Hey folks!

I want to put a trailer hitch on my new A6 and I was wondering if anyone would have access to the wiring diagram for the tail light circuit (i.e. wire color codes). I know it is a PWM LED system but I'm getting mixed messages from a few sources on what type it is (combined stop/turn/tail or stop/tail with a separate wire for turn signals). Can anyone out there help me?

It seems that Curt Mfg are the only ones who make a decent hitch for the 2012-2013 models, but their tech support hasn't given me a consistent answer on the wiring. I'm hoping to avoid pulling out an oscilloscope and tapping into the harness to find the right signal wires by looking at the PWM waveforms.

I'm an electrical engineer, so more technical feedback is welcomed and encouraged.

Thanks.

 

Contact your service mgr. He will give you copy of the wiring schematic for the lights. Keep in mind that you might invalidate part of your warranty if you mess with the wiring. All a mechanic has to do is put a note in the dealer's computer that the wiring has been modified, and corporate can kill at least part of your warranty.

Might be worthwhile to have dealer do the mod, even if it does cost you additional $$. Ask any auto dealer service mgr about my first para.

 

Thanks for the warning z06bigbird! I guess it does not surprise me that corp would look for any excuse to get out of warranty coverage. The sad part about it is that I know what I'm doing and, in fact, I would make the modification in such a way as to minimize the risk of damage to the control modules in the car. (... probably with more care and precision in wiring practices than a trained techician would do, unless it was their own car) I've designed ECUs for vehicles in past jobs.

In the meantime, I had the sales guy I worked with get the wiring schematics from the service department, so I now have the info I need. He was more than willing to help since he's still on the hook until I take the customer satisfaction survey after 30 days. He doesn't get his bonus unless I give him a good grade.

Thanks again for the warning. I'll ping the service manager to see if what he says about doing the modification.

 

Good luck on this project. Dealers do this mod on a regular basis. Might be worthwhile throwing a $150 at them to get the project done.

Again, all a tech has to do is notate that someone has been playing with the wiring, and your warranty can be gone forever. (That is assuming that some tech a year or two from now at a diff dealership is driven up a tree by an electrical problem. Then he sees your mod. He puts notes in the system, and bingo!!

Glad I could be of help. Fax me a $5 bill for my effort. lol