Hello all.  Google led me to your forum and a log debate about a question based around (as it turned out to be) the X contact Relay.  I'm having similar issues, but maybe not the same.  Just bought the car, 1.4s 16v, 02 plate.  I think the S stands for Skin, as in, it couldn't pull one of a rice pudding, but I digress.  Just bought it (sold as seen), half way home to indicators stopped working, had blown a fuse, everything else seemed OK.  Now the indicators work for about 10 minutes, then blow the fuse.  The heated rear window starts fine, but doesn't get hot, then the light on switch starts flashing.  The beater blower only works on #4.  Everything else is fine.  Side, break and reversing light, headlights, interior lights, wipers, screen wash, the lot.  My question is, is this likely to the the afore mentioned relat, or am I looking at some nasty short somewhere that would take a qualified man with better testers than me to find?  

 

Thanks in advance

 

Jim

When I had this, it turned out to be water ingress in one of the rear light clusters, shorting out the indicator connection to the adjacent earth wire.  Fault (un)kindly created for me when VW pressure-washed it following a cambelt change! Had been fine up until then.

Are you familiar with how the rear lights come out? There's a knack.

 

 

That would only address the indicator fuse-blowing side of things though.

The blower only working on setting 4 will be the resistor, cheap but a bit fiddly to change.

Heated rear window, check that the fuse/fuseholder hasn't got corroded/dirty/loose terminals first.

Engine performance lack could be lots of things, but may depend on what you're used to. Presumably it's the 75 bhp version of 1.4/16v?

I'm used to a 1.9d A3, I used to get my speed fix from bareback riding tortoises over the weekend, without the protection of a crash helmet.  This car feels about the same.  Saw a lot of "general" comments about the flashing heated rear window switch being about low voltage on the battery (as in about to fail), but the battery hasn't seemed to miss a beat so far.  Rain permitting, I'm planning to check the resting volts at lunchtime, that should settle that argument.  Although at under 50 quid, a decent battery could be worth fitting anyway.  

 

Fuse holder looks good, but I'll inspect it closer and maybe get a little more confidence in that part.

 

Do you have a link to any details about the Heater blower resistor?  What it is, where to buy one and diagrams of where it live/how to swap it?  Really annoyed I can find a haynes manual (or at least a torrent link for  ) for it.

 

Thank you for the speedy answer though, I have my Mrs ordering a relay now, as the queen of google, she has a better chance of finding the right one than I do.  Don't fancy a breaker for that part...

 

Jim

30 minutes ago, Pete1 said:

When I had this, it turned out to be water ingress in one of the rear light clusters, shorting out the indicator connection to the adjacent earth wire.  Fault (un)kindly created for me when VW pressure-washed it following a cambelt change! Had been fine up until then.

Are you familiar with how the rear lights come out? There's a knack.

 

 

Yes, that was my first port of call.  Took them out, replaced the bulbs and checked for water ingress.  Bulbs looked good and everything was as dry as a bone.

 

Jim

Maybe have a look at the ones in the wings next, the side repeaters?

2 hours ago, Pete1 said:

Maybe have a look at the ones in the wings next, the side repeaters?

There are ones in the wings, how do you get to them?

You push them (the plastic outer covers) either forward or backwards a few mm, and then the other end pops out, from memory. Be gentle, breakable plastic tabs surely are involved.

Then you have the whole thing in your hand, hanging off the loom, outside the wing.

3 hours ago, Pete1 said:

You push them (the plastic outer covers) either forward or backwards a few mm, and then the other end pops out, from memory. Be gentle, breakable plastic tabs surely are involved.

Then you have the whole thing in your hand, hanging off the loom, outside the wing.

Lovely, thank you, I'll take a look at that too 🙂