My B7 (2005.5-2008) Audi A4’s brake lights stopped working a few weeks ago. I put off changing them often because I thought it would be tough. I’m delighted to report that it is as easy as pie, just takes a few minutes, and only requires a flat head screwdriver! Almost anyone can complete this replacement because it is so simple.
- Beginner level of ability
- flat headed screwdriver is required equipment (a smaller one)
- The 2005.5-2008 B7 Audi S4 and 2005.5-2008 B7 Audi RS4 are also included.
- Five minutes are required.
- You’ll need two 7506 bulbs as parts. Any 21 watt 7506 ST bulbs will work, however I picked these Sylvania Silverstar bulbs because they are 20% brighter.
The procedure is really easy. You only need to remove one screw with your flat head screwdriver before you can gently pull off the light, take out the old bulbs, and put in the new ones. I advise changing at least two bulbs at once because if one goes out, the other will probably follow soon after.
You’ll find the cover right along the edge of the tail light, and you may remove it by opening your trunk and using your flat head screwdriver. Always start from the top while prying something off because the topit is attached at the bottom.
After removing the cover in step 1, you will be able to see that there is only one screw holding the tail light in place. With a few rotations of your flat-headed screwdriver to the left, the screw will easily come out. You’ll notice that I changed screwdrivers; this was primarily due to the fact that the one in the previous picture being used was too big, so I had to use a smaller one.
You must exercise caution in this stage. Pull the tail light slowly away from the body of your automobile using your hands. Don’t yank too hard from the inside edge. You don’t want to break the two connectors on the light’s outer border. Once the light is pulled sufficiently away from the car to allow you to grip from the center, pull a little from the inner edge, a little from the outer edge, and so on.
The two holes in the body that can be seen above and the two prongs poking out of the tail light that can be seen below are the two clips keeping it in that you DO NOT want to break:
Remove the tabs in Step 4:
Once the pieces are separated, unplug the electrical harness and then push the tabs to remove the black backing from the tail light housing, revealing all of the bulbs. The bulbs from the brake light assembly can be removed by simply pushing in the two tabs (one on top and one on bottom):
The bulbs are rotated about a half turn to the left to twist out. Since it had turned black (see the upper right corner), the burned-out bulb in my case was simple to identify, but as I mentioned, you might as well replace them both.
You may as well clean while you have the taillight off. To keep my car looking extra clean, I used a spray detailer to remove the dust from below the tail light:
Align the nubs of the new bulbs, then turn them a quarter turn to lock them in place. Check it out briefly before tightening the tail light back in. You don’t even need to go in your car to accomplish this; simply pressing the lock button will turn on the tail light. Just leave the brake light housing rest on the ledge after plugging it back into the vehicle. Then, press the lock button to make sure everything is working.
Reinstall the light by pushing in the two prongs along the edge and tightening the screw from the trunk once you’re done. Replace the carpeted cover after the screw is securely fastened.
There it is. You can now quickly and inexpensively replace your burned-out tail light bulbs for a total of roughly $6. According to what I’ve read, the dealer charges somewhere between $40 and $80, so that’s a fantastic price that just needs a small amount of work.
How do you take an Audi’s brake light out?
There should be a panel you can remove when you open the trunk on the side. A sizable plastic holding screw can be found within and protrudes from the back of the brake light housing. To fully loosen this screw, turn it in a counterclockwise direction.
A 1156 bulb fits what?
Red tail light LED bulbs 1156 and 1157 Numerous vehicles manufactured by Honda, Toyota/Lexus, Kia, Subaru, Chrysler, and VW, among many others, use these bulbs as tail lights.