The Mégane II Owners' Club

Hi Folks,

I've only just noticed, but now it gets dark really early, I realised that I don't have any reversing lights.
I have a 55 plate Megane 1.6 vvt, I was in a pitch dark lane tonight, and had to back up, this is when I realised that I had no reversing lights. The wife got out of the car and confirmed that when I put the megane in reverse gear there were no reversing lights.

Does anyone have a pointer as to where I should look to fix the problem? How likely is it that both bulbs have failed? Is there a fuse or something that I should be suspicious of? if so, which one, and where is it?

Or, do I have a major problem?

Thanks for reading this, hope you can help me out.

Russ.

Before you start worrying too much try the obvious and fit new bulbs. The chances of them both failing are pretty high, one may have failed a while ago and the other one recently.

If this fails then you might need to seek the assistance of an auto electrician to delve deeper into the problem, that is if you don't want to go to a Renault dealer?

only one rev light is fitted,so the odds on bulb failure have halved

onlydiesels, are you sure?

My Megane has two reverse lights!

Two things come to my mind, both bulbs have failed. Reverse switch to activate the lights on the gearbox?

pw981 wrote:onlydiesels, are you sure?

My Megane has two reverse lights!

yes so does mine!

must have been thinking of fog lamps. thats my excuse

i`ll get my coat

The reverse switch is located on top/side of the gearbox casing.. To test if it is working you need to unplug the connector and use a piece of wire to short the two pins out.. If the light illuminates then the switch is at fault..

Purchase a new switch. You will need a 24mm spanner to loosen the old one.. Remove and replace. Tighten the new one but do not over-tighten.. Job done..

Thanks folks for your response,
Unfortunately I'm not a mechanic and what I know about working on cars dates back to when I had a Mk2 Ford Escort in 1978.

I have no idea how to access the reversing switch on the gearbox. How do you get to it? Do I have to get underneath the car? what does the switch look like?
bear in mind I'm not fit and I have no equipment to lift the car to get under it.

If anyone has a picture of where the switch is and what it looks like, i'd be greatfull

Thanks

Russ

russ,

as mentioned, i would strongly recommend changing the bulbs if you haven't done so already. i had my megane for just under a year and in that time had to change several, if not all bulbs in the rear light cluster, is a possibility!!!

Russ as advised change the bulbs first it'll be worth a couple of quid and your time if its just the bulb thats gone.
As for the switch i believe its accessed from inside the car under the gear stick cover. Sure webcode will be back to correct me on that if its wrong.

nickbell69 wrote:Russ as advised change the bulbs first it'll be worth a couple of quid and your time if its just the bulb thats gone.
As for the switch i believe its accessed from inside the car under the gear stick cover. Sure webcode will be back to correct me on that if its wrong.

Thanks for your advice, Yes I can try to change the bulbs, but I bet it isn't a 5 minute job though? especially for me having arthrytic fingers on one hand, plus I'll probably be doing this in the pitch dark and driving rain (which I bet it will be when I leave work every night this week.)

I wouldn't have a clue as to how to get under the gear lever from inside the car, I'm not competent enough to start stripping the interior to get to it, I bet it's not a 5 minute job either. Can you advice me as to what type and number the bulbs are?
I'm still a bit suspicious as to why both bulbs are not working.

Russ.

RussMarc wrote:Thanks for your advice, Yes I can try to change the bulbs, but I bet it isn't a 5 minute job though? especially for me having arthrytic fingers on one hand, plus I'll probably be doing this in the pitch dark and driving rain (which I bet it will be when I leave work every night this week.)

I wouldn't have a clue as to how to get under the gear lever from inside the car, I'm not competent enough to start stripping the interior to get to it, I bet it's not a 5 minute job either. Can you advice me as to what type and number the bulbs are?
I'm still a bit suspicious as to why both bulbs are not working.

Russ.

Russ,

Bulb code for the reverse light in 382, which is same as the rear fog light. the job is not particularly easy to do and you could potentially find it difficult. i wouldn't be worrying too much about issues with the switch which possibly would have gone until the bulbs have been replaced! i had to replace the rear fog twice within 6 months! replace the bulbs if possible before you start looking into possible problems with the switch

Thanks again,

Just out of curiosity, I thought I might try to locate the reversing lights switch. I looked under the bonnet and around the gearbox area and cannot see anything bolted on with wires coming out.

Can anyone please tell me where exactly this switch is and what it looks like?

Much appreciated,

Russ.

Start with the fuse. It is in the box on the left side under the bonnet, fuse number 5c.
See p54, file MR364MEGANE8.pdf here (as in my message in Links!):
https://www.reno.ro/Schema-electrica-aer ... 81622.html

Thanks again for everyone’s advice; I’ve replaced the bulbs and no change, still no lights.
I will try the fuse next, I’ll need to buy one today, does anyone know what rating is so I can ask for the right one.

One small observation though, (I don’t know if this is significant) but what used to happen is this. When it’s raining, the rear windscreen wiper used to come on automatically when you put the car in reverse, this doesn’t happen now.

Is this something to do with the reversing lights problem?

Thanks

Russ.