Fitting universal headlight buzzer

[leenowell]

Audi Audio / Video / Electronics / Security Audi Owners Club (UK)

Fitting universal headlight buzzer By leenowelll, 22 hours ago in Audi Audio / Video / Electronics / Security a4 leenowelll 0 leenowelll Posted 22 hours ago Hi

I have tried an Audi forum for this but no joy as yet. Thought one of you might know

I have a 2004 A4 Avante and the headlight buzzer has stopped working. My w ife has now left the lights on 3 times and flattened the battery. After a lot of searching, it seems the buzzer is in the instrument cluster and fixi ng it seems a bit risky. I have come across a universal kit

which looks like it will do the trick. I have no real car electrics experi ence but as far as I can make out, I need to connect the red wire to the li ve of the headlights (i.e. it is live when the lights are on) and the black one connected to either the door switch (such that it goes to earth when d oor is opened) or ideally to something that goes to earth when the ignition is turned off.

I have found a few YouTube videos which seem to imply that this can be conn ected into the fuse board somehow but on the A4 I can't fix out where I wou ld connect it to?

Anyone have any ideas?

Thanks

Lee.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Must admit to being surprised a car that new allows you to leave the headlights on when you switch the engine off.

And, of course, many newer cars don't have simple 'analogue' wiring and switching.

I would make it only work when a door is opened. As you may wish on occasions to have the lights on while in the car, but engine stopped. But it may then work if you switch on the interior lights from the dash too.

The Ebay advert appears to give wiring instructions. Should be able to pick up the sidelights feed from beside the switch and also the ground switched from the interior lights circuit.

Best to Google for a wiring diagram for your car which should give the appropriate wire colours.

[leenowell]

Sorry should have said. It does have a buzzer but it is broken. Requires the whole instrument cluster to be removed and a new one soldered in which my kill the whole thing. Was thinking this might be simpler.

[Max Demian]

Yeah after flattening the battery of my Mk1 Escort I wired the lamps through a relay so they turned off when the ignition was off. And a switch to turn on the offside side and rear lamps for parking. There was a warning light too, but I forget when it came on. I guess modern cars are more complicated to fiddle with the electrics.

[tabbypurr]

ou might know

wife has now left the lights on 3 times and flattened the battery. After a lot of searching, it seems the buzzer is in the instrument cluster and fi xing it seems a bit risky. I have come across a universal kit

rience but as far as I can make out, I need to connect the red wire to the live of the headlights (i.e. it is live when the lights are on) and the bla ck one connected to either the door switch (such that it goes to earth when door is opened) or ideally to something that goes to earth when the igniti on is turned off.

nnected into the fuse board somehow but on the A4 I can't fix out where I w ould connect it to?

An LED & resistor would be a lot less annoying

NT

[Dave Plowman (News)]

If you are referring to me, I'd suggest you read the post again, and carefully. Instead of making a fool of yourself.

[James Wilkinson Sword]

1) Stop using the headlights in broad daylight.

2) Notice there's a bright light coming from the front of the car when you get out of it when it's dark.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

My oldest car - some 30 years old - switches off the headlights with the ignition. Obviously, the sidelights remain on. And every car I've bought since does the same. My newest one has a timer function which allows you to leave the headlights on for a fixed period after you stop the engine to light your way to the house, etc. But you have to select that.

Might be different with HID headlights which may not like being switched on and off quickly.

[Adrian Caspersz]

Do the interior lights come on when the drivers door is open? The 'lights on' buzzer is logically wired to that, as well as the lighting switch, all courtesy of the CCM.

Central Electronic Comfort Module

Might benefit putting an OBD scanner on the car.

2004 is the optimal year it seems for VW group vehicles to start having electrical problems. My Skoda Octy is starting the journey, the PVC sheathing of some lighting cables in the boot are cracking :-(

[Max Demian]

The Escort would have been made 46 years ago. More recent cars - like 35 years - have just left the side lights on as you describe. Or had an audible warning.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Most do have an audible warning, as few would start the next morning if the sidelights were left on overnight. Although you're far more likely to leave them on in daylight. Seems to be the fashion to use lights in anything other than bright sunshine.

[NY]

Interesting you say that every car you've bought in the last 30 years had headlights that only work when the ignition is on. You evidently buy a different (more up-market?) type of car to me. With one exception (I *think* it was my father's Ford Sierra) all the cars I've owned/driven have had headlights that work all the time - either with or without a warning buzzer. Those include a couple of Renault 5s, a couple of VW Golfs, three Peugeot

306s or 308s and a Honda Civic. I'm not sure about our new Honda CRV with HID lights. I'll have to try sometime - it's odd that I've never noticed one way or the other; it gives a light-on buzzer, but that's for sidelights as well, as I think is the case for my Peugeot.

Are regards the cars which have a delay timer that leaves the headlights on for a short time after you stop, the configurable options I've seen have been on without ignition versus on for a delayed time, as opposed to on only with ignition versus on for a delayed time.

The delayed headlights feature makes a very big assumption: that you drive

*forwards* into your drive and therefore the headlights will shine towards your front door. At my last house, we always reversed our cars onto the drive, partly to be able to manoeuvre one car around and alongside the other and partly so we're not reversing out onto a busy road, when driving out forwards gives extra visibility of passing cars and pedestrians. Shame cars don't have the option of turning the reversing lights on instead of the headlights for this situation :-)

A headlight reminder buzzer is very useful, especially during daylight when the backlight from the headlights on the car, fence, hedge etc in front is not so obvious. I once did this on a snowy day when I went to the dentists. I remember it was snowy because of the extra difficulty it caused in bump-starting the car when another motorist in the car park gave me a push.

Now it's part of my sub-conscious "cockpit drill" when I park: check that lights are off (look at warning light on dashboard), waggle gear lever from side to side to prove that it's in neutral before letting clutch up, check that handbrake is fully on, etc.

[NY]

I tend to drive on dipped headlights during the day in two situations: where I'm going in and out of shady wooded areas and it's harder to see cars/pedestrians in the wood when my eyes are still adapting from bright sunlight (*); on a twisty single-track road, where a glimpse of my headlights seen through walls/hedges might allow an oncoming car to see me sooner and start to slow down, and where a glimpse of his lights will do the same for me. That's for my own car which doesn't have DRLs; in our new Honda, with DRLs, dipped headlights to make myself visible are less necessary because the DRLs do the same job,

Obviously I use dipped headlights in rain or mist/fog, but then that's always been strongly advised (or maybe even mandatory - I'll have to check my Highway Code).

(*) And so headlights help both with seeing objects, and with being seen and therefore warning people of my presence.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Surely a lights on reminder is better? That's what is common. The headlight bit being irrelevant? As most cars can't run the normal (tungsten) sidelights etc for that long. Parking lights are different, as they switch off one side and all the instrument lighting. Although now LEDs are becoming the norm it could be the battery will last rather longer.

[leenowell]

Thanks Adrian. Unfortunately the interior lights seem to work fine. Thanks for the youtube link but unfortunately I can't hear any voice over (is it just me) so not sure what he is saying. Based on your comment, do I wire the buzzer to the CECM somehow?

Thanks

Lee

[Adrian Caspersz]

Nope, that's what probably is already wired in. Leave alone ;-)

I was interested in whether your interior lights switch on when you open the drivers door, as that is part of the CECM controlled reminder system

- and it's possible you could just have a faulty driver door switch.

Weird stuff happens to CECM controlled things as it seems to suffer from getting wet - one of many problems you'll unearth through googling.

However, it's possible that your car might not have it - what do I know, I only google things. Armchair Mechanic ;-)

[Richard]

On 03/03/18 00:13, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

Well, if you didn't snip the content of the original post, which I have inserted below...

On 02/03/18 14:57, [e-mail] wrote: > udi Audio / Video / Electronics / Security > > > > > Audi Owners Club (UK) > > > > > > > > > Fitting universal headlight buzzer > By leenowelll, 22 hours ago in Audi Audio / Video / Electronics / Security > a4 > leenowelll 0 leenowelll > > Posted 22 hours ago > Hi > > I have tried an Audi forum for this but no joy as yet. Thought one of you might know > > I have a 2004 A4 Avante and the headlight buzzer has stopped working. My wife has now left the lights on 3 times and flattened the battery. After a lot of searching, it seems the buzzer is in the instrument cluster and fixing it seems a bit risky. I have come across a universal kit > >

> > which looks like it will do the trick. I have no real car electrics experience but as far as I can make out, I need to connect the red wire to the live of the headlights (i.e. it is live when the lights are on) and the black one connected to either the door switch (such that it goes to earth when door is opened) or ideally to something that goes to earth when the ignition is turned off. > > I have found a few YouTube videos which seem to imply that this can be connected into the fuse board somehow but on the A4 I can't fix out where I would connect it to? > > > Anyone have any ideas? > > Thanks > > > Lee.

YVW

[ARW]

My van sometimes switches off the headlights when you turn the engine off, sometimes it does not.

Mind you one of the other vans I use when mine is in for repair sometimes leaves the wipers and radio running when you turn the engine off until you put your foot on the brake.

FIATs are so good.

[Richard]

Damn. My current car is so boring, it doesn't do random stuff. Should I take the plunge and try a Fiat?

[ARW]

When I was getting home from work on Tuesday in the snow and ice (90 minutes to do 3 miles) I managed to get 4 different engine management warning lights on!