Expert: Sean Halliday - 3/29/2009

Question
Our 2000 bug is manual, with 224000+ miles.  It's been a great car, but in the last year it's started beeping erratically (the sound it makes when your seat belt isn't fastned), or the emergency brake warning been will sound.  Then, for no reason the beeping stops, then starts, then stops for a week or more and then starts again.  In addition the car will lock by itself, or the security warning beeping will start - by itself.  It's like it's possessed!  We've had the door panel off (it seemed like banging on the door panel helped) but could find nothing and now I'm not sure that there is any correlation.  The rear hatch is difficult to latch all the way, the air conditioner doesn't work, and the one of the window switches is missing, but it still works.  Yeah it's old, but a really good car except for these few problems.  It's the strange electrical problems causing beeping and locking automatically that I'd really like to fix!

Thanks in advance
Mark

Answer
There is a module for the central locking and this is possibly faulty.It is somewhere under the dash but you will need a Chiltons or Haynes manual to find the exact location or ask the dealer.Other possible cause would be a fault in one of the door locks.Try disconnecting each one in turn and see what happens.