This is no help at all, but, is the car a VW Passat, Audi A4 or a Skoda Superb?
If so I have exactly the same problem and another AW contributor also has the same problem.
If you find a fix could you please let us know what it was.
Thanks.
it's more than likely the switch inside the door that presses when the door is shut has snapped off, (when switch pressed, it opens the circuit and turns the light out) is it just one door that does it or do all doors do it?
On a car the battery is connected to the body of the car at one termnal (usually the negative) then the circuit goes out to the swith and the device and continues back through the body of the car.
The door switch has a single wire and the circuit is completed by its connection to the car body.
It is not uncommon for this connection to get a bit poor with time and taking it off and cleaning up where the screw holds it in to the door may well sort out the problem.
Otherwise it may be the door switch itself and replacing that might be necessary