tail light fault

[stuart scott]

posting for a mate he has a s6 v10 im not sure what chassis but it is a 56 plate ,anyway he keeps getting a warning that he has a bulb out in one of his tail light clusters ,when he checks they are all ok ,so he goes for a MOT today they fail it and say it will cost him £486 to replace a module that is faulty can anyone shed any light on this,which module is it, and how much does it really cost to replace.Oh I have another mate with a 56 plate a6 le mans 3l tdi with the same problem so it might be a common fault any help would be grateful.

 

[simonwjones]

I would check the contacts on both the bulbs and the cable connecting to the bulb holder.

I believe they are suspect to condensation and can cause oxidation on the pins of the cable and bulb holder connection.

clean they with a bit of light emery paper and spray with some electrical contact cleaner from Halfords

If there is condensation in the rear lights I know of people who have drilled small holes underneath the tail light to allow the condensation to vent and this has eliminated the problem

Simon

 

[rawtor51]

yeah just get the tail light and bulb holder replaced along with the connection to the brown wire, although there may be more connections in the plug needing replaced, I had mine replaced under warranty last month, problem solved.

 

[gupsterg]

so he goes for a MOT today they fail it and say it will cost him £486 to replace a module that is faulty can anyone shed any light on this,which module is it, and how much does it really cost to replace.

There is no module which would be replaced to solve that issue IMO, at most the parts that rawtor51 has had replaced.

What simonwjones is suggesting is the best route of checks, I drilled little vent holes in my rear lights about 2yrs ago and never had any condensation or electrical problems after that.

 

[rawtor51]

There is no module which would be replaced to solve that issue IMO, at most the parts that rawtor51 has had replaced.

What simonwjones is suggesting is the best route of checks, I drilled little vent holes in my rear lights about 2yrs ago and never had any condensation or electrical problems after that.

I drilled little holes on the other side to stop the condensation as per your original write up about 6 month back and that side worked a treat, no more condensation at all:icon_thumright:.
I think the one that was replaced was a little too far gone for the holes DIY to work