Hi all, I recently bought a 54 plate octavia vrs which I love it's a great car but I've got a problem - I have no cluster backlighting or climate control or headunit. All the warning lights seem to work its just the backlighting that doesn't and Im a stuck as to what to check or where to look.

Also on a side note I have found a switch under the steering column which I have no idea what it does but if I turn it on then turn the ignition off all the trip computers and time reset themselves when I turn the ignition back on?

I thought this may be some kind of remap however the car drives the same whichever position the switch is in?!

Thanks in advance for any help and hopefully this all makes sence to someone lol.

Next to the headlight switch should be 2 turn things one which does the lights up and down and the other for the dash lights. Also could be a fuse.

Sure your car isn't ex police?

Sent from my GT-I9100. Not a Crapple!

Haha, yea I tried the dial already thanks, I've looked at the fuses they all seem fine though to be honest I don't know which one to change.

I'm not 100% sure about the car being ex police but I don't think it is....I was under the impression the ex police ones had a different instrument cluster surround which mine doesn't have.

Hopefully you could point me in the direction of which number fuse to change please?

Or it might just be the little bulbs have popped their little clogs? the one for the heat controls is behind the blower control in the middle, put it to no.2,(Straight up position), and with sumthing soft to not mark it, pull off the dial with a pliers or vice grip. a slim nose pliers to pull out and replace the bulb. if that one is gone, its plausible that the others are too. Lotta people dont notice or care about small things like that..

a pic of the location of the switch you've found might help somebody tell what it is. does it look OEM or a post production fit?

Edited 28 May, 201214 yr by mac11irl

Sorry I thought I meantioned it's digital climate control so no middle dial, but thanks for the advice-the middle dial trick sounds the same as a mk4 golf. I just assumed the cluster back lighting was l.e.d is that not right?

I will try to sort a picture of the switch but it's under the steering wheel in the shelf section just off centre it's not factory I would bet, it's really confusing me as if left on and I turn the ignition off then the rev counter needle stays at idle revs and the time etc resets along with everything I stated earlier.

oooooh digital climate control.. fanshy ;-) cant help with that then, im old fashioned in my wagon ;-) could be led lit, though im sure others will let you know shortly...

I'm sure there's a designated fuse for it.

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Thanks all, does anyone know which fuses I should be looking at changing or would it be worth just buying a lot of them and changing them all over just to be on the safe side of things?

I'm going to drop into psi tuning when I get the chance to get the car plugged in but would like to try and fix things myself if that's possible.

Thanks

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/175843-fuse-panel-layout/

Can't find one relating to illum on there but I am tired..

Just a thought.. does rolling the illumination dimmers do anything at all?.. (the one next to the headlight aim high/low to the right of the steering wheel)

Could be a knackered roller switch possibly? Its strange that all the illuminations are failing to work

Thanks Lew, I can't find the illumination one myself but hoping its fuse 11, 14? Will replace both and get back to you.

No the dimmer doesn't seem to do anything...I'm really hoping this is just a fuse...i may just change all of them and hope for the best lol.

Thanks Lew, I can't find the illumination one myself but hoping its fuse 11, 14? Will replace both and get back to you.

No the dimmer doesn't seem to do anything...I'm really hoping this is just a fuse...i may just change all of them and hope for the best lol.

Ha, that could be a huge waste of time!

The circuit must have a fuse.. it will be protected in one way or another.. is there any other electrical faults at all.. if so look for that fuse too!

Let me check the hand book and tell you m8

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hi i have scanned the wiring diagrams from my haynes manual for you 60 is the instrument cluster and (a) says it is for the instrument illumination which is a bulb according to the manual so see if this any good too you

stu

http://pix.ie/ziggy40

Its a 5amp fuse f11 on the rows of 4 its the last row of 4 before it becomes rows of 3 and its the bottom one.

Hope that makes some sense lol

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hi raf i posted a picture of the wiring diagram for gavla cradd just tried what you posted but my dash lights are still coming on but the dash warning light not coming on with fuse out so my be the roller switch is knackered or the bulb is out .but if the bulb is not working should that affect the radio and climatronic from lighting up

stu

Thanks Raf and Stu, the fuse layout did make sence thanks. Once I get a night off work I will get some fuses and try f11 just to be on the safe side. If the bulb has gone I would assume they've all blown which seems strange...

I may have to bite the bullet and take it to the garage as ive no idea about taking the cluster out etc to check the bulbs.

I noticed today on my way home that I have a flashing red ring around the audio controls on the far right-the ones that control skipping tracks on the cd changer. It only flashes when the headunit is turned off...no other backlighting to be found :-(.

That red light i think is the security light for headunit if you take fuse 11 out you may get 3 fault codes 01299 17978 18058 when i took mines out i got them i just erased them so everthing ok .i have just poped the dash light adjuster wheel out and disconnected it the dash lights and headunit and climatronic did not come on so try and see if its connect at back of switch or get a loan of one and see if that solves it good luck

Thanks for that stu, I'm yet to buy a fault code reader (due to not knowing what one to get). Sorry for the all questions and thanks again for the help. Is it just a case of pulling the dimmer wheel out or how does the wheel come out...I haven't even thought about taking that out and checking to be honest.

Best fault code reader I've used is vcds lite and diagnostics cable off ebay

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Finally sorted this issue thanks everyone and top marks Stu, I popped the dimmers out after work and low and behold not connected to anything, I managed to get the connector after stripping the fuse panel out and plugged it in..I now have backlighting and I must say I'm liking the green alot.

I guess the next job will have to be stripping the dash and tracing the wires for the unknown switch but I'm just happy to see what speed I'm doing :-).

Cheers all!!! Great help thank you-Stu I owe you a beer.