Clock & Trip Odometer Resets

I've had my '02 Golf GLS TDI for 6 months and have only been able to check my fuel economy once because my clock and trip odometer keep resetting back to 12:00 and O...grrr. Took it to the dealership and they couldn't get it to replicate the problem so shined me on. The car only had 2200 miles on it and now has 5400...Any ideas? Do you think I should push for them to put in a new computer? There seems to be no rhyme or reason to the reset although one time it blanked out when the fuel light and beep came on.
Frustrated,
freedom 3

Check for loose battery cable connections. Check ground point under the battery for clean and tight. It's a low voltage situation (e.g. disconnected battery) that usually causes the reset.

I had this problem too, but it was sporatic (3X a year maybe). Took it to the dealer, they said I needed a new instrument cluster. Okay. Well, 2 weeks later the brake light comes on and stays on. Back to the dealer. They said I needed another cluster. Okay, but now I'm starting to worry about the future when these repairs will be on my nickel. A year and three clusters later (including the original) seem to be a charm.

Hopefully your mileage will vary. Good luck.

Tomorrow I take my '02 TDI Golf back for the fourth time to see if they can figure out what is going on with my cluster panel. As I described to you in an earlier e-mail of about 6 months ago, the time goes to 12:00 and tripometer goes to zero. I've owned for car for 6 months and have only had one tank full with the panel not failing so I could check my mileage not to mention the nusance of having to repeatedly re-set my clock. The dealer is jacking me around...I'm a lady. It's still under warranty but "they" say unless they can get it to duplicate while in the shop or it actually fails, I am out of luck...what would you advise?

Sometimes I get a series of beeps before it resets and other times it just re-sets either while driving or after I have turned off the ignition done an errand and then restart???

Discouraged
freedom 3

If you haven't called VWOA and opened a 'trouble ticket' (or whatever it's called) you should do so now.

It also would not hurt to check for coolant migration. There is a connector to the coolant overflow tank that measures the coolant level. The tank can develop a leak and the coolant can migrate up the wire harness into the interior to the cluster and other electronic parts, ruining the wire harness.

[ QUOTE ]
weedeater said:
If you haven't called VWOA and opened a 'trouble ticket' (or whatever it's called) you should do so now.

It also would not hurt to check for coolant migration. There is a connector to the coolant overflow tank that measures the coolant level. The tank can develop a leak and the coolant can migrate up the wire harness into the interior to the cluster and other electronic parts, ruining the wire harness.

[/ QUOTE ]

__. Yes, you do this by opening the hood. You'll see a large pink-colored ball which is sited right in front of where the passenger sits. You'll see a cap on the top of it and a black plastic connector on the side with wires coming out of it. If you look at that connector, you'll see how the clip holds it on. If you squeeze the little flange on the clip, you'll see the clip disengage -- then wiggle the connector loose. It will be tight at first but it will wiggle off. Look inside once the connector is off - it should be dry. If there's ANY pink colored fluid inside that connector or on the wires, report this to VW and your dealer.

2 Points:
I've had cooland migration, its a PITA. Didn't affect my clock, but it did break everyting else, so breaking the clock seemes very feasable...

I've also sevierely drained the battery. It was low enough that the doors couldn't even lock / unlock. The clock's time was wrong, but it had not reset. The light on the driver's door was blinking about 2x as fast as it normally does... the battery was low.

Do you have the phone # for VWOA so I can ask for the "Trouble Ticket?

They've worked on the car for 6 hours and could find nothing...no leakage from coolant...so they said until it "fails" there is nothing I can do but just keep calling them everytime it happens which is at least once per tank full...anyone reading this post who has suggestions as what to tell VW...HELP!!!!!! The good news is I only have 6500 miles and the warranty is good until 1/06 or 50K miles and I travel very little so hopefully have some time on my side it's just a pain in the bottom of my heated seat!!!

freedom3

Coolant Migration is a serious problem........
My 2002 Jetta is going in to have a complete wiring harness replacement next week. /images/graemlins/frown.gif

I used a dremmel tool on my old '00 NB and the '02 Jetta and drilled a drain hole though the bottom side of the connector at the coolant bottle, so if the seal starts leaking I will see coolant dripping and maybe it won't wick up to the connector harness.

But I'm with MOGolf on this one, sounds like improper ground to me. The bad ground doesn't always have to be near the battery or the cluster. Some cars have these all over the body of the car. Remember your fuel tank has a ground strap(s) also.

Mine did that too- made weird electronic 'tones,' and then the clock and trip reset to 12 and 0.

The dealer I went to found the cluster defective using their diagnostic tools (what they were, I don't know). But, like I said, the replacement didn't last two weeks. So far, so good.

Why does the Trip/mile odometer reset it self to 0 every 1999.9miles? /images/graemlins/shocked.gif