Vehicle is 'R' plate Passat 1.8 saloon. This p.m. all indicators came on in static mode. I have removed fuse for indicators and for hazards, and disconnected relay (attached to back of hazards switch) and they STILL stay on. Finally turned them off by disconnecting the battery!
Is it anything to do with the alarm? Wife left no 2 son in car, locked it, then unlocked it realising he was still in.
Car 'autolocked' again, 'cos she didn't open a door after unlocking it (in case you unlock it accidentally) which presumably armed the alarm. I cannot work out how, having disconnected both fuses AND the relay, there is still power getting to the indicators. HELP!
Tim
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I dont know the Passat but..
If you reconnect the battery do they remain on? There is good chance that the alarm has gone into a strange state and loss of power for a few minutes may clear it. i would think that you are on the correct track of chasing the Alarm. Does the Alarm function as an immobiliser as well? In which case you probably cannot just disable the alarm via fuse.
pmh (was peter)
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Thanks Peter. Immediate reconnection of the battery made no difference (lights stayed on!) I'll go and reconnect in a minute (when it's stopped raining) and see if 'a decent interval' makes a difference. Alarm is supposed to be connected to an immobiliser, but car still runs. Bizarre! at this rate I'll have to bite the bullet and take it fo an electronic inquisition.
Tim
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Hi Tim
Don't know if this helps at all, but I had a similar bizarre experience with my Xantia. The alarm went off when I got into the car to drive home from work one day - hazard warners etc - the works! Couldn't start the engine (immmobilised) Couldn't silence the alarm! Neighbours came out to complain and I got desperate. Phoned Green Flag. They arrived, poked around, jump started the car and I drove home without incident.
Next morning - car wouldn't start, alarm went off again! Tried locking / unlocking doors with remote etc etc - no luck. Really frustrated with the whole thing, I disconnected the battery. Did it shutup? Did it heck!
Phoned Citroen dealer. He suggested it might need a new battery. So I phoned a local tyre and battery centre and asked them to line a battery up - I was coming in!
Drove 10 miles up hill and down dale, alarm howling like a banshee all the time - down the main street and into tyre fitting centre. 'I see what you mean!' said the fitter!!
He changed the battery - alarm went off again. It was only after locking and unlocking the doors (arming and disarming the alarm) that it finally surrendered and shut its mouth permanently!
I'd try disconnecting the battery for a while then arming / disarming the system. Check all the doors and windows are properly closed. You might have a lock stuck half on.
The alarms have their own internal batteries and respond to a drop in voltage in the main circuits of the car (like some idiot trying to disconnect the battery!) However, when the battery gets old (mine was 9 years old!) and isn't holding sufficient charge, the alarm thinks it's being pinched!
As I say, this is a Xantia I'm talking about - different beast altogether. Might help a bit, though!
Good luck!
Graeme.
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The Xantia story makes me chuckle, reminds me of my dads old Xantia which used to do the very same thing! Even when travelling down the motorway the locks would be opening and closing and the alarm honking away like mad! The problem would come and go but he traded it in before finding a cure :)
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I did see the funny side - eventually! It was a really good car, though. As I say, that was a new battery - the first after 9 years! Any problems the car had always seemed easily fixed - just silly little things like links snapping on the control rods for the suspension - looked dramatic and expensive, but just came to pennies and everything was just fine. I did 105,000 miles in it - until there was a loud bang and oil started coming out from below. This happened two days after I'd ordered a new C5! The deal had been done and I didn't like to make too much of it when I handed the Xantia in. They didn't seem to be interested though - probably selling it off through the trade. Funny thing was the gearchange etc was absolutely fine! Trail of oil was something else.....
Now got the C5. It's a peculiar mixture of annoying eccentricities and sheer brilliance!The 2.2 HDI is pure magic. the suspension, however is not nearly so good as the Xantia! Odd!
Sorry to highjack your thread, Tim!
Graeme
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Stuck flasher unit maybe?
One faulty bulb with broken filament causing short?
Bad earth somewhere?
Water in something?
Faulty 'plip'
Graeme
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Thanks for all replies : yes, alarms can be annoying (cheapy sparkrite on 'new' golf gti also came on when driving.... removed all plugs from the back of it, and have yet to reconnect it forunately immobiliser is a) a separate entity, and b) Thatcham calss 1)
Have just been out to Passat again, and hey! left hand indicator works properly! Right hand doesn't, mind... I'll give it another hour with no battery to see if it learns its lesson.
Will have to reprogramme the radio, mind, otherwise SWMBO will complain she only listens to radio 4 and Classic FM, so 5 buttons out of 6 have to receive radio 4, and the other on gets Classic FM... hmmmmm it's her daily driver : I only get behind the wheel on long journeys
Tim
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Yes it sounds like the alarm is at fault. I assume that both sides are not flashing but just on. Seen it before on other cars. Some alarms have two fuses in the back, one for each side. remove same to overcome short term problem. Do not rely on just removing power from the alarm as the two sides of the flasher system will be welded together and may damage the flasher/hazard system.
regards
Peter
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It was the (in)convenience unit! Took it to main agent, 'cos this am the RH indicator was still on all the time (solid state, not flashing) When they removed the box and tapped it, indicator went off! then spent 20 mins trying to recreate the fault. Wiring to box was questionable, with both live feeds having been cut and spliced at sometime, but badly (?!) which they then replaced properly. All now seems to work. Charge? £64. Unwanted Christmas present, but all now seems to function. Cross fingers that was it...
Tim
(Peter : do you know WHERE the fuses for the alarm are on the Passat? or where the alarm unit is for that matter? email me direct if you do, please)
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