Electrical faults

[jessie]

Have trawled the threads for help with this, and whilst there are several with similar symptoms, I can find no specific solution, so would be very grateful if anyone can point me in the right direction.
1) My 2001 Tdi started misbehaving 3 months ago with intermittent problems with remote central locking - changed battery in key with no improvement, eventually remote failed completely.
2) Manual locking with key was OK for a time and alarm was working (diode flashing)
3) Next problem was hazard lights being initiated when car was unlocked.
4) This stopped, but alarm also failed to be set on manual locking.
5) Current problem is that rear doors are permanently locked - have tried everything in the manual and even disconnected battery but still locked.

Assume it might be expensive electrical fault, but would appreciate any help to solve immediate problem of unlocking rear doors, and also what might be the reason for, and also the solution to the problem.

Although I have had 6+ years of reasonable fault free motoring, I can't help feeling very diasappointed that having paid a premium price for a supposed above average quality German engineered vehicle, faults like this appear to be common. If I had wanted the thrills and spills of unknown electrical failures I could have bought Italian, saved a fortune on purchase price and had an enjoyable drive as well.

[A2O2]

Hi Jessie
I have had this problem before, more often then not, it is associated with the control module under the passenger seat front well going faulty. Some questions for you:
Does the control module make a rapid ticking noise coming from the passenger well?
Does the car electrics behave fine after a long drive?

Noureddin

[Skipton01]

Hi Jessie,

Sorry to hear of your troubles and it sounds like A2O2 may well be right - the central convenience unit is proabably the culprit here.

A definitive answer is really only going to come from a diagnostic scan though, which I am more than happy to provide if you're anywhere near Manchester, for a small donation to club funds.

The doors may be linked to the faulty unit as well, but (and you may want to cover your ears/eyes here!) I had a similar situation, which luckily occurred a week inside my warranty and the only solution was to chisel out the stuck lock, after removing the door card and inner panel!

It was traced down to a faulty wiring loom, although this didn't show on a scan. For both yours to go at the same time suggests a central point of failure, i.e. the central convenience unit. As this module doesn't require any major recoding, if you can find another A2 owner in your area to swap the unit with, you can soon rule it in or out of the equation.

Cheers,

Mike

[jessie]

Mike/Noureddin - many thanks for your kind replies.

Noureddin - No, although I'm deaf old b***** I am pretty sure there is no noise from the unit, and no, after a long drive, things do not improve.

Mike - Thanks very much for the info and the offer of a scan - this must be the best way forward for me so I will contact you to try to arrange this.

If the CVU is the culprit, what is the damage likely to be in ££££?

If I don't replace the CVU, are the electrical problems I have had likely to continue with other functions of the car?

Are the replacement CVUs still the same spec as the original - in other words, are replacement units going to be as unreliable as originals?