[chittychittybangbang]

Ah, the joys of owning a Volkswagen.

Last week the horn on the B5.5 Passat TDI started beeping on left hand turns. Some compressed air behind the airbag fixed that. This week the turn signal relay started clicking by itself. I had a pretty good idea that it was the switch but I had a spare hazard switch which is also the turn signal relay so I replaced that first. I took a video showing the problem.

Then I took the turn signal apart to clean it, problem fixed. You can sometimes get away with shooting some no residue electrical contact cleaner in the base of the turn signal stalk but I felt like taking it apart.

The full writeup is below
http://www.myturbodiesel.com/wiki/clicking-turn-signal-repair-or-hazard-switch-relay-replacement/

and has been added to the mk4 FAQ indexes. I'm sure the mk5 switch may do something similar but it seems to happen on mk4 switches a lot.

 

[tmeyer41002]

Contact Cleaner fixed the clicking

I tried your idea of contact cleaner. Picked it up at Walmart for a couple dollars. Pulled the lever toward steering wheel and put the straw behind the stick. While moving the turn signal up and down I spayed in the cleaner. After about 5 seconds, I was done. That annoying clicking has been gone for 5 days. I was really not looking forward to replacing the signal switch on the column.

 

[Calidris96]

What he said... the spray cleaner worked like a champ!

 

[DieselB59]

I had both my old 99 Jetta TDI and my 04 Passat TDI have the same annoying clicking from the hazard switch. Both times, a new switch got rid of it. After looking at my 99's switch and smelling the burning plastic smell, I didn't even think of taking any chances with the new car and the new additions to the family riding in it. As far as the turn signal multifunction switch goes, they are a high failure rate item on pretty much all brands and models of vehicles out there.

 

[NewWestTDI]

Signal light stuck on

Would these be the same reasons why the signal lights on one side are constantly on even after dis/arming the alarm? I have lost use of my right hand signalling as a result of the lights being constantly on. Is this a faulty relay or a faulty steering column switch? or another layer of complexity that VW has instilled to thwart the proletariat?

Your help is greatly appreciated!

 

[chittychittybangbang]

Saw your other post, honestly do not know.

 

[NewWestTDI]

No worries, I'll dig in this weekend starting from first principles I guess.

Thanks for the reply!

 

[Motsyball]

Signal light stuck on

Would these be the same reasons why the signal lights on one side are constantly on even after dis/arming the alarm? I have lost use of my right hand signalling as a result of the lights being constantly on. Is this a faulty relay or a faulty steering column switch?

I am having this exact problem. What did you find out?

 

[NewWestTDI]

I am having this exact problem. What did you find out?

Well in my car ('05 Passat) there is a relay located on the "Comfort Control Module" (CCM) in a sealed box under the driver's seat and under the carpet (bad location). This relay controls the 4 way flashers when the alarm is armed and tends to "stick" possibly due to moisture causing some corrosion on the contacts. I lived with it for a few weeks disconnecting the battery overnight and at work so as not to burn out my wiring until I figured out the cause of the problem. Luckily it started operating properly on it's own again without me having to dig it out.

On your car though, I'm pretty sure it's much easier to access. I think it's located under the dash on a relay panel however the bad news is it is soldered to the panel. See attached image. It's not meant to be replaceable. Was you car sitting for a while? Is it damp where you live? You might be able to get it working again by warming it up with a hair dryer and tapping on it. Like I said, I'm pretty sure it's soldered on which means it's not meant to fail or be replaced. Hopefully you can get it to operate again without having to replace it because they are hard to find. I found a supplier but I would have had to buy 10 or 15 of them for $200. I would have if I had to replace mine and if others' were failing as well.

Let me know your results.