August 12, 2009
Hunting “sidelamp faulty” error
One month ago I got a “sidelamp faulty” error on the display. I checked every light bulb and could not find any defects. But I forgot to check one thing: Number plate lights! And this was exactly what was wrong, both bulbs were burned out.
The manual reads: “Insert a thin screwdriver in one of the exterior holes of the lens. Push it towards the outside to unclip it.” – well, I fiddled around and I couldn’t find out how to remove the glass. How should one interpret “push it towards the outside”? Also, I didn’t want to break the glass. I found out that inserting a torx 10 screwdriver in the outer hole (nearer the side of the car) and slightly bending the screwdriver in the opposite direction made it pop off easily. Replacing the bulbs and refitting the lens was very easy.
Next month the car is in for regular service, 3 years old. Mileage is 61.500 km. I will report here the results and findings of this service.
May 1, 2009
Darn it! – Left side light has burned out
Amazing, just a few days ago this “sidelamp faulty” error message appeared, and several thorough checks of every lamp and bulb didn’t reveal anything, every lamp was working 100% – but today, the left side light (the small bulb just below the main beam headlamp) actually was burnt!
I replaced the small W5W bulbs in both sides (the other one is probably gonna burn in a couple of weeks, and anyway, they are just € 2 each).
I am almost sure something must happen to the electrical resistance within the bulb just before it burns out?? Do we have an electrical engineer around who can confirm if this is what is happening? I would very much like to know so please post a comment.
