jbarnhart

I have a MY2000 A8 and I'm one of the (un)lucky few who did NOT get the "homelink" visor. Audi cheaped out on my car and just didn't put it in -- in spite of the fact it is listed as a "standard feature" of MY2000. (Oh well, life's not fair, get over it.) A new homelink visor goes for about $500+ at the local stealer, or perhaps as little as $360 from Clair (old post, may not be accurate). Seems a little pricy for a darned opener.

Then PaulW posted the link for a ebay auction on a little opener for Genie intellicode system that hooks to the car's high-beams. <a href="https://forums.audiworld.com/a8/msgs/53075.phtml">(PaulW ebay thread)</a> This is exactly what I needed! Except... my house has a crummy LiftMaster chain-drive opener. Hmmm... A new Genie Excelerator garage opener costs $228 at Home Cheapo, add the $40 for the headlight opener... Hey, this could work!

To make a long story longer, that's exactly what I did. I ordered the ebay opener and picked up the Genie mechanism. I just got it all installed today and WOW, it's better than I'd hoped! The range on the little transmitter is great -- much better than my old opener from inside the car. (Those shielded windows really cut the range of my opener.)

Now I get to drive my neighbors crazy by flashing my lights to open the garage! "Doesn't YOUR house do that? It's a standard feature in this development. Maybe your car isn't programmed."

Here's a pic of my transmitter mounted inside the high-beam cover. It's a really small transmitter and it hides well inside this cover. I snaked the antenna down a hole designed to equalize pressure (I think).

<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/68062/pict0359.jpg">

Below I've linked the Home Cheapo index page for the Genie Excelerator opener. I'm not sure the link will work. I found the price in my local home cheapo was a few dollars less. This thing is the Audi A8 of garage door openers! It opens the door at 14 in/sec and closes at 7 in/sec. It ramps up the speed and slows it down as the gets to the end of the travel. It's quiet and FAST. I love it.

<a href="http://www.geniecompany.com/Products/excelerator.htm"><img src="http://www.geniecompany.com/Products/ExceleratorFront.gif"></a><ul><li><a href="http://www.homedepot.com/prel80/HDUS/EN_US/diy_main/pg_diy.jsp?CNTTYPE=PROD_META&amp;CNTKEY=Products_2 %2fHardware%2fGarage+Door+Openers+%26+Access.&amp; MID=9876">Home Depot Garage Door Openers</a></li></ul>

PaulW

Very cool....nice job! Really like that idea

Ross:D

with my setup. I have a Sears opener, and a Genie (Intellicode) remote. The auction said Genie only. Also, how difficult was it to install, and does it matter if you have xenons?
Thanks!

PaulW

Xenons wouldn't matter, still a 12 VDC supply

jbarnhart

It doesn't matter if you have Xenon's or not -- I have them on my car. But the fancy high-voltage HID projectors are only for the LOW beams. The HIGH beams are regular halogen bulbs. As for adapting to your Sears -- if it says it uses Intellicode, it will probably work straight away. If not, you could always replace the opener mechanism (like I did) and get a much better opener. I LOVE my Excelerator! It's the Audi A8 of openers -- FAST and QUIET.

The same guy offers auctions of this module under lots of different vehicle names -- they are all the same module! There is nothing "custom" about the "Audi" module. You could use a "Harley" or even a "Hummer" module -- they are all the same. The seller has some negative feedbacks, but they are all from people who expected it to work on their non-Intellicode openers. If you go in with the attitude that you will change your opener if necessary, you will be a satisfied customer! (I never even tried my old Liftmaster -- I hated that POS.)

PaulW

....if you look at JimR's procedure on audipages to retrofit the garage door opener, you could do the same thing with the high beams.

Just cut into your garage door opener and extend the switch wires out of it as it shows in the procedure. Then tap into the high beam with a momentary relay and use one of the switched contacts to do the garage door opener.

However, when the high beams are on, the thing would be transmitting continuously! Would need to work something out for that....another mad man gone bad project....or just do it like JimR did.

pw

jbarnhart

You should -- it was YOUR idea! (OK putting inside the light cover was my idea.)

jbarnhart

So if you drive up to your house with the high beams on, you aren't going to confuse your opener.

PaulW

So get a relay that drops out after 30 seconds of being energized

Ross:D

red wire to the white headlight wire (same as in your pic), and the black wire to the brown headlight wire - but when I flash my headlights, the red light on the Taidan doesn't come on. Should I try switching the wires?

&lt;edit&gt; works great now . . . (had to strip wires more).