3rd Brakes Light bar '96 Golf

Hi, Can you describe what you've tested and the results?

-Tony

I spent all day trying to figure out why my rear brake lights did not work but the third brake light did work. I replaced the brake light switch, checked fuses and just about everything. I then checked out the actual bulbs and they were broken on both sides. I think I have had that happen to me twice on different cars. So to expound on Tony's question, what happened when you applied a known good 12 volts to the third light bar?

This happened recently on my 96 Golf also. The problem was the wiring in the spongy tube thing at the top right of the hatch back (the million openings and closings had pinched the wire to the point where it was contacting the metal in the hatchback). Continuity checks are the way to chase down your wiring problem.

Jeff