Stuart's Volkswagen Golf Mk 5/V Forum

I have a very similar problem to the one you describe under snapped tailgate wires. Mine appear intact but I still get warning lights of failed reverse light and rear fog lamp bulbs and failed rear wiper. But this problem is intermittent, it seems to happen when the weather is cold or damp - but not always. After a while when the car has warmed up the problem goes away. Any ideas?

Hi John,

I'm sorry to have to say it but I'd almost be prepared to bet you money your car has one or more damaged tailgate wires. The symptoms are the classic ones for this problem. The problem may be intermittent because some strands in a wire might occasionally make contact, perhaps more so when the vehicle warms up, but I suspect the problem will get progressively more frequent. When my car had this problem my initial check of the wires suggested they were ok but the damage is usually in the middle of the rubber conduit and therefore hard to see.

I hope you can prove me wrong. Please let me know how you get on,

Stuart
http://www.stuartdalby.co.uk/vwgolfmk5
https://twitter.com/radox2235

Hi Stuart
Thanks for your reply.
Yes it is becoming more frequent, very annoying. But the rubber conduits on
both sides of the tailgate up near the hinges appear sound. No splits or
tears. Not sure how to remove these conduits without damaging them or how to
refit new ones. All looks a bit tricky to me and VW want a diagnostic fee of
around £150! They must have come across this problem so must have a pretty
good idea of how best to fix it without rip off diagnostic charge.

Regards

John

Hi John,

Yes the rubber conduits usually look ok from the outside but I'm pretty sure you'll have some broken wires inside. The photos on http://www.stuartdalby.co.uk/vwgolfmk5/tailgate_snapped_wires/ show the wires that had snapped in my car and how the conduit is fastened. You should be able to detach one of the fastenings and compress the conduit revealing the wires.

I too am very disappointed by how Volkswagen are handling this problem, or rather how they deny a design fault exists. It is a very common problem.

I recommend you save £150 and diagnose the problem yourself by finding the snapped wires. Then you can choose whether to carry out a repair yourself (a bit fiddly but a cheap fix) or let a VW dealer replace the whole wiring loom. If the latter I'd contact VW HQ first like I did and get them to contribute towards the cost.

Stuart
http://www.stuartdalby.co.uk/vwgolfmk5
https://twitter.com/radox2235

Stuart

I went to my usual VW main dealer where I have the servicing carried out and
described the problem. They said they had not heard of it before (which I
find hard to believe) and said they would need to run a £150 diagnostic
check and perhaps have the car for 2 days. They were not prepared to offer
any kind of explanation as to what the problem might be or to say what it
might cost of they found the wires to be broken and had to fit a new loom.

So I went to my local garage that I've used in the past. They said
immediately what they thought the problem was and there and then pulled out
the rubber conduit and found - yes you guessed it - broken and nearly broken
wires. Within ten minutes they fixed the immediate problem for £10! And
quoted me £55 if they had to replace the loom. But suggested I see how it
goes first. Now that's customer service for you!

I'll let you know if that does not solve the problem long term, but so far
today all seems well.

I'm getting more and more disillusioned with VW. Every time they service it
they tell me the timing belt needs changing when it has a timing chain that
doesn't need changing and when I took it in to find out if I had a leak (as
I had a damp patch on the drive) they said there was a lot of wetness under
the engine that needed a diagnostic for £150. But my local garage said it
was dry as bone beneath the engine and the damp patch was likely to be
condensation from the air con, apparently fairly common. This was proven to
be right.

Regards

John

Hi John,

Glad to hear that your local garage has been able to fix your car's problem. It sounds like they have just reconnected the broken wires. Unless they have extended the wires a little, I suspect the problem may reoccur in the future because this is the design fault - the loom wires are just not long enough and get stretched each time the tailgate is opened. See how you get on and if it happens again, £55 is a great price for getting the loom replaced.

I understand your disillusionment with your VW main dealer. A damp patch under the car after a drive in summer is characteristic of condensation from the air conditioning. Completely normal.

Are you sure your Mk 5 has a timing chain? What model do you have? I don't know for sure but I thought all Mk 5's had timing belts.

Stuart
http://www.stuartdalby.co.uk/vwgolfmk5
https://twitter.com/radox2235

Hi Stuart

You've worried me now about whether or not it’s got a chain.

Although I've had VW confirm it has a chain, to be honest I'd be happier
with some other confirmation. As far as I can see from internet searches it
is a chain although again not 100% certain.

It's a 1.6 FSI Oct 2007 registered (57 plate) and has a BLF engine

John

Hi John,

Sorry for worrying you. My mistake. Looks like your car does have a chain rather than a belt. http://workshop-manuals.com/volkswagen/golf-mk5/power_unit/4-cylinder_injection_engine_(1.4_and_1.6_l_direct_injection)/engine_cylinder_head_valve_gear/cylinder_head/removing_and_installing_timing_chain_and_chain_drive_for_oil_pump_(engine_codes_bag_blp_blf)/

Stuart
http://www.stuartdalby.co.uk/vwgolfmk5
https://twitter.com/radox2235

Thanks, I feel better now!

Take care

John