Volkswagen Passat Maintenance and Repair
 

Hello All: 2006 Golf, 2.0. OK, I have had complete faith in this rig since my son purchased it about two years ago with 36k miles. Suddenly, it's starting to remind me of my '02 Passat 1.8T, and let's just say...that's NOT a good thing. Problem #1: A couple of months ago, all of the dash lights, including the instrument cluster (!), bonked out. No problema during the day, but it sucks having to use a small flashlight in the car at night! I checked EVERY fuse...all OK. Pulled the headlight switch and reostat out of the dash...no apparent problem there, either (there is NO juice flowing IN to the reostat. I was wondering if I could fix this by running a line from a power source into the line side of the reostat...might that power the instrument lights (my mechanic DID run a test and advised the lights ARE functional...there's just no power getting there). Comments, anyone? Problem #2: A few weeks ago, the interior lights quit working when the driver door is opened (they do work with the other doors), and now the door does the automatic "self locking" even when the door has been opened (I instantly realized that I better not leave the key in the car!). I'm thinking microswitch... anyone had this problem, and can the microswitch be replaced separately without replacing the entire latch, or can the microswitch be repaired somehow? Problem #3: Airbag light came on...knowing V--dubs, this repair sounds very pricey. Any advice out there? This Golf has only 68k miles...I'm very disappointed...I've had other rigs that run to 150-175 with no such problems, and not happy that I should even have to deal with this crap. Thanks for any advice...vwdawg