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Mystery headlight switch

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I've recently sourced 2 new headlight switches for the late style interior from our cousins in Germany. One from ARZ, another from VW-Classic. These have the part number is 535 941 531 D, and they seem to behave differently from the original ones fitted to the UK ones.

 

Differences:

 

1) All the illumination bulbs are now green - so the circle and the bulb symbol light up green

2) The switches run noticably cooler

3) With ignition on, the headlights come on with dipped beam, with no sidelights or rear markers, almost as if it was a daylight driving switch

 

I would have thought that the headlights should never come on with just the ignition. This seems to make the second position (side lights) redundant.

 

I did have another one of these switches with the same part number which behaved like a normal UK switch, and had an ornage and green bulb and runs very hot.

 

Could this be that these switches are a later variant of the German ones that have been improved and have DRL functionality added as I believe this is now a requirement in Germany ?

Does anyone have any ideas on this ? Just worried that something is wrong with my headlight wiring. If I try one of the Chinese switches it behaves like a normal UK one.

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Keeping those ones as spares! I need to change the bulbs as well so they are both green and abit darker - don't like the bright red.

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Could this be that these switches are a later variant of the German ones that have been improved and have DRL functionality added as I believe this is now a requirement in Germany ?

Does anyone have any ideas on this ? Just worried that something is wrong with my headlight wiring. If I try one of the Chinese switches it behaves like a normal UK one.

 

Later design. Nope, just the left hand drive version and there are only a couple of differences in design.... the extra pin for dim-dip UK lighting is missing. Plus the locating keyway is in a different position.

 

As regards switch cap illumination colour, just a bulb change. Market styling.

Mine were both green in the RHDrive version.

 

The switch works the same, so I think your wiring is suspect somewhere.

 

http://www.the-corrado.net/showthread.php?56755-What-would-the-interest-be-in-new-late-headlight-switches-Pricing-Update&p=730146#post730146

 

Runs cool? Uses the same pigmy bulbs...

 

Keeping those ones as spares! I need to change the bulbs as well so they are both green and abit darker - don't like the bright red.

Put a small spot of black touch up car paint on the crown part of the Red LED inside to dull down the direct illumination. Suggest you use a small patch disc of thick sticky tape first to see if you like it.

 

.

Edited by RW1

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Ok - but why would the Chinese and UK switches work as normal (i.e iginition on, switch off, headlights off) and the German one not (ignition on, switch off, low beam on) ? This would imply no wiring fault, but two switches with exaclty the same fault. FYI I have an upgraded loom fitted and the dim dip disconnected.

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Well on that basis, there is something odd about those switch you obtained. The basic contections and functions are the same in the F, D & chinese versions.

 

.

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That's what I thought - have you got hold of any new ones recenlty to compare ? - and is there any testing I can do with a multimeter to try and figure out what's wrong...

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Yep Chris (RW1) has a couple of mine to compare.

 

This sounds like a bit of an odd problem to do with lighting I've not heard about before.

 

You sound like you've got as many switches as me!

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Now have lots of switches taken apart -but I finally have the chinese switch working to my liking. I was never happy with the way it lit up and the brightness - so I did the following:

 

- I removed the red LED completely

- moved the green one to sit where the red one was to light up the bulb symbol in green

- used bulb covers and switch front from an older switch to dim it make it match the existing lights

 

Now the switch is unlit when not on, and the bulb lights up when in position 2 or 3. Perfect for what I wanr.

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