Replacing battery ?

[davidwhite]

Bit of a different angle at my previous question ( no luggage compartment lights ) since I replaced my battery ( and tailgate unfortunately just to muddy the water ) I no longer have luggage compartment lights when I open the tailgate 

I’ve had to reset the auto window closing via the key fob as per the owners manual all other interior lights are as before as are external lights 

I’ve checked the bulbs in the holders by disconnecting the holders and wiring to a direct 12 volt source checked voltage at bulb holders when in situ and they always have a voltage ( 12.3 ish ) to earth, so guessing the boot-open micro switch on the tailgate lock induces a current to the bulbs via the convenience module ( because I can’t fathom out any other explanation !! )

( so does the convenience modular need resetting ( as per window positions ) following battery replacement or should the battery be left disconnected for a period to allow residual voltage drain 

 

I don’t mind admitting I’m stumped even though I’m an electrician/alarm engineer   

Edited 1 December, 2020 by davidwhite

[Guest]

Does your instrument panel show tailgate open?

[davidwhite]

1 hour ago, MicMac said:

Does your instrument panel show tailgate open?

 

Sorry I should have stated yes it does ? and closed when it’s closed. Hope that helps I’m getting a bit flustered with it now 

 

thinking of re rigging up the original tailgate to the wiring loom to see if the lights work ( guess I’d have to put an earth on to free standing original tailgate ? ( will be a bloody pain getting to the wiring loom isn’t a 5 minute job )

Edited 1 December, 2020 by davidwhite

[Guest]

I can't say with definity but if the panel shows an open tailgate and everything is wired correctly yet the boot lighting fails to work it might be an idea to disconnect the battery for a few minutes.  Turn the ignition on and operate the horn, headlights and hazards to potentially speed up the depletion of any stored power.  Reconnect the battery and see if any change.

[davidwhite]

29 minutes ago, MicMac said:

I can't say with definity but if the panel shows an open tailgate and everything is wired correctly yet the boot lighting fails to work it might be an idea to disconnect the battery for a few minutes.  Turn the ignition on and operate the horn, headlights and hazards to potentially speed up the depletion of any stored power.  Reconnect the battery and see if any change.

 

Nothing to lose, there’s also an old trick of disconnecting both battery leads shield them from the battery and any bodywork and put a jump lead between the two wires ( allegedly this sends any stored power down to earth ) 

it does indeed seem that it’s unlike for there to be more than one wire coming off the lock micro switch so if the instrument panel shows tailgate open ( or closed ) you’d think the info must be going into the convenience module ?

 

what ever happened to 12 volts feed via a switch through the bulb and down to earth guessing I’m giving my age away now 

 

ps thanks for taking the time to advise much appreciated   

[davidwhite]

Hi 

update, tried disconnecting battery and left disconnected for a good half hour reconnected +ve first then -ve as per user manual 

no change still no luggage compartment lights 

 

so

either I dismantle all the interior trim and check the wiring ( which isn’t on the same loom as the recent tailgate replacement but is routed in the same area, well for one luggage compartment light anyway ) in case I’ve disturbed something ( but the tailgate light shows on instrument cluster when tailgate is open 

 

or i I bite the bullet and visit Skoda for a diagnostic check 

 

or I buy a torch and leave it in the luggage compartment 

 

answers on a postcard ( well you got to laugh it off ain’t you )

[Jojo1985g]

Did the replacement tailgate come from the same year of car?

Check the part numbers on the boot lock mechanism and see if they match, if not swap the old boot look into the new boot lid.

 

I recently had similar issues to yourself whereby I had no boot lights nor did I have a boot open indication. 

 

Got a replacement lock mechanism from Hortons Skoda online think it was about £40.

Swapped it out. Everything works fine now. 

 

Just need to remove the boot lid panels which just pull off but be gentle. If I remember correctly the lock is screwed in using 2 torx head bolts which I believe to be T30/T40. 

Then the wiring plug should just pull out. 

[davidwhite]

Thanks for this and the other reply very much appreciated 

yes my car is 09 and the replacement tailgate was the believe from a 12 plate car ( not sure what spec but mines the elegance if that makes any difference ? ) 

as said elsewhere I will have a proper look when the weather improves 

 

cheers and many many thanks for your input 

[Jojo1985g]

1 hour ago, davidwhite said:

yes my car is 09 and the replacement tailgate was the believe from a 12 plate car ( not sure what spec but mines the elegance if that makes any difference ? ) 

I don't think the trim levels make a difference to the boot look part numbers. 

When I bought mine there were 2 available but Skoda were able to tell me the correct part number for my car. 

 

Good luck hope you get it all sorted

[J.R.]

The boot closed & locked microswitch is in the boot lock mechanism, there are actually two positions, the tailgate can be unlocked, say by the remote and then opened, in one position I think the light comes on and in the other the maxidot display, something like that, its too cold & dark to go out & check.

 

Did you retain the lock and rear wiper motor from the new tailgate or refit your old ones?

 

If they are the ones that came with the second hand tailgate then there may be a microswitch problem with the lock, and as a very long shot I wonder if the microswitch is cabled back to the nearest canbus node which is the rear wiper motor and from there the tailgate open signal is sent to the body/comfort control module which operates the courtesy lights & the maxidot display of open doors etc? Its possible that the wiper motor canbus node has a different revision number or has different coding.

Edited 13 December, 2020 by J.R.

[davidwhite]

8 hours ago, J.R. said:

The boot closed & locked microswitch is in the boot lock mechanism, there are actually two positions, the tailgate can be unlocked, say by the remote and then opened, in one position I think the light comes on and in the other the maxidot display, something like that, its too cold & dark to go out & check.

 

Did you retain the lock and rear wiper motor from the new tailgate or refit your old ones?

 

If they are the ones that came with the second hand tailgate then there may be a microswitch problem with the lock, and as a very long shot I wonder if the microswitch is cabled back to the nearest canbus node which is the rear wiper motor and from there the tailgate open signal is sent to the body/comfort control module which operates the courtesy lights & the maxidot display of open doors etc? Its possible that the wiper motor canbus node has a different revision number or has different coding.

Hi 

for easy and quickness of the refit I had the complete tailgate assembly swapped and its existing wiring loom reconnected into the multi plug adaptors in the rear passenger side panel of the luggage compartment ( what a faff it is to remove the trim ! ) 

so it could well be either the tailgate lock micro switch or ( and didn’t know this ) possibly the rear wiper motor 

so thanks for your input 

[J.R.]

Its purely speculation regarding the wiper motor, and thinking back I'm not sure if there are extra wires to it, because if it took the signals from the lock microswitch it would also send out the lock/unlock pulses.

 

The easy way is to trace the wires back from the lock and/or count how many cables are in the wiper motor connector, it would need only 4 for its own function, there would be another 4 or more for the lock and they would of course lead to it.

 

The lock is the prime suspect.

[davidwhite]

56 minutes ago, J.R. said:

 

 

56 minutes ago, J.R. said:

The lock is the prime suspect.

 

Logically it’s the lock that’s the most likely culprit ( especially as there’s two different units ) if the weather had been more accommodating today I’d have had a try already but it’s persistently raining proper really gets you wet stuff too 

and I can practice trim removal on the original tail gate to access the original lock ( ain’t I the lucky one !! )

[J.R.]

Trim removal, remove screw on dogbone handle and yank like you are tearing your way out of a cardboard prison.

 

Doing it cautiously is when the moulded standoffs can break rather than the clips release.

 

They get easier once they lose their cherry.