Trying to find out what something is in car ?

[JohnTF]

About one yr. after buying car 2003 Jetta wagon , I noticed a folddown thing between the rear view mirror & windshield about 2 inches from top of windshield .
It is about 1 inch high by about 5 inches wide - looks to have a light sensor in the center facing forward - in the fold down position , but is covered when folded up .
Guess is some type of oncoming headlight sensor ?
I have an owners manual - but not for this car - for a 2002 Jetta - can't find in this manual ?

 

[Windex]

It's a poorly designed shade for the area between the sunvisors.

They were also in the B5 passats. No sensor.

this is one on Fleabay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/383799048338

 

[JohnTF]

Well that's it , have to take a closer look at the thing in the middle .

 

[Diesel Fumes]

It's designed to block the interior light so you can have it on and still see through the rear view mirror. At least that's what I was told. I leave it folded down because I remember like 75% of mk4 owners didn't even know it was there so I thought it was neat

 

[J_dude]

I found that piece in my Jetta while I was crawling around under the dash fixing my heater, happened to look up from reclining on the floor and... “Say, now what is that?”.
I leave mine down as well cuz it’s neat and it also blocks the dome light reflection in the rear view mirror when you flip the mirror up for night driving.

 

[oilhammer]

I have found this to work perfectly fine at blocking the sun that neither visor quite gets.

 

[Vwkaferman]

Ha! I had to go out in the parking lot to look at mine, sure enough. Cool!

James

 

[P2B]

I have found this to work perfectly fine at blocking the sun that neither visor quite gets.

I have always used it for that, but what is the divot in the middle that the OP thought was a sensor?

 

[KrashDH]

I never knew what that thing was, glad I know now!

 

[J_dude]

I have always used it for that, but what is the divot in the middle that the OP thought was a sensor?

Yeah indeed, I am also curious. Is it there for a reason, or is that “just the way it is”?

 

[oilhammer]

I think the divot is just to clearance the screw so it closes flush, and the hole may just be so it has a vent since it is a hollow piece of plastic.

Boy, we (TDI club peeps) really investigate the nitty-gritty, don't we?

 

[BobnOH]

lol
Reminds me of 1st TDI (99J). When I bought it I noticed no trunk light, bought a plug in 12v light to keep back there. After I had the car for 8 years, I was in the trunk one day, the light popped on!

 

[JB05]

Two Winters ago I discovered, the hard way, that the antenna unscrews from its base. Broke off in a car wash which I don't often use.
I was able to go back and retrieve it.

 

[Zak99b5]

If only there were a way to roll down all the windows when it's hot from outside the car, before you get into it....

 

[csstevej]

There is…… use the key , insert it into the door lock and turn it to unlock and hold it there for a couple of seconds…..all the windows go down….reverse the procedure to lock position to close all the windows plus sun roof if equipped to close position…… all my cars do it….3 NB’s and 2 golfs….

 

[Windex]

There is…… use the key , insert it into the door lock and turn it to unlock and hold it there for a couple of seconds…..all the windows go down….reverse the procedure to lock position to close all the windows plus sun roof if equipped to close position…… all my cars do it….3 NB’s and 2 golfs….

If you can find someone with vag commander, you can program this feature into the CCM to work from your remote fob. I have this on my passat and previous MK4

 

[Zak99b5]

There is…… use the key , insert it into the door lock and turn it to unlock and hold it there for a couple of seconds…..all the windows go down….reverse the procedure to lock position to close all the windows plus sun roof if equipped to close position…… all my cars do it….3 NB’s and 2 golfs….

Sorry I was kidding.

 

[csstevej]

Ohh……

 

[J_dude]

There is…… use the key , insert it into the door lock and turn it to unlock and hold it there for a couple of seconds…..all the windows go down….reverse the procedure to lock position to close all the windows plus sun roof if equipped to close position…… all my cars do it….3 NB’s and 2 golfs….

Except if you have no keyhole on your driver door...
I even pulled the little plastic cover off to check, thought maybe someone installed a blank one from a rear door, nope, nothing there.

 

[BobnOH]

No kidding, no key hole?? Have you tried holding down the unlock/lock button on the remote dude? Perhaps that would operate the windows. One of my favorire features.

 

[oilhammer]

I always got a chuckle out of all that window stuff, given these cars have, by far, some of the very worst power window regulators of any car I have ever had any experience with. There were literally cars coming in new, on the transports, with their windows down because the clips broke in transit.

 

[J_dude]

No kidding, no key hole?? Have you tried holding down the unlock/lock button on the remote dude? Perhaps that would operate the windows. One of my favorire features.

Just went out and tried the fob, no dice.
Yeah it’s weird, I’m not sure but I think the driver door may not be original, the car is a rebuilt, you can tell it had some sort of damage on that side.

 

[Nero Morg]

Well it's supposed to have a key hole there! Hope your battery never goes dead, imagine trying to get in through the trunk.....

 

[csstevej]

Yeah…..that is weird…..every MKIV I’ve come across has a keyed drivers door…….

 

[J_dude]

Well it's supposed to have a key hole there! Hope your battery never goes dead, imagine trying to get in through the trunk.....

Yeah, I have considered that, not a happy thought lol.
The only thing I can think of is some previous owner must have replaced the door handle with one off of a rear door, if that’s even possible? I don’t know.
Anyway I’ll be swapping doors with my parts car soon, so I will have a keyhole, however for the wrong key. Not sure how to fix THAT issue, I don’t really want to carry two keys haha.
Unless maybe I swap in the ignition switch thing from said parts car as well. Oh that probably requires something more than VCDS for the immo chip tho...

 

[Nero Morg]

You can swap the ignition key tumbler without reprogramming the immobilizer, you'll just have to move the immo chip from one fob to the other. Or swap the blade over. It's entirely possible someone put a blank on it for cosmetic reasons, newer cars have a faux cover, if you take them off you have a key hole.

 

[J_dude]

You can swap the ignition key tumbler without reprogramming the immobilizer, you'll just have to move the immo chip from one fob to the other. Or swap the blade over. It's entirely possible someone put a blank on it for cosmetic reasons, newer cars have a faux cover, if you take them off you have a key hole.

Ah ok I may do that then eventually.
Also yeah, that was what I was hoping for, but I took the cover off and there’s no keyhole under it.