Got a couple of issues starting to appear, I've found a couple of threads on similar but would just like to clarify and/or pick up on people's personal experience.

1) Driver's door, lights on buzzer intermittently inop, as is door light and interior light. Fuel pump every time it seems, lights always come on with fob/central locking = door mech micro switch?

2) Front passenger door, very occasionally knob wont drop to lock with fob or anti-hijack, very intermittent though = dodgy wiring or multiplug?

All of these are intermittent so I don't want to start throwing silly money at mechs and switches, is there things a numpty with very little knowledge of electrics can check, any potentially easy fixes?

wiring between A pillar and drivers door, connector to window motor in drivers door as these seem to be the main culprits for this type of issue

Cheers dude, is the connector to window motor the multiplug? Easy to get at?

yeah the multiplug - bit of a pain to get to as it's card off - then carefully remove the plastic membrane once that is off you should possibly be able to get you hands in to the plug which is locked in place with a sliding mechanism

Yeah I've seen a how to guide for it, cant decide whether to tackle it myself or get garage to take a look. If its the passenger door playing up is it still likely to be drivers side multiplug? There's a couple of things on that panel, noticed lock rear windows button doesn't work either. Windows and mirrors and heating for mirrors is all ok. Could this plug also be responsible for interior, puddle light and lights on buzzers being intermittent rather than door microswitch?

Think it all goes through that plug and wiring through the A pillar

Think it all goes through that plug and wiring through the A pillar

+1 everything goes through this, although rear windows may be switch unit itself. Try giving it a squirt with some contact cleaner and then giving the switch a good on/off session. You have nothing to lose but your time.

 

It is also possible for the loom that the multiplug is on in the door to break up and cause voltage problems as well. Multimeter is your friend if that turns out to be the problem.

Cheers guys, I'll ahve a look at the A pillar, get the door card off over the weekend (weather permitting) and give the multiplug, loom and switch unit an inspection and clean.  Garage will want at least an hours labour to do the same I expect, I just hate messing around with doors (previous VAG water leak experience on a Seat!), it could be a whole lot cheaper though, as long as the window motor module isn't nackered (silly money aren't they).  I think it is some dodgy dirty contacts though because all apart from rear window lock button is so intermittent.  Try and catch it now before the unit gets any worse me thinks.

Just make sure you re-seal the plastic when you put it back in place (or replace it if it gets too damaged) with some good tape

Got GAFFA tape on the shopping list.  Is it ok to cut an X where the plug is and just reach in, leaving the actual seal intact and then taping up the hole?

as long as it seals OK you should be fine just cutting an X in the sheet

Groovy, I'll get messy with the membrane if this inspection doesn't solve it and I need to go in again for what would hopefully be the last time!

You would be better cutting the membrane slightly into the door opening around the edge, so that if you have to check the wiring you can just fold it up out of the way.

 

You can then gaffa tape the edge that is glued to the door to the cut part that you have folded up that will be hidden by the doorcard.

 

This thread should fill in the gaps for you - http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/222541-central-locking-problem-help-needed/?hl=+central%20+locking%20+problem

You would be better cutting the membrane slightly into the door opening around the edge, so that if you have to check the wiring you can just fold it up out of the way.

 

You can then gaffa tape the edge that is glued to the door to the cut part that you have folded up that will be hidden by the doorcard.

 

This thread should fill in the gaps for you - http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/222541-central-locking-problem-help-needed/?hl=+central%20+locking%20+problem

You mean leave like a 1 or 2 inch margin round the right side and top? Cheers for that link, I'd been looking at that. I've also found a drivers door lock mech for £20 so ordered just in case, sounds like it would be useful to keep a spare anyway. I've also potentially sourced a wiring loom and window motor for a very reasonable price (compared to rrp) so they're on the backburner just in case. Hopefully a clean up will do it, passenger door has gone through a dozen use cycles and not done it since the last time. Fingers crossed!

If you carefully feel the door membrane, you will see where the door frame actually finishes and the holes begin. 1 inch should be well adequate, and you only need to cut the bottom edge and the two sides as this creates a useful big flap arrangement. Use plenty of silicon grease when you reassemble to keep the damp at bay.

 

Good luck and have fun.

Ah yeah I'll try get some tomorrow, was going to stick a Jonny round it as well. Thanks for your help

You really want to try to divert the moisture rather than seal it out, as when I tried to seal mine up totally, it made things worse and just filled with more water as it had nowhere to drain because I sealed the plug up. Up to you really, just giving the benefit of what happened when I tried it. Self amalgamating tape is useful too.

That makes sense, don't want to make an ineffective mess, so maybe get a big band of grease around the male section on the window control, just above the plug? And then tape around the join where they connect and just shield the wires with tape as well?

You know considering how many of us who've had this happen, you would like to think that we could find how the flippin water finds it/s way in, but no, it is one of the great unsolved mysteries.

 

I seem to remember a couple of years back, somebody made a little lip spoiler thing and fitted it around the top of the control unit making like a little roof overhang that he said seemed to work for him.

 

You just don't seem to get the same volume of mk4 drivers having this fault, angle of the control unit must have a big bearing on this so moisture can't find it's way in.

It is a funny one, the plug does look a little vulnerable, I'll see what I can come up with. Just hope I can improve the situation before the units up **** street

Once the units are drained, and providing the pins and plug are ok, a good helping of silicon grease then put the plug together and separate it again a couple of times to really get the grease worked in seems to work for quite some time.

 

Have fun, and remember pictures or it didn't happen.

Sorry for being a numpty, just one more thing before I dive in, do you mean grease over the female sockets that the pins go into?

Inject the grease from the tube into the control unit pin area, then push in the plug slowly (do it slowly to avoid pressure build up in the grease) to spread the grease about. After a couple of seconds pull the plug off again carefully, look into the control unit, and add grease to any areas that appear to be light on coverage or that have none at all. put the plug in one more time for a few seconds and then remove again to check again.

 

If all is good all the pins and sockets will have good even coverage, once you have this put the plug on for good and engage the locking slider.

 

Just one thing, if the pins look more than a little bit manky, it is unlikely they will function correctly for more than a few weeks as the coating that resists corrosion has already broken down - and no amount of grease will really fix that

Sweet, cheers

Just one quick point, when you put the grease in, only put it in to the control unit until the pins are covered for roughly half of their height, otherwise you wont be able to push the plug in and all you'll do is possibly split the case from too much pressure from trying to squash the grease.

 

Good luck

 

Phil