Car/Electronics question

Funkmasterr · Post by **Funkmasterr** » December 8, 2005, 4:57 am

I have a 2001 Audi A4, lately the passenger seat has not been heating up as much as it should when you put the seat warmers on. There are 6 settings and when you put it on the highest it warms up to about half of what it should.

I checked the wiring under the seat and it all seems fine. I checked in my manual about fuses and both the front seats and an array of other shit are all on the same fuse.. So im confused as to what else it could be, and i dont want to bring it in unless I have to. But I do live in MN and it has been several degrees below zero, so I think in the best interests of my girlfriend not freezing to death I should fix it.

Aabidano · Post by **Aabidano** » December 8, 2005, 7:58 am

Check the resistance of the seat elements at the seat connector to see if one of them is broken. You should get about the same reading on both sides, the value might be listed in a Bentley or Chilton manual.

If they read the same check the voltage at the seat with the same setting on both sides. The voltages should be pretty close.

Kluden · Post by **Kluden** » December 8, 2005, 11:07 am

I believe seat warmers are "fed" thru the car computer. If your generator/alternator is not pumping out enough power to juice all the car operations, the computer will cut short other items to keep the necessities working....I imagine car seat warmers are first on the computer list of "not needed".

Call the garage and ask them the same question....a phone call is stilll free, and you may actually get a mechanic who has some know how.

It could be a simple common problem...and he/she would know right away.

Sendarie · Post by **Sendarie** » December 8, 2005, 12:30 pm

I'll do some googling at work tonight with free time (if there is any) and try to find a .pdf version of your FSM. That should have the full step by step manufacturers troubleshooting guide to your asscheeck warmers.

(FSM = the same book that the dealer will break out when you take it to them. Not sure if its worth it to you since FSM's can go for up to $400 for a hardcopy but with one and proper tools you can fix about 99% of car gremlins.)

Kluden · Post by **Kluden** » December 8, 2005, 4:20 pm

Bah! FSM's arent that expensive. I bought one for my jeep for $90.

They are very resourceful if you know anything about working on cars. If you don't, the FSM will confuse you further.

Funkmasterr · Post by **Funkmasterr** » December 8, 2005, 5:10 pm

I know a fair amount about working on cars. I have done quite a bit of stuff in the past, nothing as extensive as taking my whole engine compartment apart, but still a bit.

I wonder.. I recently had my car stereo installed, if that could be part of, or the whole problem. My sub was blown out for a while before I got a new one and I can't seem to remember if it was a problem then or not..

Sendarie · Post by **Sendarie** » December 8, 2005, 5:28 pm

Kluden wrote:Bah! FSM's arent that expensive. I bought one for my jeep for $90.

They are very resourceful if you know anything about working on cars. If you don't, the FSM will confuse you further.

Wow the cheapest one I found for my car was $100 and that was a CD version. The quaility full sized thick paged book version of the FSM for mine was $400 from Nissan.

Funkmasterr · Post by **Funkmasterr** » December 8, 2005, 5:40 pm

And if it was that for nissan, let me assure you it's more expensive for Audi. EVERYTHING is more expensive for my car.. fucking germans..

Sendarie · Post by **Sendarie** » December 8, 2005, 10:20 pm

Fortunately for me someone was cool enough to spend the $100 and upload the entire FSM onto a webpage.

I've been looking hoping someone would do the same for yours but I havent found one yet.

Sendarie · Post by **Sendarie** » December 8, 2005, 10:27 pm

$159 is the cheapest I've found for an actual Audi FSM for your car/year.

Have you tried to or joined any of the Audi forums? I couldnt begin to count the $$$ saved by me joining the 300ZX forum as far as time/money saved. They will have all the most common bugs well worked out and (at least for my car forum) pictures with step by step instructions for 99% of all work, from changing light bulbs to pulling the motor.

Funkmasterr · Post by **Funkmasterr** » December 9, 2005, 3:06 am

I actually did join a forum a while back.. The guy I bought my car from was part of this club that sets up race courses and stuff, and has a site set up with forums.. But I can't remember what the hell its called for the life of me, ill have to email the guy.

I was thinking on this a bit earlier after I posted again.. I thought after you said the thing about the alternator that maybe my stereo being installed is what screwed it up.. But the thing is, both seats are on the same circuit.. So why would only one of them get goofy.

Then as I was driving and thinking more, it almost seems that the drivers seat is getting too warm for the setting it is on.. I cannot decide if this is really happening or its just me being paranoid, but it could also be that the drivers seat is really wore down from me sitting in it so much.

All of this train of thought led me to something else.. When I got my system installed, there was an issue. The stock speakers all had the amps for them on the speaker itself, so they had to rig up some weird set up when they installed new ones since I wanted to keep my stock deck. Then I also had a sub and amp installed.

Since having this all installed my headlights dim a bit when the base hits(not a lot like on some cars ive seen, its hardly noticeable unless you are parked right next to a wall or something for them to shine on.. Could this be causing any problems? I was going to have a capacitor hooked up, but ive heard mixed things about them, some people say they are great- some people have told me they are a bad idea.. This would really be my only option, shit is packed so tight into such a small space under my hood that there is no way i could get a bigger alternator in without doing major renovation.

Anyhow, any ideas/help on these scrambled thoughts ?

Kluden · Post by **Kluden** » December 9, 2005, 12:27 pm

Wow, that's a lot of juice for the system I imagine if your lights flicker...there is only one solid solution for that: A high output alternator. Green Machine if they make one for you make/model...are the best. I bet your ride is stock with like 114amp alternator. 165+ would be better with an aftermarket stereo and sub. I'm guessing Audi alt's are expensive as hell though. I'd find that board, and ask there about the problem, see if it is common first, and then buy the same parts others have purchased and installed with success.

Anyways, to test further, what do the seat heaters feel like when the stereo is NOT on, then the next time the car is cold, what do the feel like when the stereo is ON?

If one seat works better than another, and they are on the same circuit, then yes, you probably have a pinched wire somewhere, or another point of impedance, prior to the seat in questions heat coils, and it is restricting the flow of power (amps) thru the circuit.

Since it is under seat circuitry, I would start with the wire coming out of the dash, trace it below the carpeting, and follow it up into the connector. Look for crimped/crushed cable....that could create this condition, but you should have smelled the wire burning its insulation....

edit: I was just also thinking, a real battery might help too. Not a cheap OE one...but something made for high drain activities (read: stereo system), like one of those Optima Redtop batteries. That would atleast stop the light flicker.