New X reg Audi A2 SE. Need advice on fixing boot light.

Richard77

Member
Just bought a lovely X reg early 2001 SE to cherish and enjoy, amongst our other practical classics (Austin Maxi and Volvo 240). Sold an MG BGT (I'd had for 18 years) to get this beauty. Atlantik Blue with beige interior (glorious photo attached of this creamy world) 5i.jpg, aircon, (without the soft touch plastic finish of later models), so we can still read the buttons! And joy of joy both a CD player and cassette, which suits our retro music collection.

A few little things to sort out... the most weird is the non functioning boot light. I need advice.

I've removed the light fitting from the trim and found no wires connected to the bulb holder - there was a bulb in there. I've had a major poke around the cavity (and removed the panel for access to the rear light cluster) and can't find any trailing wires to plug back in. I can just see a tidy bundle of cables running up the rear pillar which has nothing coming off it that I can see. Any clues as to where this wire might be tucked away, or guide to how I can remove the trim that covers all this... presumably not too difficult so that one could access the rear seat belt housing... but then again I'm used to much older cars where everything could come apart, whether you wanted it to (e.g. Volvo) or not (e.g. Austin). The previous owners didn't have it for long and it never worked for them.
5i.jpg
 
Welcome to the most friendly and helpful car forum @Richard77
Very nice twist & jive interior, for me the best color combination.... so rare to find a clean one these days. Hopefully you will not regret selling your MG: I have had a 1959 MG A for the past 25 years, which along my A2, I will never sell!
 
I'll probably come to regret selling the 1969 MG BGT, but the A2 is a great replacement, and better round the corners.
Our A2 is a bit over 92,000 miles, so no spring chicken, but seems pretty tidy inside. Happy to have paid £2,000 for it. I've ordered second hand original spec rubber mats to protect the very pale carpets. Trying to get some touch up paint for a few little chips in Atlantic Blue LZ5R but so far my enquiries suggest VAG don't make the paint anymore, and it needs to be specially mixed. It was only used on A2s for 2000-2001 I think? Is that true?
 
Welcome,

I am not clear on what trim you wish to remove to hunt for your missing boot light connector. Do you mean the trim shown in this post?

Your new A2 looks very smart, hard touch switches - drool! If you want a replacement passenger side vent, the adjustment tab seems missing, they are always appearing in the Marketplace subforum on here but you you will have to pay a one-off £2 fee for access.

Andy
 
Hi Andrew

Yes the picture of trim you've linked to look like the panel that the boot light slots into and will conceal all the wiring. Do you know where I can find guidance of how to remove it... wondering how many other bits need to be removed to enable it to come out.

And what eagle eyes you have. I'd not spotted that little vent lever was missing, but I've just been to look and sure enough it's gone, so I've paid the £2 access fee and will delve deeper into the forum (the fee also enabled me to view the link to the trim photos, so well worth it).

Welcome,

I am not clear on what trim you wish to remove to hunt for your missing boot light connector. Do you mean the trim shown in this post?

Your new A2 looks very smart, hard touch switches - drool! If you want a replacement passenger side vent, the adjustment tab seems missing, they are always appearing in the Marketplace subforum on here but you you will have to pay a one-off £2 fee for access.

Andy
 
I've tracked down instructions for removing the trim that houses the boot light, trim officially known as "Luggage compartment side trim", and it's quite an ordeal, involving several other bits of trim to remove first. I'll hold off for now on the off chance someone has a clue as to where to rummage for and how I might retrieve the missing / invisible electrical cable for the boot light!


6.19 Luggage compartment side trim (page 103 of workshop manual)

❑ Remove load compartment cover.
❑ Remove cover for load compartment floor mount ⇒ page 104.
❑ Unscrew bolt -2- (load compartment cover only).
❑ Remove rear cross pan‐ el trim ⇒ page 100 .
❑ Remove rear seats ⇒ page 129 .
❑ Remove rear inner wheel housing trim ⇒ page 98 .
❑ Remove luggage compartment floor lining ⇒ page 102 .
❑ Pull luggage compartment trim -1- over fastening rings at bottom.
❑ Unfasten luggage com‐ partment trim -1- at clips -3- (3x).
❑ Press apart luggage compartment trim -1- at location marked -A- and take out seat belt webbing.
❑ Unplug connector -4-.
 
Pleased to see you have found some instruction on removing the boot side trim. Personally I have no experience of removing the side trim (if it ain't broke don't fix it) but it does seem to take some effort.

If it is of any help I found this brief description by Tom(Timmus) to supplement your instructions and a picture to show the location of the retaining clips by another Andrew(ajsellors).

I have searched in vain for info on the route of the boot light loom but found little apart from "if it's not there it must be dangling down", I even had a peek at mine and can confirm it does indeed go down at least for the first few inches in rhe limited view I had.

Andy
 
Pleased to see you have found some instruction on removing the boot side trim. Personally I have no experience of removing the side trim (if it ain't broke don't fix it) but it does seem to take some effort.

If it is of any help I found this brief description by Tom(Timmus) to supplement your instructions and a picture to show the location of the retaining clips by another Andrew(ajsellors).

I have searched in vain for info on the route of the boot light loom but found little apart from "if it's not there it must be dangling down", I even had a peek at mine and can confirm it does indeed go down at least for the first few inches in rhe limited view I had.

Andy
 
Would be worth asking around, friends and neighbours, it anyone has a USB endoscope thingy. Mine is a Lidl special, but, works fine, with an led so you can see inside places like A pillars etc. Once you can see it, it's fishing with a bent coat hanger time! Mac.
 
In @Andrew's linked picture showing the clip locations for the boot side trim, the one at the tailgate end is missing due the white plastic block having broken on removal. This WILL happen to you also unless you use the trick taught to me by Tom @timmus (the legend!) to get it out without breaking it. From the tailgate opening with the rubber seal pulled away, simply insert a screwdriver behind the side trim just under that location and push the plastic block upwards. This will unfasten it by sliding it off its metal clip. Otherwise you will be pulling at an angle on brittle plastic channels on the white block where it attaches to the trim panel, and they won't take it.

On the middle plastic block (upper rear) the channels are horizontal so this trick doesn't work on it, but this one usually survives. You could try similar on the inner one though, by the seat back. Then you can retrieve the metal clips out of their holes and reinsert them onto the plastic blocks. Be sure to reattach the clips and blocks to the trim panel the right way round so you can repeat the trick to remove them next time.
 
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Another big fan of the twist and jive interior. Here's my 2001 example in cobalt blue, photographed this morning:

20191002_114954.jpg


The heated leather seats are a real luxury. Everything's still original, and all the courtesy lights are still functioning as intended! My soft touch controls have survived remarkably unscathed thus far, although I do have a hard touch climate replacement ready when needed.
 
Another big fan of the twist and jive interior. Here's my 2001 example in cobalt blue, photographed this morning:

View attachment 57079

The heated leather seats are a real luxury. Everything's still original, and all the courtesy lights are still functioning as intended! My soft touch controls have survived remarkably unscathed thus far, although I do have a hard touch climate replacement ready when needed.
Very nice. I did consider holding out buying one until we could find cream leather like this, but got impatient in the end and want to know the car is fully functioning before considering a few little upgrades.
 
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