Snap, they were my feelings exactly AAAAAgh!!!!
I'll try and explain it in my simple words.
Imagine a bayonet bulb with two contacts like a normal stop/tail light bulb.
In the holder, instead of two plunger contacts there are two thin metal arms that are spot welded to the bulb contacts.
The bulb and holder are not bayonet, the bulb base just slides into the holder and is retained by the holders plastic sleeve having small teeth that overlap the bulb base.

I think that if the contacts were not welded the bulb would come out rather easily. I also think that they are welded because the two contact arms are only thin metal extensions to the male spades that the supply wires plug onto and are not sprung in any way.
The holder itself has two holes, small screws go through these and into the light unit body to fasten the holder down.

I hope that sort of makes sense.

I was looking at the Italian web page you sent but could not translate enough to work out how to buy one. No one else seems to stock the same item. All the US sites display a wedge bulb when they have a picture or no picture/drawing at all.

I'll try and contact Warrington Audi parts chappie and see if he has one for me to play with. Even at £12 it might be worth breaking it :snigger:

Meant to put my name there,
Cheers
Ray

PS Just managed to translate some more of the Italian web page.
The important bit is:-
"0 Available 4 sold"

I guess that is why I could not find a "Buy Now" button!!!!

Warrington Audi £27
Not in stock but will be available Tuesday.
I'll take SWMBO to IKEA and M&S on Wednesday then on the way home collect it from Audi.
At £27 it is a bit expensive to break but at least that means I am not breaking the car part.:-(

Could you modify you blown old lamp with a regular base to accept a stock bulb?

Aah, you see that is the problem . . . . it aint broke.
I am after a brighter reverse light so that I can see better when backing up.
I want to try LEDs and actually have my eye on a CREE LED that is nice and bright.
But that raises problems apart from the physical fitting, is the reverse light monitored by the bulb blown system?

I blame Guy for all this. He told me about a lamp unit he once saw that had strip LEDs fitted in the reverse light part.

Ah, understand what you're trying to achieve.

Could you keep the stock bulb and add an LED matrix, wired in parallel, within the bulb carrier?

http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/attachmen...chmentid=12205

Matt, You are reading my mind.
I'll try and find time later today to photo what I have tried already. I;m working at the moment, corporate Xmas party home runs. Probably executive drunks

Sorry for the delay, as ever I plead Old Age, SWMBO being in Management mode, no money and a house full of grandkids. Whatever you do I suggest that you do not visit our house anytime over the next few years
I started with a LED strip light meant for under cabinet lighting that by shear luck operated on 12 volts. These came as a set of four strips and a mains unit. They connect end to end either by plugging together or using supplied connector cables. Each strip has 15 LEDs and and two copper connector strips running lengthwise. The two connector strips carry 12volt DC. The LEDs are connected in blocks of three across the 12volts.
I have butchered one of these strips, removing it from it's clear plastic protective sleeve and cutting it into three parts. Two parts have six LEDs each and the third strip has three LEDs. Again by pure chance the six LED strips are just the correct length for my purpose.
The Audi pre face lift boot tail light unit, the one with the reversing light in it, has a double lens for the reverse light. I have drilled four holes in the side of the light unit that I am playing in line with the space between the two pieces of perspex lens. Two on one side and two on the opposite side. Two of the holes are large enough for the strip lights to pass through, the opposite two are large enough for a copper support wire to pass through.
Back to the six LED light strips. On one end of each I have soldered a length of stiff copper wire, this act as a "pull through" whilst assembling and also hold that end of the strip in position. On the other end I have soldered two similiar but insulated wires to the "bus bars", these wires serve two purposes, they pass the 12 volt feed to the strip and hold that end in position after assembly.
Whilst assembling the modification I carefully positioned the strips with the LEDs facing inwards towards the reflector to maximise the light output.

In a nutshell, it works, but still not very bright. I need stronger LEDs, or more on a strip.
Back to the drawing board.

Thanks for reporting back - what if you put the strips back to back so that the other side of the strip emits some light rather than masking some - 50% forward facing and 50% reflector facing?

Hey Snap,
That is a good suggestion.
This only supports my opinion of this forum, bloodie brilliant.
I'll have another play in the New Year when things calm down a bit in the Armstrong abode.
The set of cabinet lights has four strips so is enough to do it that way for two lamp units, so a car would cost £15. And there would be four strips of three LEDs each left over to play with.