Signal to driver his/her back lights not working

mathepac said:

VW, Audi, Seat, Skoda, Saab, Opel, Fiat, Renault, Mercedes, in fact any main-stream manufacturer has this facility on their more recent cars. Some show a light on the dash meaning "a bulb has failed", some will even tell you which bulb(s).

Do you drive a 1970's Lada by any chance?

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I drive an 03 VW which does NOT have any warning indicators that come on when I have blown a rear light or brake light - and quite a few of them have been replaced. I don't think that's a particularly old car . .. it's not a 70s Skoda anyway.

Caveat said:

In general, do Jap cars have this function mathepac?...

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Good question and I don't know the answer. I think they do, but I can't ever remember having to replace a blown bulb on any Japenese car I've owned (Mazda, Subaru, Toyota, Datsun, Isuzu) whereas my French, German, Czech and Italian purchases seemed to go throiugh them for sport. I refuse to trawl the memory banks back far enough to comment on British or British-built yokes.

Check out the blown bulb phenomenon on Golfs and VW Transporters in particular - near-side brake-light and rear light. I've often wondered, in the odd idle moment, if there is a connection between the "ignition-off, indicator stalk down, side-lights on" in VAG vehicles and their propensity for blowing tail-light bulbs - sad or what?

I still can't explain why the indicators on BMW's don't work - too to need them maybe?

on some cars if your tail lights are gone your dashboard lights go out too to let you know.