Electrical and Systems
RV Interior and Exterior LED Lighting Upgrades and Repair
Typical range
$250 to $2,500
Shop hours
1 to 10
Labor rate
$260/hr
The short answer
LED lighting work covers interior fixture conversion, dimmable and color temperature upgrades, awning and scene lighting, and exterior marker and work light replacement. Work runs $250 to $2,500, or 1 to 10 hours at $260 per hour plus fixtures.
01
What this work actually involves
Converting incandescent fixtures to LED is the cheapest meaningful reduction in house load available on an older coach. A single 1141 bulb pulls about 1.4 amps. The LED equivalent pulls roughly a tenth of that. Multiply across twenty fixtures on a Class A and an evening of lights costs you a couple of amp hours instead of twenty, which changes how long a battery bank lasts without shore power. On coaches where the owner is considering a bigger battery bank, this is usually the first thing we recommend looking at instead.
The upgrade goes wrong in two predictable ways. Cheap drop-in bulbs flicker or buzz on a factory dimmer that was designed for a resistive load, and they come in a color temperature that turns a walnut interior a hospital shade of blue. We select fixtures and bulbs in the 2700K to 3000K range for living areas unless you specifically want cooler light, and we replace incompatible dimmers rather than living with the flicker. The second failure is heat. LEDs in sealed factory housings on a low desert roof still cook their drivers, so exterior fixtures need to be rated for it.
Exterior work is where the practical value is. Awning strips, scene lighting for the patio side, cargo bay lights that actually illuminate a bay, hitch and coupler lights for backing at night, and marker and clearance lights that stop failing at the grommet. Coastal storage in Oceanside and Long Beach corrodes marker light contacts and grounds constantly, and a chain of markers that flickers is usually a single bad ground rather than the bulbs everyone replaces first.
Location: All work is performed at our Yorba Linda facility. We do not offer mobile, roadside, or fleet route service.
02
What the job includes
- Interior incandescent to LED conversion across all fixtures
- Color temperature selection matched to the interior finish
- Dimmer replacement where the factory unit is incompatible with LED loads
- Under cabinet, toe kick, and accent lighting installation
- Ceiling fixture replacement and puck light retrofits
- Awning strip and patio scene lighting installation
- Cargo bay, compartment, and step lighting
- Exterior marker, clearance, and porch light replacement with sealed units
- Hitch, coupler, and work light installation for night setup
- Corroded ground and contact repair on exterior lighting circuits
03
When you need this service
- House batteries drain quickly on an evening of interior lights
- Lights that flicker, buzz, or will not dim smoothly
- Yellowed, cracked, or heat discolored fixture lenses
- A run of marker lights that flickers or has gone dark together
- Corrosion or green bloom at an exterior light base
- Cargo bays or steps that are unusable in the dark
04
How we do it, step by step
- 01
Fixture and load inventory
Every fixture counted and its current draw measured so you can see the actual amp hour reduction the conversion buys before deciding how far to take it.
- 02
Color and output selection
Color temperature and brightness chosen against your interior finish. Living areas usually want warm light, while galley and bath areas benefit from something cooler and brighter.
- 03
Dimmer and control compatibility
Existing dimmers tested with the intended LED load. Incompatible units are replaced rather than tolerated, because flicker on a dimmer is a control problem, not a bulb problem.
- 04
Exterior circuit inspection
Marker and clearance light grounds and contacts checked for corrosion before new fixtures go on, since coastal ground failures make new lights fail immediately.
- 05
Installation
Fixtures installed with sealed connections on the exterior, proper grommets at every pass-through, and new circuits fused correctly where lighting is being added.
- 06
Verification
Every circuit loaded and measured, dimming range checked through its full travel, and exterior penetrations sealed and tested.
05
Pricing and posted rates
| Item | Rate or range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Typical job range | $250 to $2,500 | Varies with extent of damage and parts availability |
| Shop hours | 1 to 10 | Quoted after teardown, not before |
| Mechanical and electrical labor | $260 per hour | 2026 posted rate |
| Parts | 100% markup under $100, 35% over | Special order parts require a non refundable deposit at order |
| Deposit | 50% at authorization over $2,000 | Additional 25% when parts arrive on jobs over $10,000 |
| Sales tax | 7.75% on parts and materials | Labor is not taxed |
Insurance billed jobs may be billed at carrier negotiated labor rates that differ from the posted retail rates above. See all posted rates.
07
Vehicles we do this work on
Vehicle
Class A Gas Motorhomes
A Class A gas motorhome is a flat-front coach built on a Ford F53 or Workhorse front-engine chassis, typically 28 to 38 feet. Rear
Vehicle
Class C Motorhomes
A Class C is a coach body built onto a cutaway van chassis with a sleeping or storage cabover extending above the factory cab. Tha
Vehicle
Travel Trailers
A travel trailer tows from a ball hitch behind the tow vehicle rear axle on an A-frame tongue, which makes it the most sway-prone
Vehicle
Standard Fifth Wheels
A fifth wheel couples to a hitch in the truck bed through a kingpin and pin box, with a raised forward bedroom over the truck. The
Vehicle
Teardrop Trailers
A teardrop is a small monocoque sleeping trailer, usually 4 to 6 feet wide, with a rear galley under a lifting hatch. The hatch se
Vehicle
Camper Van Conversions
Camper van conversions are Sprinter, Transit, or ProMaster chassis with windows cut into the sidewalls, a roof full of penetration
Vehicle
Vintage and Classic RVs
Vintage coaches, from riveted aluminum Airstreams and Avions to GMC motorhomes and 1970s Class A units, use construction and parts
08
Questions about interior and exterior led lighting upgrades
Frequently asked questions
How much can LED conversion actually save on battery power?
A typical 1141 incandescent draws around 1.4 amps and its LED replacement draws roughly a tenth of that. On a coach with twenty fixtures, an evening of lighting goes from consuming a meaningful slice of your bank to being almost negligible. For owners considering more battery capacity, converting the lighting first is usually the better dollar.
What does an LED upgrade cost?
Work runs $250 to $2,500, or 1 to 10 hours at $260 per hour plus fixtures. A straight bulb conversion in an accessible coach is at the low end. A full fixture replacement with new dimmers, under cabinet lighting, awning strip, and exterior marker and bay lighting is at the high end.
Why do my new LEDs flicker on the dimmer?
Because the factory dimmer was built for a resistive incandescent load and is chopping the supply in a way the LED driver cannot handle. It is a control incompatibility, not a defective bulb. The fix is a dimmer designed for LED loads, after which the same bulbs usually dim smoothly through their full range.
My marker lights all flicker. Do I need to replace them all?
Usually not. A whole run flickering together points at a shared ground or a corroded feed, not at every bulb failing at once. On coastal stored units the ground is almost always the culprit. We find and rebuild the bad ground first, and frequently the existing fixtures then work correctly.
Can you add exterior scene and awning lighting?
Yes. Awning strips, patio scene lighting, cargo bay lights, step lighting, and hitch work lights are all common additions. Exterior additions get sealed fixtures, proper grommets at every pass-through, and their own fused circuit so a failure outside does not take a coach circuit down with it.
09
Related services
Service
Wiring Harness and Fuse Panel Repair
Harness and fuse panel repair covers rodent damage, heat damaged runs, failed power centers, overloaded circuits, and rebuilt dist
Service
12V and 120V Electrical Diagnostics and Repair
Electrical diagnostics traces 12V DC and 120V AC faults on RVs, vans, trailers, and fleet units, including dead circuits, parasiti
Service
House Battery Replacement, AGM and Lithium
House battery replacement covers flooded lead acid, AGM, and LiFePO4 lithium bank builds, including the charging profile and cable
Service
Full Interior Remodel
A full interior remodel replaces flooring, cabinetry, countertops, seating, wall panel, and trim as one coordinated job rather tha
Service
Custom Van Build-Out and Camper Conversion
A custom van build-out converts an empty cargo van into a camper, mobile workshop, or purpose-built work vehicle with insulation,
10
More electrical and systems work
Ready to move on interior and exterior led lighting upgrades? Bring it to Yorba Linda.