Cabriolet Dome Light Function
Rennlist Member
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 987
Likes: 185
From: Chicago, IL
A very old post, I know, but jut solved the same issue on my '91 Targa. For the '91 Targa, the dome light works like this:
- Forward (towards windshield): always on
- Middle: off
- Rear facing (towards cabin): On with door open
My alarm was showing the "double blink" error code so I had a bad contact somewhere. Turns out it was the front trunk light contact. The bracket had bent down and the light didn't go off any more when closing the hood. Since I have LEDs everywhere, the battery drain was negligible so I didn't notice right away. However, the dome light did not go off when closing and locking the door. That was puzzling since the door contacts are good - I checked with a multi-meter. So it looks like for the '91 Targa at least, there is a connection between the truck light and dome light behavior. The dome light will not go off when locking the doors as long as the frunk light is still on, i.e. a bad contact / circuit closed for the frunk light triggers the dome light to stay on when you lock the car. Once I fixed the bracket (bending it back in place), everything is back as it should be:
- rapid flashing for 20 sec. when alarm is arming
- single flash every second when alarm is armed
- dome light turns off when door is closed and locked
All is well again. As someone stated above - this is by far the cheapest repair I have done on my 964.
- Forward (towards windshield): always on
- Middle: off
- Rear facing (towards cabin): On with door open
My alarm was showing the "double blink" error code so I had a bad contact somewhere. Turns out it was the front trunk light contact. The bracket had bent down and the light didn't go off any more when closing the hood. Since I have LEDs everywhere, the battery drain was negligible so I didn't notice right away. However, the dome light did not go off when closing and locking the door. That was puzzling since the door contacts are good - I checked with a multi-meter. So it looks like for the '91 Targa at least, there is a connection between the truck light and dome light behavior. The dome light will not go off when locking the doors as long as the frunk light is still on, i.e. a bad contact / circuit closed for the frunk light triggers the dome light to stay on when you lock the car. Once I fixed the bracket (bending it back in place), everything is back as it should be:
- rapid flashing for 20 sec. when alarm is arming
- single flash every second when alarm is armed
- dome light turns off when door is closed and locked
All is well again. As someone stated above - this is by far the cheapest repair I have done on my 964.
Last edited by cjoenck; Jun 27, 2021 at 05:45 PM.
