Replacing dome light with a used one
 

Hey all,

bad luck... After cleaning toroughly my Panamera 4 (970) after a month of vacation (car was really dirty), water apparently infiltrated through the sunroof and short-circuited the dome light. Porsche is asking me more than 1000 EUR for a new dome light installed and 675 EUR for the part only.

I removed and cleaned (and noticed what looked like dirt and moisture on the dome light's PCB) the dome light myself and replaced it: no problem to do it myself, it quite easy to do. But, indeed, the PCB looked kinda toasted. There's been water for sure and I even saw moisture: so maybe the problem wasn't new.

So I'm figuring out: why pay 675 EUR or more than 1000 EUR when I can buy that part used on eBay for 150 USD (or even less than that sometimes).

However finding precisely the same part is hard: it depends on the options on the car. I don't have many options on the dome light: sunroof and parking assist/rear camera (which has a corresponding button on the domelight: I think it's to turn the sound/beeping of the park assist off).

So my question is: what happens if I buy the same part but, for example, with the extra home-link buttons? (which my car doesn't have)

Would the other buttons work? (sunroof, dome light, etc.)

I also find it kinda cool to do some DIY on the car so I'm tempted to give it a try but wanted to ask here first.

I also take it this wouldn't automagically provide homelink functionality on my car? (that's a detail but I'm still curious)

I'm pretty sure the buttons would not work, the PCM would need to have the code activated for the other buttons to work. (you might even be lacking some hardware)

Makes sense that they wouldn't work but what about those buttons in common on both units? Can I simply plug one of the many dome I see for sale on eBay and expect lights and sunroof to work?

Also from watching YouTube vids it takes about 2 minutes to remove the whole dome light: I did it myself several times (to try to clean / dry mine) and it certainly doesn't take long to do.

A Porsche Center tells me it's going to take 3.5 hours to replace the dome by another one once they'll have it. For me it's a 10 minutes job at the very most: it's literally a few clips and two connectors.

Is there any reprog needed or something I'missing ? I have zero problem paying 3.5 hours at 100 EUR per hour VAT excluded if it's the time it takes. However I don't like paying 3.5 hours for what looks like a ten minutes job.

But most of all: if it's really a 3.5 hours job then it means I cannot do it myself because it means there's someting I'm missing.

Pretty pissed off overall because in a few days I'll have the car since 90 days in my name and I'll see if I can get it a two years CPO / Porsche Approved warranty.

Replying to my own thread...

Bought a used dome light (on eBay) that didn't have exactly the same reference but the same buttons (or lack of buttons let say) : sunroof control and the usual lights. No homelink.

I installed the unit in place of the broken one and everything worked fine: my sunroof is working again and dome light turns on again when I unlock the car.

50 EUR fix. Porsche was asking close to 1100 EUR: 675 EUR for the piece and 3.5 hours of work (for something that takes royally 10 minutes and I'm being generous here).

So yeah, it seems to work even if the refs aren't 100% identical (I replaced a 7PP959551FE by a 7PP959551GG).

Without the dome light installed I can hear people talk on the phone but cannot talk to them and voice command doesn't work either. So I take it the mike is inside the dome light or something : )

thanks for the update - DIY for the win :)