Front turn indicator on a Golf not working

A few days ago I posted about my drivers front turn indicator not working on my 2000 Golf. I cleaned the bulb up and it worked intermittently, so I bought a new bulb. The new bulb doesn't work any better; it works sometime and not others. The problem is in the bulb holder; one side of contacts have somehow pushed back don't fit snuggly. (though how this could have happened is beyond me) I tried to push them back, but it didn't do much. I put some solder on the old bulb and now it works fine. However I don't have a lot of confidence in this "repair"; the bulb holder should be replaced.

So...

1) Any clever way to fix this without replacing the bulb holder. 2) Any idea what a bulb hold costs? 3) Are they available anywhere except at a dealer?

Thanks.

BTW; this time I was working in daylight and everything went back together much better.

Reply to
John
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If you used lead-free solder to do the build-up on the bulb, it would be less prone to oxidize.

Caig Deoxit or "Power Booster" will fight the tendency of metals to oxidize. It is usually oxidation that causes terminals to not pass current well over time. You know how a flashlight or other battery-powered device will often work better if you bang it? That breaks thru the oxidation for a better contact.

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and a host of others....

Not me.

I tried to find special instrument cluster bulbs at parts places. I then went to the dealer. Price was $3.02 plus tax -- lower than my expectations. Not worth screwing around.

Reply to
Tom's VR6

Actually deoxit was the first thing I tried, before I figured out it was the bulb holder.

Dealer wants $16 for a replacement. I will see how my solder (presumably leadfree) works before I go for a new one.

Reply to
John

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