This "fix" of the B4 daytime running lights in fact only disables the always-on headlights. The tail, parking, and dash illumination lights still turn on with the ignition, regardless of light switch position.
Some suggested a $60+shipping Euro-spec light switch. I spent $0 and about three hours figuring it out (nevermind several days tracking down wiring diagrams and another few days adjusting to VW's "circuit track" style, which I still don't like). If I did it again it'd take less than an hour.
All it takes is removing one spring-loaded jumper from one slider inside the light switch. It's buried deep within the switch and requires some patience and finesse - and a couple of small screwdriver/pick tools - to access and remove.
If you can't gently pry plastic, this job is not for you. Otherwise, read on...
1. Remove and unplug the light switch assembly. Turn it around. You're now looking at this:
2. Pry the six barbs holding the inner switch housing to the outer. Wiggle the inner assembly out, and you will see this:
3. Turn the dimmer wheel all the way up (bright). Take note of how the dimmer wheel intermediate gear is positioned - stare at it and internalize how it works - and remove the wheel and the gear. Then lift the dimmer circuit board clear of the switch, which now looks like this:
4. The blue circles are where the locking barbs hold the switch guts into the switch housing. Pry them while pushing the gut assembly out. The red wheel might fall off; don't worry about it. Behold the guts removed:
5. There's a jumper between two pins on the backside. Lift it out. The blue circles indicate barbs to pry loose in order to separate the two gut halves. There will also be three rivet-like dowel pins holding the two guts halves together. They're best overcome by prying, but to reassemble you'll need to clip the mushroomed tips off. There's plenty more holding the switch together so don't worry about them. Two black sliders and the white foglight slider might fall out. Behold the lower gut half with the three sliders at their respective positions:
6. We're interested in the leftmost slider. There's a bent metal contact that goes from the top (with one contact surface) to the bottom (with two). Remove that contact and its two springs (springs not shown):
7. Reassemble. Make sure the red wheel's grooves engage the black sliders (test it before putting the dimmer board back on), and that the dimmer gears line up correctly. They have arrows for reference.
That's it. The light switch now does what it says instead of being a useless decorative item.
Some suggested a $60+shipping Euro-spec light switch. I spent $0 and about three hours figuring it out (nevermind several days tracking down wiring diagrams and another few days adjusting to VW's "circuit track" style, which I still don't like). If I did it again it'd take less than an hour.
All it takes is removing one spring-loaded jumper from one slider inside the light switch. It's buried deep within the switch and requires some patience and finesse - and a couple of small screwdriver/pick tools - to access and remove.
If you can't gently pry plastic, this job is not for you. Otherwise, read on...
1. Remove and unplug the light switch assembly. Turn it around. You're now looking at this:
2. Pry the six barbs holding the inner switch housing to the outer. Wiggle the inner assembly out, and you will see this:
3. Turn the dimmer wheel all the way up (bright). Take note of how the dimmer wheel intermediate gear is positioned - stare at it and internalize how it works - and remove the wheel and the gear. Then lift the dimmer circuit board clear of the switch, which now looks like this:
4. The blue circles are where the locking barbs hold the switch guts into the switch housing. Pry them while pushing the gut assembly out. The red wheel might fall off; don't worry about it. Behold the guts removed:
5. There's a jumper between two pins on the backside. Lift it out. The blue circles indicate barbs to pry loose in order to separate the two gut halves. There will also be three rivet-like dowel pins holding the two guts halves together. They're best overcome by prying, but to reassemble you'll need to clip the mushroomed tips off. There's plenty more holding the switch together so don't worry about them. Two black sliders and the white foglight slider might fall out. Behold the lower gut half with the three sliders at their respective positions:
6. We're interested in the leftmost slider. There's a bent metal contact that goes from the top (with one contact surface) to the bottom (with two). Remove that contact and its two springs (springs not shown):
7. Reassemble. Make sure the red wheel's grooves engage the black sliders (test it before putting the dimmer board back on), and that the dimmer gears line up correctly. They have arrows for reference.
That's it. The light switch now does what it says instead of being a useless decorative item.
