courtesy lights problem

[scotty33]

Sorry if this has been covered before, I tried the search but did not find anything. The car is a 98 tdi estate S 90hp

My problem is that the interior lights seem to work fine when the car is unlocked, but no longer stay on when the door(s) is/are open, except for the passenger front door, which still operates them properly.
To put it another way, after the courtesy lights have gone out after the initial 20 secs (approx) delay, the other three doors do not activate the lights, only the safety lights in the door bottoms. Really handy for putting the kids seatbelts on!
I now know there is some circuitry in the locks, and there is a control unit under the carpet that is prone to water problems, any pointers would be a great help.

[hotrod09]

Hi ya, I have the same issue and am leaning towards the conveniene unit under the seat and the associated wiring. Mine goes out after about 1-2 minutes which I think must be a failsafe for a disconnected sensor...

[scotty33]

Cheers for the reply, I'll see if the convenience unit has been affected by water.

[Jez.]

Hi, I've got a similar problem with my passat, I've been told the problem is in the door handle, there is a sensor in them that turns the interior light on when the door is opened. To fix the problem you have to replace the door handle unit.