Working brake lights are necessary and required by law on all vehicles. The advent of brake lights with the flash of a bulb through a red screen introduced a much safer period in the vehicular history of the world, greatly reducing the incidence of fender-benders and other dangerous situations.
Non-functioning brake lights are a danger to yourself and others around you, and if your lights are malfunctioning, the issue should be addressed immediately. Thankfully, there is an extraordinarily simple test to check your brake lights: have a friend or family member go behind your Bentley and press the brake pedal. If one or both of your brake lights do not illuminate, take it to a mechanic for diagnostics and replacement of the bulbs or electrical parts.
Common Signs of Brake Light Failure
- Active brake warning light: If your brake warning light flashes on, this is an obvious sign that something is wrong with your brake lights. Some newer vehicles even have an indicator specifically for burned-out brake light bulbs to take the guesswork out of the issue.
- Dimmer or brighter brake lights than normal: Bulbs that are burning out may go quite dim or it may glow even brighter. These are signs that the filament within the bulb has worn out.
- Slow bulbs: If your bulbs are slow to respond when you tap the brakes, this is a sign that your bulbs themselves or the electrical system powering them needs replacement.
Causes of Brake Light Failure
One of the most common reasons for brake lights to fail is simply a burned-out bulb. If this is the case, it’s very easy to go to an auto parts store, purchase a brake light, and replace the light yourself. If you don’t feel comfortable with this, or you’d prefer the reassurance of a mechanic’s touch and their inspection, a mechanic can quickly and easily replace the bulb for you.
Your Bentley may have a bad socket. If only a single brake light goes out but the bulb itself is good, the light socket may be the culprit. If there is a corroded or dirty connection in the light socket, or the socket’s wiring is so worn that only intermittent electrical connections and signals are passed, this can cause your brake lights to fail without the lights themselves having issues.
A fuse could be burned out or blown. Each component of your vehicle’s electrical system corresponds to a single fuse, which serves to protect the electrical system from an amperage overload. This ensures that if one electrical component fails, the rest of the vehicle can run without further damage.
If the bulbs and sockets of your Bentley are good but all of your brake lights are still out, the most likely explanation is a burned fuse or other electrical issue. While you can replace bad fuses on your own, they are a critical part of your vehicle’s electrical system, and are best managed by a mechanic.
The brake light switch may be bad. If all of your brake lights are out and there are no issues with the bulbs themselves, the most likely cause is a malfunctioning brake light switch. This issue should only be replaced by a certified or well-practiced mechanic, as the brake light switches are not always easy to locate and can take some labor and time to repair.
Mark Douglas Motorworks Can Help
If your Bentley is experiencing brake light failure, it’s 
time to bring it in to Mark Douglas Motorworks where we will inspect, diagnose, and repair your brake system due to any problem, be it electrical or a simple bulb.
Mark Douglas Motorworks of Lake Forest, Huntington Beach, Irvine, Costa Mesa, Mission Viejo, Laguna Niguel, and Laguna Hills, CA is here to service all your Exotic vehicles needs. All of our technicians are ASE certified and are highly qualified to work on the top line of luxury cars. In addition to our expertise, we offer a 2-year/24,000-mile warranty on all services, repairs, and parts, so you can drive in style and peace of mind for the foreseeable future. We look forward to meeting you and becoming your Bentley service and maintenance shop for all your needs.