[V8] Trunk Wiring Harness

[dsaad at icehouse.net]

This is an odd one.
I think maybe they connected the wires to the trunk switch (which is located on
the left side on my car) wrong somehow. There is no telling what could happen
during a crash, and there is no telling how someone could connect the wrong
wires together. As our ever truthfull pal Don Rumsfeld says "some things are
un-knowable" (loosely quoted :-).
My guess is that somehow the alarm wires are involved in this mess - because as
far as I know, the alarm and light use the same switch.

And - I am fairly certain the wire harness comes up the left side - but you can
easily check for your self by removing the rear seat cushion. You should see a
big bundle of wire in there somewhere. You may have to remove two bolts from the
front lower edge of the seat to get it out. Not hard, and the procedure may even
be in the manual since this is also the access to the battery.
The trunk trim pieces also come out pretty easy too - so you could gain access
that way.
If they cut out the quarter panel, I would guess there is a fair chance they had
to mess with some wires.

Dave


Quoting Speakoutprod at aol.com:

> I was rear-ended several months ago.  I was hit at a 45-degree angle in the
> left rear corner where the rear left tail lights are.  The trunk lid was not
> damaged.  The body shop replaced the left rear quarter panel, etc.  The
> repair
> was covered by the other party's insurance.
>
> After I got the car home (at least one month later!!) I noticed that when I
> had the trunk lid open (driving home with an oversized board sticking out of
> the trunk) the red "Door Open" light on the instrument panel was illuminated
> and
> also the interior lights were illuminated (I have them switched to turn on
> whenever one of the four car doors is opened).
>
> I asked the Audi V8 group several weeks ago if this was normal and I
> received
> two replies saying "no -- the open trunk lid should not have this effect."
>
> I am asking the body shop/insurance company to fix this, but they are
> requiring me to get an official Audi repair place to certify that the damage
> to the
> rear left part of the car would cause this to happen.  The body shop (a
> VW/BMW
> dealership) says that the wiring harness for this is on the RIGHT side of
> the
> trunk and that the damage wouldn't have caused this.  My local Audi mechanic
> told me it's on the LEFT side of the trunk.
>
> If I take it to the Audi dealer and have them take a look, it's 50 bucks --
> which I will be reimbursed if it is indeed on the left side.  If not, I'm
> out
> 50 bucks.
>
> My questions to the group are as follows:
>
> 1) Does the wiring for the rear of the car (and particular the wiring to and
> from the "Trunk Open" microswitch located next to the trunk latch in the
> trunk
> lid) run alongside the left rear quarter panel?
>
> 2) Could a hit to the left rear area of the car cause the change to the
> light
> behavior as described above?
>
> 3) Is killing an insurance adjuster classified as a crime?
>
> Thanks
>
> Brad Hartman
> 1990 V8
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