Headlight switch repair - a pictorial guide

[Funkster 0]

Nope, turned out my CAD jockey friend can't tracke bitmaps to scale, so I never got any pieces cut.

 

Any CAD fiends on the forum?

--

Olly

[fernsie 0]

Nope, turned out my CAD jockey friend can't tracke bitmaps to scale, so I never got any pieces cut.

 

Any CAD fiends on the forum?

--

Olly

 

Do you have the Bitmap and is it to scale, or at least something to scale and the size it should be ?

 

If so, post it up and i'll ask about. I know 1 guy who might be able to get that drawn up. Still need toi find someone to cut it though.

 

As you can probably tell, my headlight switch has just gone, which is a bit of a pain in the arse.

 

Happened when it was dark, so haven't been able to look atr it in day light yet

 

Are the lights useable without the switch ... ie manually do the job of the switch if the switch mechanism is removed ?

 

At the moment a 10mm spanner and the battery lead are my friend to save me getting a dead battery :-)

[Funkster 0]

Here you go:

 

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/oliver.ste ... e_hard.png

 

That should have 1200 dpi embedded into it, and if you trace it you should get the right size and shape. To make my prototypes I just printed it out on the laser, then glued the paper to some sheet metal and filed around it until there was no white left.

 

Usable without the switch internals... probably not. You could always get some normal switches and spade connectors and make up a temporary substitute.

 

hth,

--

Olly

[craigowl 0]

del

[corradophil 3]

If you can wait, because I'm very busy at the moment I can draw it up in CAD as long as the bitmap is proportionaly correct, and you give me at least one definate dimension so I can scale it correctly.

 

Daves16v or whoever will lasercut them, what file format do you want? dxf?

[daves16v 1]

I've already drawn & cut them earlier this year.

[corradophil 3]

Cool, job done then. I think you need a page for your repair parts, so people can buy them easily and save themselves money, and hopefully make you some at the same time.

[fernsie 0]

Craig, your replacement would be ideal and a tenner is fine.

 

You busy this weekend ?

[craigowl 0]

fernsie

 

pm sent.

[bcstudent 0]

I had to take my early headlight switch apart today as something's been jamming it and preventing me from turing the lights on. I expected to see the usual broken rocker problem but instead the green filter for the headlight picture on the switch had come loose. Result.

[fernsie 0]

Headlight repaired thanks for Iain craigowl

[craigowl 0]

Keeping my fingers crossed it doesn't let you down, Stephen!

[fernsie 0]

Well, its holding for now and, either way, gives me time to get my own repaired .... will post back how I get on with a repair for anyone considering it

[selbekk 0]

great article, although I haven't had the problem yet )

 

Perhaps fit for the *drums* knowledge base!

[dinkus 10]

Perhaps fit for the *drums* knowledge base!

 

It is indeed, and it's now been made into a Wiki article complete with a free plug for daves16v's repair kits :D

[daves16v 1]

Perhaps fit for the *drums* knowledge base!

 

It is indeed, and it's now been made into a Wiki article complete with a free plug for daves16v's repair kits :D

 

Cheers Dom :cheers: :D

[fernsie 0]

How much are the wee metal repair bits ?

[ maybe should be in the article too ? ]

[daves16v 1]

£5 inc postage

[dinkus 10]

Wiki updated ;)

[carpoid 0]

I have just pulled apart one of my broken (early) switches expecting to find the broken tabs but didn't.

 

This switch was brand new from VW last year, i had it sent here from the UK.

 

It lasted about a week from memory!

 

It looks like one of the wires for the light bulbs inside the switch had broken off, no idea how, possibly faulty from the start, click on the pic to see it better,

 

climatronic wiring-Golf from May 01.pdf012.JPG[/attachment:2jsdz1zk]

 

Which caused this little spring loaded dome thingy (sitting to the left in the pic below) that sits in the hole that my pen is pointing at

 

015.JPG[/attachment:2jsdz1zk]

 

To become lodged into melted plastic on the switch where my pen is pointing!! It must of got hot in there when the wire came off?? How unlucky!!

 

2.8l 24v Climatronic system.pdf014.JPG[/attachment:2jsdz1zk]

 

So the dome had sank into the plastic, and stopped that whole part of the switch from being able to slide, hence the rocker was jammed and it felt like something had broken or became dislodged inside it.

 

 

When that switch broke back in March 09, i never looked inside it, i was going to send it back to VW but never got around to it, i replaced it with another second hand one which i always had to force from the off position to get the headlights on, i pulled it out and could here something rattling around in it, but it stll worked so i had just lived with it.

 

Until yesterday when a guy went to MOT it, wasn't used to the switch, couldn't get the lights to come on, and the next thing there was smoke pouring out of the dashboard vents because the headlight switch loom was burning its insulation off as described in this thread viewtopic.php?f=19&t=31462

 

I had to take my early headlight switch apart today as something's been jamming it and preventing me from turing the lights on. I expected to see the usual broken rocker problem but instead the green filter for the headlight picture on the switch had come loose. Result.

 

Snap!! This was the cause of it, broken green filter, piece of plastic inside it caused the short by misalligning the contacts. Nightmares :cuckoo:

 

So if your headlight switch feels hard to use, then i'd pull it apart asap, or you might have a small fire and even more of a headache!

 

Good news is that i got one good switch out of the 2 broken ones.

[craigowl 0]

All in all, the switch is a crumby piece of "engineering." Not what the German auto industry likes to think it is associated with.

 

If any of you with an older switch are using your undipped headlights just now (second position) have a feel of the switch - you will find that it runs quite hot to the touch. No wonder the flimsy plastic bits eventually turn to dried snot and the component let you down.