[V6-12v] reverse lights out on 1995 A6 Wagon... (Rob)

[Mike Veglia]

"Correctly" is a matter of opinion. Truly "correctly" is to spring the couple hundred bux and several hours of labor to swap the harness. Next best "correct" fix for longevity (not to mention a second chance to do it again if need be) are butt splices.

In my opinion (Electronic Tech/Engineer for 30+ years) and in Audi's opinion (there are several TSBs on this topic that go into great detail on crimp connections and advise against soldering) soldering and heat shrink is absolutely NOT the "correct" repair for stranded wires that flex and/or vibrate (which means just about any wire in a car wire loom, especially those in hinges). I am more than capable with soldering (and desoldering) equipment, but I do not use solder anywhere in my cars except to repair bad relays and modules (circuit boards).

The reason soldering is bad is that where the solder ends and the stranded wire begins is a hard flex point where the wire will again break much more quickly than a crimped splice. In the case of wires that pass through a hinge (such as the hatch loom) it will be a very short period of time before the wires break again at the solder connection. At that point you have used up all of your available wire and a harness change will be inevitable. 

There are many good places for (make mine lead based) solder. Automotive wires, marine wires, and avionics wires are not those places.

This was the subject of great debate on the q-list a few years ago and may be found in the archives (including the specific Audi TSBs that forbid use of solder on wires on Audi wire looms).

I do suggest wrapping the cable bundle after repairs to help share strain relief across as much area as possible to help protect the remaining (unbroken) wires and the repaired wires.

Again, HTH and good luck.

Mike Veglia

----- Original Message ----
From: Tom Christiansen <tomchr at gmail.com>
To: Mike Veglia <msvphoto at pacbell.net>
Cc: beattyr2003 at cox.net; v6-12v at audifans.com
Sent: Wednesday, February 27, 2008 12:25:04 PM
Subject: Re: [V6-12v] reverse lights out on 1995 A6 Wagon... (Rob)


If the harness is the problem (sounds very likely), I would suggest fixing it "correctly". Use a soldering iron, cover the joints in heat shrink tubing, cover the whole thing in heat shrink tubing - preferably the type that has glue in it so it becomes water tight.


Heat shrink tubing should be available at any electronic parts store (Radio Shack for example) or at many auto parts stores. Obviously, this assumes you have a soldering iron, heat gun, and ability to use both.


I fixed the harness in my 1994 90S that way. Works great and doesn't take up much more space than the original harness.

Tom