It won't start!

[Cattywompus]

I'm confused. My thing won't start. It won't make a noise when I turn the key. I've replaced the battery cable and had the starter tested and all aprears to be OK. I just had the car shipped over here from Germany. I was lucky enough to pick one up while my husband and I were stationed there. It made it through transit with no ill effects. I was nervous after having heard horror stories of things leaked from the cars above. We had to pick it up in New Jersy (about 350 miles from home). I decided that I would be brave and drive it home. The drive its self was pretty uneventfull, other than a rather painful sunburn. The problem arose when we pulled into our first pit stop. I hopped back in the car, turned the key, and instead of being rewarded by that lovely purr, I got nothing. Thinking the battery might be dead, we attempted to jump it. No noise no purr it wouldn't start. We push started it (much to my husbands dismay) and from there I hit the local autozone. The battery cable was looking a little suspect to me, it had an ill fitting connector and was mostly held together by electrical tape. So I bought one of the all in one piece, end to end dealies already all put together, performed a little parking lot surgery, tried to start it, and still nothing. We pushed it going again and managed to make it all the way home. I ran into anoter VW afficianado today, and he recomended that I go pick up another starter from Auto Zone. I was thrilled. I didn't know they carried such things and for 1/2 of what I was looking at getting one for online. I pulled the old one out, and realized they had given me the wrong part. So I trotted off back to the store, this time with both starters. The didn't have the one I needed, but I had them test the old one. Turns out it was fine. It spun right up. The nice man at the store suggested that there might be a starter relay involved, but looking at the wiring diagrams I just don't see how that is possible. Please help! I want to be out enjoying the summer sun, not stuck in the garage!

[norcalmike]

check connections again. and the ignition wire connected to the starter. ground strap, neg cable etc.

if thats all good ,then maybe your switch went poo-poo

[74 Cosa]

Did you say you put this "tested" old starter back in? If so, I assume it still doesn't work. If you didn't, you might try it again. I had a bad spot on the starter armature of mine Thing. If I rocked the vehicle, while in gear, I could move away from this bad spot until I was able to change it out with a replacement starter.

Also, how are the grounds? Very important! The ground from the battery and engine ground. Test it with a jumper cable from the NEG terminal of the battery to the engine block.