Lights always on?

synthdood

synthdood

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I was playing around with the light switch figuring out how the fogs are switched ( Fog light thread ) when I discovered that if the switch is set at the O position, the lights acually stay on. It seems it is impossible to switch the head lamps off. Is this normal behaviour? I can't find anything about this in the manual (worst and most unlogical manual I have ever read by the way. would've though Audi would have a lot better manuals). I used to have a Volvo that had the lights switched on permanently, but that could be changed by removing a jumper on the back of the light switch.

When I set the switch at O it does switch off the white lights in the dials, but the red needles remain illuminated. Looks kinda weird.

btw: I don't know if it makes any difference but I have the light sensor and leaving/coming home option.
 
On my A3 the needles on the intruments are lit all the time, but no other lights are on. I have the same lighting sensor set-up as you and I tend to leave it in the sensor position most of the time. When I reverse the car out of the garage the headlights come on and it talks a while for the sensor to realise it's not dark any more and switch the headlights off. But if I move the switch to the off position the headlights do go off. I know some European countries have their lights set-up to have headlights as running lights and on all the time, but I don't think Holland is one of them.

 
[ QUOTE ]
synthdood said:


btw: I don't know if it makes any difference but I have the light sensor and leaving/coming home option.

[/ QUOTE ]

I have the 'follow me home' lights also. If it is dark and this option is switched on, when you remove the key from the ignition, the front headlights and rear lights will turn on for a minute. Try turning off 'follow me home' lights, and see if all lights go off then?
 
One other thing that might help - the dials are lit during the day whether you have your lights switched on or not. This is to improve visibility of the dials. As the ambient light drops, the backlighting of the dials will reduce. By the time it is dark, the dials will not be lit at all save for the needles. This has been designed to remind drivers that they have not yet turned on their lights.
I too have the light sensor stuff. The best way to tell if your lights are currently on (during "daytime") is to look for the green "lights on" indicator on the left side of the main dials.
Either that or the cloggy govt. see fit to make you all copy Volvo drivers?
 
Do you mean there should be a green indicator in the instrument panel when the lights are on? I don't have that. Or do you mean the indicator lights around the light switch? I find those rather confusing actually. Too many different colors and things going on around that switch.
 
I also have the the light sensor fitted as standard to my A3 2.0 TDI SE and I agree with jungle. There is a green 'light' symbol on the left of centre within the rev counter instrument that lights up whenever the lights are on.
 
Hmm, I've just checked the user manual and it looks like the indicators in the dials of the sportback are different from the ones in the 3-door. I have the following lights in the rev counter (from left to right):
- EPC
- Indicators on tow/caravan
- ESP
- Exhaust gas check
- High beam

As you see, no light there for normal beam.
 
Synthdood,

I have a Sportback, and there is a light on the dash board for side-lights on, it is green, two semi-circles facing away from each other, with little green light beams coming out them. Don't know if that description will help, but the LED should be there.

Pilot
 
It is odd that there is nothing in the your manual... I'll have to check mine. You're correct in guessing that I have DIS, and you're also correct that it is in one of the dials. It should be in the Rev counter at about North West (if it were a compass dial), cannot quite remember what number that is near... I'll try and post a picture of what it looks like...
 
Here we go, a little something like this:
sidelite.jpg
 
I have definately not seen that one in my car nor in the manual!
I have a day off work next monday, so I can go to the dealer to get this sorted.
 
Synthdood, It is terrible you are having so much trouble with your pride and joy.
I will get a picture to you ASAP as per your request, in the mean time, I can tell you it is next to the '1' on the rev-counter.

Torx screws tend to be for electrical items don't they? Sounds like it comes from the dash
 
Yeppers, there's black Torx screws all over the dash, as I discovered while fiddling around with my radio head unit... there's quite a few holding the aircon/heating control panel in place.
 
Been back to the dealer this morning.

The torx screw came from the dash directly above the accelerator and got caught in the mechanism behind the pedal causing it to get stuck. It must have happend while they put in the handsfree kit (They were full of apologies about this!). That is two issues solved.

They also told me today that that the the lights are allways on because apparently all new model Audis in Holland, i.e. the sportback, are programmed that way since they expect it to become a law that you are always supposed to have the lights on (as it is in Sweden). This can be de-programmed, but it would cost me, the same way that de-programming the auto-lock feature would cost me. Is there anybody on this forum that lives the Netherlands and has VAG-COM? I'd rather drive a few hundred KM to get it done at the other side of the country than fork out €60 to the dealer for a 5minute job.

I didn't follow up on the missing green indicator (yet), because I don't want to /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/swear.gif off the dealer by calling him a liar. The car is still very young and I may need them for guarantee work. Better stay friendly for a while... I would still love that pic though BravePilot, thanx. You say it is next to the 1. That is quite far down. I'll have a good look with a torch to see if I can spot it.
 
It's somewhere around 1400rpm. Try to find some picture of A3 dash with lights on, there you should have it (from some dealer?)

- Yak
 
Thanx Yak!
I've been through some images that I downloaded off several forums a while back and I came across a few pictures off a illuminated A3 dash. One is of a UK 3-door A3 and one of a Dutch demo sportback. They both have the green indicator mark, exactly like you said.

I have a very very strong urge to go back to the dealer and slap /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/10_1_114.gif a few prints outs of these pics around his ears, but as I said, better to stay friendly for now.
 
Just took a torch and had a good good look at the rev dial. You can clearly see where all the indicator lights are when you shine a bright light at the dials, and it looks like there really is no green indicator for the head lights. I'm stumped!
 
Synthdood,

Maybe this makes yours a really rare limited edition... I would keep it that way, and then in years to come you can sell it for millions as a completely unique sportback!
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/woohoo.gif
 
I have the light senser pack and i dont have a green light on the rev counter. When my lights are on the only way i know is that the switch that controls the lights all lights up.
 
Is that picture definitely in a 3 door? (I'm not saying you don't know how many doors your car has, but I wasn't sure if it was mentioned)
 
[ QUOTE ]
Is that picture definitely in a 3 door? (I'm not saying you don't know how many doors your car has, but I wasn't sure if it was mentioned)

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm not sure about that miket... mine's a sportback
 
Hmmm..

Seems like 3 door models don't have a green light and Sportback models do????

There's logic for you. Maybe its a sporty weight saving feature?

Or maybe audi thought that all the kids you put in a sportback are so distracting that you can't remember if the lights are on or not!! (ho ho)

To add to the confusion my 3dr came with a sportback manual - i'm still waiting for the correct one to turn up in the post (manual not car)
 
miket,

Sorry, to complicate things, but 3dr A3 has this light as well, or at least mine does and the two models that I test drove before buying.
 
Look in your manuals - page 22 (check 'english 11-04' or back of cover) Warning and indicator lamps.

In both the sportback and 3 door manuals it shows NO 'lights on' warning lamp! This is plainly not right.

The dealer I spoke to yesterday was going to have a look at a selection of the cars they've got in stock and see.

I've told him that it is a safety issue - in a country where your lights are not set on all the time i.e. the UK, how can you not be able to tell if your lights are on?

Sorry officer that child didn't see me because I didn't know if my auto lights were on or not!
 
I've been following an interresting thread on a German forum ( For those of you that speak German here is the link: www.motor-talk.de thread )

It seems that sometime last November Audi changed the spec for the sportback (don't know about the 3 door) and it no longer has the green light. It just has the lights around the light switch. So it all depends on when your car was built whether it has it or not. I can live with that, because I like my instrument panel to have a clean look. My Vectra also didn't have it, so I guess I'm already used to that.

It still bothers me though that the main beam always stays on. I tend to have the lights on all the time anyway, but I want that to be MY choice and not Audis choice! Also, as I said before, the light sensor is completely useless this way, since all it does is switch the instrument panel lighting on and off. I am going to get this changed, and if they are going to charge me for it, I'll demand the cost of the light sensor back.

Haven't been able to find out yet how to change this behaviour in VAGCOM yet. Does anybody know how? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif

If I can do it myself in VAGCOM, I will buy it. I have seen that you can change the behaviour of the panel lights and central locking and such but haven't found anything about the way the lights themselves are switched yet. For all I know the light switch could even be hardwired into the light relais...
 
miket

Could this be to do with light pack. If you have it you don't have warning lamp because it's operation is automatic.

I have the ermm 'manual' version /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh_roll.gif
 
See the picture at this link:

sportback dash

It shows a car with the green 'lights on' symbol on the tacho. But I notice the illumination round the light control switch is all RED.

Around my light switch, the 'lights on' symbol is GREEN and the 'auto' is YELLOW when selected. When the lights are ON (auto or manual) the GREEN light by the switch comes on.
It's just so small and dim I couldn't see it unless it was pitch black (i got in the car at 11pm on Saturday night and spotted it.
In fading early evening light (when i want to know if auto has put the lights on or not) you can't see it without difficulty.

Can anyone confirm this (either type)?
 
miket,

Yes, I can conform that all my lights glow red ( side lights, headlights ) then I get green light with front fogs on, and yellow light with rear fogs on.

Hope this helps !
 
Japper

I have an A3 - 3 door with the lighting pack. I have automatic lights and I still have the green 'lights on' warning light in the rev counter. My car was built in July 2004. On the light switch I have red for normal lights, green for front fogs and green for rear fogs.
 
Dave,

Seems to be lots of subtle differences between forum members cars eh !

Mine has no automatic light pack, so differs from yours, and both of our cars are 2004 so may differ from miket with a 2005. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/noidea.gif
 
Japper, light sensor pack is an optional extra... mines September 2004, and has the little greenlight on the rev counter... plus the switch on Auto is orange when active (fogs are green). Maybe mine was one of the last with the indicator on the revs.? But I do not see why they would get rid of it... like Miket said, it prcatically rendours the light sensor pack useless as you feel you would have to physically turn the lights on yourself to be sure!
 
[ QUOTE ]
Japper, light sensor pack is an optional extra...

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeh, I know, was just trying to fathom some reasoning for miket's missing light. With all the imput from others but with various spec levels it clouds the answer somewhat !
 
Hmmm..

I think they've just moved the green light from the tacho and made the 'side lights' symbol on the light switch turn green instead of red when side or headlights are on.

I'll try and get a picture.
 
Too right, trouble is, I do not think there is anyone out there who can give the straight truthful answer... nice effort though. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beerchug.gif
 
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