this guy seem to have worked through a few of the problems.

cheap lens, poor bulbs, and low voltage, its like the perfect storm of no night vision .
__________________
2012 390BH
dave-g is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-28-2017, 12:42 PM   #16
Senior Member
 
BamaBob's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Whereever our Berkshire is Parked!
Posts: 7,082
Quote:
Originally Posted by Oscarvan View Post
While I agree that the FR snow job is deplorable, as it was with the Atwood, I'm OK with the lighting on my 38A..... provided I run the fog lights. Not sure if my 2017 has different ones, but they are pretty bright and augment the indeed wholly inadequate headlights to the point where I'm OK seeing, and my almost 60 year old eyes are not what they used to be.

All that said, an improved headlight would be a welcome addition.
Agreed Oscar.

That said, and again I do not know if the lights are different on the XLT (why would they be?) I have driven several times at night and did not have any issues. Turning on the fog lights made it brighter for sure, but just with the standard headlights we were OK - I wonder if they made a change in 2017?
__________________
Bob & Anne-Marie [BamaBob & 6 Actual]
| 2017 Berkshire XLT 43A with Ultrasteer Tag | Blue Ox Avail + KarGard II |
| SMI AF-1 Air Brake | 2016 Jeep Cherokee Overland TOAD | Pedego Bikes |
Nights Camped: 2013 - 242014 - 422015 - 56Jul 2016 - Fulltime
BamaBob is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-28-2017, 06:20 PM   #17
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Broken Arrow, OK
Posts: 207
Bob,
I doubt there were any changes, my 2015 Charleston has never had any issues driving at night. The first time I drove it home (Dallas-Tulsa) was at night on interstate and 2 lane roads. And all was good.
__________________
Bill

2015 Charleston 430RB
Billr is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-28-2017, 07:30 PM   #18
7 Year Class A RV'er
 
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Winter Park, FL
Posts: 1,068
Quote:
Originally Posted by dave-g View Post
1. Question did the 28" blades stop the drivers blade from lifting off the windshield above 40 mph? this is driving me nuts.

2. I found this on the web- http://www.irv2.com/forums/f115/head...de-126394.html
headlights seem to be an industry wide problem, but this guy seem to have worked through a few of the problems.

cheap lens, poor bulbs, and low voltage, its like the perfect storm of no night vision .
Sorry for the delay in replying - been n the road for seven weeks and apparently I missed a few posts on here.

Yes, the 28" blades fixed the problem of them lifting off the windshield. We just got in this afternoon from driving non-stop from Fort Worth to Orlando and the wipers worked great up to 65 mph or so. I don't drive faster than that but I see no reason they wouldn't continue to work at higher speeds.

I'll check out the article you indicated. Before leaving Fort Worth, I noticed one if the low beam lights was burned out. I replaced both sides with Phillips Silverlight H3halogen bulbs. Performance on the drive last night was pathetic. You can barely tell the headlights are on. The High beans are great..bright, long range, etc. I did notice that if I left the high beams on, very few (in fact none) of the oncoming drivers flashed at he to dim them. That tells me the high beams looked like what most would expect low beams to be. The fog lights with the low beams help a lot, but not ideal. My mechanic buddy who was co-driving through the night with me, suggested the possibility of replacing the fog lights with a good high quality pair of driving lights. Something to think about.
__________________
2015 Legacy SR340 360RB
2014 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Toad

Gigi, Poppy and Sadie Lady...On the road, but not full time!
conceptumator is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-30-2017, 08:34 AM   #19
Dragonship Captain
 
Oscarvan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: Eastern PA, USA
Posts: 1,335
Does anyone have a description/model #/source for the 28" wiper?... Would like to order them on line and not spend time driving to a store.

My passenger side is OK, so I'll order 2x28", put one in front of my face and have a spare set.....
__________________
2020 RAM 3500 DRW Long Horn. In the hunt for a Palomino TC, formerly a 2017 Berkshire 38A: https://dragonship.blog/
Oscarvan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-30-2017, 11:07 AM   #20
Senior Member
 
CRL1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Middletown, DE
Posts: 166
Quote:
Originally Posted by Oscarvan View Post
Does anyone have a description/model #/source for the 28" wiper?... Would like to order them on line and not spend time driving to a store.



My passenger side is OK, so I'll order 2x28", put one in front of my face and have a spare set.....


The Trico number for the 32" blade is 67-324 so the Trico number for the 28" is 67-284 both are on sale at Camping World for $22.95 ea.
CRL1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
berkshire, light

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Forest River, Inc. or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 04:24 AM.