Anyone come across this one?

 

Got a brake light fail warning, so stopped and checked.  Yep, bulb out, check boot, spares at home.  Rats.  Make note to head for Halfords at destination as I'm 200 miles from home and headed in the opposite direction.  On restart, noticed 'Fail' warning was gone - but reappeared 50 miles later.

Check again after stopping and - it's working.  Just in case it's a dodgy bulb, I put a new one (from Halfords) in.

Repeat process 20 miles later:  Fail warning, bulb out, restart, fail gone etc, etc.

Eventually discovered that the earthing contact in the bulb holder has broken and hanging loose, making contact now and again, hence intermittent fault.  The picture shows a similar contact from the same light unit but not the brake light - I bodged that one up to keep contact and didn't want to disturb it.  It had snapped right at the top and fell out as soon as I tried to move it.

 

 

I assume there's no way to replace the individual bulb holders as they look to be 'potted' with something fairly immovable?  I'm not beyond the ability to cut and splice a new holder in but wondered if anyone knew of the problem, or a solution that doesn't require replacing the whole light unit?

Depends on what motor you have, but you might be able to just pickup a "Bulb carrier"

They are about £55 from dealers mind you, so perhaps a visit to eBay or scrapper is in order.

Ta for that.  I could see there was a loom pushed into the back of it and I guess it's a start if it's replaceable as a part unit.

 

Having said that, at £55 a pop, it'll probably be a visit to a Scrappers ..........  🙂

Once you look at your existing setup, it will be quickly clear if it's the mini loom pictured, so yes indeed... a scrapper.

17 minutes ago, CityScout said:

Ta for that.  I could see there was a loom pushed into the back of it and I guess it's a start if it's replaceable as a part unit.

 

Having said that, at £55 a pop, it'll probably be a visit to a Scrappers ..........  🙂

 

A thought - or rather a question:

 

Do you perchance have a part number for the loom - nearside if it makes any difference?

14 minutes ago, CityScout said:

 

A thought - or rather a question:

 

Do you perchance have a part number for the loom - nearside if it makes any difference?

I do know the PN for my own car, but it could be totally different for your own, so don't want to send and confuse your search.

No probs.  I think I've found the loom and its part number - but the only place at a reasonable price for a new one (€25+tax) was in - Czech ......... or Czechia ..... or Czech Republic ............ or whatever it's know as this week.

 

It's the scrappers ...........

What was your PN you think, so I can compare 🤝

https://www.lllparts.co.uk/catalogs/skoda/CZ

 

If you have not already seen that catalog.

No, I hadn't seen it and thanks for the link.  I had come up with:

5E9945257A

which tallies with yours as the one that's broken is the left side.

 

5E9945258A is for the right hand side.

Different to my part number, but if you are looking at scrapper, best get several good images of your loom colours (unless you just wanna splice in connector.)

Edited 6 March, 20233 yr by varooom

Don't know how I worked out it tallied with yours.  I'll use the excuse it was late .........

 

Mine's a late '16 Scout, so my numbers seem correct, now that I've worked my way around the K8B/K8D difference - Notchback, or Wagon/Avant

 

Naturally the one I need is twice the price ................🙄

 

It will most probably be a scrapper and/or cut and splice.

It's a bodge but....

 

I am a well known exponent of the Art of Fine Bodgery.  If it works, I won't turn my back on it.  What I did was take the snapped off contact - a bit of soft brass (which I would have expected to be stiff and springy ???) - and rearranged its shape to jamb between the remaining bit of contact and the side of the bulb holder, protruding into the bulb socket to make contact with the side of the bulb.

 

It's worked OK but I will try and source a suitable holder if I can and solder/splice it in to the harness.

 

I baulk at paying £50 for a few bits of wire in order to replace a 50p bulb holder.

Does the broken connector not slide up out of the front of the holder allowing you to make up  new one to slide back in ? Or is it fully moulded into place ?

It does have a grove on the picture where the connector is which suggests it just slides in .

Cheers

It would slide up and out but unfortunately it's potted in place and the pot is quite hard, so will probably destroy all behind it when removed.  The simplest will be a cut/splice/solder replacement - if I can source a buld holder that fits

Hi CS,

That's a shame, I'd agree that this is firmly in bodge territory then. I'd be cutting up a coke can to make up a new contact to slide in next to the old one . I'm not sure if solder would take to that though so might opt for a bit of copper cut from an old pipe and sanded till is thin enough.

Happy bodging 👍