no headlights...please help!

[staubach333]

i turned on my headlights before and i have no low or high beams...every other light works fine...the only thing that works is when you pull on the blinker to flash your high beams, they will flash...that is how i drove the car 5 miles home, holding the high beam lever the entire time...sorry to all the people i blinded lol...whats going on here?

[a4mafia(Red)]

theres a short in your headlight switch, it causes the plastic piece, holding the brass piece that completes the circuit, to melt around it and hold it from completing the connection.....

[geeky]

check your headlight fuses and bulbs. If you headlights blew and shorted the system out, your fuses should have popped.

Those are the two things i would check first.

[a4mafia(Red)]

http://www.audiworld.com/tech/elec114.shtml

heres the DIY link

[a4mafia(Red)]

check your headlight fuses and bulbs. If you headlights blew and shorted the system out, your fuses should have popped.

Those are the two things i would check first.

i've had the same problem, word for word of what he said. and its common in the pre-facelift a4's....

[geeky]

Its a common thing i see at school/at work.

Many people don't understand that when a headlight bulb goes out, they need to change it asap, because if the filament somehow bridges together or moisture gets into the bulb itself, it can short the system out and when that happens, the fuses should blow and if they don't, you're going to have a massive headache with wiring, relays, switches, etc. for the headlight system.

[staubach333]

all the bulbs are 2 months old they are fine...and the first thing i did was check the fuses, none of them popped

[a4mafia]

theres a short in your headlight switch, it causes the plastic piece, holding the brass piece that completes the circuit, to melt around it and hold it from completing the connection.....

trust him! we've done this a thousand times!

[stevejones19]

Go to the DIY. i just repaired mine from it. but something else went out, so i just got a whole new headlight switch. And there is a ton of threads with this same problem. So searching is your best friend.

[staubach333]

do you think i could hit it with some of that electric contact cleaner without taking it apart? just to see if that will work?

[a4mafia(Red)]

do you think i could hit it with some of that electric contact cleaner without taking it apart? just to see if that will work?

no i dont think that would work....but you'd have to take it apart just to spray the cleaner on there right?

[staubach333]

someone had said to me that you can spray it in there somehow without taking it apart idk that sounds a little shaky...i think im just going to order the whole assembly new and install it does anybody know the exact torx bit sizes that i will need

[erikas3]

someone had said to me that you can spray it in there somehow without taking it apart idk that sounds a little shaky...i think im just going to order the whole assembly new and install it does anybody know the exact torx bit sizes that i will need

I believe that you need something like a T25 to get the airbag off of the wheel and then a T55 to get the wheel off itself. Then, you can get the other bolts that attach the switch with the small torx as well.
You can also get the working assemblies from A-P Specialties who is a vendor here. I paid 35$ for mine and it has been working perfectly.
Hope that helps

[Ghostrider]

i turned on my headlights before and i have no low or high beams...every other light works fine...the only thing that works is when you pull on the blinker to flash your high beams, they will flash...that is how i drove the car 5 miles home, holding the high beam lever the entire time...sorry to all the people i blinded lol...whats going on here?

Had the same problem after a 14 hour drive, with about 10 minutes to go to my destination. It is the switch, bar none.

[GetAudiHere]

I dont mean to thread jack but instead of making a whole new thread.

Ok so i went out to my car started it up and immediately turned on the headlights. When i turned them on only one went on...so i turned them off and back on again and then the other one went out....both were out now. The amber bulbs still work, havent tried high beams but what do you guys think this could be?

[a4mafia(Red)]

I believe that you need something like a T25 to get the airbag off of the wheel and then a T55 to get the wheel off itself. Then, you can get the other bolts that attach the switch with the small torx as well.
You can also get the working assemblies from A-P Specialties who is a vendor here. I paid 35$ for mine and it has been working perfectly.
Hope that helps

i dont use a t55....i use a big hex key....its not the exact fitment, but it works...and save some money, i think its a t25 and a t10 for the other torx you will need.

[Ghostrider]

I dont mean to thread jack but instead of making a whole new thread.

Ok so i went out to my car started it up and immediately turned on the headlights. When i turned them on only one went on...so i turned them off and back on again and then the other one went out....both were out now. The amber bulbs still work, havent tried high beams but what do you guys think this could be?

Simple, when one headlight bulb goes out the other is soon to follow. Hence the reason for replacing them in pairs.

[a4mafia(Red)]

Simple, when one headlight bulb goes out the other is soon to follow. Hence the reason for replacing them in pairs.

what would be the reason for that?

not to be contradicting you but i drove around with a headlight out for awhile, i cant even tell you a time bc it was out when i bought the car, but i never notice bc i had the fog lights on all the time(my fog lights are set inside the housing of the headlight) so it always looked like they were good.

[Ghostrider]

what would be the reason for that?

not to be contradicting you but i drove around with a headlight out for awhile, i cant even tell you a time bc it was out when i bought the car, but i never notice bc i had the fog lights on all the time(my fog lights are set inside the housing of the headlight) so it always looked like they were good.

It just happens. The only hypothesis I can make is, that there was a surge in the electrical, since only one light was working, thus blowing the other one. I agree with what you are saying about not noticing, since I have my fogs inside the housing as well.

[GetAudiHere]

how long do headlight bulbs typically last? Ive only had mine for a little under 2 years...

[Ghostrider]

It all depends, it's like a light bulb that you have in a lamp. The longer you keep it on, it will not burn out. Think of it this way, if you fire up the lights, voltage goes through the filament that is at a higher rate. If you keep them on, its constant. A little under two years is a decent amount. I had mine a little under two and they needed replacement, ironically this occurred after I replaced the light switch.

[AP-Specialties]

I believe that you need something like a T25 to get the airbag off of the wheel and then a T55 to get the wheel off itself. Then, you can get the other bolts that attach the switch with the small torx as well.
You can also get the working assemblies from AP-Specialties who is a vendor here. I paid 35$ for mine and it has been working perfectly.
Hope that helps

We have the switch for you if you want it...$35 + shipping...We have over 1000 Used Audi parts, with a focus on B5 A4 parts!!!

Let us know if we can help!

Thanks!

Chase
Team A&P