Flashing immobilizer light

I cranked my new 2006 (A4 of course) Golf this Monday to come home from work and the immobilizer light started flashing as soon as the engine started. Since the engine didn't shut off, I figured I would just drive home and try the other key. I restarted the car on the way home after I killed the engine comming too quickly off the clutch (accelerator response is just not like I have been used to). When I restarted it, the light went away.

This afternoon on the way home, the light came on again, just like yesterday. This time I saw the light go off as I set the parking brake to drop off my carpool buddy. When I stepped back on the brake and clutch it came back on. Fiddling with it at a stop light, I managed several times to turn it off by setting the parking brake. I reactivated the light as I stepped back on the clutch and brake pedals to pull away from a stop. I haven't been able to reliably activate the blinking light, but I have been able to reliably deactivate it.

I can't see why the parking brake would have anything to do with the immobilizer, but it seesm to. Can that light indicate anything other than the ECU not recognizing the code in the key?

Bummer about having weird electrical lights on only day three of ownership. I don't have a VAG-com yet, but I don't know if there would be a code of any kind anyway. I'd appreciate any insight you guys have.

No one knows anything helpful?

How about this - today I could turn it off with the parking brake, but only when I was nearly home. I don't know why - maybe the cabin had finally cooled down, maybe the moon aligns with Jupiter?

Is there any reason to suspect this will become a more important issue?

Sorry to hear your early misfortune but don't despair! It's not uncommon to have a few initial issues with these cars. My Turbo-S had the immobilizer issue too when new. They had to replace the instrument cluster. Some short in the circuit board...it happens. Once any of these new issues are resolved I'm sure you'll have a perfectly reliable TDI. I'd just get it warranted right away so as you can enjoy your new car without worry.

Let us know. It's always good info for the collective

I just realized I never posted the resolution of this. The dealership installed a new instrument cluster - under warranty of course, as the car was only a week old when I took it to them. I'm pretty sure it was just a manufacturing defect that caused the light to come on without actual cause - some sort of bad solder joint something is what I understood from the service advisor. (Obviously it's been more than ten years and 156K miles of driving since then, so that may be only my memory and inference.)

Thanks, this issue has kept me in suspense for the last 127 months (give or take a couple of dozen daze)!