hello i have a 1998 jetta GLS. it has been having some slight electronic problems lately. i know vw's are famous for problems with their electronics and can be very frustrating when trying to figure out the source of the problem. sometimes upon starting the car orjust driving down theroad the redBRAKE light located in the center of the display behind the steering wheel will turn on very dim. i know its dim because when i engage the handbrake a click the light becomes brighter. lately there has been a slight irritating noise that comes on also. (to get rid of the sound i have to manually turn on the lights and then switch it back off) whenever this dim light comes on my high beams, windshield wiper motor, defroster, air, and AC does not work. sometimes the light will go off on its own otherwise i have to turn the car off and it almost resets itself. there has been times where ive turned it off and back on and the problem stays. i dont know if it could possibly be a bad fuse?? but i dont think it is since the problem comes and goes so regularly. please help if you have any ideas or experience with this problem or something similar you've seen. i would appreciate any help i can get. thank you

 

First disconnect your battery cables and hold them together for about one minute to reset the ecu. If that doesn't work, you've either got a bad light switch and a failing battery or your whole instrument panel is bad.