Intermittent Locking and interior light issue

[dwarfmarine]

Hey guys,
ive got an intermittent issue with my front map lights,
randomly, even with all doors closed(and while driving) they will just start flickering like a strobe light..
flicking the switch to On they stay on as normal,
flicking it to Off they stay off,
but on DOOR, randomly (and only the front?) will strobe..
sometimes it'll stop almost straight away, others it wont.
(They are LED globes)



Also have an intermittent issue with my central locking,
The immobiliser key ive got will turn off the immobiliser and flash the indicators, but the doors will not lock. i have to manually lock them all, including the boot.
again this is intermittent (seems to be around the same time when the lights go disco)
and when it happens, even the drivers control switch wont lock all the doors.
(Also when this happens, the windows will stop going up after the key is removed-whereas normally you can play with the windows for a minute or so afterwards)



Any Known fixes for the two issues ive mentioned?
Cheers

 

[mookers]

Sounds like the little switch in the door jamb is not making/breaking contact completely. You know, the one that tells the car that the door is open or closed. Could be the cause of both problems.

 

[dwarfmarine]

So I guess a process of elimination on each door,
Testing each switch with a multimeter?

But if it were a door switch, the rear light would also turn on/flicker?

 

[Guest]

I had a similar problem in my old Commodore (shudder)
Was what mookers described, give each of the little door witch things a hit with some contact cleaner and push on them a few times to check they operate properly, that what I did and it went away.

 

[GLen20]

So I guess a process of elimination on each door,
Testing each switch with a multimeter?

But if it were a door switch, the rear light would also turn on/flicker?

The door switches have two circuits in them using 2 sets of little copper pins to make the connection to the car's chassis ground when your door is open.
One circuit is to turn on your interior lights: either front door switch turns on both the front map lights, but one rear door switch turns on its associated rear light only on that side.
The other (separate) circuit in the door switches is linked to all the other door switches and tells your ECAM (white box that "bing's") that you have any door open and will bring up the door open symbol on your dash etc.
As Mookers says, I'd bet you've got a front door switch that's connecting to ground even when you've got a door closed and thats causing your map lights to flicker. This would be cause of central locking prob too cause car thinks you still have a door open.
Pull switches apart and gently hit with some sandpaper and contact cleaner to clean them up and re-assembly making sure that the little copper tabs are installed properly.
They are the most hi-tech doors switches I've ever seen on a car so are a bit fiddly to get work reliably.
Hope this helps!

 

[Guest]

There is a pic of a door switch disassembled in this thread.

 

[dwarfmarine]

cool, will do that thanks guys..

Is there a switch in the boot? that might be a problem too, as my bootlid is missing the stop/bung on one side..

 

[Ozyvr4]

The boot does have a switch also . I would disconnect 1 switch at a time & then drive car for a few days or until light start to flicker again.

 

[dwarfmarine]

Any clues to where it is?
Couldn't find anything.
Unless it's in the latch mechanism?

 

[Ozyvr4]

I think your right. Inside the mechanism. That switch would most likely be fine.
Maybe it's 1 of the other doors.

 

[Tophler]

I have a similar problem but my lights don't flicker, they just stay on in the door setting, its not the switches as each door has a light. The front doors have the light in the door cards, the rear doors have a light above them and the boot has a light above it too. None of those lights are on, its just the map light stays on in door mode when all doors are shut

 

[BR1JZL]

Does the open door symbol show on the dash?

 

[Tophler]

I have the same problem now. Definitely not door switches, thought it may have been the ETACS module but now I’m not so sure. The module itself seems to be okay and there are no dry solder joints.

These things seems to happen together, central locking plays up, map lights flicker and the door ding and key ding don’t ding.