B0239License Plate Lamp Circuit
- Generic OBD-II code · Body
- How the car detects it
- B0239 cannot be traced in any J2012 source or factory document, so its use stays unproven; the same title belongs to B0860. The licence plate lamp lights the rear registration plate and is usually wired with the tail lamps. FMVSS 108 asks that it illuminate the plate without obstruction by body parts. HELLA quotes the European rule that the plate must be readable from 25 m, with no part of it below 2.5 cd/m². Body modules today monitor lighting outputs, and HELLA's Golf 6 example shows the other side of that: after fitting LED rear lamps the module must be recoded, or it reports lamp faults. A circuit fault here leaves the plate dark, which can lead to a police stop.
- What you may notice
- Rear number plate is not lit with the lights on
- Bulb warning in the cluster, where the car monitors this lamp
- Likely causes
- LikelyPlate lamp bulb or LED unit failed, often from water inside the housing
- PossibleWire broken in the flexible tube between body and tailgate or boot lid
- RareRetrofitted LED lamp not matched by the body module coding
- Repair
- Easy · Often possible to do yourself.Typical cost: €10 – €100
- Related codes
Explanation from obdex (CC0), exactly as the app shows it. Guidance only; confirm with a workshop.