First off, I'm very ****-retentive and I don't like extraneous stuff lying around my car. I park my car in my garage, and I have an automated gate at the entrance to my driveway. I have remote openers for the garage door and the gate, and they have been stuck to my sun visor. I had thoughts of getting a Homelink rear-view mirror that could be programmed with the openers. However, this would cost a couple of hundred $. While surfing around some Boxster web pages I came across the following page which shows an interesting hack where a guy connected his garage door opener to an unused switch in his center console:

http://www.patricktam.net/Weblog/Per...daa1b23f5.aspx

I figured I could easily do the same in my Lancer

There are three unused switch holes to the left of the steering column in my '08 Lancer ES. I went to a dealer and asked what switches might go there. The parts guy said there is an "ASC OFF" switch (he didn't know what it was for, but I figured something to do with stability control) and a switch that does something to the headlights. I purchased one of the ASC switches (part # 8602A009) for $50. My car doesn't have ASC. The point was to simply buy a switch that can be connected into the garage door opener.

I'm not an electrician, but my understanding of the garage door opener is that it contains a circuit with the transmitter and a battery. This circuit is normally open, so nothing happens. When you push the button, you simply close the circuit. You can easily take some other switch and wire it into the opener so that pushing the new switch closes the circuit. This is what I would use the ASC switch for. Note that this has nothing to do with putting Active Stability Control into my car!

For tools, all I needed was a soldering gun and relevant supplies.
Parts: the ASC switch $50.

Step 1
Here is a picture of the dashboard showing the three slots to the left of the steering column. I had already removed the plug for the leftmost position. The fuse access panel has been removed. Interestingly, two of the blank plugs have wiring harnesses attached, even though they aren't functional. You can see the wiring harness (white) from the left plug dangling into the fuse panel access area.



To get to this point, open the fuse access panel. Reach up and disconnect the wiring harness from the plug. Push the blank plug into the dash from the outside. This took a fair amount of force, and I thought I might break something, but eventually it popped.

Step 2
Get the ASC switch ready. I used a RadioShack multimeter to check the different terminals for continuity. There are six terminals on the ASC switch. Sorry for my photography:



The top two terminals are in continuity when the switch is pushed. ("Top" refers to when the switch is held in proper orientation.) The middle two terminals are for illumination when you turn the parking lights on. The bottom two terminals don't do anything. So, the key here is the top two terminals.

Step 3
I soldered two wires to the proper terminals of the switch. Notice I did this on the inside of the switch. I decided I wanted to be able to plug that white harness onto the switch to get the illumination with the lights. Had I soldered onto the outer ends of the terminals, I wouldn't have been able to plug in the harness. I thus had to drill a hole in the case of the switch, so the wires can come out.



You can see how the middle two leads are for the light.

Step 4
I had to figure out how the garage door opener is wired. I opened it up, found how the button works, and tested the relevant terminals for continuity.



I found two points that are put into continuity when the button is pushed. I soldered these two leads to the wires from the ASC switch. There is no need to worry about matching one to the other. The ASC switch simply completes a circuit, no need for polarity. (Am I using proper terminology ) I made the wires long enough that when the switch is placed in the dash I can still conveniently access the garage door opener. One of these days I may need to replace the battery, and I don't want to have to take the whole thing out.



Step 5
Before going any further, I took the assembly to the garage and tested it. It worked

I then drilled a couple of holes in the cover of the garage door opener, and put it all together.



Step 6
For the heck of it, I cut the two wires of the dashboard wiring harness (the white harness from the first picture) that would otherwise connect to the top two terminals of the ASC switch (the ones I just connected to the garage door opener). I don't think leaving them connected would do any harm, but I just didn't want anything unexpected to happen when pushing the switch. I left the two middle wires connected to illuminate the switch. I plugged this harness from the dash into the back of the ASC switch, then inserted the ASC switch into its position in the dashboard. I wrapped the garage door opener in a paper towel and stuffed it up under the dash in a place where it would be reasonably secure (the paper towel is just to keep it from rattling around). Finally, close the fuse panel access door.

Here's the finished product:



No more horrible, unsightly garage door opener hanging from my visor

Just push the ASC switch (ASC now stands for automated security control ) and my garage door opens or closes.

Now, maybe I'll do the same thing for my gate opener???

 

Good thinking! I like it

 

Add to my tools list the multimeter.

The entire installation process took less than an hour. Add to that the time I spent getting the switch from the dealer.

 

loool awesome, nice write up...i jus let my garage door opener hang on that panel that u can take off right there..its all scratched up now but w.e, i didnt wanna put a huge dent in my visor -_-|

 

very cool, i will have to install one on mine!

 

dude thats an awsome writeup!

 

Just copied this garge door thing with the instructions posted here. Everything is great except for removing the blank buttons. I pushed with all my might and almost broke the bracket. Luckly I stopped, and instead removed the whole panel under the steering wheel. Not only was it much easier because I could see everything, but I prevented a disaster because I already warped the plactic frame that keeps the buttons in.

 

dei makes a unit you can hook up. i have mine so when i flash my brights with my foot on the brake it'll open

 

^ LOL that is awesome. Need a video lol

 

Thanks... I was thinking of doing this but having a how to makes it easier

 

Now that is something different, very cool idea.

 

wow, very cool. i might try this but i have a 2010 lancer gts so i have the asc off switch so i might use the awc switch (AWC CENTER CONSOLE SWITCH Part # 8610A019) theres a picture on this page https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/ev...evo-x-gsr.html
but the only thing im worried about is its only been mounted on the center console, i hope it fits to the left of the steering wheel.

 

There's no reason you can't use another ASC Off switch for the garage door opener. Just remember which switch does which function!

 

haha yeah that would not be good. but it would look kinda weird having 2 of the same buttons, and the awc button looks cool, sorta like i have the feature. lol. but im gonna try this mod ina a few weeks after the snow clears up here!

 

A year later, everything still works great. Last week I noticed I had to get really close to the door to get it to open. I replaced the battery in the garage door opener, and everything is good as new. Thanks to the way I set things up, it only took me about two minutes to replace the battery.

Just a reminder: the only thing here connected to the car's electrical system is the little light inside the ASC switch. Nothing else here connects to the car's electrical system. So, there is no danger that pushing the switch is going to actually mess with the car's traction control system (which mine doesn't even have) or any of the car's other systems.