Installation Notes: Comfort Turn Signal from Euro-Parts Mod
02-05-2006, 10:55 AM
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Installation Notes: Comfort Turn Signal from Euro-Parts Mod
<center><img src="http://euro-parts.us/image.php?productid=16150"></center><p>I'm following up my installation of the Comfort Turn Signal Module from Euro-Parts. I really wanted this particular mod because of the convenience of tapping the turn signal once to blink three-five times. For me, lane changes alone are a perfect example of why I wanted this convenience.
I apologize in advance for the lack of pictures, but hopefully my description and references to links of other installation threads on the forum will help those of you who also decide to install this unit.
This installation applies specifically to my 2003 Audi A6 3.0 Quattro. My installation went great once I figured out how to remove the emergency flasher control box...but I'm getting ahead of myself here. Let's get started.
What's in the Package
The contents of the package included the module board itself (wrapped in protective silicon - a nice touch to protect the unit from the elements), the wire harness, 5 (2 large gauge red and 3 small gauge blue) splice clamps. The manual made it pretty clear that this is an easy install. Just connect five wire connections from the supplied harness to the Emergency Flasher harness and you're done - seemed simple enough.
Missing was how to get to the harness. The manual assumes you can find it, gain access to it and be able to have enough room to splice into it. Unfortunately for me, the instructions that came with the unit cover a lot of different Audi vehicles (A4, A3, A8, TT, etc.) so providing specific model dash removal instructions were most likely prohibitive to the manufacturer to include in the manual. (However, I think, based on the time spent, it would have been a fantastic addition and time-saver. The removal of the dash pieces and access to the harness were the challenges of this mod install.. and described below are the specific steps of what it took me to self-install this part. Let's get started.
Step One:
Disconnect the battery - If you attempt this installation with the battery still connected, you WILL blow your 10amp flasher fuse.
Step Two:
I removed the Symphony II head unit, using 4 head unit removal tools, available from any Audi dealer, eBay, Clair or other site. There are plenty of links (remember, Search is your friend on this forum.) that explain how to get the Symphony II radio out, so I won't provide additional details on this step. I put the unit aside, using some soft cotton rags to protect the screen and I moved on.
Step Three:
The next step is to remove the wood trim piece that is attached to the dash with six metal clips (the clips are located on the left, center and right on the upper and lower sections of the trim piece).
This wood trim piece provides a decorative surround (on my car) of the ESP switch and trim buttons on the left, the emergency flasher, center, and the cup holder on the right.
I pulled gently on the lower section of the trim piece and it popped right out. I also used a thin metal paint spackle tool to gently remove the clips from the dash. I set it aside. You may find, as I did, that the plastic pieces that surround both sides of the ESP switch fall out. Keep track of them, and their installed location, as each piece needs to go back where it was originally installed or guess what - it won't look right when you put it all back together.
Step Four:
I was now faced with a dilemma. For those of you that haven't removed this surround trim piece before, I'll try to describe what is located behind it. There are three sections behind the trim piece in the dash. On the right, (in my A6) is the cup holder unit. I started out thinking I could gain access to the emergency flasher harness by removing the cup holder. I used Boston Drivers' instructions on modifying his cup holder for Passport radar display installation. I believe his sig has a direct link to these instructions, so if you have trouble finding it using Search, just click on his sig link to his page. Using his excellent photos as a guide, I was able to remove the cup holder using my radio removal tools, remove its single wire harness from the rear of the unit and set it aside.
I thought that once I removed the cup holder I would have access to the emergency flasher harness. Boy, was I wrong.
The emergency flasher harness runs down the center of the dash from front to rear in a tunnel and is inaccessible from either the left or the right hand side.
BTW, I learned later it was still a good idea to remove the cup holder unit, as it gave me space in making connections - so go ahead and remove it anyway. Removal also protects it from scratches. Also, if you leave it in, it most likely will pop out just when you're trying to make an important last connection. So I removed it.
Using the same paint spackle tool described above, I gently applied pressure to the bottom of the emergency flasher unit in the middle. With gentle pressure, it slides right out of the tunnel. Try to be careful that you don't apply too much force or pressure (in other words, be patient) as the emergency switch itself is pretty flimsy and can easily break.
Step Five:
Once I had access to the rear of the emergency flasher unit module harness, I disconnected the harness and put the emergency flasher unit aside.
Hmmmm, a new problem now. The length of the wire harness was barely long enough to make connections. It was going to be a challenge to gain good access to the cable in order to make the splice connections. I had, maybe, 2 inches to work with - not a lot of room. And I had even less space to work to install the splice connectors between the cables themselves.
The manual's pictures, by the way, made it seem like I'd have a lot more cable length/play, even a foot of cable to work with. I came to find out that the pictures are NOT from an A6 but rather an A4 (those lucky A4 drivers!)
The next step was to connect the power and ground wires ONLY, as directed in the manufacturer's instructions. You need to do this in order to test that the module is getting good power and ground and the software is working.
Even with the limited space between the wires, I was able to use the supplied splice clamps (as mentioned, the kit came with two sizes - red and blue - to make the initial connections.
On my 2003 A6, the black (ground wire) from the comfort turn signal module harness connects to the #9 connection on the emergency flasher harness. The manual states not to use the emergency flasher harness colors as a guide, and I agree with this - don't. The colors of the harness wires were not a match for any of the five connections.
I then spliced in the Red (switched power) wire to the #2 position on the harness. I reconnected the battery, connected the harness back to the emergency flasher unit, turned the ignition key to accessory position, saw that the turn module was getting power, and moved to the next step.
Step Six:
Disconnect the battery again. Trust me, here, you need to do this. As above, you will blow your 10amp fuse - or worse - if you don't. You can infer what happened to me here. Also, don't forget to remove the emergency flasher harness from the back of the flasher unit.
Step Seven:
The manual states to continue using the supplied splice clamps and connect the other three wires. This didn't work for me but YMMV.
I couldn't get a good enough electrical connection using the supplied splice clamps. A couple of reasons for this - first, there was not enough room for all five to be installed and fit back into the tunnel. Another problem was that some of the splice clamps were just too big for the wires on the A6 harness and they didn't hold connection. Further, I couldn't get enough force onto the splice, in order to ensure a good connection.
I worked on this for about 30 min, trying to come up with a solution to use the supplied splice clamps, make it all fit and have a good electrical connection. At one point, I was able to get all five clamps installed, but I was still concerned about electrical connections - as it turns out, I was right to be concerned - on connection of the battery, the flasher unit and further test, I was getting an intermittent ground problem - sometimes the flasher would blink, sometimes it wouldn't work. ... here's what I did as a work-around.
BTW, If you get a good electrical connection and everything fits back into the tunnel - you're done - put everything back together and enjoy the mod. You should program the number of flashes at this point too, if (3) three flashes which come pre-loaded don't work for you. The current software supports up to (5) flashes per tap and it's very simple to reset the module and program for 3, 4 or 5 flashes.
Step Eight:
Knowing I wasn't getting a good connection using the supplied splice connectors, I decided to instead, solder the connections of each of the wires.
This accomplished two things - first - it provided a permanent connection to the harness. (I wouldn't have to worry about hitting a pothole and losing one of my spliced connections). Second, it gave me all the room I needed to reinstall the emergency flasher unit back into the tunnel. The caveat is this - if you solder, you can't easily remove the unit if you later decide to sell the car and want to sell the unit separately or re-install it in another car. I decided I wanted a permanent connection, so I went down this route.
Using a wire stripping tool, I gently pushed about a ? inch of insulation off each of the emergency flasher harness wires. I only removed the insulation. I did NOT snip the entire wire apart.
On the B5 A6 harness, these wires are located at position 9, 2, 3, 5 and 7. Using a portable soldering iron (butane powered), I soldered each of the wires from the comfort module harness to the A6 positions and insulated each of them using electrical tubing.
Step Nine:
I reconnected the battery, reinstalled the emergency flasher unit to the harness, checked the connections - connections were solid and the unit worked perfectly. I now easily reinstalled the emergency flasher unit in the dash, reinstalled the cup holder, the ESP switch and surround trim buttons, the wood trim piece and slid the Symphony II radio back in. Wrapping up the install took all of 5 minutes.
Conclusion:
The Comfort Turn Signal Module from Euro-Parts works perfectly for me. The module programming was easy - can be customized to fit the needs of the driver - and does exactly as advertised.
Even though the supplied splice connectors, in my case, didn't work, they may work on your car. I preferred a more permanent connection and soldering for me, was the only way to ensure a 100% electrical connection. If you've got an extra hour to spare, this is a terrific mod - and well worth the installation time. Have fun!
I apologize in advance for the lack of pictures, but hopefully my description and references to links of other installation threads on the forum will help those of you who also decide to install this unit.
This installation applies specifically to my 2003 Audi A6 3.0 Quattro. My installation went great once I figured out how to remove the emergency flasher control box...but I'm getting ahead of myself here. Let's get started.
What's in the Package
The contents of the package included the module board itself (wrapped in protective silicon - a nice touch to protect the unit from the elements), the wire harness, 5 (2 large gauge red and 3 small gauge blue) splice clamps. The manual made it pretty clear that this is an easy install. Just connect five wire connections from the supplied harness to the Emergency Flasher harness and you're done - seemed simple enough.
Missing was how to get to the harness. The manual assumes you can find it, gain access to it and be able to have enough room to splice into it. Unfortunately for me, the instructions that came with the unit cover a lot of different Audi vehicles (A4, A3, A8, TT, etc.) so providing specific model dash removal instructions were most likely prohibitive to the manufacturer to include in the manual. (However, I think, based on the time spent, it would have been a fantastic addition and time-saver. The removal of the dash pieces and access to the harness were the challenges of this mod install.. and described below are the specific steps of what it took me to self-install this part. Let's get started.
Step One:
Disconnect the battery - If you attempt this installation with the battery still connected, you WILL blow your 10amp flasher fuse.
Step Two:
I removed the Symphony II head unit, using 4 head unit removal tools, available from any Audi dealer, eBay, Clair or other site. There are plenty of links (remember, Search is your friend on this forum.) that explain how to get the Symphony II radio out, so I won't provide additional details on this step. I put the unit aside, using some soft cotton rags to protect the screen and I moved on.
Step Three:
The next step is to remove the wood trim piece that is attached to the dash with six metal clips (the clips are located on the left, center and right on the upper and lower sections of the trim piece).
This wood trim piece provides a decorative surround (on my car) of the ESP switch and trim buttons on the left, the emergency flasher, center, and the cup holder on the right.
I pulled gently on the lower section of the trim piece and it popped right out. I also used a thin metal paint spackle tool to gently remove the clips from the dash. I set it aside. You may find, as I did, that the plastic pieces that surround both sides of the ESP switch fall out. Keep track of them, and their installed location, as each piece needs to go back where it was originally installed or guess what - it won't look right when you put it all back together.
Step Four:
I was now faced with a dilemma. For those of you that haven't removed this surround trim piece before, I'll try to describe what is located behind it. There are three sections behind the trim piece in the dash. On the right, (in my A6) is the cup holder unit. I started out thinking I could gain access to the emergency flasher harness by removing the cup holder. I used Boston Drivers' instructions on modifying his cup holder for Passport radar display installation. I believe his sig has a direct link to these instructions, so if you have trouble finding it using Search, just click on his sig link to his page. Using his excellent photos as a guide, I was able to remove the cup holder using my radio removal tools, remove its single wire harness from the rear of the unit and set it aside.
I thought that once I removed the cup holder I would have access to the emergency flasher harness. Boy, was I wrong.
The emergency flasher harness runs down the center of the dash from front to rear in a tunnel and is inaccessible from either the left or the right hand side.
BTW, I learned later it was still a good idea to remove the cup holder unit, as it gave me space in making connections - so go ahead and remove it anyway. Removal also protects it from scratches. Also, if you leave it in, it most likely will pop out just when you're trying to make an important last connection. So I removed it.
Using the same paint spackle tool described above, I gently applied pressure to the bottom of the emergency flasher unit in the middle. With gentle pressure, it slides right out of the tunnel. Try to be careful that you don't apply too much force or pressure (in other words, be patient) as the emergency switch itself is pretty flimsy and can easily break.
Step Five:
Once I had access to the rear of the emergency flasher unit module harness, I disconnected the harness and put the emergency flasher unit aside.
Hmmmm, a new problem now. The length of the wire harness was barely long enough to make connections. It was going to be a challenge to gain good access to the cable in order to make the splice connections. I had, maybe, 2 inches to work with - not a lot of room. And I had even less space to work to install the splice connectors between the cables themselves.
The manual's pictures, by the way, made it seem like I'd have a lot more cable length/play, even a foot of cable to work with. I came to find out that the pictures are NOT from an A6 but rather an A4 (those lucky A4 drivers!)
The next step was to connect the power and ground wires ONLY, as directed in the manufacturer's instructions. You need to do this in order to test that the module is getting good power and ground and the software is working.
Even with the limited space between the wires, I was able to use the supplied splice clamps (as mentioned, the kit came with two sizes - red and blue - to make the initial connections.
On my 2003 A6, the black (ground wire) from the comfort turn signal module harness connects to the #9 connection on the emergency flasher harness. The manual states not to use the emergency flasher harness colors as a guide, and I agree with this - don't. The colors of the harness wires were not a match for any of the five connections.
I then spliced in the Red (switched power) wire to the #2 position on the harness. I reconnected the battery, connected the harness back to the emergency flasher unit, turned the ignition key to accessory position, saw that the turn module was getting power, and moved to the next step.
Step Six:
Disconnect the battery again. Trust me, here, you need to do this. As above, you will blow your 10amp fuse - or worse - if you don't. You can infer what happened to me here. Also, don't forget to remove the emergency flasher harness from the back of the flasher unit.
Step Seven:
The manual states to continue using the supplied splice clamps and connect the other three wires. This didn't work for me but YMMV.
I couldn't get a good enough electrical connection using the supplied splice clamps. A couple of reasons for this - first, there was not enough room for all five to be installed and fit back into the tunnel. Another problem was that some of the splice clamps were just too big for the wires on the A6 harness and they didn't hold connection. Further, I couldn't get enough force onto the splice, in order to ensure a good connection.
I worked on this for about 30 min, trying to come up with a solution to use the supplied splice clamps, make it all fit and have a good electrical connection. At one point, I was able to get all five clamps installed, but I was still concerned about electrical connections - as it turns out, I was right to be concerned - on connection of the battery, the flasher unit and further test, I was getting an intermittent ground problem - sometimes the flasher would blink, sometimes it wouldn't work. ... here's what I did as a work-around.
BTW, If you get a good electrical connection and everything fits back into the tunnel - you're done - put everything back together and enjoy the mod. You should program the number of flashes at this point too, if (3) three flashes which come pre-loaded don't work for you. The current software supports up to (5) flashes per tap and it's very simple to reset the module and program for 3, 4 or 5 flashes.
Step Eight:
Knowing I wasn't getting a good connection using the supplied splice connectors, I decided to instead, solder the connections of each of the wires.
This accomplished two things - first - it provided a permanent connection to the harness. (I wouldn't have to worry about hitting a pothole and losing one of my spliced connections). Second, it gave me all the room I needed to reinstall the emergency flasher unit back into the tunnel. The caveat is this - if you solder, you can't easily remove the unit if you later decide to sell the car and want to sell the unit separately or re-install it in another car. I decided I wanted a permanent connection, so I went down this route.
Using a wire stripping tool, I gently pushed about a ? inch of insulation off each of the emergency flasher harness wires. I only removed the insulation. I did NOT snip the entire wire apart.
On the B5 A6 harness, these wires are located at position 9, 2, 3, 5 and 7. Using a portable soldering iron (butane powered), I soldered each of the wires from the comfort module harness to the A6 positions and insulated each of them using electrical tubing.
Step Nine:
I reconnected the battery, reinstalled the emergency flasher unit to the harness, checked the connections - connections were solid and the unit worked perfectly. I now easily reinstalled the emergency flasher unit in the dash, reinstalled the cup holder, the ESP switch and surround trim buttons, the wood trim piece and slid the Symphony II radio back in. Wrapping up the install took all of 5 minutes.
Conclusion:
The Comfort Turn Signal Module from Euro-Parts works perfectly for me. The module programming was easy - can be customized to fit the needs of the driver - and does exactly as advertised.
Even though the supplied splice connectors, in my case, didn't work, they may work on your car. I preferred a more permanent connection and soldering for me, was the only way to ensure a 100% electrical connection. If you've got an extra hour to spare, this is a terrific mod - and well worth the installation time. Have fun!
02-05-2006, 05:44 PM
#3
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Like I said in my earlier post......
....this is a great idea but really poor execution. In order to install this device, you need to butcher your electrical system. I'm not sure why they couldn't have made it so that it would plug into the back of the blinker relay and have the car's harness plug into the back of the unit.
Like eseer noted, the splice connections don't work and they do damage your existing wiring loom.
Like eseer noted, the splice connections don't work and they do damage your existing wiring loom.
02-05-2006, 07:05 PM
#5
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I would do this, simply for the fact that it replaces the stupid factory contact relays that are
prone to fail and weld shut, to a solid state relay that will outlast the car.
Already replaced this module in both of my A6's now (old one and current one).
Already replaced this module in both of my A6's now (old one and current one).
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02-06-2006, 05:50 AM
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Don't like to turn the blinker on and then off. I usually press it for 2 blinks and change lanes.
Would love that mod though. I think it will go in my "mods for when I have more time" folder.
