[Fanatt]

Hello, I would like to install LED bar to my 2006, 3,0tdi reg. I would like to control bar with high beams and also with extra button. I don't like any buttons in interior that wont supposed to be there. I know that my car don't have steering wheel heater, so there are one original button without use. It would be really good button to control bar with because it is in good reach. Is there any chance to use this button such way? Where does the wiring ends up for this button? Any ideas would be helpful!
PS: Sorry for my English, it's not my native. I'll do my best to express myself correctly

 

[Mike in Anchorage]

Do you have a garage door controller on the driver's visor? One of those buttons can send a signal to your light bar.

 

[casioqv]

Do you have the factory manual PDF? It can be found in many places online, and has full circuit diagrams.

Mike's idea above is an interesting one also, there are standalone garage door receiver boxes you could use, to actually power them off the homelink opener.

What I would personally do is this- wire it with an AND gate made from two relays in series, such that you need both the high-beams and the fog lights to be on to turn on the light bar. This switch configuration isn't allowed by default, but can be turned on with VCDS. You could also wire it so that in this situation, the fog lights are then turned off to not draw power. All of this can be done with some connector dongles you can make yourself that plug in only in the front of the car, and don't cut into the factory wires at all.

 

[Calcifur83]

I have also wandered about this. Like you I want a light bar but I also want the cabin to look as OEM as possible. So I was also drawn to the button for the heated wheel. I just haven't plucked up the courage to pull the air bag off to have a look.

The biggest issue I can see with this is the fact that the little button feels like a momentary button rather than a toggle so I imagine it would need coding to make it work or else it would just flash the lights.

I could be totally wrong though.

I would be very interested to see if you manage to make it work.



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[casioqv]

I don’t think the steering wheel button would be useful because it’s unlikely to pass electrically back to the dash, the button acts within the wheel directly. Like you said, it’s a momentary switch so you would also need a control circuit to use it as a toggle. In most offroad vehicles I have wanted to add extra lights, but personally haven’t felt it would be useful on my HID equipped T2. The lights are just mind blowingly bright, and even steerable. I feel like they are more than sufficient for night offroad use.

 

[Calcifur83]

I did some googling and found some pictures of the air bag module and it shows that the buttons on both sides are attached to ribbon cable and multi pin connector. So as well as what is mentioned above it would be a task to identify the correct pins.

Shame as it would be a very cool stealth solution.

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[Fanatt]

Do you have a garage door controller on the driver's visor? One of those buttons can send a signal to your light bar.

I don't have garage door controller unfortunately. It would be nice idea indeed.

 

[Fanatt]

Do you have the factory manual PDF?

What I would personally do is this- wire it with an AND gate made from two relays in series, such that you need both the high-beams and the fog lights to be on to turn on the light bar. This switch configuration isn't allowed by default, but can be turned on with VCDS. You could also wire it so that in this situation, the fog lights are then turned off to not draw power. All of this can be done with some connector dongles you can make yourself that plug in only in the front of the car, and don't cut into the factory wires at all.

I don't have factory manual. I need to check can I found some thing.

Fog light idea is really good. I would leave it for backup.

If I could find wire for heater button and get some signal out of it. It does not matter it's not fixed position I can build electronic board with fixed relay. So if I want to turn light on I will push button and send signal to relay and it keeps contacts close until I push button again.

What bothers me is that if you have steering heater you must have strong relay somewhere to power up heating element (witch should work also on single push on the steering wheel button). So if I could find heating relay location and there are wiring for that relay maybe it is possible to use existing wiring harnesses and with some coding may be possible to control LED bar.