A4 avant electrical problem

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gavk75

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Hi - new to the forum - haven't had a chance to put up in the welcome section yet - but will do soon.

My A4 B6 avant - 1.8T has developed one or two little gremlins over the past while. The light warning buzzer never worked so I'm hoping what I'm about to say isn't the start of a catastrophic failure... The rear drivers side passenger door doesn't activate the interior light - neither does the boot. The seatbelt warning doesn't work either for either front seat. I've hooked it up to vag-com and there are no issue. In the same vein the rear drivers side door and boot don't show up when open but the other 3 doors do.

Could it be a break in the circuit between the rear door and the boot causing the issue or a bigger one? Any advice would be great before I run the battery down completely !!

Any advice/tips/info would be great. I don't plan to get rid of the car any time soon

Thank - Gav
 
I can't comment on the interior lights, there may be faulty switches in the door shuts...

But RE the seat belt warning, my avant doesn't have this feature. I know there is a blank space in the dash for this light but I can't recall if it comes on when i turn the key. I'll have to double check for you tomorrow night. :)
 
gavk75 said:
Hi - new to the forum - haven't had a chance to put up in the welcome section yet - but will do soon.

My A4 B6 avant - 1.8T has developed one or two little gremlins over the past while. The light warning buzzer never worked so I'm hoping what I'm about to say isn't the start of a catastrophic failure... this could be due to water ingress or the speaker is faulty. The speaker is at the back of the speedo cluster.

The rear drivers side passenger door doesn't activate the interior light - neither does the boot. iirc there is a mirco switch in the lock mechanism. I had a similar issue on my B5 so it may not be the same. Replace the lock part or strip and check the switch.

The seatbelt warning doesn't work either for either front seat. My A4 doesn't have this feature.

I've hooked it up to vag-com and there are no issue. In the same vein the rear drivers side door and boot don't show up when open but the other 3 doors do.

Could it be a break in the circuit between the rear door and the boot causing the issue or a bigger one? Any advice would be great before I run the battery down completely !!

Any advice/tips/info would be great. I don't plan to get rid of the car any time soon

Thank - Gav
Click to expand...

Dan
 
EDIT: @ DAN - you said about water ingres - would this prevent the buzzer activating? Would I need to change the switch or just check the speaker behind the cluster?

That's great - thanks for all you're input... Re: the seatbelts - I need to check if that feature. I will take out the cluster and check the speaker. Re the door and bootlid I suppose it would make sense the switch needs to be checked.

Will have a look over the weekend and see whats faulty.

Gav
 
PS. the cluster is really easy to remove. the little black trim between the mode and check buttons simply pulls off with minimal force. there's 2 T25 screws down the holes either side of the check and mode buttons. get 2 long nose pliers and pull the wee tabs towards you (may need a good tug). there's 2 plugs on the back, press the middle down on them and the wee purple clip slides over and pushes them out for you. :)
 
That sounds easy enough - will check it now. I'll check it with the multi-meter - or do you have an easier way to check the speaker?

Thanks TwedA4!
 
Right - got the cluster out - fiddley is a word I'd use but once you undo the two botls a good firm grip will move the cluster easily enough (thanks again for the help!). Looks like the speaker is gone. Not getting any current on it - double checked with the local multi-meter guru in here too.. Next thing is to replace it? Anyone had any luck doing this? Cut it and replace it with a similar or get the correct part?

My multi-meter guru in here is handy with a solder iron so any idea? Thanks
 
The door closed switches are built into the lock mechanisms and can only be accessed when the whole lock is removed, they cannot be bought separately its a whole new lock im afraid if it is broken. My drivers side rear door was doing the same but was traced to a break in the wires which run through the rubber boot between the door and pillar, check here first it is a common problem over time they break, worth checking all the doors. My cluster buzzer also doesnt work anymore and i do have a replacement to fit from a donor cluster i bought from ebay, im pretty handy with a soldering iron but am apprehensive to do it in case i fry something. I will have a go next summer i think, it does look quite easy to do though
 
Will take a look at the wires swarcup - thanks for the tip!

I wonder does it loop to the boot lid? I definately think it's a faulty wire now. The boot showed as open in the cluster before I took out the cluster. If they are linked I might run a test on the cable. Has to be a faulty connection - unless the switch hasn't completely burnt out.

Cheers for the tip - still scouring the web to see if there is an easy fix for this buzzer. I don't think the car has a seat belt warning or at least it doesn't light up when the iginition is turned on.
 
Re the boot light - the wires for this break at the lhs boot hinge where they run through a rubber flexi doo dar from the body to the boot lid. I intend to fix mine today.
 
My 53 plate B6 doesnt have a seat belt warning. The 54 plated B7 I had some years ago did. Mike.
 
might be worth checking but i think the seatbelt feature can be activated and de-activated in vcds
 
Successfully repaired the wire to my boot latch microswitch today, giving me illumination again, but I should say mine's a saloon so may not apply to the avant.
 
Good job Gurner - haven't looked at the wire in the avant yet but will do later.

Still trying to source a similar speaker for the dash. Have located a replacement in the US for 99 dollars... bit pricey for what it is. I think it's time to call around the breakers.
 
Sourced this speaker from a two way radio - it's roughly the correct size - going to solder it in tomorrow and check if it will replace the warning buzzer behind the dash..

Radio speaker
 
Checked the cabling by doing the alarm test on the rear drivers side and boot. The lights flashed when the doors were open - so I suppose that means it's the switch in the locks. The internal lights never came on and they didn't show as opened in the console.

now to source two micro switches and see what happens.
 
Check the wires first - it's free! Symptoms for severed/disconnected wires are same as for faulty switch
 
That's the plan - haven't gotten around to checking the wiring in the door/boot lid. I'll see to that before ordering anything.
 
Opened up the connector on the rear door - can't see any issues with the cables. They look brand new in fact. Have to look at the boot later. Looks like it could be a switch or I need to take the door card off and go through each cable and test them.
 
Did you solve your buzzer issue with replacing the speaker?

Mine doesn't work and the car has suffered from water ingress which resulted in the PO have some electrical repair work carried out to have some of the functions working again.

Check your bulkhead area for the drain bungs and see if they're clear. If you need to, search for it as it is a well covered subject on the B6's.

Dan
 
Fixed - new speaker is a perfect - will post pics
 
This is the fix - new speaker is from a walky-talky (not a kids one..). It's a little bigger than the speaker already in place so it's sitting on the existing one. I used glue dots to hold in it place and the new speaker is wired in using the red and white cable to the two mount to the left - as you look at the rear of the console.

Two solders hold the cables in place - one to either side of the mount. It's a bit bulkier than the previous speaker so the casing is a little tight to put back on. But only by a few mm and the torq screws secure the casing so it shouldn't move or get shorted out... I hope...

Rear console1
Rear console2
 
nice to hear someone has fixed the speaker, gives me confidence to do mine, did you unsolder the legs from the board or chop them and fix to the remaining stubs? damn wish id seen the photo before id finished typing. lol
 
No - I never cut anything or modified a thing. Literally just glued the new speaker on top of the old (it's bust anyway) and soldered a cabled from the new speaker to the mounts. No cutting - no mods - literally took 5 mins to solder the cable onto both ends.
 
Ah - listed as private - should be able to view it now..
 
Great job. Now, I don't suppose you took measurements of the speaker before fitting it? I'd like to source one before removing the dash to fix as the Audi is a daily car.

Cheers,

Dan
 
Dan - I never measured the speaker - but it was only a few mm larger then the existing one. If I get a chance over the weekend I'll pull the dash and measure it

Cheers - Gav
 
I have ordered a speaker, 49mm, from Maplins. It's sole purpose is for loudspeakers/sirens so should be fit for the job. Will report back once fitted.

Dan
 
Update.....finally removed the cluster for the first time today and the replacement speaker is too big. it's too wide and deep. So back to the drawing board and now with some measurements of the original speaker I have ordered some Mylar super thin speakers for PCB. When i say some, I mean 10!

So once I have them here and fitted one etc I will have some spare for sale and will be a cheap fix for others too.

The new speakers are 3.45mm thick! So if any modding to the case is required then it will be a light shave to the plastic speaker tunnel on the rear housing. It may fit on and the case may 'bow' a little, but as it's hidden it won't be seen anyway. I will report once they arrive and take some pics.

The speakers work out at £2.10 each, so for £3 I could post one out if you were to be interested in fixing your chimeless cluster.

Cheers,

Dan
 
Last edited:
I have finally fixed mine now as well. i had a spare cluster I bought a year ago with a good speaker in. I simply cut the legs where they entered the pcb and then slotted it straight over the broken one so it was just sitting on top of the old one and where the legs touched soldered them together, the case wouldn't quite close so I removed the end of the circular piece on the rear of the cluster case, the bit with the holes in. All works a treat.
 
I used a junior hacksaw blade and a little perseverance. The plastic is quite tough but if you remove it a piece at a time it's a lot easier
 
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So, my speakers arrived today and I was impressed....

The thickness was also surprising...




So with the dash out again, I decided to take a pic of how the rear part sits on the front part as standard. Where my torx driver is pointing is the join line:


This is the new speaker just stuck on the old one by the magnet:


This is the case back together without any modification to the rear plastic channel and new speaker in situ. Notice the gap now:


The old magnet here is present but I have removed this as I didn't want it to interfere with the new speaker magnet, I used a soldering iron and just melted through the holes to remove the speaker


Now the speaker is glued down, I couldn't find the super glue so I used JB Weld epoxy :)




As the rear cover sits ajar without modification, I set about with my soldering iron and removed a few mm off. Do this in a well ventilated area if you chose to do the same!! I didn't get a photo of the mod but it's obvious what you need to do there.

And now it's all finally back together, nice and flush like OEM:


I still have 9 of these speakers. So if you wish to fix your dash speaker I can do them at £3 posted each.

Cheers,

Dan
 
Looks good Dan - fair dues! The one I used left a small gap when I closed the rear of the console - but that looks perfect.

Gav
 
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gavk75 said:
Looks good Dan - fair dues! The one I used left a small gap when I closed the rear of the console - but that looks perfect.

Gav
Click to expand...

Couldn't/Wouldn't of done it without your previous posts & pics. But seems to be a common issue? now so thought with your input and mine, we can help others.

Dan
 
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