Anyone Know About Electrical Promblems?

[Meki]

This morning when I went to gas up my car, (A 2000 VW Jetta.) when I restarted my car after I finished gasing it up all the electrical stuff went out. (i.e. lights, radio etc..) But when I got back into my car & closed the door it all came back on. Then the ABS light came on. This is crazy b/c I just had my breaks looked at. Any help would be apperciated... Thanks in advance... :wink:

[stunninglyAsian]

It's not a brake problem unfortunately... that's easy to fix.

This is some sort of electronic problem.
Maybe it's the alternator?
How old is your battery?

Best thing to do is to go to some VW forums and post your problems there. Usually there are enough people where someone has gone through the same problem (if it's common) and/or knows the car well enough where they can pin point the problem.

And when you make your screen name, make it something like VWcutegirl. Since most everybody there is male, you will get lots of replies and offers to help you out. :wink:

[Meki]

It's not a brake problem unfortunately... that's easy to fix.

This is some sort of electronic problem.
Maybe it's the alternator?
How old is your battery?

Best thing to do is to go to some VW forums and post your problems there. Usually there are enough people where someone has gone through the same problem (if it's common) and/or knows the car well enough where they can pin point the problem.

And when you make your screen name, make it something like VWcutegirl. Since most everybody there is male, you will get lots of replies and offers to help you out. :wink:


My battery is brand new in fact I just had it replaced... & gawd I hope it's not the alternator... :frown: Parts for German made cars are so expensive...

LOL!! So you want me to pimp myself for the answers...?!?! :tongue:

[537]

I would first check all the fuses to make sure none of them have blown out.

Offhand, it sounds like your battery cables may not be connected very well (or it's ungrounded/or has a weak connection point somewhere).

Question: Is the ABS light still on?

[Meki]

I would first check all the fuses to make sure none of them have blown out.

Offhand, it sounds like your battery cables may not be connected very well (or it's ungrounded/or has a weak connection point somewhere).

Question: Is the ABS light still on?

Ok just went out to start up my car again and it seemed fine but how can I tell if the battery cables are connected properly or not? And if the battery wasn't grounded then wouldn't that have fried all of the electrical components in my car?

No the ABS light is no longer on... Btw, thanks for the info! :biggrin:

[537]

An improperly grounded battery would overextend/blow your fuses, but not necessarily fry your components immediately.

An ungrounded battery (negative terminal disconnected) would not complete a circuit, and therefore would not give your components any electricity at all.

To check to see if the battery cables are connected properly, just pop the hood and look to see if the battery terminals are connected. If you see a lot of white powdery crap on/around them, they may need to be serviced. Depending on how savvy you are with mechanics, you could disconnect the terminals and take a brass bristle brush to clean it off. Then apply a thin coat of conductive terminal gunk and reconnect the cables, making sure to tighten them.

Or you could take it back to where you last got it serviced and bitchslap the guy that worked on the car.

Speculation, of course - I don't know if it's really your cables or not.

[Meki]

Or you could take it back to where you last got it serviced and bitchslap the guy that worked on the car.

Thanks... Will do... Heehee :wink:

[mrazntre]

If all the lights work properly now, then a fuse musn't have blown because if it did, then at least 1 of the lights wouldn't work. But checking fuses can't hurt. also check the relays.

I'm with 537, check the grounding. You can spray the negative battery post with some WD-40, that might also help (with or without the terminal gunk). There will also be a loop of wire coming off the negative post and ground directly to the chassis of the vehicle, be sure to check that also.

Was it windy that day? All of those ions flying in the air like to mess with electrical stuff sometimes.

[golden_buns]

Check your battery connection, sometimes over time the battery spills fluid that dries up and hardens (a light blue powder) and that can interfer with your cable connection.You might have to clean that up a little in case it's dirty

Also like everyone has said, check the grounding.

That problem sounded like its batery related

[archspeed]

Welp, there's Volkswagen for you, always full of interesting, headache-inducing, trivial car problems.

Hope your car lasts =(