No more Check Eng Light.....Ever

[Herm TDI]

Well.....after owning my TDI for the past 4 yrs...I've come to the point that I no longer need a litte light to tell me to have a peek at my car...Like most any car owner you "know" how your car should feel...and drive. If it doesn't feel "right"...then you have a "look-see" to find out why.
After several "implausabel signals" and "intermittent faults"...and the ocasional "indeterminate error"...I did it....I shut off the darn "Check engine light"....for ever may it rest in peace!
Total time to perform this joyful "modification"...about 30 min.

Disconnect the neg (-) battery terminal.
Remove the instrument cluster
Open instrument cluster
Look at the Tachometer at about 4K RPM
Carefully lift the plastic face of the tach... on the back-side of the plastic... place a small piece of electrican's tape over the "CEL" icon.
Reassemble the instrument cluster
Reinstall the cluster
Reconnect the battery....you're done.

This will likely cause alot of debate on this issue...but ask your self....do you really need a little light to tell you that something is awry ? The other point is...when I perform any regular maintenance I always do a Vag-Com check...just to see if any thing is going on...So my point is..I really don't need that little light...not at all.

 

[testDummy]

I agree with you on the useless CEL, Herm. I salute you that you have the courage to tell the world what you did.

I found myself kept peeking at the light, wondering what were ALL these problems behind this little light. I don't need the light to tell me there was an intermittent glow plug, I don't care if ALL the GP going south! As long as I can start the car and go. Worst of all with this light is it doesn't tell you anything helpful when the car is not running well, or not running at all.

This light is a money machine for the stealers, nothing but.

Ditch the CEL, I'll say.

 

[weedeater]

God bless you.

 

[golfstream]

You're our hero, Herm.

-Mel

 

[dogbreath]

Takes a real man to drive around without a CEL, you are our hero sir! /images/graemlins/wink.gif
The audacity, the courage, absolutely fearless!!! /images/graemlins/grin.gif /images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[teleskier]

Suppose it's better than electrical tape over the display.

Mine has been driving me so nuts I'm about ready to temporarily block it out too. Ever notice how you hear every little chirp and rattle when it's on, that never concerned you before? /images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[63Ragtop]

For future reference and easy searching, perhaps this thread should be renamed "Head in the Sand mod." /images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[Dutch]

And while you're at it, also remove the oil pressure light and disconnect the coolant temperature meter.

 

[Herm TDI]

[ QUOTE ]
63Ragtop said:
For future reference and easy searching, perhaps this thread should be renamed "Head in the Sand mod." /images/graemlins/cool.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

[ QUOTE ]
Dutch said this:
And while you're at it, also remove the oil pressure light and disconnect the coolant temperature meter

[/ QUOTE ]

I wonder how the automotive industry ever functioned... prior to the advent of OBD-II ....Besides...you have to admit it...the CEL is nothing more than a "stealership" magnet

Go ahead...take the plunge & just do it..Besides...I know one forum member that actually took a drill & bit to his CEL...that is where I got my insperation from...Go "Ian" !!! /images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[greenskeeper]

why not just remove the bulb itself for the CEL light? If you can access the rear of the cluster should be easy.

 

[POWERSTROKE]

I took my whole cluster out!! /images/graemlins/eek.gif /images/graemlins/eek.gif /images/graemlins/eek.gif

 

[Herm TDI]

Howdy Greenskeeper,
When I had my cluster out....I removed the back cover....and it looks like the bulds are beneith or below a printed circut board...I didn't want to fiddle with that unit. So it was easier to just cover the back of the "CEL" icon.

 

[Birdman]

I did that two years ago after getting tired of the Glow plug non fault.

 

[concours]

HeHeHE, That's what used car dealers do to unload some clam that needs expensive work. My buddies used '99 GMC P/U from a UCD had the trace on the circuit board cut with with a razor knife to kill the light. It neaded 2 O2 sensors and a coil pack. /images/graemlins/eek.gif

 

[McBrew]

Herm... great mod. I haven't <knock on wood> had a CEL yet on my '03... and I also have Vag-Com, so I see where you're coming from.

My old RV, a 1989 Coachmen Catalina class-C, was giving an intermittent check engine light... it seemed to go out when I refueled, then would come on a few days later. The Chevy dealership mechanic told me it was the O2 sensor. I ordered a new one. Then I felt like a complete idiot becuase I couldn't figure out where it was supposed to go! Well, I felt better when I figured out that it didn't have one. The guy at the dealership said "impossible". So he got under it. Sho'nuff, no O2 sensor! So, I continued to ignore the CEL.

Well, I was in line at the emissions station... of course, the CEL lights up and I'm next in line. The first thing they do is look for a CEL and it's an automatic failure! I reached up under the dash (the light was not in the cluster, but in the dash next to the cluster) and pulled the socket out. I popped out the nice, warm bulb and tossed it under the couch. I put the bulb holder back and proceeded to pass the emissions test with flying colors.

I told my brother that I solved the CEL mystery... there was an error due to one too many bulbs behind the dash. /images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[LagoonBlueTDI]

I just painted over the CEL with my wife's toenail paint. Only took about 30 seconds to do.

Didn't even have to take the dash apart...

 

[meganuke]

I hope you chose a color that compliments your interior... /images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Jerry Stringer]

Herm TDI,
It seems the grass is always greener on the other side. After I purchased my TDI last year, I noticed that the CEL never came on, even when starting the car. I looked under the dash and sure enough, there was black electrical tape on some wires right where that light is. Later, after acquiring VAG-COM, I noticed that I had error codes for glow plug problems. I eventually replaced all of the glow plugs and made a new harness. I wish my light worked. /images/graemlins/frown.gif

Jerry

 

[spyTDI]

My darn light has been on so long I'm certain the little bastard will just burn out eventually. Hopefully, maybe, not sure........ /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

 

[kevininhalifax2]

Previous owner did this to my 01 jetta, along with the ABS light and god knows what else...

 

[Nuje]

Wow - dredging up a thread that hadn't been touched in almost 11.5 years...well done!

 

[kevininhalifax2]

Thanks

 

[n1das]

My darn light has been on so long I'm certain the little bastard will just burn out eventually. Hopefully, maybe, not sure........ /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

Let's see.....going on 11 years since the quote above was posted.

The "bulb" is most likely a LED and has a rated life of 100k hours (11.4 years), assuming the LED hasn't been overstressed electrically.

LEDs normally don't fail abruptly, assuming they haven't been overstressed electrically, mechanically, and thermally. The light output over the rated life slowly drops off over the years and the life rating is conservative. After 100k hours the LED will still have at least 50% of its original brightness. Assuming the car is kept turned on 24/7 and keeping the CEL on 24/7, the LED should have lost only a few percent of its light output compared to its output when new.

IOW, waiting for the LED to burn itself out is not practical.

 

[Lensdude_com]

...I bet he put a piece of black tape over it years ago until the car groaned to a halt on the side of the road somewhere

 

[trailhead]

This thread must be from before Scangauge II. When mine pops a code I usually have it logged and cleared before the next shift.