Technical Rear number plate lights

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Technical Rear number plate lights

ramborobert

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Aug 7, 2010
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Every winter i have problems with the battery dieing and i think i've known the cause for a while which is water getting into the rear number plate lights. The screws on the covers are completely rusted and locked solid. The only way to get them off is to break them off. The number plate lights work btw.

So i need some new number plate covers if anyone can help me where to get them and the part number. Also i want to disconnect the lights in the mean time until i can fix them. Where can i do this?

Thanks
 
Did you already break them? I had a similar issue and I drilled what was left of the screws out carefully, just enough for the head to be gone and then replaced with stainless once I'd sorted new bulbs. I did this to salvage the plastic bits.
 
Clear silicone. When you need to change a bulb again, just cut through the edges, and insert new silicone. I've done this several times. The screws will break.
 
I managed to break one while trying to get the screw out the good news is replacements have just appeared on ebay from poland hopefully they fit ok. In the mean time i managed to disconnect the number plate bulbs theres a connector behind the plastic trim real fiddly to get your hand on it tho.

I read on here somewhere that there is a pcb that can get corroded but it just looks like 2 spade connectors to me?

Anyway only time will tell if this is actually the cause of the dieing battery. Its only driven at the weekend but normally does about 50 mile at the weekend that should really keep it charged for a week i would have thought. Its a new battery btw a big varta.

On a separate topic my car always collects water when it rains and when i next drive it for the first 200 yards there a huge trail of water behind me think it accumulates somewhere near the drivers wheel arch. When standing still theres no drips at all only unleashes it when i move. Just 1 to pickle your brains :p
 
I done a current load test on the car and with the car locked after 10 mins is pulling 0.01 amp so nothing seems to be dragging it down. However without the car locked it pulls 1 amp so if i forget to lock it and don't drive it for a couple of days definitely gonna have a flat battery. I take the car for a short run during the week now, haven't had any problems since however the weather is surprisingly mild atm. Discovered ive got a leak in the exhaust though probably the flexi only happened since my under tray came off recently doh.
 
ramborobert, do you use the front seat heating in winter? I had problems every winter with a dead battery and I finally found the cause. If I leave the heating on when the car is off, it drained the battery every time.
 
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