We have just bought a 2006 Octavia Estate 1.9tdi, and I need to know please :-

-where the switch is to manually turn off the boot lights, as my car often spends hours in the better weather with the tailgate up for the dogs in their crate at shows etc?

-should the heater control panel be illuminated when the lights are on?if so I presume the bulb has gone as everything else is illuminated.

Thank yooooooo for any advice

There is no switch to turn off the boot lights. However if the boot is open, the lights will automatically turn off after 30 mins.

Don't know if you have manual heating controls or automatic climate control....I imagine the standard manual heating controls are lit, but I don't know for sure as my car has climate control and that does light up when the lights are on.

Edited 20 February, 201313 yr by booke23

I have the standard non climate control system and it should be lit.

John

Yup, I wanted the boot lights to be switchable, but they ain't! It's something to do with the catch being in the lock mechanism, not just a sepeerate override switch somewhere round the tailgate.

Have you thought about finding one from another car that has the on/off slider switch built in as part of the light and swapping them over?

The other way to deal with the boot light problem, might be to fit LED bulbs.

They draw much less current than filament bulbs, so being on for 30 minutes would not be such an issue. Having said that, I think the boot lights are only 2 x 5 Watts anyway. So if they are on for 30 minutes in theory that would only use about 1/2 Amp hour of your 70 odd Amp hour battery.

Is it a a4 model or a a5

With the boot light thing, if your leaving your boot up for a while just use the key and manually move the latch into the closed position.

The car will think the boot is shut and the light go out. Then when your done just pull the boot open button to release the latch and shut the boot. Eaiest way :-)

Surly the boot lights could have a simple switch put on them to open an close the flow, if someone really wanted to. Perhaps there is another older light with a switch on it like an old Ford's interior light that you could replace them with, must be some interior lights close out there for 50p on ebay.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Audi-A2-A4-A6-Avant-Cream-Boot-Light-4B9947123-/170989865879?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item27cfca4b97

If you put a switch in the light, you need to be sure that they aren't CANBUS monitored, and the dash doesn't start nagging you that a light has failed when the circuit goes 'open'.

Thank you for all your replies......and sooo quick!

Shame about the lack of boot light switch, but I suppose not many owners need to do this 'leaving it open' lark.

(Just to clarify - the dogs are always locked securely in a crate and I'm never out of sight).

I wouldn't want to risk meddling/changing the light fittings/putting an inline switch, and there's no key hole to try the key trick, although that does definitely sound the easiest option.

Another agility friend has also coincidently just bought the same car (but 03), and was wondering the same thing.

It is the manual heater controls, and so I will contact the dealer we had it from to see if they will replace the bulb, although I've almost got it sussed by feel in the dark now. The workshop wouldn't have noticed it being off as they would be working in daylight.

I have no idea whether it is an a4 or an a5...what is that relevant to? and is it important to know? and how do I find out for future reference?

Many thanks again for all your help  

A4 and A5 refer to the VAG platform the car is based on.

MKI Octavias are A4 and MKII Octavias (generally from 2004...with the exception of some Classic trim models) are A5 platform cars. I assumed as your car is a 2006 it's a MKII (A5)

Edited 21 February, 201313 yr by booke23

If its a a4 or classic its easy to change the heater bulb your self just pull the middle knob off then get some pointy nose pliers to pull the bulb out, replace the bulb then push the knob back on