How to retro-fit the TPMS (SET!) button to a Mk7 Golf

[golfdave]

Disclaimer:- This info is for community usage. I am NOT affiliated to, or sponsored by, any company/individual to promote them or their products. Companies/individuals may NOT use my name, photos, or threads/technical guides, for financial or personal gain (fraudulent misrepresentation).

Part 1 of 4
Vehicle used in this guide
UK spec, 2014yr model, Mk7 Golf Estate (GSW), GT (Highline) trim, 1.4lt TSI (140PS) CHPA petrol engine, MQ250 6speed manual gearbox, multi-link rear suspension.

Vehicles that this guide is applicable to
Any Mk7 Golf which does not have this button fitted.

Special thanks to
Forum member “DV52” for answering technical questions I had in relation to ERWIN wiring diagrams.

Introduction
VW designed the layout of the Mk7 Golf dash with a TPMS button possibly due to uncertainties regarding the legal requirements for a manual button (in lieu of via the touchscreen infotainment) in certain countries. I first saw some basic pictures of someone doing this retro fit over 10 months ago on the drive2.com (Russian) site, & I completed the modification on my car in May this year (2106).

Research
There are only two types of ABS/ESC units for the MK7 Golf, one for manual handbrakes, & one for electronic handbrakes, & this “OEM mod” works for both ABS/ESC units. The existing row of three blanks, with or without one or two buttons, down the right side of the gearstick is one whole unit! This unit is the same for left & right hand drive cars, & Manual or DSG gearboxes.

Have you ever wondered what that top right blank button space is for by the gearstick even on a fully specified car?? Well guess what, it’s for the old TPMS button! Remember those in the MK5 & MK6 Golf’s which had the button, well VW decided that spending 12 seconds (fastest I have done it) going through the “infotainment screen” is better for us! So From the information that I have (& as far as I can tell), there are only two types of ABS/ESC units for the MK7 Golf, one for manual handbrakes, & one for electronic handbrakes.

This doesn’t even show up on the German ETKA for Germany etc. So Basically VW HQ designed the car for it & basically dumped the button for cost cutting but VW China kept it for their market!!!


Bosch make the ABS with all 46 pins on the ABS unit side of the connector. However VW Europe for our Golf only connect up with 32 pins max according to their wiring diagram. So there is a separate pin out for each of the ESC & the TPMS buttons. The same functions are transmitted over the CAN-gateway from the CAN out pins on the ABS unit to the infotainment unit. So as per most MK7 Golfs the ESC & TPMS buttons are not fitted & the only way to use these functions is to do it via the touch screen of the infotainment system.

However there are well reported problems with the touch screen, so if yours fails then you cannot use the TPMS or the ESC functions (if like me you did not have the buttons fitted).

Out of all the functions which are via the infotainment screen these two are the most important for the running of the car, this is WHY Bosch still supplies the ABS units with two dedicated pin outs for auxiliary stand alone buttons! Otherwise they could save loads of money by not making those extra two pin outs etc on the PCB & ECU coding! This also explains why the MK7 Golf was designed from day one with the ESC & TPMS buttons in the gearstick surround console. Just bean counters have removed them on most models!

I personally prefer to not have to rely on important functions like this for a touch screen, however with more & more new cars opting for a "clean" dash look & moving everything to the touchscreen, I fear that more cars will become undrivable if the main screen fails!!

 

[golfdave]

Part 2 of 4

VAG ETKA illustration for VW China (FAW-VW)/Golf MK7/Electrics/No. 941-050
Item No. 16:- L5GG 927 238E, Switch module, SET!/Park steer/Park radar. £15 - £20 approx

Add WZU to the end of the code for satin black buttons with aluminium trim between them.
picture

The above item you will have to buy from the web as not available or even shown on the USA & European VW parts lists at the dealers!

Other Parts required:-
You will also need to order VW repair wires (from VW dealer parts dept.). A repair wire is a 0.5m length of wire with the same metal pin/contact at each end.

000 979 009 E, (A05 wire set) 1.5mm pin, 0.5mm wire, for the switch module connector (6R0 972 930). £3.05 (x1, but I used x2 to get the extra cable length without more joins)
000 979 046E, (A05 wire set), 1.5mm pin, 0.5mm wire, for the ABS unit connector. £8.16 x1

If you want to wire via the TIUL T17d connector when you will also require:-
000 979 034 E, (A05 wire set), 1.5mm pin, 0.5mm wire, female side for TIUL T17d connector (4F0 972 483) £14.08 (x1)
000 979 035 E, (A05 wire set), 1.5mm pin, 0.5mm wire, male side for TIUL T17d connector (4F0 972 575) £9.29 (x1)

These wires/pins look the same but the “009E” has a taller left side on the pin & the “034E” has a taller right side on the pin. The plastic connectors are notched for this!


The TPMS button operates by sending a momentary 12V power supply to the ABS/ESC controller which resets the TPMS in the same way that the infotainment system does when it sends it’s signal via the CAN-gateway. All the button requires is any switched (powered on with ignition only) 12V supply & a connecting wire to the ABS/ESC controller. At the factory this is wired as a 12V supply coming from Fuse 34 (7.5A), to the switch (pin 10), & then a wire from the switch (pin 9) to the ABS/ESC controller pin 41 going via the connector T17d, at what VW call the “TIUL Coupling Point”.

 

[golfdave]

Part 3 of 4
Fitting continued
Trim removal, Wiring up, fitting etc:-

Basically read my thread on “How to” retro-fit an ESC OFF / Traction Control Button to a MK7 Golf here:-
http://www.golfmk7.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7908

You are basically following the same procedures for removing the trim, & wiring up the T10ks connector for the SET! module.

Wire from any switched 12v supply (I used the same location on the EPB as I did in the above guide) to pin 10 on the T10ks connector for the SET! Switch module.

Wire from pin 9 on the T10ks connector for the SET! Switch module, to pin 41 on the J104 main connector on the ABS unit. To release the ABS connector there is a red lock to undo & then move the grey lever which unlocks & pushes the connector out of the socket. The outer cover removes easily which exposes the wires as per my photograph. You will initially find a brown short plastic “dummy” pin in the pin slot you require. To remove this & insert the new wire you have to unlock the pins. On both the short sides of the plug there is a hole which has purple plastic visible, this is the locking shim. Press this in with a slot head screwdriver. If it does not work on one side try the other side. Then you can remove the “dummy” & insert the new wire. Then remember to re-lock the purple shim by pressing it in the other hole from the release hole!

You will have to pass the wire through the bulk head using an existing gaiter/grommet. Do not try to go next to the wires as this is very difficult. It is better to poke a new small hole through the “skirt” & then seal up with sealant.

If you wish to wire it via the TIUL T17d connector then use one of the small empty slots in the connector.

There is NO requirement to use VCDS or any other coding etc, as the ABS units are made at the factory for numerous cars & have this facility built in.

 

[golfdave]

Part 4 of 4
Fitting continued
Modifying the switch module:-
Because the module only comes with all three button functions, if you do not have one of the other functions you might want to swap over the blank buttons from your existing switch module.

However it is not as easy as you think as the China VW parts are slightly different (even compared to other modules) so I had to spend about 2hrs with a craft knife, some plastic glue & a black marker pen to get it to work!!

So strip the switch module down to its basic parts & then swap over the blank button & it’s non moving black holder. Unfortunately the black holder did not fit so I had to use the white moving holder. So I glued it to the button first & the into the frame. Because there are all the LEDs on the PCB any blank buttons might have a slight glow to them, so using a black marker pen I coloured the whole underside of the button which is white.

Results
Works as it should! Funny that in China they have this button fitted, & that VW actually designed the trim for it, & the ABS module has the pin outs for it!!

Conclusions
Again with the penny pinching VAG!!....(bangs head repeatedly against wall!!)..If you had offered these as factory fit options or even standard fit on say the GTI & R modesl, then you have more respect, as nobody like "blank" switch's, specially were they is no known "option".

 

[ITGUY]

Awesome as always golfdave!!! hey what's the butotn between your Mode and your traction off buttons? and is the bottom right button the parking brake?

 

[golfdave]

Awesome as always golfdave!!! hey what's the button between your Mode and your traction off buttons? and is the bottom right button the parking brake?

Many thanks!!

Stop/start system, I don't use it as I have used VCDS to put the voltage parameter at max so it doesn't kick in! TBO I think S/S is a waste of time & will knacker the alternators, starter motors, & pinon rings etc...

Bottom right is the cover for the cup holders....

Bottom left is the recess for your fingers for the EPB (electronic parking/hand brake..

It'll take me a while to "do" the photos properly as per my older "how-to guides", but the info is correct & I just temporarily posted up the photos which can easily be understood, without annotation.

 

[bennybmn]

So you can't get just a cover or just a switch module to insert? You have to get the whole shebang? And if so, it's a direct swap unless you want to remove the middle one? I'm getting an SE, so I won't even have the park assist...

 

[golfdave]

So you can't get just a cover or just a switch module to insert? You have to get the whole shebang? And if so, it's a direct swap unless you want to remove the middle one? I'm getting an SE, so I won't even have the park assist...

Correct, whole module (three buttons), no separate switches....

Like I said in the guide you can fit it as is (three buttons (SET!/Park steer/Park radar.),...

Just I modified mine & fitted a blank cover as I do not have Park steer & wanted it to look correct ...

 

[lucyfek]

What's the point of having TPMS button? How often do you calibrate the system to make the effort worthwhile? IMHO these rarely used options are perfectly fine somewhere deep in the infotainment system. At least VW had common sense to keep real buttons for stuff used daily.

 

[Baldilocks73]

What's the point of having TPMS button? How often do you calibrate the system to make the effort worthwhile? IMHO these rarely used options are perfectly fine somewhere deep in the infotainment system. At least VW had common sense to keep real buttons for stuff used daily.

Here's a Snicker's bar. Your're not yourself without a Snicker's bar...

Sometimes people like to make things easier. Certainly doesn't have anything to do with "common sense".

 

[ITGUY]

What's the point of having TPMS button? How often do you calibrate the system to make the effort worthwhile? IMHO these rarely used options are perfectly fine somewhere deep in the infotainment system. At least VW had common sense to keep real buttons for stuff used daily.

I check my tire pressure weekly.. so I'd use it a lot..

 

[golfdave]

What's the point of having TPMS button? How often do you calibrate the system to make the effort worthwhile? IMHO these rarely used options are perfectly fine somewhere deep in the infotainment system. At least VW had common sense to keep real buttons for stuff used daily.

EDIT
Post re-written for clarity:-

Right then, Bosch make the ABS with a separate pin out for each of the ESC & the TPMS buttons. The same functions are transmitted over the CAN-gateway from the CAN out pins on the ABS unit to the infotainment unit. So as per most MK7 Golfs the ESC & TPMS buttons are not fitted & the only way to use these functions is to do it via the touch screen of the infotainment system.

However there are well reported problems with the touch screen, so if yours fails then you cannot use the TPMS or the ESC functions (if like me you did not have the buttons fitted).

Out of all the functions which are via the infotainment screen these two are the most important for the running of the car, this is WHY Bosch still supplies the ABS units with two dedicated pin outs for auxiliary stand alone buttons! Otherwise they could save loads of money by not making those extra two pin outs etc on the PCB & ECU coding! This also explains why the MK7 Golf was designed from day one with the ESC & TPMS buttons in the gearstick surround console. Just bean counters have removed them on most models!

I personally prefer to not have to rely on important functions like this for a touch screen, however with more & more new cars opting for a "clean" dash look & moving everything to the touchscreen, I fear that more cars will become undrivable if the main screen fails!!

The purpose of this thread is to provide my "how to" guide, to enable people who wish to fit a button as per the cars design & as per previous Golfs, Audi's etc.

 

[lucyfek]

Thanks for the explanation. Now it makes perfect sense (not that I'm going to do this any time soon).

 

[ITGUY]

What's the point of having TPMS button? How often do you calibrate the system to make the effort worthwhile? IMHO these rarely used options are perfectly fine somewhere deep in the infotainment system. At least VW had common sense to keep real buttons for stuff used daily.

So let me guess who gave it a vote of 1...

 

[x2001pmq]

Dave, do you have any more pictures on how to add the wire to the abs connector? Do you have to do everything with small pliers through the back of the bulk head on the connector?


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