Headlight switch removal ?.

Dave M

Dave M

Admin Team
United-Kingdom
Ive just tried to remove the headlight switch but it appears a bit more complicated than "turn the knob to the right and pull". I can get the facia off ok but the turn switch unit remains stuck fast in a "housing". I can see that there are two protruding small black plastic lugs (one on the top and one on the bottom of the switch body) which appear to be spring loaded - a kind of lock in mechanism. How do you get these lugs to retract please so that i can take the switch unit out of this housing ?.

Many thanks
Dave
:)
 
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Special edition said:
Ive just tried to remove the headlight switch but it appears a bit more complicated than "turn the knob to the right and pull". I can get the facia off ok but the turn switch unit remains stuck fast in a "housing". I can see that there are two protruding small black plastic lugs (one on the top and one on the bottom of the switch body) which appear to be spring loaded - a kind of lock in mechanism. How do you get these lugs to retract please so that i can take the switch unit out of this housing ?.

Many thanks
Dave
:)
Click to expand...


Hi,

the fascia isn't meant to come off! Its held by clips on the main body and the parts on the fascia break very easily. If the panel below the steering wheel for example has been removed without first extracting the light switch then it will break the fascia as it sits on top of the panel. Mine is broken from previous unskillful trim removal but it does stay in place when you push it home so it shouldn't be a problem.

As to removing the light switch, when you turn the switch to the right from the off position you need to press in. You will find that the turning part moves into the switch body part of the way round. You then need to carry on turning while pushing until you find resistance and it stops moving. In that position, the fixing lungs have been retracted and the switch handle is locked so you can now pull it to remove the switch body. You need to keep the handle rotated in that position when you pull so that it remains locked and the lugs retracted.

regards

Andrew
 
Thankyou Andrew - much appreciated !. It worked - i was pulling instead of pushing :)
 
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How coincidental! I have removed my dash today, but I simply couldn't remove that switch! I tried pressing it in and turning to the right, but it just wouldn't come out! So when the whole dash came forward, I was able to detach the electrical connections from the rear of the switch. That still leaves the problem of removing the complete unit, because it has to go into another dash ... and I also fear that I may have damaged it ...

David
 
I don,t know if it helps but when you push in and turn to the right it doesn,t turn very far at all. The resistance you then feel is the plastic retaining lugs retracting within the switch - do not turn any further because the lugs are then locked in and the whole unit should then pull out. :)
 
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Headlight switch LED,s 001.JPG. Jeff "J3FVW" provided me with a donor headlamp switch this morning - thanks Jeff. I then set about swapping over the LED motherboard as the top three lights had packed in on mine.

Using only a very small flat blade screwdriver it was relatively simple. First i took the facia off to get more leverage on separating the circular rear switch section.
Headlight switch LED,s 002.JPG

Pull the rear switch section apart to expose the LED motherboard.
Headlight switch LED,s 004.JPG
Headlight switch LED,s 005.JPG

Gently prise off the faulty LED board.
Headlight switch LED,s 006.JPG
Headlight switch LED,s 007.JPG

Replace with the good LED board and re assemble in reverse order - i now have all headlight light switch lights working - good result !.
Headlight switch LED,s 008.JPGHeadlight switch LED,s 009.JPG

There will be a way of soldering the old one but i,m not competent enough to do that !

Ta
Dave
:)
 
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Olerype said:
Yes (without scratching..)
Click to expand...
I did wonder if you meant just the front rotary thumb piece and not the whole lot. Basically you have to defeat four lugs and it pulls through the front fascia, but it is HIGHLY likely to sustain some damage. I'm tired, it's late and will post a full account of what's needed tomorrow.

Andy
 
Quick way is to remove the whole lot from the car, Then turn the lights to headlights and pull for both fog lights. Then as @Andrew has said unclip and now with the free play between the knob and fascia it is far easier to remove without scratching the fascia. Why are you removing the switch?
 
The rotary knob to be removed before the back housing is removed by the clips. To pull the rotary knob through the facia will certainly make some damage, and it can not be how Audi assemblied it I think
 
I can again confirm the rotary knob does NOT have to be removed first. Just remove the whole assembly by disconnecting the 2 wiring connectors. Then with the knob facing away from you insert thin metal wedges over the locking locations on the switch body to fascia to release them. Now turn the switch to headlights and pull out to switch on the fogs ( easier if you have front fogs. With the knob still facing you pull the switch rearwards, once a little off place your thumb on the upper part on the knob where the indicator line is and gently press it through the fascia, the lower part of the knob will now pivot and release from the fascia. refit is the reverse so start with the switch in headlight and fogs mode, hook the lower knob through the fascia and then gently ease the top of the knob through, locate the switch into the fascia clips, turn off switch, reconnect 2 looms, push the light switch into the dash as as it nears home push the knob only in while you twist it towards side lights to retract the pawls that lock the assembly into the dash. Once in rotate the switch back to off.
 
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Good Afternoon,

Sounds like you have succeeded in detaching the barrel from the front, but I took some pictures and might as well include them for anyone reading the thread in the future.

Front facia is attached to rear switch barrel by 4 lugs at quarter hour points, one such point

SAM_4210.JPG


The red arrowed tabs are location stops and the yellow arrow the lug.

In situ the lugs protrude through small windows, one such here.

SAM_4211.JPG


The top of each window is a delicate strip of plastic, that as audifan says must be eased over the lug with a thin wedge of some kind. The strip is very likely to break ,:(!

SAM_4214.JPG


This switch was being swapped out for a hard touch switch and was scrap as far as I was concerned so no loss, I suppose if it mattered and great care taken damage free removal is possible. Very easy and suitable for a superglue repair if required!

Should have said pull the thumb piece to fog position at the start. To confirm the front thumb piece will pass through the hole, pic halfway through.

SAM_4215.JPG


It takes a lot of force and some marking might occur, but it will go through! Maybe a touch a silicone grease might help and quickly wipe it off once through, in fact the housing must elastically deform a touch to allow this.

I agree this is no way how the switch was originally assembled but I cannot see a way of separating the thumb piece and spindle from the barrel. My guess is the barrel was assembled with the spindle but not the thumb piece. The thumb piece was then bonded to the spindle from the front once the barrel was in place.

Hope you have removed it by now.

Andy
 
Removed a little piece from the facia and managed to get the knob and backpart pushed out without damaging the facia. Now I will try to figure out how the knob is fixed (just for curiosity)

Thanks alot guys!
 
Replaced the electrical part including knob with a light sensor version discussed in here. Also have coming home/leaving home functionality. Not perfect but not too bad

080AE2A6-AFCA-46AC-AEFE-8F3DDE341EA6.jpeg


10CD88D6-7542-40D0-9374-29A320441D68.jpeg
 
Good looking job ?
I like that version better than the ones which have their own chrome surround. Although I've seen some very neat adaptations of the OEM bezel to accept the surround, I prefer the more OEM look.
 
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