So I've got another problem with my car.... My homelink thing which opens the gate that allows me to get into my parking garage is messed up. Last night I was clicking it and no light went on despite the amount of time I was pressing it. So today I was thinking...'hey maybe it's a fuse' and I go look and indeed a fuse is involved in the running of this thing (did I mention I'm a girl and love everything about cars expect what makes them go vroom vroom...?)
I first try and reset the settings which first involves holding the two outter buttons (which makes the light go solid) and then waiting for it to blink.
The light indeed goes on when I hold the two buttons but it never blinks. So then just to see I click any one of the single buttons and nothing. No solid light not blinking no nothing.
So I open up the fuse box and pull out the appropriate fuse and I haven't seen that many busted fuses to know what one looks like but this didn't appear to be one. That metal "S" like thingy looked connected and just in case I went and tried holding the two buttons (which I know was working) and it didn't so I knew I'd taken out the right fuse, if nothing else.

So my question is this...is it possible that a fuse can 'be on it's way out' but not totally dead? Or if something works then chances are it's not the fuse?

There's nothing else in the manual about the homelink system but I just can't see why two totally separate parts of the car would control different buttons on the same system.

Any ideas?

8/4/2010 10:56:34 PM

Quote :

"So my question is this...is it possible that a fuse can 'be on it's way out' but not totally dead?"

no. a fuse either has continuity or does not have continuity.

Quote :

"Or if something works then chances are it's not the fuse?"

the fuse is not the problem

a fuse is simply a safety device. it will pass a certain amount of current. if the current on that fuse's circuit exceeds the fuse's rating (such as in the event of a short circuit), then the fuse burns up or "blows", the circuit is opened, and no current passes. when the proper size fuse is used, this protects the other devices on the circuit.

8/4/2010 11:17:20 PM

Thank you for explaining that to me

but crap...this is going to mean I have to take my car in

Still, thank you

And if anyone has two cents on the other question...

8/4/2010 11:24:54 PM

Quote :

"And if anyone has two cents on the other question.."

har har

8/5/2010 8:48:47 AM

The next steps in diagnosis would probably require pulling stuff apart, measuring voltage or resistance at connectors and such. It will be more hassle than you probably want to deal with. There may be some other diagnostic procedure in the service manual (some hard reset procedure that's not in the owner's manual) but you probably don't want to buy a service manual PDF and hunt through it.

8/5/2010 12:24:12 PM

year and model?

8/5/2010 12:25:36 PM

^^yah...I certainly don't cause this is all to avoid taking it in to Audi. I have an extended warranty but there's a $100 deductible that goes along with it and if it's something that could be fixed with a $2 fuse, I'd rather do that of course...

Though I think there is also an issue with my window so I suppose I could just make a nice list of issues and be happy it's just $100 (assuming of course all this shit is covered)

^ 2005 A4...only 41,000 miles so I can't decided if I've had more problems than I should have at this point but meh

8/5/2010 12:50:00 PM