SM5 Lighting Fault

I'm experiencing an odd electrical issue with my 2002 Renault SM5, gasoline engine. It has about 182876 km on it. I'm having trouble with the lights; they sometimes flicker or don't come on at all. Strangely, it's intermittent. I took it to a local shop, and they said there's a 'fault in the lighting' with an error stored in the memory. They suspect it’s a faulty light switch, maybe a defective cable or plug connection. Has anyone seen something like this before? Any ideas before I potentially spend a lot chasing ghosts?

4 comment(s)

Hey! That sounds frustrating. I had a similar thing happen with my old Opel Astra, though it was a few years newer. My dashboard lights would go crazy, and the headlights would randomly decide to take a break. Turned out to be a bad dimmer switch connection. Have you checked the connections to the light switch itself? Give the wires a wiggle and see if anything changes. Don't go poking around too much though!

Thanks for the quick reply! When you say 'bad dimmer switch connection,' do you mean the plug behind the switch or somewhere else in the wiring? And how easy was it to get to? I'm okay with basic stuff, but I don't want to tear apart the whole dashboard. Was the issue also intermittent in your case? I want to be sure before ordering a new switch.

Yeah, it was the plug right behind the switch itself. Getting to it was a bit of a pain, I had to remove some trim pieces around the steering wheel. And yeah, the issue was totally intermittent! That's why it took me ages to figure it out. Honestly, unless you're really comfortable with car electrics, I'd suggest letting a workshop take a look. It could be something else entirely, and you don't want to fry anything.

Okay, thanks for the advice. I think I'll bite the bullet and take it back to the shop. They quoted me about 95€ for the repair, so hopefully, that's all it is. I'll mention the dimmer switch connection to them. Appreciate the help!

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