Rear (Tail) Light Assembly Repair or Replacement

[rmcclain54]

Apologize if this info is in the owners or no doubt the repair manual, but have just taken possession of an 04 v8 Phaeton and there are no manuals. I have ordered the owners manual but I would really like to replace a blinker bulb asap. Its the rear and the portion mounted on the fender and I don't see how one removes the housing. There is a bit of rubber that might pull out to gain access (pic attached) but it is very stubborn and I do not want to damage anything.

I have in the past rebuilt engines, replaced a heater core, clutches, axles, and all the minor stuff like light bulbs .... , but I don't see how one removes that bit of taillight housing unless it involves that bit of rubber.

Thanks for any advice.

[jkuisma]

I have ordered the owners manual but I would really like to replace a blinker bulb asap.

There's no blinker bulb, sorry to say! Blinker is a LED element. If the blinker is dead, you need to replace the whole lamp housing. Although this is a very uncommon item to fail as the LEDs should outlast the car. Sure it is not anything else wrong?

I don't see how one removes the housing

There are screws holding the whole element in place from behind. You need to work your way through the battery compartment opening. There are four nuts holding the lamp in place, you can reach them through the battery opening.

Jouko

[PanEuropean]

Hello:

The lights in the rear of the car (with the exception of the back-up light) are all LED, and the LED elements are not designed to be replaced. If the light is not working, the most probable cause is a loose connection somewhere.

Have a look at this post Enabling (or retrofitting) a rear foglight on a North American Phaeton, which is listed in the Phaeton Forum 'Table of Contents' (FAQ by Category). It will give you a good overview of how the rear lights work and what is inside them.

If your 'problem' light is an outboard one - in other words, one mounted on the quarter panel - then best to check the fuse and the electrical connections first, in that order.

If the problem light is one of the ones mounted on the trunk lid, there are other possible causes for problems - let us know if you need more information about that.

Michael

[rmcclain54]

Ah, thanks for the info. There is some external damage to the lamp housing. So that is likely the issue. From the comments, I surmise that the whole thing may need to be replaced? But I will review all the suggestions!

Thank you Michael and Jouko

[PanEuropean]

There is some external damage to the lamp housing... I surmise that the whole thing may need to be replaced?

I think that if there has been water infiltration into the assembly, then it is possible that you might need to replace the whole unit. You might be able to pick up a rear outboard light assembly from a salvage yard for much less than the price of a new one at the VW dealer. But, it is essential that you buy a new "foam rubber seal" for the assembly, because you will not be able to re-use the seal once you remove the light assembly from your car (or a donor vehicle).

You can see the foam rubber seal clearly on the photos at the thread I referenced above (retrofitting a rear foglight). The seal is item 7 in the parts illustrations (2nd and 3rd photos in that thread).

If the foam seal is not fully and properly affixed to both the lamp assembly and the body of the car, dust and exhaust fumes will be drawn into the car when it is driven.

Michael

[MichaelGa]

Ah, thanks for the info. There is some external damage to the lamp housing. So that is likely the issue. From the comments, I surmise that the whole thing may need to be replaced? But I will review all the suggestions!

Thank you Michael and Jouko

Hello:

I have a left and right turn signal assembly from my 2006 when I switched to the European turn signals. They retail about $400 each from VW. I would be willing to sell one or both to you if you're interested at a much lower price obviously. If you need a new seal, you'd have to order that from VW or one of the online parts store, I want to say those were close to $40 each.

Send me a PM if interested.

Michael

[PanEuropean]

There is some external damage to the lamp housing. So that is likely the issue. From the comments, I surmise that the whole thing may need to be replaced? But I will review all the suggestions!

If the "seal" between the different parts of the lens assemblies is just cracked, and no plastic bits are missing, you might be able to take the complete lamp assembly out of the vehicle and weld it back together (assuming you get it working again).

The seal failed on one of my inboard light units (mounted on the trunk lid) - I'm not sure why, I don't think it was from an impact - anyway, I noticed the seal failure because water started to condense inside the lamp assembly. I took the whole part off the car, and sealed the hairline crack where two plastic parts were welded together by using Methylene Chloride, which is what I suspect Hella used originally to weld these parts.

Michael

[rmcclain54]

New here, but not my first post. Recently acquired an 04 V8 (US), at ~84 miles. Couple small issues, one a bit larger ... timing belt, which will be dealt with soon.

Anyway the passenger side outboard tail light was slightly damaged, enough to make it not blink and throw an error message. I acquired a replacement from salvage for < 200 shipped. Although, I have rebuilt engines, replace a heater core, axles, bearings, brake pad on every auto that I have ever owned (approaching 60 yr old), having read a lot about the Phaeton (mostly here) every little thing has me intimidated. So, after trying to figure out how one gets to the back of the light fixture, well, it turned out to be a cinch. That cubby hole thing near the back of the trunk, passenger side, well it just pops out. There is the battery and the tail light and some more electronics. Four torx (t25) screws (bolts?) and the old fixture was out the the new in. Also, if one does this the gasket is important to replace. The screws were not very tight, very easy to deal with, so do not over tighten if you do this. I think the adhesive of the gasket is as effective at securing the fixture as the screws.



Here you can see the location of the 4 screws, one of which has been removed at this point.



(Photo hosting formatting error corrected, text untouched - Michael)