Citroen C8: License Plate Lights Always On?

During a conversation among colleagues, the question arose as to why the license plate lights on a 2008 Citroen C8 always turn on when the engine is running. The vehicle, originally configured for the Austrian market, was imported to Germany. It has daytime running lights programmed, which only activate the low beam headlights at the front. Otherwise, nothing else illuminates – no parking lights, no taillights. Only the license plate lights are activated along with the low beam headlights, which are turned on with a delay. This is annoying because it significantly shortens the lifespan of the license plate light bulbs, to approximately 3 to 5 months.

The vehicle was likely registered based on the Austrian operating permit, which at the time required the mandatory activation of the low beam headlights. The Citroen workshop that I contacted refuses to deactivate the mandatory headlights, citing this registration. This would likely also resolve the issue with the forced illumination of the license plate. A consultation with a second brand-specific workshop yielded the same result; apparently, there was an internal memo instructing them not to perform this reprogramming.

Does anyone have expertise in this area?

Hello,

Regarding the circumstances surrounding the constantly illuminated license plate lights, I can't say much, but I believe there are such light bulbs available that are equipped with an LED.
The stress caused by constantly changing things would be eliminated.

Best regards, Rainer.

Sure. But that's actually not allowed either...

I thought the C8 had extra TFLs?!

A C4 (or something like that) has at least separate - press buttons next to the turn signals, so you can hardly see them anymore!

(Or was that a completely different French car? I just looked at the Citroen website, and it looks different.)

m;

The C8 has now received a facelift. I'm not sure what changes were made in that process. Tomorrow, I'll take a closer look at this peculiar thing.

If there's no other option, see if the BMW license plate lights can be squeezed in .

So, I always use my low beam headlights in all my vehicles (which means the license plate lights are always on).

The 2006 A3 has now reached 122,000 km, and not a single light has been defective so far (okay, one xenon bulb, but that's due to the stiff "Ambition" suspension).

Even in our Golf with 180,000 km, none of the bulbs have burned out yet... and various other vehicles in our "fleet" have also not experienced any bulb failures.

While this might not solve your problem, it's worth investigating why the license plate lights only last for 3-5 months. This is definitely not normal, as light bulbs are designed to have a longer lifespan.


Sure, here is the translation of the text from German to English:

"Hello"

Does the C8 have the license plate in the rear hatch, and does the guy often refer to it as "illuminated"?

That might be a better fit, or:
Severe vibrations with a glowing lamp.

m;

How about a simple resistor in series with the license plate light? VW already did something similar for the daytime running light function of the low beam headlights (on the Golf IV, if I remember correctly).

This reduces the power of the license plate light, which in turn lowers its temperature and significantly extends its lifespan.

Greetings.
Guste.

dieselmartin wrote:

Does the C8 have the license plate in the tailgate, and does the colleague often say "illuminated"? That might be a better fit, or: Severe vibrations with a glowing lamp. m;

I can definitely see that!
Even in Opel Insignia and Vectra models, the license plate light may remain illuminated for a while even after the key has been removed.

Funny ideas these engineers have these days. Are they sponsored by lamp manufacturers?

I understood it as "a cheap imitation of a 'Coming Home' system."

And at least the Vectra C sedan doesn't have that emblem on the fuel cap.

m;

Status update: New light bulbs (3W version instead of 5W) have been installed; hopefully, they will last longer.

For that, a very friendly Lebanese (?) used car dealer in the area had no qualms about disabling the daytime running lights. 10 minutes of patience and a donation to the tea fund were enough. However, it was previously difficult to convince him that the colleague really didn't want to sell the C8. He was practically greedy for the vehicle...

He's doing it again, and without anyone having touched the vehicle. Not even a workshop! The timing even coincides with the EU daytime running light regulation.

The low beam headlights at the front and the license plate light in the tailgate are unintentionally activated again a few seconds after the engine starts. At least the three W-bulbs are still intact.