Rear light is too bright

Black_Knight

My girlfriends mini one had a dead rear light bulb, 21W bulb. I replaced it (with much difficulty, the bayonet fitting was awful hard to get in), and it works, but on Mini's, their rear light is also the brake light. The new bulb is plenty bright, but its so bright that it looks like the brake light. When pressing on the brake the new bulb stays as bright as ever, and the original bulb on the other side brightens up to match it.

1. NCT might see this as a broken tail light
2. Its annoying to drive behind her #carOCD
3. If the other bulb goes, and ive to replace that, it'll look like her brakes are on constantly! Danger danger!

Any idea's whats going on here?

TheChizler

Are you sure it was the exact same bulb?

Falcon L

Black_Knight wrote: »

My girlfriends mini one had a dead rear light bulb, 21W bulb. I replaced it (with much difficulty, the bayonet fitting was awful hard to get in), and it works, but on Mini's, their rear light is also the brake light. The new bulb is plenty bright, but its so bright that it looks like the brake light. When pressing on the brake the new bulb stays as bright as ever, and the original bulb on the other side brightens up to match it.

1. NCT might see this as a broken tail light
2. Its annoying to drive behind her #carOCD
3. If the other bulb goes, and ive to replace that, it'll look like her brakes are on constantly! Danger danger!

Any idea's whats going on here?

It sounds like you managed to get the double filament bulb in the wrong way round. That is: turned 180 degrees. This would explain the difficulty in getting the thing in. Now the brake filament comes on when you turn on the sidelights and the (much more dim) sidelight filament comes on when you brake.

colm_mcm

Either the right bulb the wrong way round, or the wrong bulb.

Stephenc66

Was the the bulb you took out a twin filament bulb?

Melodeon

Black_Knight wrote: »

the bayonet fitting was awful hard to get in

Sounds like a dual filament bulb:

...fitted the wrong way around.

These bulbs have the bayonet lugs offset from each other at different heights, to make it difficult to insert them the wrong way.
It's not impossible though, given enough determination.

You're getting the 21w brake light filament lighting up when the tail lights are switched on, and the 5w tail light filament is almost certainly coming on with the brakes, but can't be seen.

Take out the bulb and fit it the other way around.

Stephenc66

Melodeon wrote: »

Sounds like a dual filament bulb:

...fitted the wrong way around.

These bulbs have the bayonet lugs offset from each other at different heights, to make it difficult to insert them the wrong way.
It's not impossible though, given enough determination.

You're getting the 21w brake light filament lighting up when the tail lights are switched on, and the 5w tail light filament is almost certainly coming on with the brakes, but can't be seen.

Take out the bulb and fit it the other way around.

Or OP may have used a single filament 21w Fog/reversing bulb, when forced in the of-set bayonet can skew the bulb enough to make an electrical connection. Either way looks like he needs the bulb you show fitted correctly

Black_Knight

Stephenc66 wrote: »

Or OP may have used a single filament 21w Fog/reversing bulb, when forced in the of-set bayonet can skew the bulb enough to make an electrical connection. Either way looks like he needs the bulb you show fitted correctly

This! Sounds more like it. I get max brightness all day every day. Braking doesn't change a thing. Defo got a single filament bulb so.

I even asked the motor factors today about this, but he didn't know. I explained how it's 1 bulb for both brakes and tail lights, and even enquired as to why there were 2 21w bulbs on the bulb sheet he had. He even explained that one was a single filament and the other a double filament. Just didn't put the 2 together.

Special Circumstances

Black_Knight wrote: »

This! Sounds more like it. I get max brightness all day every day. Braking doesn't change a thing. Defo got a single filament bulb so.

I even asked the motor factors today about this, but he didn't know. I explained how it's 1 bulb for both brakes and tail lights, and even enquired as to why there were 2 21w bulbs on the bulb sheet he had. He even explained that one was a single filament and the other a double filament. Just didn't put the 2 together.

Fairly basic thing to not understand for someone whose job is to sell parts for cars. Wouldn't surprise me at all though. Some factors are ok, others you'd swear twas the millennium falcon you were looking to fix.

jca

Special Circumstances wrote: »

Fairly basic thing to not understand for someone whose job is to sell parts for cars. Wouldn't surprise me at all though. Some factors are ok, others you'd swear twas the millennium falcon you were looking to fix.

Ha ha. Panel beaters are the worst ever for putting in the wrong bulbs...

jca

When you go back to the auto factors just ask for a stop & tail bulb. As others have said the pins are different heights and will only fit one way. Have you got the old bulb? My Octavia has a twist in the tale, both pins are different heights like all stop & tail bulbs but in addition the pins aren't opposite each other but are about 160° apart. These are called double offset and are only recently available outside the main dealer.

Black_Knight

I ask for the bulb, and they pull out their car bulb directory book and find the right (wrong) one.

crosstownk

Take the good working bulb out from the other side. Go to the motor factors and ask for one just like it - check the pin heights and offsets before you fit. Hopefully you haven't damaged the bulb holder.

Black_Knight

crosstownk wrote: »

Take the good working bulb out from the other side. Go to the motor factors and ask for one just like it - check the pin heights and offsets before you fit. Hopefully you haven't damaged the bulb holder.

I made that single filiment bulb fit


Fingers crossed