hatch problem, key stuck, and lights flashing--all at once!
We have had our Touareg since the last few days of March 2004. It is in the shop for the 3rd or 4th time JUST FOR THE HATCH....that's not counting the other problems. Two of the times, the dealer has kept our car 7 or 8 DAYS with no offer of a "warranty rental"! We have not heard the loud pop nor have we had a strut pop off but....(this is lengthy but covers of the problem, I think)
The car dies, key won't come out. Now, after sitting in the car for 30 minutes in the heat yesterday in 100 degree weather and 2:30 in the afternoon, to document EVERYTHING that was happening, this is what I found.
It died at the dentist's office and the office people told me that the alarm had gone off while I was in the chair but they didn't know who's car it was at the time.until I went back into the office to cool off. When I went out to the car to get in.....the door wouldn't open. The alarm went off and I had to figure out how to stop it as I hadn't had it go off before. I noticed I could hear the hatch motor moving the hatch up and down, up and down....previously noted to the dealer and they had ordered a new motor to be installed tomorrow (Wed, 8/10).
I had told the dealer it was like "Close Encounters of the Third Time" and I don't think they've believed me....til yesterday. The only thing that wasn't happening was the papers weren't flying around in the cab. WHEN THE HATCH IS MOVING UP AND DOWN, the warning lights are flashing, the headlights are going on and off, on and off, and yesterday, the windshield wipers began going and the seat moved itself. The dealer FINALLY witnessed most of this as I sat in the car about 30 minutes and each time the hatch STOPPED (about 10-12 minutes into its "thing"), I would try to start the motor. This while waiting for VW's AAA who should know us on a first-name basis by now.
I think that the time it finally started was when the hatch had stopped and I turned the key FIRST TO THE LEFT...then to the right. Don't know if that is the "key" but that's when it finally started it and I was on the phone with VW AAA a 2nd time when I got it started. So, I drove it directly to the dealer and ran inside to get someone to witness it. They could not believe the "Close Encounters" that I was talking about was happening right before their eyes.
I'm not sure if this is coincidental or not, but when thinking about what we did BEFORE all of this...there has been a few of the times that we have gone on a trip the prior day to it's "dieing". The prior day, we had driven 175 miles into Long Beach (Calif) and then back home via Riverside each way. That evening (and also a few of the other times now that we think of it), the "side light is on" green light on the screen (can't remember exactly what it says) comes on and a LOUD buzzer rings. Haven't known what to do or what it means but it stops when I close my driver door and happens when the motor is running and I open my driver door. The trip prior to that was to Sacramento (about a 900 mile trip) and the Touareg ran fine til the day after getting home. What a mess it would have been to break down in northern California! And, this was 3 days after receiving the car that we ordered on January 1st!
Oh! Each time that I tried to start the motor after the hatch stopped moving up and down, the hatch would begin its thing again.....only to lock the key in the ignition again. When the hatch stops doing its thing, I can get the key out of the ignition. I'm NOT sure that happened any other time, only this time because before we had waited for AAA and they couldn't get the key out and the hatch was NOT going that I remember.
Before each time that this all happens, I have also used our navigation system. Don't know if that is part of it, just noting the coincidences. However, not always an immediate "dieing"....
We love our Touareg, BUT, it's going to die at a very inconvenient time someday and that really concerns us.
Hope this helps SOMEONE. If anyone finds answers, please tell me! Thanks.
