Passat B7 Estate tailgate electrical problems tailgate open warning and rear wash-wipe dodgy

[BigCheese177]

Sadly, any of you with a B7 will already be out of warranty. However, I've just had the problem from hell and you may want to visit your VW dealer to register your concerns.

Model: 2.0TD BMT Estate

Symptoms: All of a sudden, tailgate open warning comes on while driving. It was shut. That night, alarm goes off - thinks the tailgate's open. Next day, rear wash/wipe has a mind of its own. Wiggle tailgate wiring gaiter and interior lights flash on and off.

Issue: Rear washer tubing is very stiff. As it passes through the flexible gaiter for the tailgate wiring, it had split. Water was running back into the car... straight onto the tailgate multi-plug, conveniently located to catch the brunt of the wetness! It was wet and corroded.

Rectification: Local workshop spent 4 hours stripping out, cleaning up, repairing and reassembling WITHOUT replacing any harnesses. That would have been a very expensive job at a main dealer. Fingers crossed.

If there are any more problems, I'll post them here.

[UMEL]

Rear washer pipework leaking