Location of brake light switch

The brake light switch is fitted high above the pedals, between the brake and clutch.

You'll need to remove the trim panel under the steering wheel to access it properly and probably also the air ducting there too.

There is a 4-wire connector going to it and removal is merely a case of twisting 90 degrees and pulling rearwards.

Cheers,

Mike
 
Not strictly speaking necessary, as dr_jones will testify, when I connected his new cruise system into the brake switch yesterday.

You can get away with unclipping the top of the trim panel and folding it down to gain access. There are 3 clips, 2 on the door side of the steering wheel, 1 on the other side.

You'll also need to remove the light switch too, which is a case of pressing the knob in, turning clockwise slightly and pulling the assembly out.

Cheers,

Mike
 
I am trying to remove the trim panel under the steering wheel but i can't seem to release the three clips (in this image i found online, its the points marked 3) to be able to gain access to the break light switch.

Can someone please tell me how i release them and remove the lower A pillar too i a bit of detail.

I am new to this kind of stuff and i dont want to force something too much and end up snapping things off.

Thanks for your time.
JPA

A68.jpg
 
Thanks, do i then yank it straight down, down and rotating towards the back or yank straight back towards the rear of the car?

As for the Lower A-Pillar do i just have to be pull it all out with some manly force?
 
The three clips you mention should be undone by pulling the panel straigh back towards the rear of the car.

If you're careful, there's no need to remove the lower A pillar trim at all - just gently folw the lower dash panel down over the other panel at the door side and Bob's your uncle!

Cheers

Mike
 
So last night i gave it another go and BINGO!!!

I managed to remove the trim panel under the steering wheel without completely removing the A-Pillar trim. And after about 30 minutes i managed to change the brake light switch and everything seems to be back to normal where the break lights come on everytime i press the brakes and not just every now and then so now i feel alot safer on the roads.

Thanks Skipton for your help, I have never really done any mechanic stuff before but it saved me £50 (which is what the Audi garage quoted me) and now I feel like even more of a man!!!


Pablo.
 
Got to do this today - same symptoms. Unfortunately it's snowing and blowing a gale. Ah the life of an A2 owner!

Called Audi... apparently this is a special order part, none in the UK and will take a minimum of 5 days? For a £15 electrical plunger?
 
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Me too. My brake light operation, whilst passing its MOT, is becoming a little bit more selective.
 
Audi apparently are examining all the failed brake switches to work out why the failure is so high. Good luck with mine, I soldered new copper pads inside it to pass the MOT and then swapped it out afterwards.
 
Thanks for update craigyb. Last thing that went electrical-wise was reverse light switch, but no real issues to speak of.
 
Brake lights now fixed. If you're attempting this job I'd leave the A piller trim as per Mike's note. Push the side A piller trim at the top where it meets the trim under the dash - and you can access the hidden bolt which is on the right hand side. Price for the brake light switch is now £11.29 inc. VAT.
 
Isn't a 1J0 part number a VW Golf part originally?
If so how easy are these parts to obtain from a VW dealer?
I know with the plug on the rear of the headlight switch it was a "special order" part with Audi (when I emailed) but the same dealer had the same part in stock for a Golf in store.

John
 
I need to change this on my car. The radio had some horrible interference that stopped with the brake being pressed and then the DIS showed an alarm for brake light bulbs. I checked and all the bulbs work and then I looked in the manual and it could be a problem with the switch.
I went to buy the switch and it has now been replaced by a newer version: 1CO 945 511A.

It is like the original but in green plastic and made in Malta!
 
On the LHD A2 1.2Tdi it was a very easy job. It just required the under steering wheel trim panel to be pulled clear and the torx screw in the back of the base to be undone.
Once the trim is loose the switch is exposed and can be changed without having to move any airconditioning pipes or anything else.
 
On a related note:
Did Audi ever recall the brake light switch?
VW did sometime in the early 2000's (certainly in the USA) as they were not felt to be durable enough.
If the recall applied to all vehicles with this part worldwide then some of the early A2 switches should be up for recall.
My switch was as far as I could tell (from manufacturing date) the original and so would have fallen into the US recall (I think).

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/money/autos/2007-02-26-volkswagen-recall_x.htm


The part numbers for the A2 switches are identical.
 
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