A4 Avant Tailgate High Level Brake Lamp Bulb?

[sanstorm999]

Hello Everyone,
A couple of bulbls have blown on my A4 Audi Avant B5 tail-gate high level brake light.

Can anyone confirm the correct replacement bulb and where to purchase please. (tried halfords and they had one similar but slightly smaller than OEM fitted bulbs)

Audi state they are 12v 2.3W capless, I think the Bulb number is 284 but not sure??

The bulbs are relatively easy to replace, by pulling the tail-gate trim that covers the light away from the boot lid (snap fasterners), not all the way mind you. Just enough to gain access to the 1 phillips screw that holds the lamp to the boot lid. Once the screw is undone the complete lamp section will come away and the red bulb cover can be pulled apart gently to expose the bulbs and refelector.

Any advice would be great thank you.

All the best
Sanstorm999

[sanstorm999]

Hi,
I have managed to replace the blown bulbs in the tail-gate high-level brake light.

Procedure:
1. Fully open tail-gate and pull the trim covering the High-Level Brake light towards you, starting from the middle, you need to pull quite firmly but NOT so hard that you remove it. Just enough to expose the large single phillips head screw holding the brake light unit.

2. Use a long thin phillips screw driver to unscrew, no need to remove the screw fully just enough to disengage it from the tail-gate frame.

3. Now gently slide the complete light-unit to your right by a couple of cm, this will allow the rear retaining hook on the left of the light unit to disengage from the tail-gate frame.

4. Remove the power connector attached to the left side of the light unit

5. Gently pull away the red part of the lens from the locking tabs on the silver reflector on both sides to ease removal of the red lens.

6. Now all 10 of the 12V 2.3Watt capless bulbs are exposed. (to ease bulb replacement the silver reflector can also be removed in a procedure similar to removing the red lens). Pull out blown bulbs and replace with new 12V 2.3Watt capless.

Refitting is a reversal of removal.

I would replace all 10 bulbs which are available from: http://www.consumabulbs.com/files/bdet.php?id=185

Bulb part No. = 286X 12V/2.3W Capless Qty = 10

Please note: If several of your Rear High-Level Brake light bulbs are blown you may well receive a brake light warning bulb failure on your dash.

I hope this helps someone out there?
Cheers
S9

[GMS4 Avant]

Wow, just checked the above link and that's expensive!

I replaced a couple of the same bulbs in my Avant earlier this year and went to Audi direct for them - only 15p each. Yes, £0.15
Give them a shot if you've not already purchased.

Some things are worth it at the dealers, some not. But I certainly didn't for both Xenon headlight bulbs - would have been seriously out of pocket at Audi direct, but got a new pair for £35 at ACE Parts just a couple of months ago.

[sanstorm999]

Wow, just checked the above link and that's expensive!

I replaced a couple of the same bulbs in my Avant earlier this year and went to Audi direct for them - only 15p each. Yes, £0.15
Give them a shot if you've not already purchased.

Some things are worth it at the dealers, some not. But I certainly didn't for both Xenon headlight bulbs - would have been seriously out of pocket at Audi direct, but got a new pair for £35 at ACE Parts just a couple of months ago.

Thats interesting my local Audi Dealer (Maidstone Audi) quoted in the region of £1.50 each + VAT and would have had to order them in, which I thought was a bit steep for such a small bulb. But everywhere else was similar where I could find them.

If I need more will certainly contact Audi again quoting your thread!
Many thanks
S9

[GMS4 Avant]

Yes, would be an interesting exercise, that.

But there are regional variations around the UK, they'll happily tell you that.

Cheaper where it's grim, here oop North, of course.

The dealer I was at for these, Bolton Audi, had them in a box round the back so when he quoted 15p each I had 4 for 60p. A very pleasant experience it was too, as I didn't even need to faff about and get the spec first or anything, just gave him the chassis no and that was that
(I hinted at a coffee to go too, but it wasn't picked up on. I don't know... )

[winni]

The numbers you are talking about (286) are as far as I can remember the Lucas part numbers that most stores /parts finders use. When I worked in a motor factors (15 yrs ago)we used all these numbers no matter who the manufacturer or supplier.I'm sure if you google them you will get all the numbers. As for the cost I was buying bulbs by the thousand at a time and they only cost pennies, we could sell 380/382 ( indicator / stop & tail) by boxes of 10 for 10p each and still make a profit. 286(T) (with terminal) and 501 capless 5w were about the same as far as I can remember.