Can anyone direct me to a youtube video or a set of instructions (preferably with pictures) of how to replace a brake light in our B5 A4s. All I have been able to find so far is instructions for B6 and later both on youtube and the forums. It's crazy that the manual tells us to have that done at the dealership.

It seems like in the B6 cars the taillight assembly is taken out from the exterior side of the car after the bolts are removed. Is it the same in our cars? Mine is 2001 1.8T. After pulling back the trunk lining are there clips or bolts holding the assembly in place? I would appreciate any help, never thought a brake bulb change could be so complicated!

 

I'm assuming it's a side brake light (not the top one).
This is quite a simple process, and once you get it done you'll wonder why you even posted a thread lol (not saying there's anything wrong with it, it's just that easy).

On either side of the trunk interior the trunk lining is held in by little round black clips that sort of screw on/press on (depending on the condition of them). I think there are 2 or 3 of them per side.

Once those clips are off you can shimmy the lining away and expose the back of the taillight. The taillight bulb assembly can come off the back without removing the taillight from the car. It snaps into place in 3 or 4 spots on the back of the housing, and once those are free the whole assembly slides toward the front of the car. Replace the bad bulb and you're done!

 

Thanks, I will give it a try. Yes, it is a side brake light on the passenger side. I did remove those round black clips previously, just wasn't sure how to go from there. So I guess the taillight assembly is held in place by clips not bolts, so no tools required. In the B6 video I watched, the person used a socket wrench or drill and the whole thing came out on the outside of the car. I guess the design became more complicated with newer models instead of simpler. I appreciate the input!

 

I'd call the attachment mechanism of the bulb holder more of a "tab" configuration than clips. The tabs "clip" into place but they are integral to the bulb holder. They come undone very easily.

 

Ok great, thanks again!

 

The passenger top rear fog light is tricky. The hole on the housing is square and the bulb replacement is round so it wont fit.

 

Ya, every B5 is like that. Some european thing where they only have drivers side rear fog lights. I used a dremel to cut out a circle on mine to fit a proper bulb. The other option is to just buy a smaller bulb.

 

Or just not worry about it since you don't use a rear fog light often (since you already have 2 running lights and three brake lights, I don't use it often anyway)

 

the B5 has 4 nuts, one at each corner, behind the trunk interior lining. just get that lining out of the way, and you can get to those 4 nuts. then pull the whole light assembly out side the car, not into the trunk. then remove the black backing from the red exterior light and change the bulbs. the B6 only has one nut easily accessible and then the entire light swings out. not sure about a 2001.5

 

2001.5 is same as the earlier ones. Super easy to pull out. But the OP doesn't need to remove the entire break light assembly to replace a bulb.