hey all

was having problems with my central locking,exterior mirror and the courtesy light all on the drivers door and was advised to check the connection between the wiring loom and the window regulator. when i did this,i found the following

connector on the wiring loom:

and on the regulator side:

presume i have to use can of electrical cleaner or is there something else would do the job as well or better. also do i need to disconnect anything before attempting this. dont want to blow anything else in the process!!

got a price for a new "wiring harness" as he called it...141 euro plus 21%vat so am hoping ill get a result with the cleaner although probably unlikely :(

anyway just a couple of quick Q's for you

cheers

Got the same on mine, but on the regulator side i have lost a few pins in the plug, but with the price of replacement bits it can wait don't mind using the key till then. I think there is guide how to repair it some where but i ain't found it yet, there is alot of post to sift through on central locking problems.

Got the same on mine, but on the regulator side i have lost a few pins in the plug, but with the price of replacement bits it can wait don't mind using the key till then. I think there is guide how to repair it some where but i ain't found it yet, there is alot of post to sift through on central locking problems.

certainly a much cheaper fix with the can so fingers crossed. let me know if you find the guide and ill do likewise

just bought can of electrical cleaner...can someone tell me whether i need to dis-connect anything before i start spraying ...???

dont want to do anymore damage

Probably safer to disconnect the battery first I would imagine....

When you have cleaned both connectors , apply the contact cleaner to both connectors again but immediately plug both connectors together a few times to clean the wiping / contact areas whilst the cleaner is still wet . Then re-clean to finally remove any loose bits of corrosion. May require a few goes if connectors are badly corroded. Blow dry when finished to expel any lodged corrosion bits & dry connectors.

Edited 11 June, 201016 yr by vwcabriolet1971

I would use a soft nylon type brush ,like an old toothbrush . Wet it well and scrub the verdigris off. Just be careful not to bend or break off the tags .

I hesitated to to recommend cleaning with the contact cleaner & brush together . This would be a more effective method of cleaning but great care is need to stop any brush "hairs" getting caught & jammed inside the connector . If the "hairs" do get jammed it may be difficult to remove without damaging the connector contact terminal.

I know , I've done it myself !

Edited 11 June, 201016 yr by vwcabriolet1971

I hesitated to to recommend cleaning with the contact cleaner & brush together . This would be a more effective method of cleaning but great care is need to stop any brush "hairs" getting caught & jammed inside the connector . If the "hairs" do get jammed it may be difficult to remove without damaging the connector contact terminal.

I know , I've done it myself !

Thanks for the replies from everyone. I hear you regarding being careful cleaning around the pins and the female connectors too. could easily see something getting jammed in there. I'll use the latest 'reach' toothbrush I can find

i know one of the lads said it above but id heard or read that if i disconnect the battery i have to reset things using vagcom. any truth to this? is it a bad idea to leave the battery connected??

thanks for the help

I would imagine the only thing you might need to reset is one-touch windows if you disconnect the battery, and that is easy (no vagcom required).

I hesitated to to recommend cleaning with the contact cleaner & brush together . This would be a more effective method of cleaning but great care is need to stop any brush "hairs" getting caught & jammed inside the connector . If the "hairs" do get jammed it may be difficult to remove without damaging the connector contact terminal.

I know , I've done it myself !

I would be more concerned about moving the verdigris ,which is corrosive than 'cleaning' the connections! I meant a toothbrush which is in good condition, and one with fewer bristles. Not one with hundreds of bristles,and as previously mentioned ,the operation of plugging and unplugging a few times will make sure metal to metal connection is made.

Edited 12 June, 201016 yr by AndyPandy

Be careful not to get any electrical cleaner/solvent on any rubber seals that may be present in the plugs..... because in most cases it transforms them from an effective rubber seal to an expanded and useless snot like material

HTH

Bill

ok just cleaned up both connectors and it actually did a good job of fit. dried them off and after a while gave it a wizz but no joy...same senario :'(

so i got a volt meter and checked the connector at the end of the loom coming in by the door hinges. found a live and was getting 25.9 of some units (sorry not an electrical expert) anyway it was the same reading i got off wires on the passenger door which works fine so im presuming those wires and connector are ok

if thats the case i thought maybe where they connect into the regulator (parts guy mentioned a module there) maybe that could be the problem. no doubt it costs a nice few yo yo so if any of you think i might be on the right track ill see if i can pick one up at a breakers

any ideas???

does your lights on buzzer work? I had similar issues to you, and when I asked on here was directed to fuse 14. It was blown and changing it fixed everything.

I would be more concerned about moving the verdigris ,which is corrosive than 'cleaning' the connections! I meant a toothbrush which is in good condition, and one with fewer bristles. Not one with hundreds of bristles,and as previously mentioned ,the operation of plugging and unplugging a few times will make sure metal to metal connection is made.

Of course all traces of corrosion should be removed if possible ! I thought that was why it need to be cleaned ! Verdigris is the result of the corrosion not the cause but the verdigris still needs to be removed . The cause is probably water ingress .Some cleaners will attack nylon and cause the bristles to come out. I have had toothbrush bristles fall out completely with one certain type of cleaner.

Edited 14 June, 201016 yr by vwcabriolet1971