Can someone confirm the rear indicator bulbs required on a 2013 pre-face lift Combi? If I search it comes up with P21W and/or RY10W, will they both fit?

 

Thank you

On 06/01/2021 at 12:07, Lucchese said:

Can someone confirm the rear indicator bulbs required on a 2013 pre-face lift Combi? If I search it comes up with P21W and/or RY10W, will they both fit?

 

Thank you

Good morning to you sir,

 

I always make use of auto bulbs direct for info on bulbs.

 

They are easy enough to use and are (for the most part) spot on.

Search for them on google sir 👍

 

Thank you, there just is some confusion some state the PY21W and others the RY10W. I guess ill have to have a look :-)

 

Thank you

2 hours ago, Lucchese said:

Thank you, there just is some confusion some state the PY21W and others the RY10W. I guess ill have to have a look :-)

 

Thank you

No worries, worse case you will literally have to pop them out and check them against images on the net 👍

Apologies for digging up an ancient thread, but I have just received a pair of PY21W bulbs to replace the rear indicators on my 2012 pre-facelift combi. And they do not fit.

The base fitting is the correct size, and the 150° pins are correct, and the bulb does not raise a warning on the dashboard. But the glass body of the bulb is too big to fit through the hole in the light cluster.

The bulb you need is RY10W. Identical fitting, but smaller glass and less wattage (10W versus 21W).

The information above is incorrect. 581 is a PY21W, and that will physically not fit into the light cluster.

Hopefully this information will help anyone searching for this in the future.

Edited 5 September, 20255 Sep by Dr_Mike_Oxgreen

@Dr_Mike_Oxgreen Just removed the tail lights (of my MY 2012 S2C), to check, and indeed you are right. My car also has Philips RY10W installed (they were replaced by my garage in 2019, since from the originals the orange paint was flaking off). Also tried a PY21W which I had laying around, and it definitely does not fit.

Important note to others: The owners manual is wrong here. It specifies the wrong (PY21W) type.

P.S. Anyone ever tried to remove the front indicator lights and wondered why their exchange is not explained in the owners manual? Just found the answer to that question: Some idiot engineer designed a fitting which is secured by a (torx) screw, and the workshop manual says that you have to remove the front wheel and the inner wheel arch to reach it...

Why they didn't design it with a common bayonet fitting will probably always remain a mystery....

Edited 6 September, 20256 Sep by andrehj

Yep, I’m replacing mine because loads of the orange paint has flaked off. I’m surprised it passed the MOT because they’re not very orange any more.

I tried a PY21W LED that claimed to be “canbus compatible”, but it raised a bulb failure warning. It was fine on hazards, but with ignition on and signalling, the error occurred immediately. Perhaps the bulb-checking only happens with the ignition on. It was also a little too bright for night-time use.

So I tried another one off eBay: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/374844629873?var=643919891661

I received the second one today and it appears to work, and is a little less bright. I’ll have another look when it’s dark.

The PY21W retrofit LEDs are generally slimmer and do fit through the hole. I don’t think I’ve ever come across any other car that uses RY10W indicators; they seem more common on bikes.

I did find a thread elsewhere on Briskoda about the front indicators, and that did mention a Torx T20 screw securing the base of the bulb. The thread implied that the screw is just about accessible, and only needs loosening. Easier on the left side, apparently.

The front indicators are my next target for retrofitting LEDs. I think it’s fine to have brighter ones on the front because at night they’re competing with the brightness of your headlights and therefore unlikely to cause dazzle. I believe the correct type is PH24WY, but I haven’t confirmed that yet.

My experience is that “canbus compatible” is no guarantee that a bulb will work, but it’s worth persevering and you may well find one that does.

By the way, before someone tells me that the bulb checking is nothing to do with the canbus per se, yes I know that. But rightly or wrongly the phrase “canbus compatible” has become lingua franca when discussing retrofit LEDs. Technically wrong, but it’s the phrase everyone uses.

Okay, I went and had a look at the front indicators.

You pull off the circular rubber cover, and underneath this is what you (can’t) see…

The picture is of the left side, and the Torx screw is on the inboard side so reasonably easy to access by feel. Unfortunately the other side is not a mirror image, so the screw is between the bulb fitting and the inner wing on the right hand side.

I managed to get a T20 bit to engage with the screw, so I think that’s the correct size.

As I mentioned, the other thread implied that you only have to loosen the screw, not remove it. But since the black plastic bit is part of the bulb, I can’t immediately imagine how you can remove the bulb without removing the screw entirely - and I imagine it’d be a nightmare to get back in.

When I’m feeling braver I might try and remove it!

Edited 6 September, 20256 Sep by Dr_Mike_Oxgreen

(I made a similar picture with my phone...)
The screw is indeed probably a nightmare to get back in, probably that's why the workshop manual says to access these bulbs via the wheel arch. My front indicator bulbs (still the originals from 2011) still look OK, so I'm going to leave them where they are...

Edited 6 September, 20256 Sep by andrehj