2013 A3 - Interior lights stay on until I lock car?

[U-boat Commander]

Hi all, new to this forum and new to the A3 that my wife just bought this weekend. We flew out to Burbank on Saturday and drove the car home. We're still orienting ourselves and will have plenty more questions but for now the subject question is really bugging me.

The problem is, if the car is unlocked and all doors are closed, the interior lights stay on. I have seen them stay on for 15 minutes. Main 3-way switch is set to turn on interior lights when doors are opened. Is this expected behavior? If so, is there any way to override it? When the car is at home there is no reason to lock it.

 

[Carefree69]

Regardless of whether you have a need to lock it or not can’t you just....lock it anyway?

It’s a millisecond press of a button on the fob, I’m struggling to be honest.

 

[RichardT]

I NEVER leave my car unlocked, even in my locked garage.

 

[U-boat Commander]

Yes, I could just lock it but for various reasons that's inconvenient. I'm so far out in the sticks that it's not a security issue, especially if the key is in the house 50 yards away from where the car is parked. Why should I have to hike a 100 yard round trip just to throw something in the car for the wife -- or to unload something she left in it? I suppose I could always lock my key up somewhere in the garage but I would have preferred to have the choice to leave the car unlocked.

 

[Carefree69]

All well and good until the scumbags (inevitably) visit your neck of the woods and have easy access to your car. I doubt you’d convince your insurance company that it was a good idea to leave your car unlocked.

The increase in rural crime has been covered pretty extensively on the news and in the media of late. I live pretty rural too but I wouldn’t dream of leaving my car unlocked.

It’s your gamble.

 

[Phutters]

All well and good until the scumbags (inevitably) visit your neck of the woods and have easy access to your car. I doubt you’d convince your insurance company that it was a good idea to leave your car unlocked.

The increase in rural crime has been covered pretty extensively on the news and in the media of late. I live pretty rural too but I wouldn’t dream of leaving my car unlocked.

There's Essex rural, and there's California rural. They really aren't the same thing at all.

When you're out in the sticks in the States, it's quite likely that people won't be able to find you even if they know where to look.

.

 

[Ormesome]

Doesn't the car auto lock anyway after a while? Seriously though, this is one of the worst 1st world problems iv heard of!

 

[Carefree69]

There's Essex rural, and there's California rural. They really aren't the same thing at all.

When you're out in the sticks in the States, it's quite likely that people won't be able to find you even if they know where to look.

.

I didn’t realise that he is in California and frankly it’s irrelevant. An unlocked car is an unlocked car regardless of where you live.

The keys are in your hand when you take them from the ignition so for the sake of the odd walk to the house to get them later on I’d rather just press the lock button. I’d rather walk 50 yards to my house than leave a car unlocked, whether I was in Essex, Edinburgh, The North Pole or California.

 

[Phutters]

The keys are in your hand when you take them from the ignition so for the sake of the odd walk to the house to get them later on I’d rather just press the lock button. I’d rather walk 50 yards to my house than leave a car unlocked, whether I was in Essex, Edinburgh, The North Pole or California.

It appears that the OP would rather not, and it seems a bit unnecessary to give him a hard time over it.

Chacun à son goût.

.
.

 

[AlS3BE]

Just turn the interior light off so it doesn’t automatically turn on or off for any length of time.
Like most said I wouldn’t leave a car unlocked in a secured driveway/car park. Off chance I leave something expensive like my phone there I would like to think it won’t be easy to steal even if I was in the middle of nowhere.

 

[Carefree69]

It appears that the OP would rather not, and it seems a bit unnecessary to give him a hard time over it.

Chacun à son goût.

.
.

Nobody is giving anyone a hard time mate, feel free to re read my posts for clarification.

chateauneuf de pap.

 

[Carefree69]

Just turn the interior light off so it doesn’t automatically turn on or off for any length of time.
Like most said I wouldn’t leave a car unlocked in a secured driveway/car park. Off chance I leave something expensive like my phone there I would like to think it won’t be easy to steal even if I was in the middle of nowhere.

Totally agree, but best say no more as we are giving the OP a hard time apparently

 

[Ormesome]

Just turn the interior light off so it doesn’t automatically turn on or off for any length of time.

Ridiculous suggestion!! stretching in to the car to push a switch to turn the light on once its dark???!!!

 

[AlS3BE]

Ridiculous suggestion!! stretching in to the car to push a switch to turn the light on once its dark???!!!

You only have to do that once and it never comes back on

 

[Phutters]

Nobody is giving anyone a hard time mate...

Okey doke.

Whatever you say.

.

 

[U-boat Commander]

This group sure goes the long way around to say "No effin' clue".

That said, thanks AlS3BE for the single viable workaround posted here.

Looking at a few user profiles, maybe it's just limeys being sore about the way things went last time they tried to tell yanks what to do while they wore white 'X' targets on red jackets, and trying to compensate.

When you're out in the sticks in the States, it's quite likely that people won't be able to find you even if they know where to look.

Very true, and we like it this way. Even friends, given excellent directions, have trouble finding us the first time.

PS the Porsche has been unlocked here for 7 years, as have 3 other vehicles. Never a problem. My wife, a US Army vet, works from home, is almost always here and is a force to be reckoned with -- though that has not been necessary as yet.

 

[testcard]

Looking at a few user profiles, maybe it's just limeys being sore about the way things went last time they tried to tell yanks what to do while they wore white 'X' targets on red jackets, and trying to compensate.

Very cheap shot. You might want to do some work on your diplomacy skills.

 

[Ormesome]

This group sure goes the long way around to say "No effin' clue".

Looking at a few user profiles, maybe it's just limeys being sore about the way things went last time they tried to tell yanks what to do while they wore white 'X' targets on red jackets, and trying to compensate.

Wow, you need to seriously reconsider what you just said, apologise and realise that the replies here were either in good humour or actually concerned for you. If you were clued up on any recent happenings in the UK then you would know that car crime and theft is quite high especially with the S3 model. Many being stolen and houses burgled for keys. No-one has said anything as low as how far you have stooped which could have been super simple considering the state of your country at the moment. Anyway, you're new to the forum, so I'm sure we will all forgive and forget.....

Back on topic, do you have advanced key? ie keyless entry? I do and if I walk away my car auto locks as soon as key is out of signal reach from the car which isn't far. Also, when I shut my door, the interior lights go off almost immediately. This happens even if I don't lock it. Perhaps there is a setting in the MMI somewhere that could help. Have your dad the manual?

 

[AlS3BE]

Everyone calm down. It’s all a bit of banter.
We are all friends here.
Ultimately there’s no need to get upset over something on the internet otherwise we would all be crabbit gits all day.

 

[Carefree69]

Okey doke.

Whatever you say.

.

Okey doke.

Bore off.

 

[U-boat Commander]

Seems I can't edit, there appears to be a 61 minute time limit for that. If an admin would care to do so as well as the quoted instances that's fine. I didn't mean to offend, I had hoped that folks here would be as thick skinned and inclined to laugh it off as I have seen on other car forums. Speaking in the general sense of course; I do not go out of my way to talk smack about any demographic, though to share a moment of self-awareness I have had more than a belly full of the likes of Piers Reid and John Oliver doing exactly that, telling us Americans that they know better than we what's good for us and ridiculing those who think differently.

So, I apologize for any offense, and for letting my ire at the aforementioned bellyfull spill over.

I do know that crime is up all over as the gap between the haves and the have-nots widens. However, I thought I made it very clear in the OP, certainly by my second post, that this is not something that impacts me.

I am still a little taken aback at the level of "Let's tell him how to behave" vs. "Let's address a technical question". Thanks Ormesome for engaging on the latter tack.

To answer the questions posed, The car has keyless entry and I have been all through the menu on the dash -- no joy. The manual seems to be no help, though I will go through it again. Can features like this be accessed via OBD2?

 

[Svenedin]

Is the car new or second hand? If it isn't something to do with the position of the switch that controls the interior lights then maybe it is a microswitch or other sensor that tells the car a door is shut? You may be able to find which door is causing the problem by opening and closing them. I'm working on the assumption that the car thinks a door is open and the most likely culprit is the driver's door since that is the one most often used. Are you sure it isn't the 3 position switch? I think the switch positions are on/off/auto. The fact the lights go off when the car is locked is presumably just because the car turns almost everything off when locked so that the battery isn't flattened.

 

[AlS3BE]

I think I kinda figured it out, not quite fully tested yet as it’s dark and raining outside. Was just mucking about to see what the issue was when I was at the shops.
It’s to do with your headlight switch.
When the headlight switch is on auto and it’s dark outside my interior light stays on if I don’t lock my car but as soon as I lock it the light goes out.
If the headlight switch is at off the light goes out as soon as I close the door.
Mine is a facelift(2018) so may work differently to pfl or other cars.

 

[Svenedin]

I think I kinda figured it out, not quite fully tested yet as it’s dark and raining outside. Was just mucking about to see what the issue was when I was at the shops.
It’s to do with your headlight switch.
When the headlight switch is on auto and it’s dark outside my interior light stays on if I don’t lock my car but as soon as I lock it the light goes out.
If the headlight switch is at off the light goes out as soon as I close the door.
Mine is a facelift(2018) so may work differently to pfl or other cars.

Excellent! I'm not going to test it either just now because it is sleeting and my car is some distance away but this sounds very plausible!

 

[BillyGiann]

Another option is to unlock/lock the car from home, at least my remote (oem) is ok with a distance of 50+ yards

 

[josul]

I think I kinda figured it out, not quite fully tested yet as it’s dark and raining outside. Was just mucking about to see what the issue was when I was at the shops.
It’s to do with your headlight switch.
When the headlight switch is on auto and it’s dark outside my interior light stays on if I don’t lock my car but as soon as I lock it the light goes out.
If the headlight switch is at off the light goes out as soon as I close the door.
Mine is a facelift(2018) so may work differently to pfl or other cars.

Good work!

If this is not the case then does the dash display that any doors are open when you think they are shut? Do you have access to scan for errors?

 

[AlS3BE]

Good work!

If this is not the case then does the dash display that any doors are open when you think they are shut? Do you have access to scan for errors?

I have the virtual cockpit so that shuts down When I turn off my car. Not sure what errors you are looking for, I do have access to scan for errors

 

[josul]

I have the virtual cockpit so that shuts down When I turn off my car. Not sure what errors you are looking for, I do have access to scan for errors

I was meaning for the OP to check that out if your theory fails him.