Hello folks.

Hoping someone can help me with a couple of weird issues i'm facing in my car.
Mk1 vRS

Start motor issue.
Just over a year ago  i done some repairs where my car was on my driveway for about a week and didn't start during that time. When it came time to start the car, it wouldn't turn over. No clicking from the solenoid starter. Nothing.
I checked the battery and seemed okay. But re-charged it to be safe. Still wouldn't start.
Tried to daily for about 4 days and stayed the same.
Let it sit for a week and although i didn't change or repair anything it started starting again and worked mostly normal.
I noticed sometimes i'd turn the key, and it would take maybe 2-3 seconds for the started to turn. The starter always turns at a good / fast speed.
As the problem fixed itself, i didn't think much about it.
But a few weeks ago the problem happened again. Refused to start / turn over. Tried it about 10 times and nothing. Tried a few hours later, and same issue.
Tried it the next day and it was starting / turning over as normal again.
The car will start with a bump start when it's like this.

Electric window issue.
Sometime last year my electric windows stopped working completely. Both.
None of the switches would do anything at all. Fuse was showing okay.
I tried disconnecting the battery overnight and re-trying but the issue stayed for about 6 weeks (everything else on the car was fine) then randomly one day they started to work on their own again and they were fine for almost a year.
But recently, despite my car starting as normal etc, the windows have stopped working again.
The windows issue was close to the time the starter issue happened but i never had issues with both simultaneously.

I have a new started to fit shorty and i'll visually check / inspect the wiring to the starter at the same time.
But what else should i be checking with the starter issue and the windows issue?

Any tips / advice or experience of similar would be appreciated. 

3 minutes ago, Hardcore said:

a new started to fit shorty and i'll visually check / inspect the wiring to the starter at the same time.

 

Disconnect the solenoid plug (thinnest wire going to starter) and give it a gentle pull before you go down the route of changing the starter, might save yourself an unnecessary job if the wire parts. Wire tends to break at the cable entry of the connector, but gets intermittent before it fully parts (due to high resistance connection with corroded strands). Also came across one recently on a Polo forum where it broke at the point that the single wire exits the loom, further from starter.

 

For window motor ills, check A-pillar bellows wiring, fuse 11 if you didn't already, and possibly my signature links.

1 hour ago, Wino said:

 

Disconnect the solenoid plug (thinnest wire going to starter) and give it a gentle pull before you go down the route of changing the starter, might save yourself an unnecessary job if the wire parts. Wire tends to break at the cable entry of the connector, but gets intermittent before it fully parts (due to high resistance connection with corroded strands). Also came across one recently on a Polo forum where it broke at the point that the single wire exits the loom, further from starter.

 

For window motor ills, check A-pillar bellows wiring, fuse 11 if you didn't already, and possibly my signature links.

Am i right in thinking this is the solenoid plug going to the starter? This is just a screenshot i took from a Youtube video.
If the wire comes away from the plug, how do you repair something like that? 

 

I've checked fuse 11, but not the bellows wiring yet.

Yep, that's the wire of doom...

Depinning the connector, soldering a suitably thick wire onto the crimp, refitting, then joining new and old wires robustly and waterproofing is the 'free' way to repair.

Access is the challenge for the joining bit.

Edited 21 January, 20224 yr by Wino

Hmmm doing some reading on it, the symptoms sound very similar to mines. My car is working just now, so i think before i go start pulling at the wires or swapping the starter i'll order a brand new plug and solder some new high quality wire to it so if i have any problems with my current plug being brittle then i won't be off the road waiting on a replacement.

Just to check, it's a 2006, BLT Fabia vRS i have. Am i right in thinking 1K0973751 is the part number for the plug on it?

Not sure, sorry. Photograph existing one both sides looking for part number when photo is blown up?

That part number when put in ebay search returns stuff that looks different (to the photo you posted at least).

The type in the photo appears to be 357972771 (e.g. 1 Pin Plug 357972771 for VW Audi Wiring Plug Sensor Connector | eBay), but that may not be what yours looks like.