Replaced light bulb, how to remove the bulb warning light on the dash?

herbert68

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 1, 2008
Location
State College, PA
TDI
2013 Passat TDI SEL Premium, 2010 Jetta TDI Sedan. Both bought back by VW on 12/06/2016
One of the license plate light bulbs died, so I replaced both and the lights are back on. Great!

Shouldn't the bulb warning light on the dash go away by itself? It's 3 days now and the bulb warning is still on, despite all lights working normally again.
 

compu_85

Gadget Guy
Joined
Sep 29, 2003
Location
La Conner, WA
TDI
... None :S
If you satisfy the lamp monitor the warning light should go out on its own.

Be sure the connections are clean.

-J
 

herbert68

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 1, 2008
Location
State College, PA
TDI
2013 Passat TDI SEL Premium, 2010 Jetta TDI Sedan. Both bought back by VW on 12/06/2016
If you satisfy the lamp monitor the warning light should go out on its own.

Be sure the connections are clean.

-J
Thank you, I thought the same. Both license plate lights are working, so I assume the connections should be clean, and as far as I can tell all other lights work as well, is there anything else I should be looking at?
 

azthegame

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Sep 16, 2012
Location
Arlington, TX
TDI
2012 4dr Golf TDI w/DSG
Replaced them with regular bulbs or LED? If LED it needs vcds to disable "pulse width modulation for license plate lights" so it will disregard lower draw LED bulbs.
 

herbert68

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Joined
Mar 1, 2008
Location
State College, PA
TDI
2013 Passat TDI SEL Premium, 2010 Jetta TDI Sedan. Both bought back by VW on 12/06/2016
Replaced them with regular bulbs or LED? If LED it needs vcds to disable "pulse width modulation for license plate lights" so it will disregard lower draw LED bulbs.
Ah, yes, I should have mentioned – I chose regular bulbs.
 

40X40

Experienced
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Feb 12, 2006
Location
Kansas City area, MO
TDI
2013 Passat SEL Premium
Check all your lights after dusk... one of them is likely still out. Look for symmetry between the left and right sides of your car.

Bill
 

frugality

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Sep 19, 2003
Location
Spring Lake, Michigan
TDI
none, 2016 GTI
Strange. I had a license plate bulb go out, and I never got an indicator on the cluster.

FYI....it's not necessary to pre-emptively changing standard filament bulbs. I know these were fairly cheap license plate bulbs, so it's not like it was a huge expenditure. But really, most bulbs will last the life of the car. When one goes, it's usually a minute defect in the bulb/filament. One will go kaput at 20k miles, another will last the life of the car. Hard to know how much life is left in a bulb.

Headlight bulbs on my old ALH Golf were another issue. They went like clockwork at 20k mile intervals. But they were hot bulbs that were always on as DRL's.....

In my current JSW, the only bulb I've had to change out is that one license plate bulb. I think the one above the driver's vanity/visor is out....but that's O.K., I never look at myself 'cause I ain't that pretty. :D
 

herbert68

Veteran Member
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Mar 1, 2008
Location
State College, PA
TDI
2013 Passat TDI SEL Premium, 2010 Jetta TDI Sedan. Both bought back by VW on 12/06/2016
Check all your lights after dusk... one of them is likely still out. Look for symmetry between the left and right sides of your car.

Bill
Thanks 40x40, you were right, there is another one out, in the left back, the inner one of the red circle. Will have to find out what type of bulb goes in there.

Strange, both bulbs went right after a car wash last week, not sure how that's possible ...
 

herbert68

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 1, 2008
Location
State College, PA
TDI
2013 Passat TDI SEL Premium, 2010 Jetta TDI Sedan. Both bought back by VW on 12/06/2016
A picture says more than a 1000 words – it's this one. What replacement bulb should I buy?

 

40X40

Experienced
Joined
Feb 12, 2006
Location
Kansas City area, MO
TDI
2013 Passat SEL Premium
Drive to the FLAPS, locate the bad bulb and remove it. Take the bad bulb inside and ask the nice man at the counter if he has any like it. They may come 2 to a package, keep the second one as a spare.

(Friendly Local Auto Parts Store= FLAPS)

Bill
 

herbert68

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 1, 2008
Location
State College, PA
TDI
2013 Passat TDI SEL Premium, 2010 Jetta TDI Sedan. Both bought back by VW on 12/06/2016
Drive to the FLAPS, locate the bad bulb and remove it. Take the bad bulb inside and ask the nice man at the counter if he has any like it. They may come 2 to a package, keep the second one as a spare.

(Friendly Local Auto Parts Store= FLAPS)

Bill
Thank you Bill, couldn't get any easier for sure!
 

Anya

New member
Joined
May 16, 2012
Location
S St Paul, MN
TDI
2010 Jetta TDI Sportwagen
I have a 2010 VW Jetta sportwagen. One of the rear license plate lights is burned out. How do I replace it? (I don't want to take it to the dealer.)
 

tydaddy

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Sep 20, 2008
Location
Lancaster, PA
TDI
Sold - 2003 GLI, 2003 TDI Wagon, 2010 TDI Sportwagen, 2010 Touareg v6TDI, 2005 TDI Wagon, current - 2006 v10TDI
Pry it out from the outside...there's a little notch. I just used my fingernail. The whole assembly will come out. You can disconnect the wire, then simply remove the black plastic piece. I had to then use a small screw driver to press the bulb out. Its very easy and the entire process took like 30 seconds. :)
 

meerschm

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 18, 2009
Location
Fairfax county VA
TDI
2009 Jetta wagon DSG 08/08 205k buyback 1/8/18; replaced with 2017 Golf Wagon 4mo 1.8l CXBB
on my 2009, had to unscrew the lic plate light fixture from the outside, should be easy to see if you raise the rear hatch part way, or bend over a bit.

I think it was a #2 Philips, could have been a torx.
 

ihatespeed

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Jan 12, 2013
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holbrook, ma
TDI
11 tdi wagon 6mt 15 golf 6mt (Wife's) 2000 Ford 350 7.3l 6mt 4x4 (technically a TDI)
I had an intermittent license bulb, gave it the tap,all good, bout a year later lights back on, both bulbs clearly burnt out. odd, don't know if one dead bulb is enough to trip the sensor reliably.
 

ATR

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jun 18, 2005
Location
Baltimore
TDI
2011 Golf TDI 6MT
Do you know the code for running LED's in the city lights (2011 Sportwagen)? I get bulb-out for those too (as well as the license plate lights). Thanks.
I don't think that you can really fix that other than getting a LED that has a resister built-in to it. deAutoKey has such a bulb for both Xenon and Halogen headlights.:cool:
 
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