Open Road

seem to have collected a few 928 interior lights over the years, a few of which had lost the ability to lock in the 3 positions and just flapped around.
then checked the price of a new one and thought i will see if its fixable.

had a good look at them and i guess when i have removed the wire from the lamp, which can be a very tight fit i have pulled the locking part up and lost the ball bearing.

had a quick measure and it just needs a generic 3mm ball bearing refitting.
pictured below is the hole it should go into and there should be a spring still in the hole to keep it all sprung loaded.
will post a few more how to pictures when i get the next one fixed.
might help someone in the future.
cheers
Phil

worf wrote: ↑Fri Jun 28, 2024 9:43 am Gary, can you post the Audi part number?

I'm not Gary, but if he was referencing the ones I've seen discussed, and which I ended up using, they're found in Passat, Golf and Jetta/Bora cars from the late 90s into at least the mid 2000s.
I don't know which Audi cars might have them, but likely many of the cars through the same year range.

Gray and beige are the most common bezel plastics in the US market, but a black bezel option can be had as well.

Gray bezel PN: 3B0947291BY20
Beige bezel PN: 3B0947291B95T
Black bezel PN: 3B0947291BB41

The main problem with the interior light fixtures, in my experience, is that the plastic that all the spade terminals are attached to gets brittle and breaks at the base or somewhere in between.

The Audi lights that many here have used as replacements for these poorly designed OE lights are a big SAFETY improvement. No exposed 12 V sources with those lights. Perfect fit in all the overhead positions.

OOOPS - error, not Audi but VW. Corrected in thread below.

Gary Knox wrote: ↑Fri Jun 28, 2024 9:29 am The Audi lights that many here have used as replacements for these poorly designed OE lights are a big SAFETY improvement. No exposed 12 V sources with those lights. Perfect fit in all the overhead positions.

Gary, can you post the Audi part number?

not such a big problem of going brittle with heat etc over here Dave, usually raining.
moisture gets bloody everywhere, light pictured is stuck in that position due to corrosion of ball and / or the spring
clean and deoxit when i get the time

h2pmr wrote: ↑Fri Jun 28, 2024 1:05 pm not such a big problem of going brittle with heat etc over here Dave, usually raining.

Lol. You’re right. I forgot that rain is the natural state over there with the Sun shining a once-or-twice-monthly event at best.

worf wrote: ↑Fri Jun 28, 2024 9:43 am Gary, can you post the Audi part number?

I'm not Gary, but if he was referencing the ones I've seen discussed, and which I ended up using, they're found in Passat, Golf and Jetta/Bora cars from the late 90s into at least the mid 2000s.
I don't know which Audi cars might have them, but likely many of the cars through the same year range.

Gray and beige are the most common bezel plastics in the US market, but a black bezel option can be had as well.

Gray bezel PN: 3B0947291BY20
Beige bezel PN: 3B0947291B95T
Black bezel PN: 3B0947291BB41

My apologies - 87 year old brain cramp. What I've used are VW Passat etc. interior lights as Hey_Allen stated. Here's a link to a used one for sale on ebay. Be sure to get the wiring pigtails if you buy one. I frequently paint the exterior plastic trip on them to match the headliner color. Put a LED in them and be safe and have good lights (I prefer the warm LED's, as they are nearly same warm color as incandescent bulbs.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/405063812241?i ... ondition=4

Here us another one, which shows it in more detail, but doesn't have the pigtails (important, I think). Once you install the pigtail in the wiring, they are an exact fit and 'plug and play'.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/285881683502?f ... ondition=4

Gary

I used the same units Gary is showing here. Perfect fit, cleaner look. Definitely get the wiring pigtails as it makes the job simple. The ones I bought were beige so I painted them with a black matte plastic paint (black interior) I also swapped LED bulbs into mine before install.

Matt

thought i would revisit fixing these interior lights, still more rain than sun over here so rusty balls and springs are still the main cause of the light to be very stiff to tilt it in the different positions.
after a lot of testing, found they are fixable.
i used a SS 3mm ball bearing and 3mm outer diameter compression spring with .5mm wire diameter.
.3mm wire diameter does not have enough strength.
will post some pictures of it this weekend
cheers
Phil

picture with the contact gently bent up and the old spring and ball removed

then cut the spring down to 4-4.5 coils as pictured

so as when its fitted in the lamp it stick up that much


then rest the ball on the spring

then you need to compress the spring / ball down with a flat screwdriver then at the same time bend the contact back down and gently remove the screwdriver

and it should all work well



buy a few balls as it does not always go according to plan....
cheers
Phil

just a quick update, i bought a long length of spring and cut to length, but only really any use using the end of each spring as that starts flat.
just got some pre made ones from ebay, which just fit right in.
3mm wide, .5mm thick metal and 5mm long
UK ebay item number 396910151813, but i am sure they can be got from other sources closer to home
cheers
Phil

h2pmr wrote: ↑Wed Oct 22, 2025 2:21 pm ... but i am sure they can be got from other sources closer to home

Well, since they originate in China, those of us in The States might find it less easy than in the past to get them.