2006 Jetta - power window not working

cfd_se · July 6th, 2010, 18:56

Does anyone know where I could obtain some step-by-step instructions to troubleshoot why my driver side front door power window will not work? When When I press the switch to "open" the window, I hear a single click from within the door but the glass does not move. No grinding sounds or laboring sounds.
Any comments are welcome. Thank you in advance.

wild03 · July 6th, 2010, 20:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by cfd_se

Does anyone know where I could obtain some step-by-step instructions to troubleshoot why my driver side front door power window will not work? When When I press the switch to "open" the window, I hear a single click from within the door but the glass does not move. No grinding sounds or laboring sounds.
Any comments are welcome. Thank you in advance.

Some people have reported broken wires where the wires enter the door by the hinges. you might want to pull the rubber back and take a look before taking door apart..

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=276816

cfd_se · July 7th, 2010, 10:40

thank you, Wild03. I will take a look.

This morning, the window worked once for no reason.

after that, it stopped working.

jettyknight · July 7th, 2010, 11:43

have you tried to lower it from the driver's door keylock? If that does work, it may be the switch itself

cfd_se · July 7th, 2010, 18:31

found root cause. Wild03 is right. there is a wire is cut.
many thanks to everyone.

thecadman · July 7th, 2010, 18:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by cfd_se

found root cause. Wild03 is right. there is a wire is cut.
many thanks to everyone.

Had the same problem on my '06. Dealership wanted $280++ to replace the wiring harness.
A quick search and I found detailed step-by-step instructions on how to remove the outer door skin (if you can not find one, pm me and I will try to find a link for you). It is pretty easy, hardest part was the door lock, and that is easy once you find the secret screw.

Did that, pulled the plug end of the harness back through so I had some room to work. Soldiering iron, section of properly gauged wire, and some shrink tube and it was fixed.
All told, maybe 2 hrs of work (I was not rushing by any means), a small burn on my finger when the iron slipped, and about $8 in supplies . . . problem fixed.

Will it last as long as replacing the harness, not likely, but it has lasted over 6 months now so I am happy.

wild03 · July 7th, 2010, 19:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by cfd_se

found root cause. Wild03 is right. there is a wire is cut.
many thanks to everyone.

What could be causing this? Poor design? Cold weather? Amazing that VW can screw this one too. Is this common on other car makes as well? I've never seen this type of electrical failure before on other makes, and these cars are still only 4 years old....

cfd_se · July 8th, 2010, 07:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by thecadman

Had the same problem on my '06. Dealership wanted $280++ to replace the wiring harness.
A quick search and I found detailed step-by-step instructions on how to remove the outer door skin (if you can not find one, pm me and I will try to find a link for you). It is pretty easy, hardest part was the door lock, and that is easy once you find the secret screw.

Did that, pulled the plug end of the harness back through so I had some room to work. Soldiering iron, section of properly gauged wire, and some shrink tube and it was fixed.
All told, maybe 2 hrs of work (I was not rushing by any means), a small burn on my finger when the iron slipped, and about $8 in supplies . . . problem fixed.

Will it last as long as replacing the harness, not likely, but it has lasted over 6 months now so I am happy.

since I only got one wire got cut, I don't plan to change the whole harness at this moment. Just like what you suggested, I bought "heat shrinkable solder slice" to fix it from canadian tire this morning. Hopefully, it works. Thank you for all the info.

cfd_se · July 8th, 2010, 07:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by wild03

What could be causing this? Poor design? Cold weather? Amazing that VW can screw this one too. Is this common on other car makes as well? I've never seen this type of electrical failure before on other makes, and these cars are still only 4 years old....

I don't know how it happened. I bought this car in October last year. I did not expect this wire can be cut. Even myself, I cannot cut the wire that neat.

I read other thread, which wild03 provided. The dealer said it caused by opening door too frequently. what a joke. In that thread, most of people agreed that caused by poor design.

thecadman · July 9th, 2010, 07:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by wild03

What could be causing this? Poor design? Cold weather? Amazing that VW can screw this one too. Is this common on other car makes as well? I've never seen this type of electrical failure before on other makes, and these cars are still only 4 years old....

Without doing some calculations on actual clearances, bend radii and the like when the door is closing/being closed, my gut tells me that it is a design oversight. Too little clearance, too tight of a bend radius for the wire gauge (yes, temperature could certainly be part of this equation), or the ability for the wires to slip into a pinch point.

Could even be that the original designer responsible for the door harness hook-up and related mechanicals did their job right initially, but someone came along later with a design change (maybe a oops, we need a larger wire diameter due to power requirements) . . . either way, there is definitely a design flaw in the finished car.

If/when my harness breaks again, I may spend a little more time figuring out a better fix (assuming it doesn't happen in the winter again), if so, I will post my revised opinion then . . . for now, I will happily continue to open/close my door and raise lower my window . . . all the while happy that the delaership still has not gotten that $280 from my pocket.

donutman · July 16th, 2010, 17:49

Just put a new thread on. Should of read this first. My door buttons do not work. You use to be able to wiggle the rubber boot and the window would work. But no more. Can anyone send me the step by step on how to take apart this door. Thanks

thecadman · July 19th, 2010, 07:34

Here is the one I used from VWvortex. There may be one on here, but I know this one worked for me . . .

http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?2984471

Good luck with your fix.

Quote:

Originally Posted by donutman

Just put a new thread on. Should of read this first. My door buttons do not work. You use to be able to wiggle the rubber boot and the window would work. But no more. Can anyone send me the step by step on how to take apart this door. Thanks

oilhammer · July 19th, 2010, 08:18

LOL.... been this way since Volkswagen decided to put a bunch of electric stuff in the doors. The A3s were really bad, the A4s not so much, now the A5s we are back to crap.

What really stinks is Volkswagen just LOVES to obsolete the door harnesses. So 10 years from now, they will be like gold. Can't get them for the A3s any longer, and even some of the A4s are now coming obsolete or as I just last week found out need to be slightly modified to work (on a 2002 NB).

Good news is, I think the A5's harness is a wee bit longer now, that may help.

CABRIOLET · July 19th, 2010, 11:35

From the replies on this forum none of you have owned a Volvo 240 wagon or for that matter a Totoya with a few miles on it. The Volvo was the best took about a day to figure that one out. I have not seen a manufacturer yet not having broken wires after a number of years. Take any gauge wire and bend it back and forth for ten to fiften minutes and see what happens.

Must admit now that i think of it my 1991 Cabriolet is still doing OK. Kind of a simple car but wires do go thru the door frame to the door. I better keep my mouth shut.

Cabriolet

2009 Jetta 6 speed
1881 Cabriolet

thecadman · July 19th, 2010, 13:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by CABRIOLET

From the replies on this forum none of you have owned a Volvo 240 wagon or for that matter a Totoya with a few miles on it. The Volvo was the best took about a day to figure that one out. I have not seen a manufacturer yet not having broken wires after a number of years. Take any gauge wire and bend it back and forth for ten to fiften minutes and see what happens.

Must admit now that i think of it my 1991 Cabriolet is still doing OK. Kind of a simple car but wires do go thru the door frame to the door. I better keep my mouth shut.

Cabriolet

2009 Jetta 6 speed
1881 Cabriolet

Hmmmm . . . while I have never owned a Volvo, nor a Toyota . . . . but I have owned many Fords, GMs, and Chryslers . . . this is my first VW . . . and my first time having to fix broken wires in the door.

Yes, if you take a wire and bend it back and forth enough times it breaks . . . IF you are bending the wire in a tight enough bend radius to put sufficient stress on the wire (diameter and construction of wire are of course factors as well). Difference I notice with my Jetta, compared to my previous vehicles, is that the details in the door construction appear to be much tighter design (less door gap, shorter run of wire harness between the door and body etc etc).

While I have no facts to confirm this, my guess would be that no one has told the door designers/electrical designers that they have breakage issues and that they should modify their designs to reduce the stresses involved (or if they have, VW has determined that they would rather the sleeker design over the more practical one).

My opinion is that I expect things like the main wire harnesses body to outlast the main mechanical items on a car. Open and close a car door 10 times a day, everyday for ten years and you still are less than 37,000 cycles. Somewhere along the line I believe I have heard that 80-100K is a typical life cycle expectancy on something like a door harness (I have no idea what number VW uses). I am quite sure that my driver's door has not exceeded that, and can not imagine a passengers door exceeding that on a 5 year old vehicle.

I like VWs design of this car in most cases, but this is one I wished they had taken a step back first.