AU tail light issue

[aufalco]

hi

i have had a problem lately with the rear side tail lights not lighting up, just the red driving lights that are constantly lit up when driving at night, despite the brake lights coming on and working perfectly when the brake pedal is pressed, yet both the spoiler and rear parcel shelf tail driving and brake lights are all working perfectly fine

i also had an issue just before this with the cruise control not setting a cruise speed but turning on fine and registering as active on the dash but then the cruise suddenly started working again perfectly fine before i got a chance to have a look for the problem and it was not long after this i realised the tail lights werent working and i know that the brake pressure switch can mess with the cruise so i thought i should mention it

i rarely drive at night and have been too busy lately to do anything on the car so i havent had a chance to look at the problem properly other than briefly checking the boot wiring and the fuses and such with no luck but was hoping someone here might know the issue so i can fix it quick over easter

cheers

[Mr Hardware]

erm, have you changed the bulb?

[aufalco]

if it was the bulb then the brake lights wouldnt work as they use the same bulb...

[smally289]

So, which light stays on exactly? Are you saying that when you turn the headlights on the rear lights are too bright?

[rowan194]

Originally Posted by aufalco

if it was the bulb then the brake lights wouldnt work as they use the same bulb...

I'm pretty sure the brake lamps use dual filaments, one for tail and one for stop. Inspect the bulb to see if both are intact.

[aufalco]

the side rear tail lights do not light up at all unless the brake pedal is pressed, when the brake pedal is pressed then they light up fully but otherwise they are not lit up at all, even though the spoiler and rear console lights work as per normal

[aufalco]

Originally Posted by rowan194

I'm pretty sure the brake lamps use dual filaments, one for tail and one for stop. Inspect the bulb to see if both are intact.

sorry i thought it was obvious that i had already checked the bulbs lol it was the first thing i did and yes the bulbs have dual filaments and both bulbs are fine and all the filaments are fine

[Mr Hardware]

OP, a visual inspection doesn't always show up faults.

I ask again, have you changed the bulbs?

I used the word changed not checked, with purpose.

[aufalco]

yes when i pulled the bulbs out to check them i tested them in another car and even swapped them with working ones from another car, same problem

i also highly doubt that both bulbs would do the same thing at the same time, although murphy's law is always abundant lol

[Mr Hardware]

sometimes the pickups in the bottom of the bulb holders in the loom get corroded or burnt or misshapen. check that out too.