Why Are My Audi’s Lights Acting Erratic?

At the cutting edge of technology, among the things that Audis are known for is their innovation and dependability. That’s why when things go awry with something as essential and seemingly basic as your lights… Well, you might start to panic a little!

Don’t worry. Like any fine-tuned machine, problems may occur, but with a little understanding about what can cause these things to happen and a good battle plan for getting them resolved, things will be back to normal in no time.

Why are your Audi’s lights acting erratic? Let’s take a closer look and find out!

Which Lights Do You Mean?

When most people think of their vehicle’s lights, the headlights  come to mind first, but your Audi has lots of different lights that it uses and they might experience problems on their own or in combinations. Depending on the lights involved, what you are experiencing might range from ‘mildly annoying’ right up to ‘potentially dangerous’.

Here are some examples of Audi lights (besides your headlights):

• Brake lights – Designed to light up when you engage your brakes to improve visibility to the person behind you and to warn them that you’re slowing down, brake light issues definitely fall into the ‘potentially dangerous’ category.
• Interior lighting – Audi’s have nice interior lights to help keep things illuminated inside your car when you need it, with some packages allowing for up to 30 different colors and you can control the intensity. If these have become unreliable, it can be mildly to extremely annoying, but may not be at the top of your ‘get this fixed’ list just yet.
• Dashboard lights – Providing important data about things like your speed, engine temperature, and early warnings that you might need maintenance, dashboard lights might seem merely ‘annoying’ but you could be in for speeding tickets and potential vehicle damage if something goes amiss and you’re not informed.
• Tail lights – Brake lights and tail lights sometimes share the same bulb, although many Audi models will actually have two separate bulbs. Designed so that they come on when your headlights are on, these are dangerous lights to have issues with as a rear-end collision becomes a very real risk.

Reasons Why Audi Lights Might Act Erratically

When your lights are flickering out or otherwise not functioning the way that they should be, there are a few common causes that this will generally boil down to. Here are some examples:

• Wiring or fuses – While sometimes erratic lights may be a result of faulty wiring, with a vehicle as well engineered as your Audi, that’s very rarely the case. More commonly, an electrical systems issue might be due to a spent fuse and replacing it might be all that you need.
• Issues with the bulbs – Many of the lights that your Audi uses are robust LED lights with low-energy requirements and a generally long life. That said, faulty bulbs can and do occur from time to time and perfectly good bulbs may be damaged in the right conditions and require replacement.
• Alternator issues – Your alternator helps to ensure that your vehicle is supplied with the electricity that it needs to keep your lights brilliant and shining. If your alternator is wearing out, then it cannot supply adequate power and flickering lights are a very common result.
• Dashboard software or hardware issues – Audi’s Virtual Cockpit is present in a number of models, such as A3-A5, the S4, the Q5, and more! Providing granular and real-time information, this piece of tech is software-driven and an update might cause a problem or there could even be a component malfunction in the hardware that causes you to lose part or all of this display.

Regular Preventative Maintenance Can Help You Avoid Issues Like This and More!

The good news about issues with your Audi’s lighting is that they are generally easy to diagnose and to fix – Provided that you go with a shop who knows your Audi, such as EuroService Automotive.

Serving the Bristow, Gainesville, Haymarket, Manassas, Warrenton, VA areas, we’re a family owned and operated shop that specializes in full-service repair and preventative maintenance for European vehicles and we’ll know your Audi right down to the specific model and potential issues it might face.

That means when you bring your Audi in for preventative maintenance, we aren’t going to give it some ‘one size fits all’ oil change and coolant top off, but rather that your Audi will get the manufacturer’s exacting recommendations for everything that your Audi needs to always run at its best.

* White Audi A4 Avant Car image credit goes to: Wirestock.