Passat boot open sensor problem
Slater - 6/12/16 at 09:16 PM
Hi, My 2013 Passat Estate boot open warning keeps beeping intermittently when driving as it think the boot is being opened and closed every 10 seconds
or so, plus when I leave the car and lock it, the alarm goes off after about 30 secs as it thinks the boot has been opened.
I have googled the problem and the most common problem is the rear washer hose has leaked and got the boot catch/sensor wet, but I've had the
internal boot cover off and it's all bone dry so no issues with water that I can see.
Has anyone else had this problem?
I guess it could be the sensor itself which seems to be part of the boot catch, there are 3 wires going into the catch? Not sure how much that will
cost to replace?
Would it be worth taking to a garage and they plug in the VW fault code reader?
dwebber597 - 6/12/16 at 09:33 PM
Do you have rear wiper's? If so check the pipe inside the lid for any crack/splits. Fairly common VAG fault (happened on all my VAG group cars)
adithorp - 6/12/16 at 10:51 PM
Check the wiring loom where it goes between body and boot. Split insulation and broken wires are common.
nick205 - 7/12/16 at 10:37 AM
quote:
Originally posted by adithorp
Check the wiring loom where it goes between body and boot. Split insulation and broken wires are common.
Ditto!
Had this issue before on several car to door connections. Usually on older cars though where the wire sheaths have dried/hardened and cracked.
Fiddly, but I've fixed some with electrician tape. Others have meant getting further into the loom and replacing sections of wire.
Not had a self opening boot before and personally find the manual approach works fine. I guess like many things it will become more widespread over
time though. That said I'm personally a big fan of electric handbrakes and no bulky handbrake lever in the centre console.
[Edited on 7/12/16 by nick205]
Slater - 7/12/16 at 07:43 PM
Hi
It's a manual boot, not automatic. Thanks for replies.....
I suspect its the wires going through the rubber conduit in the boot hinge that have cracked because every time I open/close the boot the frequency of
the "boot open" ping changes, say from every 3 seconds to every 30 seconds. The boot behind the panel is bone dry so no issues with water
leaking from washer hose.
This should not happen on a 3-4 yr old car though. It's gonna be a nightmare to fix as the rubber conduit at the hinge will need to be split and
then replaced somehow, probably by taking all the loom out of the boot area and feeding it through a new conduit.
rusty nuts - 7/12/16 at 08:10 PM
You may be able to release the sleeve from boot and the body , if your lucky you may be able to repair the wiring without splitting the sleeve
nick205 - 8/12/16 at 10:25 AM
Apologies - I assumed you were talking about an automatic boot!
adithorp - 8/12/16 at 10:38 AM
quote:
Originally posted by rusty nuts
You may be able to release the sleeve from boot and the body , if your lucky you may be able to repair the wiring without splitting the sleeve
If you loosen the loom in the tailgate you can normally and get enough pulled out of the body side to effect a repair by sliding the rubber boot up
the loom rather than splitting it. Splice in a new section with one terminal pushed back into the body (thats the tricky one to fit) and the other
inside the tailgate, rather than repair inside the rubber boot or it'll fail again pretty quick (heat shrink, glued, terminals will work best).
Ben_Copeland - 8/12/16 at 04:01 PM
Have you tried asking VW if they'll sort it seeing as its so close to the 3 year warranty?
britishtrident - 8/12/16 at 04:39 PM
If nothing obious (ie water or green crusties on the connectors) You would really need to know the wiring colours before doing any testing.. The
wire colours may change after the tailgate connector. By-pass test on the tail gate switch would be my first move.