Westfalia Hitch and Wiring on a Mk7 Golf with a trailer brake controller

Jedadiah

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Sep 17, 2010
Location
Central Kentucky
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Former: '15 Passat TDI SE 6M, '15 Golf S 6M and '10 JSW
I recently installed a Westfalia removable hitch and OEM trailer wiring on my Golf and wanted to post a little info here to help clarify things for anyone who also decides to do this in the future. I thought about using an ECO-hitch since they look strong, but decided to go Euro because I definitely wanted the OEM trailer wiring, and the cost of buying the wiring from Europe and the Eco-hitch was about the same as buying this Westfalia kit. https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B00RLQ9ROG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
The only problem with buying the Westfalia kit is that you also need a new diffuser (rear lower bumper trim piece) if you don’t want to see a huge hole in the rear of your car. The part number is 5G6807568E and it’s not easy to get here. I ordered one,and had it shipped to my sister, who is currently in Germany. She then shipped it to me. Kunzman would not ship to the USA. I’m not sure why.
https://www.kunzmann.de/shop/en/exterieur-genuine-volkswagen-golf-7-gtd-diffusor.htm
E-Acca.com also has the difussor. http://e-acca.com/index.php?page=oem&search_by_number=5G6807568E&oem_for=VOLKSWAGEN&num_page=0&orderBy=id_detail&status=added_to_basket
I also needed a trailer end 13pin plug to convert the 13pin to a US 7way. https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B00475BJI6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
1. Hitch
Installing the hitch is very straight forward. Remove the taillights, the rear bumper cover (the clips around the taillights were a pain to remove), and take off the rear bumper bar. Slide the new hitch into the rear unibody frame rails, and tighten the four bolts that hold it in place. You don’t have to undo any exhaust pieces to get to the mounting points, which made this an easier install than doing the same on my 2010 JSW. I also added two heavy duty eyebolts to the hitch to use as the mounts for my tow chains. They are not lovely, but no one can see them.
After installing the hitch, remove the rear diffuser while the bumper isn’t attached to the car and reinstall the rear bumper cover.
2. Wiring
Here are the wiring instructions http://www.pfjones.co.uk/westfalia_fitting/305408300113.pdf
Next comes the wiring. I also installed a Prodigy P2 electronic trailer brake controller on my Golf, so I had to run a wire from the controller to the rear of the car along with the Westfalia harness. You have to remove the rear seat bottom, the left side of the rear seat back, the trim on the left side of the trunk, the door sills front and rear, the hood release, the kick panel trim behind it, the left side of the dash (where the fuses where on an mk6), the fuse panel door and a black panel under the dash. The instructions also say to remove the lower dash panel, but DO NOT REMOVE THIS PANEL! It is very difficult to reinstall and the wiring can be done with it in place. You can reach the BCM plugs and the back of the fuse box without taking it out. I removed it, and reinstalling it was the worst part of the entire project!!!
Follow the instructions until you get to the part about installing the wires in the back of the fuse box. The instructions show that you can unclip the fuse panel, and somehow tilt it so that you can somehow access the rear. You can unclip the fuse panel, but it won’t move unless you remove more pieces under the dash than anyone would feel comfortable messing with. You can get to the back of the fuse panel, by lying in the floor and looking up under the dash. The only problem is that the instructions tell you to insert the leads from new 4 fuse block (it inserts in the square opening on the right side of the fuse panel) into specific places on the back of the fuse panel. There is no way to see the labels on the back of the fuse panel, so you will have to get a test light and find 2 that are hot when the ignition is OFF. Place the leads from the new wiring into these, and you’ll be good to go. This will be slightly harder with lower dash in place, but you’ll be thankful when you don’t cuss putting it back in.
The instructions also show the module being attached to the rear of the wheel arch with Velcro. In my Golf, the module would not fit there when I was putting the rear trim back in, so I found it a new and better home under the left, rear seatbelt retractor. There is more room there and it also makes the module accessible without removing the rear trunk trim again. You could just remove the piece that follows the seat back to the door sill.
3. Brake Controller
On my MK6, I was able to steal the brake signal for my brake controller from pin six of the Euro plug, so I had also run a red 16g wire along with my 12g brake controller wire and the Westfalia harness. When I recode the mk7 module to NAR, however, the new module cuts the output to pin six, so you cannot use it for your brake signal to the controller. This sucks, because on the mk6, I didn’t have to splice anything. For this car, I tapped the third brake light where it leaves the BCM at A57. The third brake light is also LED, so the car doesn't check its voltage and say the bulb is out when its tapped.
On my MK6, I was able to add fuses to the fuse panel when it was unlocked, and I added a fuse for my brake controller there. You can’t do this easily on an mk7, so I did a little looking and found that there are a couple of blade terminals that stick off of the back of the fuse panel right where the power cable from the battery enters it. They are covered with little white rubber covers. The one on the passenger side of the plug is hot with the ignition off. I wired a female spade terminal to and an inline fuse holder to power the brake controller from this lug. It isn’t as clean as the install on my mk6, but I was not willing to remove enough of the dash to add a fuse to the panel of my mk7. The fuse is accessible removing the black BCM cover under the dash.
4. Euro 13pin to US 7way adapter
Once all is wired up, and the trim is put back in, you’ll have the end of the wiring harness hanging out of the driver side rear of your car. I mounted the euro socket under the bumper using one of the bolts that held on the original metal bumper bar. The pic shows where I mounted it, and shows the red signal wire that I later removed since it didn’t work when coded to NAR.
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I made an adapter from the 13p euro plug to the US 7 way socket using this. https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BGHV6Y/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Wires to the Euro Socket
Euro Pin 1—Red wire LT and Brake
Euro Pin 4 – Green wire RT and Brake
Euro Pin 5– Brown wire running lights
Euro Pin 3—White wire ground
Euro Pin 8— Yellow wire reverse lights
Euro Pin 9—Black 12v power wire if you want it hot all the time
Euro Pin 10—Black 12v power wire if you want it hot with ignition on
Connect the blue wire from the US 7way directly to the wire run from the brake controller, I used posilocks https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HTADIOY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
5. Finishing up
I had to make the opening in the new diffuser a little bigger, so I could access my left tow chain loop. I decided to mount the US socket vertically in the new diffuser. There was room on the right side to hide it better up in the opening, but I would have had to make some sort of bracket to mount under the bumper bar of the hitch and decided it was more trouble than it was worth.I still could in the future. The hitch has a cool little bracket that hides and swings down for the Euro socket, but the US 7way is too large to fit on it. Once you’ve figured out the cuts and plug mounting on the diffuser, it just pops into place.
The finished product.
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Jedadiah

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 17, 2010
Location
Central Kentucky
TDI
Former: '15 Passat TDI SE 6M, '15 Golf S 6M and '10 JSW
Coding the Module with VCDS

Add address 69 in the Can gateway.

Go to 69, and recode the module to NAR using the long coding helper.

Go to 09 Central Electronics, and add trailer module to the long coding using the long coding helper. The module works without doing this, however.

Go to 01 Engine, and add trailer module using the long coding helper. When the trailer is attached, this supposedly runs the fan more to keep the engine cool.
 

740GLE

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 19, 2009
Location
NH
TDI
2015 Passat SEL, 2017 Alltrack SE; BB 2010 Sedan Man; 2012 Passat,
FYI for those looking to install on a GSW or Alltrack, the cutout on the rear valance is already there!
 

740GLE

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 19, 2009
Location
NH
TDI
2015 Passat SEL, 2017 Alltrack SE; BB 2010 Sedan Man; 2012 Passat,
Now we need pics of you towing 2500lbs!
 

Jedadiah

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 17, 2010
Location
Central Kentucky
TDI
Former: '15 Passat TDI SE 6M, '15 Golf S 6M and '10 JSW
No 2500 lbs, but lots of camping stuff.

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Lots of mulch

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mxtdiguy

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Oct 17, 2017
Location
Mexico
TDI
'16 sportwagen TDI sel 6mt
Beautiful hitch and installation !!

Looks like it mounts deep into the frame, very strong
 

Jedadiah

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Joined
Sep 17, 2010
Location
Central Kentucky
TDI
Former: '15 Passat TDI SE 6M, '15 Golf S 6M and '10 JSW
Cool find. Just curious: Did you fit it to a Bosal hitch or to a Westfalia?
I wonder if the mounts are standard, as the mount on my Westy swan neck looks very similar.
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The swan neck isn't as versatile as a receiver tube, but I like how it doesn't rattle at all. I had a receiver tube on my old mk5 Rabbit, and was amazed when I switched to a Bosal hitch by how much quieter it was.
I've started buying Euro accessories for mine, as the prices, for bike racks at least, are often cheaper than their US counterparts. Thule doesn't sell anything comparable to this in the US for $230. I'm sure it would also work on a US 2"ball.
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Micah247

Active member
Joined
May 6, 2017
Location
Boston
TDI
2015 Golf TDI
Cool find. Just curious: Did you fit it to a Bosal hitch or to a Westfalia?
I wonder if the mounts are standard, as the mount on my Westy swan neck looks very similar.
[/IMG]
The swan neck isn't as versatile as a receiver tube, but I like how it doesn't rattle at all. I had a receiver tube on my old mk5 Rabbit, and was amazed when I switched to a Bosal hitch by how much quieter it was.
I've started buying Euro accessories for mine, as the prices, for bike racks at least, are often cheaper than their US counterparts. Thule doesn't sell anything comparable to this in the US for $230. I'm sure it would also work on a US 2"ball.
[/IMG]
Bosal. They are the same.
 

Stuts

New member
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Jan 13, 2018
Location
Canada
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2015 Golf TDI
Op what's your thoughts on toeing with an Auto???? My manual says don't toe with Auto but I'm being told by several people it's no problem. I have a 2015 Golf TDI with a 4by8 trailer. You seem to know what your doing so this is why I ask.
 

Jedadiah

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Joined
Sep 17, 2010
Location
Central Kentucky
TDI
Former: '15 Passat TDI SE 6M, '15 Golf S 6M and '10 JSW
https://www.practicalcaravan.com/reviews/tow-car/29763-volkswagen-golf

Here’s a Euro review of the “new” mk7 with a dsg. The video has a 2 liter tdi with a dsg. Europeans consider the Golf a great towing car. I’m not sure why VW doesn’t want US owners to tow with a dsg. I’m sure the car can handle it.

I’m curious if the dsg will shift differently in a car that has OEM Trailer wiring that has been properly coded, and if that changes the emissions strategy which would somehow violate US emissions in some way....
 
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Mrrogers1

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Jun 25, 2006
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Omaha NEEEBRASKA
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2011 Golf TDI 6MT, 2011 Jetta TDI DSG, 2015 Golf Sportwagen S TDI DSG
https://www.practicalcaravan.com/reviews/tow-car/29763-volkswagen-golf

Here’s a Euro review of the “new” mk7 with a dsg. The video has a 2 liter tdi with a dsg. Europeans consider the Golf a great towing car. I’m not sure why VW doesn’t want US owners to tow with a dsg. I’m sure the car can handle it.

I’m curious if the dsg will shift differently in a car that has OEM Trailer wiring that has been properly coded, and if that changes the emissions strategy which would somehow violate US emissions in some way....
Dang, that's really cool to see. One day when I decide to add hitch, I'll tow with confidence. :D
 

Micah247

Active member
Joined
May 6, 2017
Location
Boston
TDI
2015 Golf TDI
https://www.practicalcaravan.com/reviews/tow-car/29763-volkswagen-golf

Here’s a Euro review of the “new” mk7 with a dsg. The video has a 2 liter tdi with a dsg. Europeans consider the Golf a great towing car. I’m not sure why VW doesn’t want US owners to tow with a dsg. I’m sure the car can handle it.

I’m curious if the dsg will shift differently in a car that has OEM Trailer wiring that has been properly coded, and if that changes the emissions strategy which would somehow violate US emissions in some way....
Yes it does shift differently when you have a properly coded towing module. It's not 100% necessary. The DSG transmission can handle it, it's the same one in the Golf R. In the US they want you to buy a Touareg. Also when you install the Euro hitch you remove the rear bumper shocks. I got rear-ended and I'm regretting it just a little bit.
 

Micah247

Active member
Joined
May 6, 2017
Location
Boston
TDI
2015 Golf TDI
Yes it does shift differently when you have a properly coded towing module. It's not 100% necessary. The DSG transmission can handle it, it's the same one in the Golf R. In the US they want you to buy a Touareg. Also when you install the Euro hitch you remove the rear bumper shocks. I got rear-ended and I'm regretting it just a little bit.
Since I have no rear bumper shocks, I installed a Super Bumper to help absorb up to a 30 mph impact. Product had great reviews. I wish I had this before I got rear-ended.
 
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Discovery

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Jan 15, 2018
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Montréal
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Mk7 SportWagen
I don't understand how it can tow 3200lbs if it can handle only 165lbs on the ball.

It should be 10% of total trailer weight on the hitch to be safe.
 

Lightflyer1

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Sep 13, 2005
Location
Round Rock, Texas
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2015 Beetle tdi dsg
Not everyone everywhere abides by the 10% rule. From another site:


Topic: Tongue weight in Europe is around 7%
Posted By: rvtrailerpuller on 08/22/13 02:22am

"I know I am going to get some super experienced folks in the U.S. criticizing tongue/hitch weights being less than 10%, but let's discuss this.
It seems the approach in the U.K. and Europe is to attempt to design and load a trailer such that the majority of the weight is just forward of the axle. Far less concern on the Eastern side of the Atlantic is given to a tongue weight over 7%. In the U.K. a tongue weight of 4% is the legal minimum and the goal is to be in the range of 5% to 7% of loaded trailer weight. Trailer speed limits over there are 60mph maximum and there is less emphasis on weight distribution hitches. The main concern is to not load up a trailer with a concentration of weight in the far front and the far back just to accomplish some goal of a specific target tongue weight. They are more concerned with "yaw inertia" that a trailer with both a heavy front and rear would have and relatively low weight in the center over the axle. The goal, again, is to concentrate the load just as close to the axle as possible and just forward of it such that the tongue weight ends up in the 5% to 7% range.
I tow a really big trailer with a really big diesel truck with a Hensley hitch.
Perhaps this European and English style of trailer weight balancing design accounts for the mysteriously fantastically stable trailer and the mysteriously horrible towing trailer surprises that occur in the experience of some of us who have towed a large variety of trailers here in the U.S. It may be more than just a huge tongue weight that keeps a trailer stable and free from sway.
The conceptual difference is that of holding heavy and equal objects in each hand at arms length and swing your body around, and then try to stop it. Then do the same holding the weights to the chest. You can easily stop yourself from the inertia of the spin when the weights are not concentrated toward the ends of your trailer, but rather toward the center near your chest (trailer axle)."
 

Jedadiah

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Joined
Sep 17, 2010
Location
Central Kentucky
TDI
Former: '15 Passat TDI SE 6M, '15 Golf S 6M and '10 JSW
The bumper bar I removed from my Golf didn’t offer any extra shock protection other than a piece of foam between the bumper bar and the bumper cover. My old JSW and Rabbit were the same. It will be easier to dent the cover without the foam, but I don’t think the car isn’t in any more danger from a rear end hit than it was before.

Cool pics, but they are huge! Any chance you could resize?
 
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Discovery

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Jan 15, 2018
Location
Montréal
TDI
Mk7 SportWagen
Not everyone everywhere abides by the 10% rule. From another site:


Topic: Tongue weight in Europe is around 7%
Posted By: rvtrailerpuller on 08/22/13 02:22am

"I know I am going to get some super experienced folks in the U.S. criticizing tongue/hitch weights being less than 10%, but let's discuss this.
It seems the approach in the U.K. and Europe is to attempt to design and load a trailer such that the majority of the weight is just forward of the axle. Far less concern on the Eastern side of the Atlantic is given to a tongue weight over 7%. In the U.K. a tongue weight of 4% is the legal minimum and the goal is to be in the range of 5% to 7% of loaded trailer weight. Trailer speed limits over there are 60mph maximum and there is less emphasis on weight distribution hitches. The main concern is to not load up a trailer with a concentration of weight in the far front and the far back just to accomplish some goal of a specific target tongue weight. They are more concerned with "yaw inertia" that a trailer with both a heavy front and rear would have and relatively low weight in the center over the axle. The goal, again, is to concentrate the load just as close to the axle as possible and just forward of it such that the tongue weight ends up in the 5% to 7% range.
I tow a really big trailer with a really big diesel truck with a Hensley hitch.
Perhaps this European and English style of trailer weight balancing design accounts for the mysteriously fantastically stable trailer and the mysteriously horrible towing trailer surprises that occur in the experience of some of us who have towed a large variety of trailers here in the U.S. It may be more than just a huge tongue weight that keeps a trailer stable and free from sway.
The conceptual difference is that of holding heavy and equal objects in each hand at arms length and swing your body around, and then try to stop it. Then do the same holding the weights to the chest. You can easily stop yourself from the inertia of the spin when the weights are not concentrated toward the ends of your trailer, but rather toward the center near your chest (trailer axle)."
That's what I try to do when loading my trailer.
Problem is, travel trailer here are not made that way. Water tank in the back, batteries and cabinet in the front.

There is not much I can do to transfer the weight.

Maybe I will try to weld tab on the hitch to install my sway control bar.



It was pretty much useless when I was pulling with my 5000lbs 4runner, but now I think that would be a nice safety.
 

Discovery

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Jan 15, 2018
Location
Montréal
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Mk7 SportWagen
3. Brake Controller
On my MK6, I was able to steal the brake signal for my brake controller from pin six of the Euro plug, so I had also run a red 16g wire along with my 12g brake controller wire and the Westfalia harness. When I recode the mk7 module to NAR, however, the new module cuts the output to pin six, so you cannot use it for your brake signal to the controller. This sucks, because on the mk6, I didn’t have to splice anything. For this car, I tapped the third brake light where it leaves the BCM at A57. The third brake light is also LED, so the car doesn't check its voltage and say the bulb is out when its tapped.


It's the first time I'm playing in a car wiring on this level and I need some guidance on the BCM part of your brake controller install is you don't mind.

Wich one is the A plug? The one with the footweel light coming out of it (closest from driver seat?

How did you manage to find out which one is 57?

Did you cut the zip tie to tap in the wire?

Thanks.
 
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Jedadiah

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Sep 17, 2010
Location
Central Kentucky
TDI
Former: '15 Passat TDI SE 6M, '15 Golf S 6M and '10 JSW
I‘m pretty sure A is the closest to the front of the car. You have to remove the zip tie and open up the connector to figure out where the wires come from. Each pin in the connector has a number printed on the plastic where it originates. The Westfalia instructions shows what it looks like on page 31.

I used a posi-tap to tap the wire outside of the BCM connector-the wire leaves the plug and runs down the driver‘s side of the car. I had to trace it back to the correct pin on the BCM to figure out which one was the right one to tap.

A guy on Golf MK7 and Vortex named DV52 has a document that lists all of the individual light locations on the BCM. VCDS also includes the pin location in the name of each light of you make an adaptation map of your BCM.
 

Discovery

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Jan 15, 2018
Location
Montréal
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Mk7 SportWagen
I‘m pretty sure A is the closest to the front of the car. You have to remove the zip tie and open up the connector to figure out where the wires come from. Each pin in the connector has a number printed on the plastic where it originates. The Westfalia instructions shows what it looks like on page 31.

I used a posi-tap to tap the wire outside of the BCM connector-the wire leaves the plug and runs down the driver‘s side of the car. I had to trace it back to the correct pin on the BCM to figure out which one was the right one to tap.

A guy on Golf MK7 and Vortex named DV52 has a document that lists all of the individual light locations on the BCM. VCDS also includes the pin location in the name of each light of you make an adaptation map of your BCM.
On page 33 they seem to tap the brake signal from C58...
Also, from the drawing, it look like C is the one closest to the seat.

 

Jedadiah

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Sep 17, 2010
Location
Central Kentucky
TDI
Former: '15 Passat TDI SE 6M, '15 Golf S 6M and '10 JSW
On page 33 they seem to tap the brake signal from C58...
Also, from the drawing, it look like C is the one closest to the seat.

C58 is the brake signal wire from the pedal to the bcm, which the Westfalia trailer module also uses for it's signal. It should be completely separate from the trailer brake controller.

When I first wired up my brake controller I tapped that wire, but it did some weird things with the trailer brake controller. It would wake up if I hit the brake before starting the car, and the output was funny. Because it worked funny, I decided to tap the third brake light output (A57) for my brake signal to the controller, since it doesn't do double duty as a turn signal. Also the bcm doesn't check the third brake light for amperage drain like it does the incandescent bulb, so I don't get a bulb out warning.

Ever since I tapped A57 for my brake signal to the brake controller, it's worked exactly like it's supposed to. Don't tap c58!
 

Discovery

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Montréal
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Mk7 SportWagen
C58 is the brake signal wire from the pedal to the bcm, which the Westfalia trailer module also uses for it's signal. It should be completely separate from the trailer brake controller.

When I first wired up my brake controller I tapped that wire, but it did some weird things with the trailer brake controller. It would wake up if I hit the brake before starting the car, and the output was funny. Because it worked funny, I decided to tap the third brake light output (A57) for my brake signal to the controller, since it doesn't do double duty as a turn signal. Also the bcm doesn't check the third brake light for amperage drain like it does the incandescent bulb, so I don't get a bulb out warning.

Ever since I tapped A57 for my brake signal to the brake controller, it's worked exactly like it's supposed to. Don't tap c58!
How I feel right now


Thanks for the tips!
Why the bcm plug are not identified A B C?
From the drawing it look like A is the farthest from the driver seat.

Should i install a fuse between the tapped A57 and the brake controller?

If I don't come back, it's because I tapped the wrong wire.
I love you all.
 

Discovery

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Jan 15, 2018
Location
Montréal
TDI
Mk7 SportWagen
I wouldn’t put a fuse on it. A57 will do the trick.
The A plug is the hardest to access, crammed between the firewall with the shortest length of wire.

No way I could tap into that without a posi-tap. Ordered some. To be continued.
 
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