Dome Light's Don't Work..

[black92_tsi_awd]

Ok, my dome lights don't work at all, but the floor and ignition light work when the door open. They also power down after 6 seconds.
I removed the dome light and put 12v to the contacts and the lights work. I checked the plug in the headliner with the doors open and got no voltage. So what should I check next? Do the door switches have multiple contacts? That would make the floor work and the dome not.....

 

[sentientbn]

You could have a bad switch in the overhead with the dome light. Have you checked to see if you are getting power on the other side of the switch in the overhead?

 

[I-luv-em-all]

check the "room" fuse under the steering colum fuse box.

 

[Defiant]

Do you have them turned on?

 

[gsx951]

Also check the door switch. On my old 1G it would corrode and act flakey.

 

[black92_tsi_awd]

Yes they are turned on.

Yes the fuse is good.

Switches all work, I remove the whole light unit from the car and hooked 12v battery directly to the power feed plug and all the lights function properly.

There is NO voltage at the plug for the dome light with the doors open, so there's no power going to the dome light.

gsx951
The door switch might be bad...switch must have 2 sets of contacts if the floor lights work and the dome doesn't...
How do you get to the switch? Just remove the inner plastic trim, or do I pry off the rubber boot and pull it out.

 

[AndrewD5418]

Yes they are turned on.

Yes the fuse is good.

Switches all work, I remove the whole light unit from the car and hooked 12v battery directly to the power feed plug and all the lights function properly.

There is NO voltage at the plug for the dome light with the doors open, so there's no power going to the dome light.

gsx951
The door switch might be bad...switch must have 2 sets of contacts if the floor lights work and the dome doesn't...
How do you get to the switch? Just remove the inner plastic trim, or do I pry off the rubber boot and pull it out.

I also have the same exact problem. The dome light goes on when the hatch is open. Did you try that? So it must be the switches for me.

 

[SixBolt_16G]

Im thinking its most likely the pin switches for the doors.. Ive replaced mine twice now.They are a pain in the butt because sometimes it causes problems with my alarm going off... and not being able to arm itself.

 

[DiamondStarM]

do they come on in the "on" position, just not in the "door" position?

edit: wtf this thread is really old

 

[arash15]

i got a short somewhere in my dome lights. i already removed the headliner and took a look but i couldnt figure it out. what would be the best approach to solve this problem. (im not taking the car to the dealer) i got a quote from the dealer for about 230.00.

 

[myeagleneedmods]

I have a problem similar to that in my Talon. The interior lights will come on some of the time but mostly they never come on. I didnt have this problem until the beginning of winter time and yes I did check all the fuses. any ideas on how to fix this?

(arash15: i hope you dont mind me semi-hijacking your thread)

 

[sk8shorty01]

I had a problem like this as well but i found out it was a really easy fix, and that was after i already reran wires and everything. Check the little metal tabs that hold the dome light bulbs in place, the tabs can get bent out some and wont have a good connection on the bulb anymore, causing them to work sometimes and other times not work at all. That is something that i found that worked for me, i just removed the bulb bent the thin tab a little bit, put the bulb back and it worked fine. I took a small flat ended screw driver to remove the light cover and it pops right off. Didnt know if you needed that, probably not but just in case, you never know

 

[arash15]

I had a problem like this as well but i found out it was a really easy fix, and that was after i already reran wires and everything. Check the little metal tabs that hold the dome light bulbs in place, the tabs can get bent out some and wont have a good connection on the bulb anymore, causing them to work sometimes and other times not work at all. That is something that i found that worked for me, i just removed the bulb bent the thin tab a little bit, put the bulb back and it worked fine. I took a small flat ended screw driver to remove the light cover and it pops right off. Didnt know if you needed that, probably not but just in case, you never know

ive already readjusted all the tabs but that wasnt the issue. im guessing it has to be in the wiring although im not sure where the wires go after they go down the a-pillar.

 

[Zeppelin]

You guys might want to check to make sure your door sensors are working properly. They get caked with dirt and don't work properly. Try pulling the boot back and spraying them with contact cleaner or even WD40.

 

[arash15]

You guys might want to check to make sure your door sensors are working properly. They get caked with dirt and don't work properly. Try pulling the boot back and spraying them with contact cleaner or even WD40.

wouldnt the dome lights work regardless even if the door sensors are messed up. they have a switch on them.

 

[this_tsi_8urV8]

Problem fixed?
Mine are not working either. They dont work manually or w/the door switch. Any ideas?

 

[this_tsi_8urV8]

Anything fixed?
Mine are working and I want to have an alarm installed, but I was told they cannot install it b/c the dome lights are part of the alarm circuit. Every light works and dims correctly, but for whatever reason the dome light doesnt work, manually or automatically. Thanks.

 

[Mike_GST]

I've got the same issue:
I parked the car, my girlfriend open the door and the dome light was working. Shut off the engine. She came back in again, dome light on with door opened and off when door closed and I turned on the engine. After this no more dome lights, even those 2 bulbs the comes on pressing the buttons. My car doesn't have sunroof, just three lights, one when you open the door and two that turns on by buttons. Checked the fuses related to it and they are fine. Radio, dashlights, ashtray, cigarlighter, all of them work. Is it possible all the three bulbs burnout in the same time? How easy is to take them off the check the bulbs?