Hi all ..

 

Followed the excellent instructions on this guide as my brake light switch needed replacing but for some reason the replacement part I fitted had the strange effect of making my brake lights stay on all the time ??  It was a new switch, purchased from Euro Car Parts ... the plunger had 'self-adjusted' but the second I plugged the wiring loom back in, the brake lights lit up and wouldn't go out :(  I'm guessing it was perhaps a faulty switch / has anyone else had the same problem ?

Anyway, today I purchased a genuine part from the local Skoda dealer, at a cost of £11.02 plus the vat (not a great deal more than the £9 odd that Euro Car Parts wanted) ... going to have another go at it this weekend ...

Has anyone done it, and if so - do I need to clear the fault code or will that clear itself ?  Glow Plug light is flashing away - haven't plugged in a OBDII reader yet, but have no brake lights so pretty sure the switch is at fault.  Have checked both brake light bulbs, they are fine ...

 

Thanks

 

Mark ...

 

 

As you have now bought a new one from a Skoda dealer, it will be the latest version. Please not that when fitting that version, it needs to get fitted with the brake pedal in the fully "up" position.

As you have now bought a new one from a Skoda dealer, it will be the latest version. Please not that when fitting that version, it needs to get fitted with the brake pedal in the fully "up" position.

 

Assume this is so that the 'plunger' can self adjust ?

 

After it's been fitted, and the wiring loom connected then that's it ?  No OBDII code reader needed to reset / stop the glow plug light flashing ?

 

Cheers

 

Mark

Yes it should be all okay then, remember to rotate the switch until you feel it "click", with this new switch, if you mess up fitting it, you should be able to have a few more attempts, so don't worry if you can't get it to work first time.

 

The main issue with them is locking the switch with the brake pedal depressed and this can mean that the switch is locked extended and that is why the brake lights stay on.

Yes it should be all okay then, remember to rotate the switch until you feel it "click", with this new switch, if you mess up fitting it, you should be able to have a few more attempts, so don't worry if you can't get it to work first time.

 

The main issue with them is locking the switch with the brake pedal depressed and this can mean that the switch is locked extended and that is why the brake lights stay on.

 

Cool ... thanks for that ...

 

Does the 'rotate until it clicks' procedure do something to the switch itself then ?  Activates the circuit or something ?

The switch comes, if you like, in an unlocked state, you place it in the bracket and the part that is through the bracket can not turn, the plunger finds its correct extension position, then you rotate the rest of the switch and the plunger adjustment is then fixed - that is a rough description to make some sense of what is happening - remember to leave the brake pedal in its UP position.

The switch comes, if you like, in an unlocked state, you place it in the bracket and the part that is through the bracket can not turn, the plunger finds its correct extension position, then you rotate the rest of the switch and the plunger adjustment is then fixed - that is a rough description to make some sense of what is happening - remember to leave the brake pedal in its UP position.

 

Ok - cheers for all the info ... much appreciated !

 

Top Man

One other aspect about these switches is, if you try checking their functionality with them in the "unlocked" state, ie which pins are S/C or O/C when the plunger is "IN" or "OUT" you will get confused - well I did anyway! Though you can simulate it being fitted to a bracket and rotate it into its "locked" state quite easily.

Hmm ... ok.

Still wondering why the first switch I fitted didn't work properly ? Did I do something wrong, or did I genuinely have a dodgy switch ?

If the one that you bought from ECP and it did not fix the problem - or caused other problems, looks exactly like the one you bought from Skoda, then maybe remove and refit it a few times. Bottom line is, if the brake lights stay off when the connector is not plugged in, and stay on when the connector is plugged in, then it has to be a switch problem - either faulty or not fitted correctly.

 

My first older version switch I fitted correctly first time, the next time it needed changed, I had a newer version of switch, and I messed it up first time, like in your case.

Edited 4 November, 201510 yr by rum4mo

Cheers rum4mo for all your help ...

 

Just got home from work early, and with daylight rapidly fading I managed to get the dash off, old switch out, new switch in and dash back in record time - something like 12 mins  And guess what .... the genuine switch worked first time !! 

 

So I'm guessing there was something wrong with the ECP switch after all that ..

 

Again - many thanks for your support .... it made the job a lot easier, as I was doubting my technical ability, thinking I had done something wrong on the first attempt !

 

Cheers

 

Mark

Excellent news, now you can drive safely!

(FIXED FLASHING GLOW PLUG LIGHT)

 

Hello guys, this is my first post.

 

Just thought I would share my experience after getting the dreaded FLASHING GLOW PLUG LIGHT failure indicator on my console. For me this happened after I went over a speed bump, faster than I normally would, once I noticed the flashing glow plug light I immediately pulled over and swithed off the engine. Hoping after a restart it may stop flashing, but alas not so. BUT, after restarting the engine the glow plug lights continued to flash and my ESP / ABS (skidding car symbol) also came up on my console.

 

After reading numerious threads on this forum (many thanks to all) I noticed both my rear brake lights had stopped working so I went out and bought a brake light switch and a couple of spare brake light bulbs. Thinking that it was a faulty brake light switch and possibly a sensor for the ABS? Well best to start with the brake light switch.

 

Got all the tools and torx bits to tackle the issue and changed into some warm diy clothes as with all jobs I tackle it was bound to take a few hours.

 

BUT, just on the off chance I decided to replace both rear brake light bulbs AND hey presto no more flashing glow plugs and no more ESP light!!!

 

SO the moral of the story is try the obvious first. Oh yes I did check my fuses and all was well.

 

Hope this helps others on here too.