I had the dreaded check brake light sign and couldn’t work it out at first as brake lights were working then checked online and found out about this issue and sure enough the connector on the same side as yours was showing signs of burning, thanks to your video I gave it a go and can happily say all is good again so thank you for uploading as it made the job less daunting.
That's great to hear. I'm really glad my video is proving useful for you and other Astra owners, whilst also helping not spend a fortune on garage fees! Interesting to know you had a fault sign appear on the dash board as my car didn't give any indication. I only found out at the garage during the mot and service. I looked back on my security cameras at the time and could see that on some days the side light was not working at all!! I think I was lucky on the day of the garage visit it was working well enough to pass it's mot.😅
Thanks for reply, the faulty connector had caused the earth wire to intermittently connect and disconnect as it must of had a break in it with ecu thinking it was a blown bulb I’m guessing. Certainly saved a few quid following your guide, it was of great help cheers
Had a similar issue, When I removed the plug I noticed a pin had broken away so I used a bit of kitchen tin foil inserted into the plug making a better contact. Everything working great again.
No question is a silly one and it is a good point 😉 I did not disconnect the battery, but I did make sure the lights were off (set to auto with the key out of the ignition) I was also careful not to short-circuit any of the wires by only stripping one wire back at a time. In theory, shorting shouldn't be an issue as there is no current with the lights off, but I also wouldn't want to test that theory 😅 Pop your car keys on the side (not in a pocket), as pressing the remote unlock/lock by accident will cause the indicators to flash. Good luck on fixing your lights 👍🏻
This is great ! Had the same issue with rusting (or burning) in the connector. Is using the heat gun with the solder connectors the best option? I've seen you can solder directly or crimp the wires together. I imagien heat gun approach is probably the most secure and watertight method. Though i imagine doing a similar repair on others wires in the car using a heatgun could be difficult depending on where the wire is.
Thanks @zakplayyy and sorry to see you have had the same problem as me. To be honest it's the first time I've used these heatgun wire connectors. I am really impressed and the connection is strong, especially for this purpose as there are no moving parts/stretching of the wire. It feels strong as the plastics seem to bind together making that water tight seal. But it keeps its flexibility. In hindsight I probably didn't need to wrap it all up with electrical tape but as this was my first experience with them I played it safe. It was also very fast to do, much quicker than getting all the soldering kit out! Most helpful thing is that you don't need 10 pairs of hands trying to hold the wires still and solder at the same time. I've just used them to fix some solar string lights in my garden after a fox decided to have a chew. Took me a couple of minutes and most of that was unravelling the extension cord for the heatgun. 😅 As for my car lights, I made this video a month ago. I've been checking regularly after driving (which have included hitting some large pot holes 😮) and I'm happy to report all is still working.
Good to hear it is all still working, even with the potholes we never seem able to escape ! Will give the heat shrinks a go the next time i have a similar job
Maybe dumb question, but I know absolutely nothing about cars😅 😅 does vauxhall astra 2016 has one bulb for both tail light and break light? Also I recently discovered that my left rear tail light and also break light is not working. If it's not a burnt bulb, what could it be? And how can I check if there's something else wrong with my tail/break light? I'm really sorry for those question but I'm clueless 😂
I guess it can be for other cars. In my case, the Vauxhall mechanic had identified it as either the back plate bulb holder or the connector and that the bulb was absolutely fine. I don't know how he determined that, but I'd hazard a guess that they have seen this common fault many times before. 6 months + on for me and still everything is working perfectly 👌
@@BeefWadStudio yes I did but I did not come off. I feel like it has been glued there somehow... I see you also used screwdriver to lift the plug but I did not want to break it.
@DoqiReborn It is on tight. (A good thing in many ways as it prevents a loose connection) but I managed to get a thin, flat-head screwdriver between the plastic to prize them apart.
I had the dreaded check brake light sign and couldn’t work it out at first as brake lights were working then checked online and found out about this issue and sure enough the connector on the same side as yours was showing signs of burning, thanks to your video I gave it a go and can happily say all is good again so thank you for uploading as it made the job less daunting.
That's great to hear. I'm really glad my video is proving useful for you and other Astra owners, whilst also helping not spend a fortune on garage fees! Interesting to know you had a fault sign appear on the dash board as my car didn't give any indication. I only found out at the garage during the mot and service. I looked back on my security cameras at the time and could see that on some days the side light was not working at all!! I think I was lucky on the day of the garage visit it was working well enough to pass it's mot.😅
Thanks for reply, the faulty connector had caused the earth wire to intermittently connect and disconnect as it must of had a break in it with ecu thinking it was a blown bulb I’m guessing.
Certainly saved a few quid following your guide, it was of great help cheers
Had a similar issue, When I removed the plug I noticed a pin had broken away so I used a bit of kitchen tin foil inserted into the plug making a better contact. Everything working great again.
thankyou this helped solve my issue i followed the steps you did so far so good been a week or so and it’s still going strong thanks
I'm glad this has helped you! It's been over 3 months for me and the light is working perfectly on my car!
Pomocny firmy 😁
Might be stupid question but will the battery need to be disconnected while working on?
No question is a silly one and it is a good point 😉
I did not disconnect the battery, but I did make sure the lights were off (set to auto with the key out of the ignition)
I was also careful not to short-circuit any of the wires by only stripping one wire back at a time. In theory, shorting shouldn't be an issue as there is no current with the lights off, but I also wouldn't want to test that theory 😅
Pop your car keys on the side (not in a pocket), as pressing the remote unlock/lock by accident will cause the indicators to flash.
Good luck on fixing your lights 👍🏻
This is great ! Had the same issue with rusting (or burning) in the connector. Is using the heat gun with the solder connectors the best option? I've seen you can solder directly or crimp the wires together. I imagien heat gun approach is probably the most secure and watertight method. Though i imagine doing a similar repair on others wires in the car using a heatgun could be difficult depending on where the wire is.
Thanks @zakplayyy and sorry to see you have had the same problem as me.
To be honest it's the first time I've used these heatgun wire connectors. I am really impressed and the connection is strong, especially for this purpose as there are no moving parts/stretching of the wire. It feels strong as the plastics seem to bind together making that water tight seal. But it keeps its flexibility. In hindsight I probably didn't need to wrap it all up with electrical tape but as this was my first experience with them I played it safe. It was also very fast to do, much quicker than getting all the soldering kit out! Most helpful thing is that you don't need 10 pairs of hands trying to hold the wires still and solder at the same time.
I've just used them to fix some solar string lights in my garden after a fox decided to have a chew. Took me a couple of minutes and most of that was unravelling the extension cord for the heatgun. 😅
As for my car lights, I made this video a month ago. I've been checking regularly after driving (which have included hitting some large pot holes 😮) and I'm happy to report all is still working.
Good to hear it is all still working, even with the potholes we never seem able to escape ! Will give the heat shrinks a go the next time i have a similar job
Thanks son much!
No problem! Glad it helped 😃
Maybe dumb question, but I know absolutely nothing about cars😅
😅 does vauxhall astra 2016 has one bulb for both tail light and break light?
Also I recently discovered that my left rear tail light and also break light is not working. If it's not a burnt bulb, what could it be? And how can I check if there's something else wrong with my tail/break light?
I'm really sorry for those question but I'm clueless 😂
Its not necessarily the connector it might be a burnt out pin on the bulb unit. There should be 3 pins.
I guess it can be for other cars. In my case, the Vauxhall mechanic had identified it as either the back plate bulb holder or the connector and that the bulb was absolutely fine. I don't know how he determined that, but I'd hazard a guess that they have seen this common fault many times before.
6 months + on for me and still everything is working perfectly 👌
I can not take my plug out no matter how hard I try :D Any tips ?
Can I confirm you have lifted the red tab such as at 2:42
Under my talking at 2:47 you hear a click as the red tab is lifted to unlock the connection.
@@BeefWadStudio yes I did but I did not come off. I feel like it has been glued there somehow... I see you also used screwdriver to lift the plug but I did not want to break it.
@DoqiReborn It is on tight. (A good thing in many ways as it prevents a loose connection) but I managed to get a thin, flat-head screwdriver between the plastic to prize them apart.
@@DoqiReborn Have you had any luck?
@@BeefWadStudio I was told it was not the plug but the whole unit needs changing, so I will have to take it to a garage anyways. Thanks for checking.