Dashboard switch question???

[Foxmeister]

Does anybody know if the switches on the dash (heated rear window, hazards etc) have any fancy gubbins or are they just standard 12v push contact switches with any relays etc situated in the fusebox or elsewhere? Oh, its pre-facelift i mean aswell. Also the current rating is required, wheres best to find this?

As in these(ignore blue highlighted parts, not them)

 

[B5NUT]

Hazard switch has some extra electronics, not sure about the other switches.

 

[Foxmeister]

Cheers mate, thought i read somewhere the hazard wasnt as simple.

Just need to find out wot i can do with that, and if the other switches are straight forward or not!

 

[B5NUT]

Effectively the front of all the switched are contact switches, if you break them open you could solder wires going to another set of switches, so keeping the original electronics, then just hide the old switches behind the dash.

Are you looking to do a double din conversion?

 

[Foxmeister]

Effectively the front of all the switched are contact switches, if you break them open you could solder wires going to another set of switches, so keeping the original electronics, then just hide the old switches behind the dash.

Are you looking to do a double din conversion?

Thought like that too, problem would be with the heated window switch as unlike the others its not a normal make n break switch so unsure if that would work or if it has anything built into the switch.

Not doing double din, too much hassle searching for the parts etc so im looking at doin a custom panel and switch arrangement to clean up the look of it. Not too fancy and not race look, just banding some ideas about with new switches at the mo.

 

[phoenixv6quattro]

I'm doing this at the moment Foxy. I'm incorporating a TPMS into it. I'm relocating all the top buttons off this panel onto the small piece of cowling between this panel and the steeering wheel. They will be out the way there and hardly visible. All I'm doing for this is lengthening the wires. In there place(the small cubby hole is going too) I will be building the TPMS into the panel. So that leaves the aircon controls and the stereo. I 've got hold of a single din B6 headunit from an s4 cabriolet and converting the wires/fitment to b5(yet to touch that/look at it. Doing the buttons first). The aircon panel is staying where it is. I think that will modernise the dash by a good 5 years or so. Oh, has anyone got any heads up for me regarding the b6/b7 headunit soI know what I'm up against!!

 

[Foxmeister]

I'm doing this at the moment Foxy. I'm incorporating a TPMS into it. I'm relocating all the top buttons off this panel onto the small piece of cowling between this panel and the steeering wheel. They will be out the way there and hardly visible. All I'm doing for this is lengthening the wires. In there place(the small cubby hole is going too) I will be building the TPMS into the panel. So that leaves the aircon controls and the stereo. I 've got hold of a single din B6 headunit from an s4 cabriolet and converting the wires/fitment to b5(yet to touch that/look at it. Doing the buttons first). The aircon panel is staying where it is. I think that will modernise the dash by a good 5 years or so. Oh, has anyone got any heads up for me regarding the b6/b7 headunit soI know what I'm up against!!

Great minds and all that Ollie eh!!! Ha Ha

Sorry mate but wot is the TPMS that you refer to??? Wot are u doin with the switches when moved, remounting them as they are or changing switches for alternatives??? Agree that it will definately bring that section of dash a few years ahead of its time!

Was originally thinking of using alternative switches from another car altogether, whichever ones i liked the look of the switches in at the scrappers or that, but also been looking at Maplin products with view of keeping it simple, but clean and effective. Only real issue i have of goin aftermarket route is how to sign/label each switch and keep it as factory looking as possible, stumped here a bit!

 

[phoenixv6quattro]

The only oe switch I am retaining will be the hazard, and that will be tucked away and only seen when looked for. The rest will be on very simple and small 2 or 3 spade buttons/switches. These will all be OFF the main dash. A TPMS is a tyre pressure monitoring system (see my b7 wheel thread for pics). I,m in two minds about fitting the B6 headunit now as I would NEVER use its CD player. I will probably upgrade my sony unit to something ultra modern. I'm binning the headlight adjuster button as I have never used(or very very unlikely to ever use it), the foglight (front) is already redundant. The only ones that will be kept are the hazards, rear foglight and heated rear screen (though might bin that too undecided, once again hardly ever used......I will either be flushing the holes that are left or putting the tpms there. Its not big enough to cover all of them so that will be going where the ashtray is. There are actually 101 things that could be done. All personal preference....

 

[aragorn]

The hazard switch contains the flasher relay and other gubbins, and the heated rear screen switch contains the latching/timer stuff for the rear screen. Wouldnt be particularly easy to replace these with normal switches, unless your good with electronics. Bear in mind also that the current requirements for the rear screen are pretty impesssive, and a lot of normal switches wont be upto the job. Its also tempting to delete the timer and just run it from a normal switch, but the timer is the reason your 12year old cars screen still works!

Fog lights are just simple switches, and you could even go one better and buy one of the facelift relay boxes so the foglights can be run from momentary switches.

There are companies out there that do aftermarket switchgear, and most of these have label sets with all the symbols you could ever want for your car.

Bear in mind too that rear fog is a legal requirement, and the warning lamp must be visible to the driver

 

[phoenixv6quattro]

I am keeping it simple. No point in making something thats easy overly complicated.....The buttons I do not use (front fogs, headlight adjustment and rear screen heater) will be erased/binned, and the hazard will be relocated out if the way. SIMPLE..........

 

[aragorn]

I'm surprised you never use the rear screen heater. Perhaps its a quirk of having aircon?

I know in ours, if its wet and you get in the car, the windows all steam up pretty quickly, and while the fronts clear pretty quickly, the rears take a long time. Same thing on cold winter mornings, and it helps defrost the rear screen if its icy.

Headlight adjustment is there to compensate for when you've got 4 bods in the car, or perhaps a boot full of *****. Maybe you enjoy driving around blinding everyone, but why not pickup a facelift knee bolster that has the switch on it, so you still have the control, its just out the way of the main console?

 

[Foxmeister]

There are companies out there that do aftermarket switchgear, and most of these have label sets with all the symbols you could ever want for your car.

Any links or names as to who???

Cheers for that Aragorn, thought the demister might contain components aswell. I reckon maybe goin with the original idea that B5NUT said aswell and maybe solder into the existing switches to add the new ones that will be displayed on the dash instead. Need to wait till i pull it apart, maybe this wkend.

Would be greatful for the links with symbols if you can find them Aragorn! Cheers.

 

[phoenixv6quattro]

Aragorn, the only thing I ever have in my boot is a dog. Nobody is EVER in the back its too small, thats why we have a range rover too. However I do enjoy zooming about with my full beams on blinding other drivers. The more fatalities I cause the better. I give myself 10/10 when dismemberment occurs or causing catastrophic haemorageing to kids under 5.......We all do it dont we.

 

[aragorn]

Foxmeister: http://www.mudstuff.co.uk/Carling_Legends.shtml

Phoenix: Lol.

 

[Foxmeister]

Excellent, cheers Aragorn!:icon_thumright:

 

[Foxmeister]

Does anybody know the current running through the switches or where to find this type of info???

Pretty much sussed the ones i need, but the hazard is the problem, from wot i can gather there is 3 outputs from the switch i.e fronts, backs etc. Dont know if this would be possible to work thru one switch with all outputs combined as obviously from the factory they have designed it to be seperate.

 

[aragorn]

The hazard switch contains a logic board and a relay to do the actual flashing

If you wired it all up to a normal switch, the indicators wouldnt work at all, and the replacement switch would simply turn all four lamps on constantly.

 

[Foxmeister]

The hazard switch contains a logic board and a relay to do the actual flashing

If you wired it all up to a normal switch, the indicators wouldnt work at all, and the replacement switch would simply turn all four lamps on constantly.

Yep, already guessed that. Wot im planning on doing is keeping the original switch connected and move it behind the dash, then take new connections from the Feed and Switch side onto the new switch, so effectivly there will be 2 switches connected, but when new one is used the old is still connected to let all the components still operate within it, relay etc. I just need to figure out exactly wot kinda current they run as i imagine it will draw more than a standard on/off switch due to the components etc so i can select new switches capable of carrying the load.

Had a look in the Haynes which supplys wiring diagrams but dont see any ratings for circuits.