Boot Lights & Open Sensor Not Working (Hoping It’s Not the Microswitch)

Hi all,

I found another thread here describing a very similar issue, but it didn’t have a clear solution, so I’m starting my own in case anyone has fresh ideas.

I’ve had my MkIII estate for about 2½ years and fitted a reversing camera shortly after buying it — the handle type that didn’t require any coding — following the guide on this forum. It’s been working perfectly.

Recently, I tried to install an LED strip in the boot (it’s always felt dark in there) and realised the boot lights don’t work at all. As suggested in the other thread, I checked whether the dash shows the boot as open — it doesn’t register there either.

In that other thread, it was suggested that a faulty microswitch could be the cause. I’m hoping it’s not that, as I’d prefer a simpler fix. I’m also wondering if my reversing camera install two years ago could have contributed to the issue, but I can’t remember the lights ever not working, so I’m unsure when it started.

Any thoughts or troubleshooting steps would be appreciated.