Nissan sucks sometimes

I’ve just spent an entire evening trying to sort out the rear passenger courtesy lights on my Qashqai. After checking the bulbs and fuses, I realised that power was actually getting to the lights, but the switch was the culprit.

It’s an utterly terrible design. But mostly because the switch seems to fail - and that’s something that should be bulletproof. It’s a simple switch, but it’s obviously a design flaw, as so many people have issues with them - and both of mine were stuffed when I bought my car.

But after mucking about with them, the following evening when I went to drive to tennis, the car wouldn’t start. Oops! I’d accidentally left the front courtesy lights on, and because they’re super weak I didn’t notice. Stuck my Optimate on to charge the battery overnight, but bought a proper car battery charger the following morning. Numpty!

Definitely an upgrade to LED bulbs is in order, as they’re much brighter and use less power. But equally the lesson is, don’t leave the lights on! I’m not sure what I’ll do with the courtesy lights though. Might investigate a better switch, or just leave them disconnected. I don’t really need them, but it’s nice to have them working.