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My Audi Q5 2013 was at a garage for a paint job and since then the brake lights are not working. The other lights are still working i.e. above the window, those in the rear bumper and above the license plate.

I haven't scanned the car yet but it says Vehicle lights: malfunction.

The car was fine when I dropped it at the garage and the error was there when I picked it up. I know they took off some parts like the back and front bumpers but they told me that they didn't touch the trunk lid.

Is there any wire or ground for the brake lights in the rear bumper? Do you have to disconnect anything related to the brake lights when you take off the rear bumper?

Is it just a coincidence like they say? They don't want to work on the car or cover the cost at another garage...

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    If it was working when you took it there and it's not now, they did something which caused the lights not to work. It's there job to fix the problem. It comes with the territory, so tell them to fix the issue as its obviously their fault.
    – Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 ♦
    Aug 31 '20 at 22:58
  • @Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 Yes, I spent 2 hours there with them trying to figure out the problem but they are clearly in over their head. They are now making excuses. To be honest, after seeing them today working on the car, I'm a little worried that they might cause more damage than good. So if someone tells me that it's totally unrelated, I will just take it to a certified Audi mechanic.
    – Marc
    Aug 31 '20 at 23:30
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    I hear yah. I can't tell you that it is unrelated, because to me, it clearly is related. If they can't do it themselves, they should be paying your bill at the Audi dealer to get it fixed. Just my 2-cents worth.
    – Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 ♦
    Aug 31 '20 at 23:41
  • @Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 I got lucky. I was about to remove the bumper and the first cable that you have to disconnect wasn't actually connected haha. I can't believe that they didnt figure this out...
    – Marc
    Sep 2 '20 at 11:56
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The problem was an unplugged cable under the scuff plate in the trunk. It's quite easy to take out, you just have to remove the trunk floor and pull that part.

There's only 1 cable connected to that little panel and it wasn't connected.

Make sure you hear the click when you connect it.

enter image description here

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    Awesome! It's always the easy fixes which are the best ones. :o)
    – Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 ♦
    Sep 2 '20 at 12:07

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