Vectra C - Blowing bulbs?

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Sat 9 Jul 2005 09:00
Vectra C - Blowing bulbs? - wonderwheels
more probs with "my lovely car".About 3 weeks ago, I got an error on the computer "check centre brake light".When I could,I did, only to find that it was fine.Last week, I got an error message "check rear left brake light".When I checked, the offside rear,bottom(there's two bulbs) had blown.I actually bought 4 bulbs and replaced them all,keeping the 3 working,old bulbs,as spares.Today, I got an error,"check rear right brake bulb".When I checked,it actually looks as though both rear "bottom" bulbs have blown.Another concern I have is that the error message repeatedly flags up.I thought it should only appear after starting up the car or immediately after detecting a fault.Has anybody else had this problem?. Any ideas?. This is my 2nd problem in 4 months.Car has done 15K miles and only last week the Timing belt tensioner worked loose and was replaced under warranty.
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Sat 9 Jul 2005 13:49
Vectra C - Blowing bulbs? - wonderwheels
A "sort of" update.I went out to check my car and wedged the brake pedal down.I took out the bulb holder (still connected) and swapped the suspect bulb.Immediately it lit up (lower brake bulb) then went off.No matter what bulb is placed in the lower brake bulb holder, at either side,it will illuminate for a few seconds then go out.Weird........It is going BACK in to the dealer on Monday.
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Sat 9 Jul 2005 20:11
Vectra C - Blowing bulbs? - elekie&a/c doctor
These Vectras can be very confusing with the lighting system.They use a "smart" system that will substitute a voltage to an adjacent bulb if one fails.So if a tail light fails it may put a reduced voltage to a brake light filament.When replacing a bulb it is best to turn everything off a start again.
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Sat 9 Jul 2005 21:00
Vectra C - Blowing bulbs? - Dynamic Dave
Any ideas?.


As 'elekie&a/c doctor' says, the Vectra has a very clever system called CANBUS.

www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?v=e&t=30...8

As with other computer systems, your Vectra's electrics *might* have got themselves into a paddy, and quite possibly just need a reboot. Try disconnecting the battery for a short period to see if it's possible to reset the electronics.

Word of warning though, make sure you have the radio code beforehand, and if you've got a factory fit alarm, it has it's own battery back up and will go off if you disconnect the main car battery. To quote from the manual "If the vehicle?s battery is to be disconnected (e.g. for maintenance work), the alarm siren must be deactivated as follows: switch the ignition on then off, disconnect the vehicle?s battery within 15 seconds."
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