Possessed Indicators

[Adamtdi]

For some reason whenever I open a door on my tdi passat the hazard warning lights flash, if I close the doors they continue to flash for a while and then stop, I cant hear the hazard relay clicking though so am prompted to think this is might be a problem with the alarm or central locking especially now that the key fob will not lock the car, has anyone heard of this problem before.??

[Crasher]

Remove the passenger’s footwell A pillar side trim and the sill trim that runs along the top of the sill. Lift up the passenger’s carpet and put your hand under there to feel if it is wet, odds on it will be soaked. On the floor there is a plastic box which you can lift out, quite a long way if you disconnect the single earth cable on the floor. This box contains the convenience unit which is the alarm, central locking, window close control etc. The comfort unit inside the box may be full of water and also the wiring that leads into the box may be corroded. If you peel back the insulation on the harness you will find a number of soldered connections which will probably fall to bits. This water enters the car through the heating air intake when the two drain tubes below the battery and the servo become blocked which causes the plenum chamber to fill with water and this then enters the heating system which has ducts that direct the air (and therefore water) straight into the footwell, mostly on the passengers side. Some gets in around the rubber seal under the pollen filter as well.

[Adamtdi]

I think Ive heard of this problem before, I think ive read about it on another forum a while ago before I bought the passat but didn't realise it caused this problem, whats the fix for it then apart from cleaning out the drain channels, is it just a matter of drying everything out and making sure connections are good or is it a case of replacing the water damaged parts. Thanks for the quick reply by the way

[Crasher]

Quick! That was slow. The cure is, as you say, to clear the drain tubes but also to re-seal the pollen filter intake in the approved VAG manner using a special seal strip (AKD 497 010 04R10) available from VW. Then the carpets need drying out, we lift and hold them up and away from the floor with screwdrivers stood on end and then use a wet/dry vacuum cleaner to suck as much water out of the sound insulation as possible but it is time consuming and boring. The wiring issue is simply a matter of kneeling down, cutting out the damage and soldering in new wires as required and the wires often have to be cut back quite a long way as they corrode quite badly. Occasionally it is necessary to replace the convenience unit.

[carlo-S3]

Silly question... But... Where exactly is the Convenience unit within the footwell?... I have exactly the same problem, but when I have a look under the carpet I can't seem to locate it... I have pulled the carpet up, by removing the A Pillar cover and the sill strip... but without taking the seat out it doesn't come up very far... Do I need to take the whole carpet out or is there a technique to reach to the unit...

Is it under the seat or is it within the footwell itself?... I can see 2 sets of connectors under the seats but assume these are the electrical connectors for the electric seats...

Thanks in advance...
Carlo

[Adamtdi]

The Convenience box is located by taking off the strip trim along the sill (be careful the clips snap quite easily) and also take off the trim on the innerside of the footwell (at the side of the passengers left foot) you should then be able to life the carpet about 6 inches it is a struggle though, I had to bend the carpet up at the very front of the well to give me enough lift in the middle, the box is the plastic housing you can now see in the footwell, its actually a box within a box - Ive dried this out now and also checked all the connections - all to no avail, the indicators still flash sometimes for no reason for about 15 seconds then they stop - i think its connected to the central locking system as it only does it after entering the vehicle after its been locked but Im just going to put up with it I think.