last night when i got in my car, i turned the lights on and heard a cracking noise. The corner lights lit up but my low beams did not. I am guessing that I will need to replace the switch for them. I also lost my abs on the way home. bad night to be my car i guess. Anyway, I am taking the car to the garage and I was wondering how much I can expect to pay to have both fixed.
The abs light comes on after driving above 50 mph for maybe a minute. however, I am sure that the abs is actually not working verses a fouled sensor. this is because I had to come to a grinding halt the other day and went into a skid.
Thanks

 

anybody?
I am hoping to possibly get a quote befor I go to the shop today so i can make sure im not getting ripped.
Thanks,
Miles

 

The headlight switch is an easy DIY fix if you have a coupla hours and a basic knowledge of tools. Search "headlight combi switch DIY" or try audidiy, i'm almost positive there's one there. I would definitely suggest this because a new switch will run you ~$130 and it will likely be triple that if you take it to a dealer.

Not sure what to tell you about the ABS, I'm very unfamiliar with that on these cars (mostly because mine hasn't crapped out yet lol)

edit: fixed the link, oops!

 

he told me that it would cost about 4 hours labor just for the switch!
Where can I buy one myself and how do I ensure that the bolt is tightened to 44 ft-lbs?

He will be fixing the breaks for me for free because it was his fault they failed. He said that the reason was that he installed the breaks on the stock "rings" (not too sure what he meant), and that he will have to order new ones. As long as they get fixed though right?

Thanks

 

If you wanna buy a new one, try blauparts or ecstuning, also you might try to google "A4 headlight switch" or somethin, might be some places to get them cheaper.

Takin the switch out isn't too bad, just make sure to disconnect the neg. battery cable and BE CAREFUL taking the airbag out. Don't want that little guy poppin' off in your face while you're messin with it. I was sweatin bullets the whole time I did mine lol. To get the steering wheel nut tight to 44 ft/lbs your're gonna need a torque wrench. If you take your standard torque wrench and get the right hex socket (technically its triple square, but those are stupid expensive and hex works fine) you should be able to pull it off.

Option B, if you don't wanna buy a new switch, would be to follow the DIY on audiworld to fix the one you have. Thats what I did. Takes a little more time and there is more potential for disaster because it involves taking apart the switch, which contains several tiny parts. Good luck!

 

Does the Brake Light (in the cluster) come on with the ABS light?

 

the break light flashes on and off repetitively. its not random but at like second intervals or so.

and before i go taking apart the column, it is definitely the switch? i ask just because im confused because the corner lights are on.

Which way would you recommend CCA4, did you have much trouble with fixing it. And if I try to fix it and it breaks, can i just buy a new switch anyway? cuz that way, why not try and fix it and save cash.

Thanks for your help guys.

 

Yeah its definitely the switch. I had the same symptoms. You'll understand it better when you take apart the switch, but the corner lights still work because the way the contacts in the switch are arranged, they're turned on and off independently of the headlights.

I would suggest you try fixing your switch first. I was fairly nervous about it at first, but if you try to fix it and it doesn't work, then you're no worse off than you were before.

The DIY fix isn't terribly difficult or technical, I just have fat fingers and the sh*t is pretty little lol. The only other thing I would take into consideration is the time it will take to get a new switch, should you decide to order one. Especially this time of year, it can be tough to work things out so you don't have to use headlights. If you want some more info about it feel free to PM me and i can talk your ear off about it

 

oh and i forgot to mention that when breaking, I would say 75% of the time, the breaks make a grinding noise i would associate with extreme breaking where the abs engages. I thought this was because they were new rotors and they had a sort of cris-cross pattern on the top. This pattern has worn down now and I can still hear them. I can also feel the vibrations quite strongly through the break pedal.

 

You should get your car checked for codes. Your ABS module does not sound healthy. Brake light/ABS light on same time usually means dead ABS module, but get codes read first to make sure that is the issue.