About Rocky Racoon Expertise Most questions that relate to interior, and exterior equipment removal, and re-installation. Also, mechanical repairs of the engine, and the axles, and the brakes.
Experience 35 years auto repair experience. 3 years specifically Volkswagen. 10 years ago, graduated from general technical college. Deans list graduate. One of several hundred, out of several thousand to compete, and win recognition within Volkswagen for knowledge, and excellence.
Question I have a problem with mine, too. A couple of weeks ago, when it was very hot inside the car, it stops recognizing my key. Two month ago when this happened, I had the key checked at the dealer. No problem. We replaced the battery. Now, my mechanic has basically given up trying to figure out what it is. He says that we can replace the cluster, but does not know that this will solve the problem and it will cost hundreds of dollars. I don't like going blind with these things.
Now, after he looked at it, there is something loose in my CD player that knocks out the sound on the left side of the car. If I tap on top of the CD, the sound comes back. He says that he did not do anything that would have caused it, but it just happened at the same time.
Answer Hi Marcia;
I don't know that it has been proven necessary to replace the cluster yet...that is where the immobilizer is located, but it may be possible that the battery in the car went dead, and the cluster didn't have enough voltage to recognize the key properly, and set a "sporadic" fault that now interferes with the immobilizer working when you start the car. Get all of the keys that you have for this car, and take them, and it to your local dealer, and have all of the keys "re-adapted" to the immobilizer. This isn't cheap, but it is much less expensive than replacing the whole instrument cluster. I highly recommend that you do that much at the dealer only, because they have a specific Internet connection directly to the factory, and can handle this much more efficiently, and reliably than any other outlet.
The stereo thing sounds to me like one of the channels has a "power transistor" that is loose in the printed circuit board. Probably more expensive to repair than a brand new one.
Good luck, Marcia.
