Side lights on with ignition

[catch_twotwo 0]

Ok.. due to the rules driving in Austria/Germany about having lights on even in the day, I want to change my setup so my sidelights come on with ignition. It's mostly as I keep forgetting and I'll run my battery down again :lol:

 

So.... I've no idea how to do this, and don't really want to pay an arm and a leg for somebody else to do it for me. Anybody done this, or got any pointers ?

[dinkus 10]

The Canadians have running lights, so their headlights are on in the way you talk about and only have a 2 position, rather than 3 position headlight switch.

 

I would assume that by changing the switch, you change the way the headlights operate, but I may be wrong and I also have no idea how horrendously expensive the switches are.

 

The part is listed on the UK ETKA as 535 941 531 E (the E is the important bit!) - switch for lighting with rheostat for panel lighting for models with day driving headlights.

 

Ooh, it's listed for the following countries... "S, N, FIN, DK"

[catch_twotwo 0]

hmmm interesting.

 

Might be worth a try unless anybody else has an easier option.

[Phil K 0]

If it isn't just a straight swap as far as switches go why not wire in a 'lights on' buzzer thus avoiding any future flat batteries?

[catch_twotwo 0]

If it isn't just a straight swap as far as switches go why not wire in a 'lights on' buzzer thus avoiding any future flat batteries?

 

That was the other thought... but me and wiring are a dangerous thing. Have you done this before then ?

 

To be honest I was hoping I could just change the pinouts on my light switch to disable sidelights. The main lights go to side only when you take out the key so disabling the side lights should mean you just turn them off totally.

 

I was worried about the MOT/TÜV implications of this though.

[Kevin Bacon 5]

The two pole switch dinkus describes deletes the sidelight function and they in turn just hook up to an ingition accessory outlet, 5 minutes work.

 

Your three pole plug might not fit the two pole switch tho, which would be the only thing potentially spoling the plug and play party. VW kept fecking about with the headlight plugs and pinouts over the years so there's no guarantees.

 

You could just snip the sidelight connections out of the loom and feed them to the ignition outlet but a redundant switch pole would bug the hell out of me personally :-)

[catch_twotwo 0]

Well nothing in life is simple (with a Rado)