My wife said that she got in her "02 1.8T manual 5spd Passat and the monsoon stereo was on, without the key. Only happened once so far. The other day, when I was driving it, the red light for an open door quicly flashed twice. I stopped and checked but all of the doors & trunk were closed.
Any suggestions ?
Sounds like a sticky ignition switch. Periodically, I spray down my ignition switches with WD-40 (all 4 vehicles, 3 makes) to flush out any skunge and keep them loose. It is a sloppy and potentially smelly job, but I do it with the windows open and an absorbent rag wrapped around everything. WD-40 evaborates 100% over a short period of time and does keep things moving smoothly. Plan to do this when you do not need to drive the vehicle for an hour or so to let the most flammable fractions evaporate. WD-40 is just thin kerosene after all. A small amount of lock lubricant afterwards is important to maintain the slip.
With the Saab, I use only a very small amount of lock lubricant as it is vertical, fully enclosed and in the center console. But NOTHING containing graphite or extremely volatile liquids.
Peter Wieck Wyncote, PA
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