XC70: Electrical Rear Tail Light Not Working

[Puffster]

My OS rear tail light does not appear to be working, bar a very dim couple of those LEDs that shine to the side.

So... I pulled off the trim cover in the boot and stuck my hand inside (fearless me!) and though I could find and remove the indicator bulb (working) all I could otherwise find/remove was the wiring.

As I was writing this, thought I'd go and check everything as its dark. Upon checking, I seem to have indicators and brake lights - phew! I have number plate lights. N/S/R I think is OK. I have the orange side light bulbs on the front but not the white sidelights. Mains/dipped are fine.

So, I don't have sidelights except NSR.

Any ideas? A bit more than a bulb methinks...

[yostumpy]

Possibly check the wiring loom in the flexi cover, where it enters the rear door at the top. All that flexing when opening and closing, can cause the wires to fray or break, inside the ribbed outer casing.

[apersson850]

White sidelights? What's that? Something UK specific?

[Tatsfield]

This is an ambiguity in the way small lights on cars are classified. In the UK parking lights are called also called side lights and are white but in the US the use of the word side would mean the light was on the side of the car which would be amber. The odd ball is the amber place marker lights on the front of Volvos which are permitted in the UK but at not mandatory. I suspect they are only there because they appear in US and possibly Swedish specs and manufacturers prefer to leave them on all specs and the regulators decided to allow this. I'm not sure what they really do for the driver that the white parking lights don't do.

[apersson850]

Ah, I see. We call the white (front) and red (rear) small lights parking lights, or position lights, directly translated. As they are there to show the position of the car when driving, and show you it's there if it's parked in the dark. The rear parking lights are the same as the standard taillights.

Then vehicles longer than six meters must also have amber side marking lights. Thus cars usually don't need them, but it's the combination that counts, so even if you tow a pretty short trailer, the trailer needs them. It's allowed to tow a trailer with side lights even if the car doesn't have them. Lorries towing trailers usually have them all over, since the lorry itself normally is longer than six meters.

My 2012 XC70 does have white position lights facing forward, and yellow facing the side, in the front light housing.
Our later 2016 doesn't have the yellow lights on the side.

[Puffster]

Just to add to the mystery, I hit the "find me" light button on the key fob last night and both rear taillights came on, as did number plate and orange front markers...

Any more thoughts/pointers anyone?

[Puffster]

Simple fix in the end - replace the two front 501 bulbs which had both gone. I replaced driver side and that fixed the rear but obviously you need both sides, so did that as well.

Strange that having the front bulbs out knocks out only one of the rears and not the number plates either but there you go.

Is there an easy way to remove those 501 bulbs? They're a real pain to get at and to get leverage on.

[monkeh]

Originally Posted by Puffster

Simple fix in the end - replace the two front 501 bulbs which had both gone. I replaced driver side and that fixed the rear but obviously you need both sides, so did that as well.

Strange that having the front bulbs out knocks out only one of the rears and not the number plates either but there you go.

Is there an easy way to remove those 501 bulbs? They're a real pain to get at and to get leverage on.

Not really, which ones? There's 2 either side, one on the Amber side marker and one on the sidelight. I found just grabbing the wiring and pulling. Heat made everything brittle unfortunately so my sidelights are loosely friction fitted (with leds now)