Recently bought a 2002 R50. The previous owner upgraded the transmission to the 6-speed GETRAG.

I noticed that the back up light didn't work. So, I switched out the bulb, no difference. After some research I found out that the back up light switch on the transmission dies pretty commonly. So, I ordered a new switch. I took off the wheel well to install the replacement and much to my surprise, there was the old switch with no wire attached. I've been searching the best I can with the front end on jack stands. It's not easy to dig around under there with the car so low to the ground.

Can anyone point me in the direction of the wire coming from the light in the rear of the car to the engine compartment? I sure hope whoever put in the new transmission didn't just clip the wire or something...

 

I had the same problem after I bought my R53. After ordering a new switch and realizing the wire was not visible, I searched for an hour or so, and found it tucked between the back of the block and the heat shield. Not sure how different the R50 looks in that area, but try feeling around down there.

 

I dug around but still no luck. Can anyone tell me where the wire enters the engine compartment? I want to see if I can trace it from the firewall or wherever it comes in.