The third/auxiliary brake light of my 2009 Octy Combi has had a few failed LEDs for quite a while now and yesterday I got my 1st "please check 3rd brake light" message on the dashboard when driving back from a rehearsal. I checked the light upon arrival; didn't work with the rear hatch up but when I closed it and hung a bag from the antenna I could see it worked.

 

No such luck today though. Probably not the worst problem, and I saw the LED version comes in at less than 30€, a lot less than I feared when I saw you have to replace the whole thing.

Curious observation: I also get a warning for a front parking light which I replaced with an LED bulb, unless it's on during the start-up test because the thing is perfectly fine (slightly too high resistance, probably). But I get the warning for the brake light only after having braked; holding the brake when I turn on the contact doesn't cause a warning either.

 

How easy is the swap (knowing I'd have to do it outside in <10°C temps)? Is it supposed to be deactivated when the rear hatch is open, even with the engine running?

 

And: the wiring and/or any switches to disable the thing wouldn't happen to be among the things known to fail on this make or model?

 

BTW, I saw 2 compatible models on the oscaro.com site. One clearly (by TYC) look like mine, including the little protruding thing that holds the rear window washer spout and has "for vehicles with LED. The other (https://www.oscaro.com/feu-stop-additionnel-van-wezel-7622929-8972073-1428-p#) is shown with a sketch of the hatchback Octy but still has the same list of equivalent Skoda part numbers. No mention of it having LEDs or instead use traditional bulbs. I must say I'd just as rather have that.

The third brake light is an array of LEDs inside the housing. There are posts on here (with photos) showing how to replace the old light with new. Do  a search.

Basically you have unclip the boot lid trim and the rubber pull, remove the wiring connector and undo one or more nuts. The difficult part is replacing the trim.

 

From memory there is also a post on here where someone opened up the old unit and replaced failed LEDS but it is not for the in experienced. 

 

I have never checked whether the brake light goes off with the boot lid open but it is possible as the switch in the lock does other things such as signalling electronically the the boot is open and electronically turning on the boot lights.

I did do a search but didn't find anything in the more or less recent results, so if you have a link I'd appreciate.

With "rubber pull", do you mean the thing for pulling the hatch closed, that's basically on the far end seen from the brake light?

It does sound like the sort of thing you'd rather not do outside in the weather we're having (I've been waiting for a dry and not too cold spell to swap the wheels on my SO's car too...). And sounds like my workshop might charge way more in labour than I'd hoped (we'll see what their quote says)!

A quick search on YT brought up the video below described as Octavia 2 but in fact is the almost identical Golf Wagon. 

It gives you an idea of what to do. A pair of long nosed pliers might make it easier to compress and push out the central red clip.

 

 

Thanks! Looks simple enough, but not under the current weather conditions ... and I can't get the part fast enough to install it for my upcoming trip. Workshop job it is then... 119€ for the official VW part (around 70€...) plus installation. I don't know if they calculated the official suggested duration or just guessed; usually they're cool enough to adapt the price also if they spent much less time than foreseen.

 

PS: that's not a Golf, or else it pretends really hard to be a Skoda (check the logo on the hatch...)! ;)

I did mine and it is straightforward to do, I bought a set of trim removal tools on ebay and some spare trim clips as I had read it is difficult to do without breaking some of them this did turn out to be the case.

Now out of curiosity: those of you who replace the unit:

 

- was it entirely (or almost completely) dead?

- after how many years of service?

 

My car is from sept. 2009 so just over 12 years old (yikes...). I haven't found any trace of this being the 2nd replacement so the unit must be as old as the car. In itself that sounds reasonable, but I have a strong suspicion the turn signal bulbs (including the one in the LHS rearview mirror) are as old and a lot cheaper...

(In short, I've yet to encounter any LED bulb that makes true on its promise of lasting so much longer than a traditional bulb...)

Replacing the unit is quick and easy.

 

My unit failed completely from moisture ingress corroding the power connector pins to the LED strip PCB, a quick clean and resolder and it was back in service.

 

Disassembly required a sharp blade to prise between and separate the two halves of the plastic assembly, super glue stuck them back and a smear of silicone RTV sealed everything once refitted to the tailgate.

My car was bought new in june 09 and nearly all the leds had gone, enough to put the bulb warning light on. I replaced the lamp about a year ago. 

Mine is 15 years old and I had one go after about year 3 and then again at say like year 10. Easy to change but be careful as the clips can break the plastic which could mean a new trim, with the main piece being about £50.