Benj540 Posted 5 March, 2009 Share Posted 5 March, 2009 (edited) Does anyone have any expertise in the way of VW Golf electrics. My air bag light has recent started to stay on, signalling airbag fault. However this is only after some fiddling with fuses, however looking in the VW book, not a single fuse seems to relate specifically to the airbag. Though the light was never on before so I am sure this is a fuse related problem. Also the back light for the heater, air con etc. Do not seem to be lighting up, now I am not sure if they ever have but surely they must do. How else will I see what f'ing place the blowers blowing! Again the radio is fine as are hazards and rear window heather. When pressing the Air Con light this lights up aswell. Anyone have any idea how to get these dials lit, or what could be the problem? http://img21.imageshack.us/my.php?image=golff.jpg Any idea what fuse relates to the airbag? Obviously not planning to use the airbag anytime soon, but would be nice to have if there is some sod with other ideas. Edited 5 March, 2009 by Benj540 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Post-it note Posted 5 March, 2009 Share Posted 5 March, 2009 Ask saintstevo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saint_stevo Posted 5 March, 2009 Share Posted 5 March, 2009 Pretty sure Sev or Handyman will be able to help you best, of not my backlights for my blowers etc just went out on my way home, literally 10mins ago! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benj540 Posted 6 March, 2009 Author Share Posted 6 March, 2009 Pretty sure Sev or Handyman will be able to help you best, of not my backlights for my blowers etc just went out on my way home, literally 10mins ago! Hmm, well I'm getting a new cut today, £150 quid... Robbing b*****ds. I'll get them to have a look at this and probably end up with a huge bill. Was hoping there would be a quick simple fix. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sev Posted 6 March, 2009 Share Posted 6 March, 2009 Does anyone have any expertise in the way of VW Golf electrics. My air bag light has recent started to stay on, signalling airbag fault. However this is only after some fiddling with fuses, however looking in the VW book, not a single fuse seems to relate specifically to the airbag. Though the light was never on before so I am sure this is a fuse related problem. Also the back light for the heater, air con etc. Do not seem to be lighting up, now I am not sure if they ever have but surely they must do. How else will I see what f'ing place the blowers blowing! Again the radio is fine as are hazards and rear window heather. When pressing the Air Con light this lights up aswell. Anyone have any idea how to get these dials lit, or what could be the problem? http://img21.imageshack.us/my.php?image=golff.jpg Any idea what fuse relates to the airbag? Obviously not planning to use the airbag anytime soon, but would be nice to have if there is some sod with other ideas. I was about to ask, but I just noticed the picture is of a mkiv Golf so will assume that's what model you've got. The airbag warning light will come on if the airbag electrics have been interrupted at any time without having disconnected the battery first, so it sounds like you pulled the wrong fuse when you were fiddling. The warning light will stay on until the fault is cleared with compatible diagnostic equipment (5 mins with a £10 vagcom compatible cable from ebay, or the dealer may try and stitch you out of "30 mins diagnostic work" - don't stand for that). This warning light stays on even after everything appears fine again, because the car doesn't know the difference between an intermittent electrical fault which may need fixing, and the owner fiddling with fuses. Get the fault cleared and it's only likely to be a problem if it comes back again. As for the heater / aircon illumination, those three dials are lit by a single '501' bulb behind the middle dial, you can get at this by removing the dial (you have to pull hard), and it's best to have a small piece of rubber tubing which you can use to press the new bulb in place without crushing it. Eg http://uk-mkivs.net/forums/p/162180/1067094.aspx And as for cutting a new key, the quickest and easiest way is to go to the dealer, and I guess you're probably already there, you can get it sorted for about £40 though if you have the right tools (I don't) and/or know someone who does. Assuming that you're getting a new key because one or more keys have been lost by you or by previous owners, then make sure in addition to coding the new key, that the dealer un-matches any previously-saved keys that you no longer have, so that it can no longer be used on your car by someone else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benj540 Posted 6 March, 2009 Author Share Posted 6 March, 2009 I was about to ask, but I just noticed the picture is of a mkiv Golf so will assume that's what model you've got. The airbag warning light will come on if the airbag electrics have been interrupted at any time without having disconnected the battery first, so it sounds like you pulled the wrong fuse when you were fiddling. The warning light will stay on until the fault is cleared with compatible diagnostic equipment (5 mins with a £10 vagcom compatible cable from ebay, or the dealer may try and stitch you out of "30 mins diagnostic work" - don't stand for that). This warning light stays on even after everything appears fine again, because the car doesn't know the difference between an intermittent electrical fault which may need fixing, and the owner fiddling with fuses. Get the fault cleared and it's only likely to be a problem if it comes back again. As for the heater / aircon illumination, those three dials are lit by a single '501' bulb behind the middle dial, you can get at this by removing the dial (you have to pull hard), and it's best to have a small piece of rubber tubing which you can use to press the new bulb in place without crushing it. Eg http://uk-mkivs.net/forums/p/162180/1067094.aspx And as for cutting a new key, the quickest and easiest way is to go to the dealer, and I guess you're probably already there, you can get it sorted for about £40 though if you have the right tools (I don't) and/or know someone who does. Assuming that you're getting a new key because one or more keys have been lost by you or by previous owners, then make sure in addition to coding the new key, that the dealer un-matches any previously-saved keys that you no longer have, so that it can no longer be used on your car by someone else. Thank you Sev, top information I guess I am about to get screwed out of 30 mins diagnostic work... As the car is with VW now... However I forgot to mention the light to them, the guide makes it look quite simple. Do you have any idea if the bulb is available in stores such as halfords etc? Or is it a little harder to get hold of? Thanks for the information very much appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sev Posted 6 March, 2009 Share Posted 6 March, 2009 Thank you Sev, top information I guess I am about to get screwed out of 30 mins diagnostic work... As the car is with VW now... However I forgot to mention the light to them, the guide makes it look quite simple. Do you have any idea if the bulb is available in stores such as halfords etc? Or is it a little harder to get hold of? Thanks for the information very much appreciated. '501' bulbs are pretty common as they're also used for other things like boot lights, map lights, sidelights etc. Also known as 'W5W' bulbs. As with any bulb, if you're in doubt then take the old one out first and bring it along to compare, then you know you've got the right fitment, voltage, wattage, colour (you want a normal clear bulb, as the red you see comes from the plastic lenses not from the bulb itself). VW will already be connecting up to your car in order to match the new key, so to charge you more than a few mins extra to clear the airbag fault would be harsh. However did you mention that you suspected that you had been fiddling with fuses and/or you may have caused the warning light to come on yourself? They might justify diagnostic time if they weren't suspecting it to be a "Clear and see if it comes back" case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benj540 Posted 6 March, 2009 Author Share Posted 6 March, 2009 (edited) '501' bulbs are pretty common as they're also used for other things like boot lights, map lights, sidelights etc. Also known as 'W5W' bulbs. As with any bulb, if you're in doubt then take the old one out first and bring it along to compare, then you know you've got the right fitment, voltage, wattage, colour (you want a normal clear bulb, as the red you see comes from the plastic lenses not from the bulb itself). VW will already be connecting up to your car in order to match the new key, so to charge you more than a few mins extra to clear the airbag fault would be harsh. However did you mention that you suspected that you had been fiddling with fuses and/or you may have caused the warning light to come on yourself? They might justify diagnostic time if they weren't suspecting it to be a "Clear and see if it comes back" case. Again thank you for your responce. I did not mention I had been fiddling with the fuses to Volskwagen as assumed they would stick it on a diagnostic machine and check anyway and hopefully clear it and see if it came back. I will have a look for one of these bulbs today. If I get my car back anytime soon... They have had it since 8.30, it's now 12.30 and have not heard a thing. EDIT: Finally got the car back, the airbag fault was due to the fuse fiddling. As for the back light I bought one myself and changed it, cost 48p from Volkswagen. Edited 6 March, 2009 by Benj540 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Handyman Posted 8 March, 2009 Share Posted 8 March, 2009 (edited) Pretty sure Sev or Handyman will be able to help you best, of not my backlights for my blowers etc just went out on my way home, literally 10mins ago! I'm touched by your faith in me Stevo, but airbags and their associated circuitry is not one of my strong points. Well done Sev. Edited 8 March, 2009 by Handyman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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