How to: Retro-fit 'coming home lights'

[Guest Fabia 12v]

***WARNING***

This is not gospil it is only a guide, this will only be as good as your own personal electrical skills!

'Coming home lights' are where the headlamps come on when you unlock the car or lock the car as you find on more expensive models.

I have retro fitted this feature to my 9N Polo. So wiring colours may be different in your respective Skoda models but the principle is the same.

You will need:

1 X 12V 30/40Amp Relay.

3 X lengths of wire about 10/20cms according to where you want to mount the relay.

1x length of wire long enough to go from headlamp switch to interior light unit... i.e up a piller etc.

Step 1.

- Remove headlamp switch (push button in, twist to right and pull out.

- Remove interior light from roof.

Step 2:

Wire the long lenth of wire to the 'door open' signal cable to the interior lamp.

Step 3:

Channel the cable down the 'A' Pillar and round the back of the fuse box

Step 4:

Take your 12v 30/40A relay

And wire the relay to the headlamp switch as follows:

No. 85 and No.30 go to the thick red cable on the back of the headlamp switch this is Pin Number 15 on the headlamp switch as so:

No. 87 goes to either the thick yellow/green cable (Golf MK4 - Poss same as Octavia??) or Yellow/Purple cable (Polo 9N - Poss same as Fabia?) This is Pin number 7 on the headlamp switch as so:

No.86 is the wire to the interior lamp.

Thats it!! Now every time you unlock the car your headlamps will come on for the same lenth of time as the interior lamp unit. When you get out walk up your drive and then lock the car when you want to kill the headlamps.

If anyone does try this mod, please update the wiring colours on here so that it is correct as this is based on Polo 9N / Golf Mk4 wiring colours.

Edited 1 November, 2008 by Fabia 12v

[sms]

nice write up but can also be enabled with vag com too.

[Guest Fabia 12v]

nice write up but can also be enabled with vag com too.

This is for the likes of Octavia MK1 and Fabia MK1 as this option isn't available via. vagcom like on the MK2 octy on these models.

[Guest Fabia 12v]

Just found one floor to plan, when you turn the interior light on the headlamps come on, so best to introduce a switch along the cable between the lamp to the relay to eleivate this problem if your wanting to sit quietly in your car and read.

Hope this helps.

[VRSPhil]

Couldn't a diode be used to stop this happening? My brain isn't working at the moment but I'm sure it should be possible.

[Guest Fabia 12v]

Couldn't a diode be used to stop this happening? My brain isn't working at the moment but I'm sure it should be possible.

Good plan batman, yes that would work! I've gone down the route of a switch because that will also give the ability to turn the function off if you don't want the lamps on upon unlocking at some point :confused: when that would be, but the option is there!

[rum4mo]

I'd be surprised if these silly people at VW have not already made up kits to retro-fit this function - the only way that owners like me find out about the availability of these kits is when they appear on Ebay - being dumped by main dealers parts depts due to no one buying them because no one knows they exist. Maybe seeing as you are on the inside (sort of) you could find out what sorts of retro-fit kits are currently available.

[Wardy]

An interesting mod Rich. Is it the sidelights or dipped beam that comes on?

Steve

[Guest Fabia 12v]

I'd be surprised if these silly people at VW have not already made up kits to retro-fit this function - the only way that owners like me find out about the availability of these kits is when they appear on Ebay - being dumped by main dealers parts depts due to no one buying them because no one knows they exist. Maybe seeing as you are on the inside (sort of) you could find out what sorts of retro-fit kits are currently available.

If a retro-fit kit was available do you think I would of gone to the trouble of trawling through wiring diagrams and working out logics to make my own kit up :P

[Guest Fabia 12v]

An interesting mod Rich. Is it the sidelights or dipped beam that comes on?

Steve

In this case it is dipped beam.

But by simply doing exactly the same connections except pin number 87 going to the sidelight wire on back of headlamp switch u can have sidelights.

If you want both side and dipped simply wire up two relays or you could go to town and wire up 3 relays and have the foglamps coming on as well!!

Its all down to where you wire pin 87 on the relay to which wire on the headlamp switch as to what having lighting up on the car.

Edited 3 November, 2008 by Fabia 12v

[NinjaVRS]

If a retro-fit kit was available do you think I would of gone to the trouble of trawling through wiring diagrams and working out logics to make my own kit up :P

Why Dont you see if anyone fancy this on there mk1 octy/fabia, and make a few retro kits up for these people with a diagram to show were to plug it in. just a thought,:confused: would be interested if it was simple enough!!!

[Phil-E]

Im currently trying to do this on my felicia.

I already have an auto lights controller box fitted so I just need to figure out how to feed a live to the switched live on the box when the doors are unlocked.

BTW the interior light doesn't come on when the doors are unlocked on the felicia.

Any ideas?

[Sy.]

What function is it on VAG COM for the fabia. Ive not seen this??

[Wardy]

What function is it on VAG COM for the fabia. Ive not seen this??

There isn't one. It's only relevant for cars fitted with the later CAN interface. So perhaps it could be done on the Roomster/Fab Mk2....

Thanks for the reply on which lights come on Rich. I only wondered as I wouldn't do the same myself, as I have xenons and wouldn't want these coming on every time And thinking what Mercedes do in particular with their system, when the side and foglights illuminate.

Steve

[rum4mo]

If a retro-fit kit was available do you think I would of gone to the trouble of trawling through wiring diagrams and working out logics to make my own kit up :P

You missed my point, VAG sneak these retro-fit kits out and that is why most of them surface on ebay as NOS!

[Phil-E]

But he works in a dealers so surely he would know if there were!

Good work anyway... Just need to adapt the idea to fit onto mine!

Phil

[Guest Fabia 12v]

I would certainly be happy to make up some kits and diagrams. I'm going to be fitting it to a Mk1 Octy at weekend so I can confirm wiring colours then for MK1. Would just be grateful if someone could take the photo of the back of a Fabia 1 switch so i can confirm if wiring is the same colour as a 9N Polo or not.

[Guest Fabia 12v]

But he works in a dealers so surely he would know if there were!

Good work anyway... Just need to adapt the idea to fit onto mine!

Phil

Definaitly nothing available!! I have checked!

[Guest Fabia 12v]

There isn't one. It's only relevant for cars fitted with the later CAN interface. So perhaps it could be done on the Roomster/Fab Mk2....

Thanks for the reply on which lights come on Rich. I only wondered as I wouldn't do the same myself, as I have xenons and wouldn't want these coming on every time And thinking what Mercedes do in particular with their system, when the side and foglights illuminate.

Steve

Well i'm adding the extra relays for sides / fogs to mine at weekend as well as doing the octy at same time, so i'll let you know how it goes.

[Johnwg]

Good to see you back on here Richard, doing what you do so well

[Guest Fabia 12v]

Good to see you back on here Richard, doing what you do so well

More to come!! 'Footwell lighting' part deux!! All with photos and how toos coming up.

Think my final edition will be How To: Fit dual batteries to cope with all of this!!!

[Wardy]

I'll do you some Fabia switch photos Rich, as I'd potentially be interested in this

(as long as it was sidelights used, as above )

Steve

[Guest Fabia 12v]

I'll do you some Fabia switch photos Rich, as I'd potentially be interested in this

(as long as it was sidelights used, as above )

Steve

wilco

[sms]

i would imagine best place to do the wiring for the comfort lights would be to a bulb inside the car, also look at the led/neon light tubes as i beleive these dont draw much current so wont be any worry of it frying the wires.

[Guest Fabia 12v]

i would imagine best place to do the wiring for the comfort lights would be to a bulb inside the car, also look at the led/neon light tubes as i beleive these dont draw much current so wont be any worry of it frying the wires.

Yup when I wired these up on my Fabia & Golf & Ibiza I pretty much used the theory of the 'W8 Lamp' modification using LED bulbs. But what I want to do this time is introduce a relay system much like my coming home lamps so that my extra wiring is run on a seperate circuit so as to reduce load on the existing wiring.

I have more access to wiring diagrams etc. now comparecto three years ago so it gives me time to sit down and plan things out.