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[Andy B]

Pre MOT I changed both rear trafficator bulbs, colour pale last year. I checked all lights, all seemed OK. Rear fog light was RH only. assumed normal. Do I need to reset the InSP message?

Blimey Terry .... how old is this car if it has trafficators? 

[terry paget]

Canbus cars have a system whereby the car will use alternative bulbs if one blows. The blown one may not be obvious

Jolly clever of it. So the ECU knows which bulb has failed. It would be helpful if it also advised the owner which bulb had failed, so that he could replace it. Tech2?

[Doctor Gollum]

It pops the yellow bulb warning light on and, if you ignore it or more than one critical bulb fails, then it puts the inspection message on the dash so that you take it to the dealer to get the bulbs changed.

I suspect that both stop/tail bulbs are blown when you press the pedal.

[Nick W]

Canbus cars have a system whereby the car will use alternative bulbs if one blows. The blown one may not be obvious

Jolly clever of it. So the ECU knows which bulb has failed. It would be helpful if it also advised the owner which bulb had failed, so that he could replace it. Tech2?

You could just look.
Quicker and easier than connecting a tool, if you even have one.

[dave the builder]

worth checking that the correct bulbs are fitted to the stop and tail lamps too

I've seen single element bulbs and twin element 21/5w bulbs mixed up ,stuffed in the wrong positions before now 

[terry paget]

Yesterday I remove both rear bulb holders to change the orange indicator bulbs, which were losing their orange films. While I had the opportunity, I removed all the other bulbs, and checked them for coninuity - all were OK, none were twin filament. I then checked all the other lights, all were OK. I called out SWMBO to check the brake lights, should be two, I said, there are three on, she replied. Number plate light is on.
 

[Doctor Gollum]

Your missing the point, if the same bulb has failed on either side, then it will still look normal as the car compensates.

Should be more than three brake lights, assuming that the 'third' one is the centre tailgate one and all its elements are working.

[terry paget]

Ben was here this afternoon. As he left I was able to check, with engine running and headlights on, brake lights - both sides worked; and bright rear red lights - offside only worked. This may be normal, but many cars have lights on both sides. The Vectra only has one.

It seems unnecessarily discrete to advise the driver of a failed bulb with a brief small display of InSP2. I have never seen any other message on any Astra or Vectra. Senators and Omegas had unambiguous warning lights, and some Omegas verbal messages.
I understood that these cars detect bulb failure when a 'reed relay' finds the current going to a pair of matching bulbs differs significantly, so if both bulbs fail no warning is displayed. This particular Astra is in Design spec, with a higly informative display board.

[TheBoy]

Terry Paget - what DG is saying is that when it detects a bulb failure, it uses one of the other bulbs in that cluster to compensate.  So you will still see a tail light (or whatever is blown).

Sure systems often use twin filament bulbs, so check the handbook and ensure the correct bulb types are fitted

[terry paget]

Terry Paget - what DG is saying is that when it detects a bulb failure, it uses one of the other bulbs in that cluster to compensate.  So you will still see a tail light (or whatever is blown)./highlight]

Sure systems often use twin filament bulbs, so check the handbook and ensure the correct bulb types are fitted

Thanks, TB. I understand that. But there only three bulbs available in the red section - rear 5w light, brake light 21w and 21w  foggy light.  I suppose the brake light and the foggy light are interchageable, but yesterday I checked all the rear bulbs for continuity and all were fine.

I cannot think of any other pairs of interchangeable bulbs.

The 2004-2008 Haynes manual expects stop/tail bulbs to be 5/21w twin. The 2009-2013 manual expects separate bulbs. This car is a 2006 model wih single filament bulbs. I will investigate further.

[Doctor Gollum]

Never mind Haynes. What does the actual owners manual say?

[dave the builder]

Look at the lamp holder base for the stop tail bulb
2 terminals  then it's a twin element lamp/bulb
know as a 380 lamp 21/5 W 

clicky for info

worth checking that the correct bulbs are fitted to the stop and tail lamps too

I've seen single element bulbs and twin element 21/5w bulbs mixed up ,stuffed in the wrong positions before now 

so put the right bulb in and all should be well

[dave the builder]

unless it's an astra H ESTATE in which case it is a single element 382 21w for stop light

[terry paget]

I have two Astra owners manual here, not dated, however first quoted is labelled TS 1612-B-08, second TS 1612-B-04.
 I list below the functions in each manual.

Both depict the bulbs in the rear cluster. They describe bulb as follows:
with the single bulb to the left, numbered 5:
5 Fog tail bulb
Going around clockwise from 5,
1 Reversing light
2 Flasher, OR Turn Signal
3 Reversing light/brake light OR Tail light/brake light
4 Tail light OR reversing light
5 Fog tail light right hand side only. Bulb on the left can be used as a spare.

So it looks like bulb 3 should be 2 filament. Will check when the car is next here.


.

[Andy B]

I have two Astra owners manual here, not dated, however first quoted is labelled TS 1612-B-08, second TS 1612-B-04.
 I list below the functions in each manual.

Both depict the bulbs in the rear cluster. They describe bulb as follows:
with the single bulb to the left, numbered 5:
5 Fog tail bulb
Going around clockwise from 5,
1 Reversing light
2 Flasher, OR Turn Signal
3 Reversing light/brake light OR Tail light/brake light
4 Tail light OR reversing light
5 Fog tail light right hand side only. Bulb on the left can be used as a spare.

So it looks like bulb 3 should be 2 filament. Will check when the car is next here.


.

My last car ... Merc R Class .... was all CANbus &the stop/tail lamp was a single filament bulb, electrickery made it a dim tail light or bright stop light