2006 Audi A8 4.2 TDI - Project Thread

[Conquistador]

Good call with the polarizing lens, never thought about that before actually but glare from windscreen is noticeable on mine too.

And I've also ordered a new rain sensor gel thing too

[Oli18]

Originally Posted by Conquistador

I've also ordered a new rain sensor gel thing too

Nice one - i hope it all works as it should for you!

About 1 year ago, i wanted to upgrade the rear license plate lights to LEDs. I thought this would be a simple mod but how wrong i was. The screws that hold in the lights were completely corroded and i ended up taking half the boot lid apart to take them out. As a result, i had to break the old light units leaving me with this:





I then ordered a new set from A8 Parts - great as ever...



Upgraded them to error-free LEDs:



...and also decided to upgrade from the steel screws to stainless steel instead to avoid future issues.



And refit the units:



This is the end result - makes such a difference



All in all, this mod ended up taking the best part of 3 hrs when it should have taken 10 mins max. I can honestly say this has been the most frustrating mod I've done so far given the screws were coroded but i would recommend persevering and the outcome will be worth it!

Oli

[Norretal]

I did this mod just last week Oli, makes quite a difference doesn't it? Looks much better, well worth the effort

I think the original screws are stainless, mine had no rust but two of them refused to come out with a screwdriver and I chewed the heads up and ended up drilling them out. I followed Marcin's guide to doing the job and used double sided sticky tape to secure them.

Out of interest, what price were the replacements, I was quoted £34 for a pair from a stealer?

[H-M3]

one of my left side screw is shaxxed too. Any tips oli? wanted to do this my self. What are the replacement screw size etc?
cheers

[Turbo Tony]

I've been looking at replacing the number plate LEDs too. Looks like you found a neat solution. They're looking good

[snapdragon]

My original screws had seized too, so I bought replacement marine stainless ones from ebay and after a year, these seized even worse! Apparently stainless doesn't go well with aluminium. I replaced the part on the boot which holds the lights when I fitted the reversing camera, replaced both lamps and used nylon screws from ebay with some silicone grease on them. These are the best. I think they were M3x12 and cut to length with a Stanley knife.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/181918020853

[mcs]

Originally Posted by snapdragon

My original screws had seized too, so I bought replacement marine stainless ones from ebay and after a year, these seized even worse! Apparently stainless doesn't go well with aluminium. I replaced the part on the boot which holds the lights when I fitted the reversing camera, replaced both lamps and used nylon screws from ebay with some silicone grease on them. These are the best. I think they were M3x12 and cut to length with a Stanley knife.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/181918020853

Sometimes I like being in a "Hot Country" as Audi codes Australia. We simply don't get the corrosion of any parts of a car here. I have never seen or heard of a rusty suspension component and car bodies only really show surface rust after about 30years here.

Unhappily the sun makes the tail lamp lenses crack and go brittle. So there is a flipside of the coin.

What brand of LED lamp did you use for the plate lights?

Mike

[Dezzy]

Originally Posted by snapdragon

My original screws had seized too, so I bought replacement marine stainless ones from ebay and after a year, these seized even worse! Apparently stainless doesn't go well with aluminium.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/181918020853

It's called Galvanic Corrosion. Ally and stainless need separating to stop that process, grease works quite well, if they can't be separated then an sacrificial anode is used. I imagine that it gets wet up there and stays wet for long periods. Stainless can also "cold weld" if anti scuffing paste isn't used but not normally on anything that small.

Your plastic replacements are the way forward

[Oli18]

Originally Posted by Norretal

Out of interest, what price were the replacements, I was quoted £34 for a pair from a stealer?

Hi Norretal - think i paid about £40 including next day delivery.

Originally Posted by H-M3

one of my left side screw is shaxxed too. Any tips oli? wanted to do this my self. What are the replacement screw size etc?
cheers

May the force be with you H-M3 ... i ended up stripping the bootlid from the inside and unbolting the entire boot handle to take it off. Even then it was still a mare of a job to drill out the remaining screw. As Snapdragon mentioned, i think they're M3x12

Originally Posted by snapdragon

My original screws had seized too, so I bought replacement marine stainless ones from ebay and after a year, these seized even worse! Apparently stainless doesn't go well with aluminium. I replaced the part on the boot which holds the lights when I fitted the reversing camera, replaced both lamps and used nylon screws from ebay with some silicone grease on them. These are the best. I think they were M3x12 and cut to length with a Stanley knife.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/181918020853

Thanks for the tip and i've ordered a set

Oli

[H-M3]

As the title suggest, gonna leave mine for now as I have bigger fish to fry. Cheers