sidelight not working

[Milesp]

HI all,

My car (996.1) failed MOT on drivers sidelight (I forgot to check before putting it in). Have changed the bulb but does not work. Switched the fuses around and does not seem to be a fuse. All looks dry and OK inside the headlight. Any suggestions as to next steps?

Many thanks,

Miles

 

[Mac996t]

Make sure the headlight is fully home and locked in properly. On my mates 996.1 the connector between the headlight tray and the rear of the headlight was a bit temperamental, pushing rearward on the front of the headlight helped!

 

[Alex]

Deffo the connector on the back not making contact. Mine does it all the time on the driver's side as the headlight mounting cradle holding the socket is broken (I think). When refitting the headlight I use a BBQ skewer between the side indicator and wheel liner (yes there's a small gap there) and slide the skewer through and up against the rear of the socket so it holds it firmly in position. Then slide the light in and lock back in position. You'll probably need a second set of hands for that as it's a bit tricky if you haven't done it before.

If you remove the headlight unit and have a look inside the wing cavity where it lives, you'll see what I mean. It could also just be the (yellow) locking slide that holds the socket in position not fitted correctly.

These pics may help:

 

[Milesp]

Thanks both - I'll have another look. On my previous 996 the bracket holding the connector was broken which meant taking down the wheel lining to refit which was annoying but on this one that bit of it all looks fine. I'll have another fiddle before taking it into the garage. On the plus side the leak which has plagued the car for some time has been fixed. Just can't drive it as out of MOT and sidelight is obvs a failure!