Need help on a new beetle problem

[brandong91]

I have a 2001 beetle. Im thinking the door switch is screwed up. What it is doing is the driver side door will not lock. Even if I try to manually push it down it wont go down. Also quite a few times while I am driving it will try to lock itself several times.

I am not sure what is going on but another issue is, the battery will die in the middle of the night. Its starting to do that more often now. I was planning on checking the voltage today ( just havent had time to do so yet). to make sure the battery is good. The battery in it looks pretty new so Im thinking that may not be the problem. Im still going to check of course.

Could that microswitch be the cause of this? I did notice at times that little red alarm light beside the door lock is constantly blinking when I try to lock it. I mean more than its supposed too. When I first got it, it would blink every few seconds and now it seems to blink faster. And this is when I started having the problems with my battery being dead.

Any help on what I should look for? Also I am not that experienced in working on cars so I am trying to teach myself. Thank you

[TDCTDI]

Replace the latch assembly.
_________________
Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.


GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!


An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.


Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it.

[Butcher]

I'll second that recommendation.

[SCVWNut]

Door latches on the NB's are notorious for malfunctioning, and causing alarm issues. Just need to replace it.
As for the battery going dead, what radio do you have in it? Aftermarket? Did the car come with the Monsoon stereo system?

[Butcher]

[Discopanda7]

hey mate, have you been able to sort you door yet? the micro switches in the NB actuators do have an ominous reputation, I've soldered in a stupid number of the things, but they normally just anger the alarm system. with all your problems (especially the battery drain!) it sounds more like you've got lots of wires shorting and getting criss-crossed. My car had almost exactly the same problem about a year ago, the wires that go from the car into the door like to fray and even snap in half inside the flexi tube between the jam and the door and confuse all the electrics. pop off the trim panel around your trunk lever (the door plugs in back there) and 69 the door panel, with every thing unplugged you should be able to pull the wiring loom out the flexi tube and solder up the damage (just make sure not to put a solder joint where the wire needs to bend or the joint will just crack in half and you'll have to undo the door again! not fun!)
Hope this helps!