james21_oo

Ok then, after buying the car with no interior lights working I am at the following stage:

1. The door lights now come on when you open the passenger door but not the drivers.

2. The roof lights and the boot/trunk light all work but the actual light units need to be replaced as they won't 'switch' over to open door mode. This is due to the small connectors being broken that complete the circuit.

Now I've unscrewed the drivers door pin to try and 'clean up' the connection and..........there's no wire attached

Question is, can I get into the housing to retrieve the wire or will it be a case of making a tool that might be able to 'hook' the wire up through the hole and then I can resolder?

james21_oo

Anyone?

ROG100

IIRC you cannot access that area so you will have to hook it out somehow.
Change out all the interior lights for new ones as they are notorious for breaking.

james21_oo

Yea I thought as much. Now that's going to be a fun afternoon, fishing a piece of wire out...........

Does anyone know if the interior lights are shared with any other vehicle e.g. VW? It's just that most 80's cars seem to have the same interior lights. I know the unit is Bosch but the prices I've seen for the replacement Porsche lights seem to be pretty steep!

borland

Isn't the driver's side wire inside the fender well? If so, should be accessed by removing the wheel skin.

SharkSkin

You might be able to reach in from the other side by removing the hood release lever. Maybe someone else can confirm, as I haven't personally ventured into that area.

Alan

I would recommend against replacing the interior lights with stock units - frankly they are just crap. Unless you must have stock for looks better units are availabe that fit from late model VW's Golf/Jetta. They fit directly in the holes but need a slight harness adaptation. The electrical function is identical - the switch operates with the lens but side to side - not front to back and is much easier to operate. It also extends about 1/4" around the trim hole which often serves to cover areas where the trim has shrunk away from the edge...

Alan

Dave H.

Heinrich and i have done that with the R32 lights. they're black, not gray...

ROG100

Dave,
They are available in different colors - black, grey and creme IIRC.
Roger

Alan

Roger yes exactly - get what works best for your color scheme... they are much nicer units - low risk of breaking and with a good loom solution no risk of shorts.

Fabio421

R32 light? Can you elaborate?

Dave H.

since i was a VW dealer tech for 4 years, i was already aware of that.

the black ones only come on an R32.

Dave H.

VW Golf R32 = 3.2 liter V6, all wheel drive golf.

the interiors are all black. so they made the light housings black too. they're normally gray or beige.

they're a lot more robust ( and brighter ) than the stock 928 lights, which as we all know are crappy little things that go all the way back to the beetle...

potsiewebber

I know im a little late on this thread but i priced these light today they are almost 50$ each! any comments on this?

Alan

Buy used ones! ebay ~$15 occasionally "passat reading light"

Alan