Polo 6R backing Light - How do I get two?

[DV52]

Can anyone tell me why the good Burghers at VW decided to install only one reversing light in the 6R? I understand that the same decision also was made in the mk6 Golf. I'm sure that this issue has been raised before - but do Europeans have better eyesight than us Aussies, or are they just better at judging distances in the dark? It can't be about cost cutting- I wouldn't have thought that the marginal cost of an additional backing light and associated wiring would be all that much. In fact, when I look at the RH rear tail-light assembly (from the outside), it seems that the backing light lens is actually already part of the unit. What a strange thing to do (IMO).

But enough about complaining-my real purpose in writing this post is to enquire about how to work-around this curious decision. I've already installed an LED replacement in the LH tailgate assembly and this simple fix did significantly improve the illumination at the rear of the car. There are lots of alternative LEDs, but the reason that I chose my LED was because it appeared to have a good forward projection lens and a high efficiency LED, plus it had a CANBUS error facility which actually works. But, I had to buy 2 LED lamps because all other cars (except the 6R) have two backing lights. This is what the LED replacement looks-like for those that are interested:

I now have a remaining LED which I would like to install into the RH side tail-light assembly (where it seems that VW have included a matching backing light lens, but no backing light). I haven't yet removed the RH taillight assembly- can anyone tell me how much "infrastructure" is provided for a 2nd backing light. Is there any wiring in the RH tail light assembly for a 2nd backing light, or will I have to run a switch wire to the LH side of the car (presumably across the boot floor pan-somewhere)? If a new wire is required, is it OK to use the "earth" from the RH tail light, or does the Polo "smarts" require separate earths for the LH and RH tail lights? Finally, does the RH tail light assembly have a BA15S socket base to take a 2nd backing light, and if not, how have others managed to hold the 2nd backing light in place?

Thank you in advance for responding

[Umai Naa!!]

The other side is a rear fog light.

You'll need to get a LHD tail light, that has the clear portion of the lense in it.

You may need to do some electrickery to make it all work, as you'll have bulb errors on the dash if you start jumping wires everywhere.

[DV52]

The other side is a rear fog light.

You'll need to get a LHD tail light, that has the clear portion of the lense in it.

You may need to do some electrickery to make it all work, as you'll have bulb errors on the dash if you start jumping wires everywhere.

Umai Naa:
Thanks for you reply (I conveniently forgot that it was a fog-light in my eargerness to solve the backing light problem and because I never use it as a fog light). IMO, having a rear fog light on my car (especially at the rear of the car and especially in Melbourne) is about as useful as having tits-on-a-turkey!

I've just checked the OSRAM lamp guide and it seems that the rear fog light on a 6R has a BAY9S base (offset pins).

What if:

1. I unsolder the BA15S socket on my spare LED
2. Solder the LED circuits onto the BAY9S socket (breaking and removing the glass envelope on the existing fog light should be easy)
3. Then I cut the rear fog light wire and connect a termination resistor to the exisiting fog light circuit

That leaves me with the option of connecting my spare LED (which now is sitting in the fog light socket on the RH tail-light assembly) to a switched active from the one backing light.

Apart from the colour difference, do you think that this will work?

PS: Do you have a view about mixing earths between the LH and RH tail light assemblies?

[Lucas_R]

I had the same thought as you regarding the single reverse light on my Mk6 Golf - so i ordered a new tail light from Germany that was for a LHD vehicle (meaning it had the reverse light) and fitted it to my car. Now i have twin reverse lights (had to fiddle with wiring a bit to hook it up).

A fog light for me was absolutely pointless, and the twin reverse lights not only look better, but rear visibility has improved somewhat.

[DV52]

I had the same thought as you regarding the single reverse light on my Mk6 Golf - so i ordered a new tail light from Germany that was for a LHD vehicle (meaning it had the reverse light) and fitted it to my car. Now i have twin reverse lights (had to fiddle with wiring a bit to hook it up).

A fog light for me was absolutely pointless, and the twin reverse lights not only look better, but rear visibility has improved somewhat.

Lucas_R: OK Thanks for the response. Can you remember if you ran a separate earth from the LH backing light to the RH tail-light assembly?

[Lucas_R]

Lucas_R: OK Thanks for the response. Can you remember if you ran a separate earth from the LH backing light to the RH tail-light assembly?

From memory i tapped into the + and - feed from the existing reverse light and ran a cable over to the drivers side to run the new reverse light. Works fine and no error codes on the dash (although i do get an "open circuit" or similar message, which is a soft code if i do an error scan with VCDS.)

[DV52]

From memory i tapped into the + and - feed from the existing reverse light and ran a cable over to the drivers side to run the new reverse light. Works fine and no error codes on the dash (although i do get an "open circuit" or similar message, which is a soft code if i do an error scan with VCDS.)

Lucas_R: thanks for the info. If I have understood your fix correctly, you probably abandoned the RH fog light circuit when you installed the second backing light. If you didn't terminate the switched positive fog light wire with a resistor, then this might explain the "open circuit" error message in the auto scan report (just a hunch).

Lots of folk (including me) call this a CANBUS resistor, but the more I read about these devices, the less convinced I am that they have anything at all to do with termination impedance for CANBUS communication. Seems to me that the the lamp resistance is simply part of a stand-alone lighting interrogation circuit that then talks to the CANBUS. But this is only an hypothesis for now until I learn more.

Again, my thanks for your advice