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D4 - Lights Headlights, xenons, foglights. Everything outside the car that glows

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Old 25th June 2021, 03:34 PM
Albert_Swafega Albert_Swafega is offline
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Default Rear side light out

Has anyone managed to separate a rear light unit?

I have my left rear outer cluster side light out, and a warning on the dash.

At first i thought it was all out, and was looking for the usual earth issue, but it's only the side light.

It looks like the lens is fixed to the body and the clips melted to stop disassembly.

Do i need to source the whole unit?

cheers guys

Albert
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Old 28th December 2022, 09:39 AM
Albert_Swafega Albert_Swafega is offline
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Hi guys,

further to my last post, i replaced the whole unit, and all was good.

However,

over the last few months, the inner left tail light started to error if the boot lid was lifted whilst the car was running.

As the boot lifted, the side light went out, and as it came back down, it relit.

More recently, the tail light went out altogether, and the boot electronic release has become temperamental, last week it also stopped working all together.

As the outer one 18 months ago was a failed led, i ordered a 2nd hand unit to replace the inner.

I stripped the trim off the boot lid, replaced the inner unit........NO CHANGE.

No voltage at the green/grey wire for the n/s tail light.

Having, stripped the RHS boot trim, then following and uncovering the loom, i find the cause of the problem. I've bodged it for now, and everything works fine again. Ill apply a permanent repair shortly, once my loom tape arrives.

This may save someone the time investigating their issues, and go straight to the cause.

By the way, the wires appear stretched to breaking point, not worn by the bending of the boot lifting and closing.
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  #3  
Old 28th December 2022, 10:59 AM
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steamship steamship is offline
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Reading through your description, my first thought was a result of tight wiring being subjected to continued bending, something that affected the AFS II headlights in the D3. Penny pinching by the accountants with no thought of how things worked.

Don't know the cabling route, but is it possible that the entire section of loom is being subjected to constant stretching as a result of that securing clip to the left of the breaks not allowing a little bit of movement?
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My DIY jobs - Replaced alarm horn, Replaced Coolant Temp sensor, Updated RNS-D firmware, Installed Reversing Camera and Digital TV, Dashcam Installation, Retrofitted Rear Blinds, Auto-Dimming Rear View Mirror, Chrome Boot Struts

Sold! 2008 S8 D3 5.2 V10 - Engine: BSM, Gearbox:KLW, Colour:LY7F Suzuka Grey Pearl Effect, Interior:Black/Black with Silver/Black valcona leather with carbon atlas inserts, Bang & Olufsen, Heated windscreen, Soft-close doors, TV, DAB, AMI, Quad Zone, Auto Boot, Auto dim Mirrors, Keyless entry, PDC with rearview camera, AFS II Headlights

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Old 28th December 2022, 12:08 PM
Albert_Swafega Albert_Swafega is offline
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It's definitely stretched, but I removed 3 securing clips before getting to that point, and they were all tight.

I might repair, leaving one of the cips off, allowing a little slack the prevent future problems, as long as it isn't going to foul and rub anywhere.
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