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Mk IV Golf heated rear window not working


prt57
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Hi,

Just noticed that the heated rear window is not working on my 1998 GTI 1.8T. Checked the fuse and that is OK. Switch appears to illuminate when pressed but is dead when the fuse is taken out.

What else could it be? There is no damage to the element wires and nobody has been messing about with the rear window area.

Cheers, PeterT

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi,

Just thought I would give you all an update as the HRW probs.

I booked the car in for a service down at Stratford VW and asked about the HRW prob. The tech said that if the rear water squirter was weak or not working water runs down the inside of the C pillar and into the wiring causing a short.

I gave the squirter a good push and sure enough it was feeble, in addition water appeared inside the car oozing from the back left headlining. The pipe joins had come apart.

Bingo I thought, bang on diagnosis.

I stripped out the interior to dry every thing out and inspected the wiring connector blocks. Yes they were wet but a bit of work with my voltmeter suggested that the wiring in this area was OK.

Darkness came and so I had to pack up for the day.

Time to expose the rear window to do a bit more searching with the voltmenter.

The live feed comes to the left side of the window as looking from the back of the car.

12 v on both sides of the window with the HRW switched on. I wondered if the Earth connetion was faulty that runs back from the right side of the window, back through the flexible conduit, left across the underside of the roof and back down the left hand side C pillar.

No connection so I rigged up a temporary wire leading to Earth and the HRW started working.

There must be a break in the wire and I eventually found it in the flexible conduit linking the hatch back door to the main car. The Earth wire was snapped in two.

I have come across this before in a Rover 200 but this is a VW!!!! Shock and horror!!

It seemed like a rewire was in order in this area as the other thin wires were also showing the copper conductors.

Needless to say that the job is not finished as I had to go and get some wire and connectors and it got dark again but at least I know what to do now.

Cheers, Peter

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