door reporting open

The door switches are an integral part of the lock mechanism on the new vehicles (actually they are microswitches) and you'll have to tear the entire door apart to get to them. Let the dealer handle it.

Nothing unusual about what I did with the car today, but

steady even after checking the doors closed. Car drove

on when the alarm went off a few minutes after

always a but?) the dealer is 50 miles away.

are you sure the trunk is closed and latched?

Make sure you get something done and on-record. Consult your state lemon laws to find out what they cover. Here in MD if they can't fix the problem after three tries they're obligated to take the car back (more or less) but you have to follow the process.

Thanks Erik,

Yes I figured as much when I went to look for a traditional plunger type switch in the door jam (which, of course I didn't find.)

Thanks,

Yes, thanks, I tried all the doors and inspected the seals and jams for foreign objects, etc., and opened and closed all the doors several times.

That isn't it... unfortunately.

Regards,

- Jim K

Hi, yes Washington State has a "Lemon Law" too. I'll try the dealer to see what they can do (I was just hoping I'd done something silly and could avoid the 100 mile round trip to the dealer) before resorting to legal stuff... but on that front, my daughter is a paralegal with a large law firm in Seattle, so I'd have lots of help on that front if necessary.

Thanks,

- Jim K

Gotta love having free legal help in the family. My father was an attorney, something like 8 of my friends are and so's my wife. Me, I had enough law when I was a kid to last me a lifetime. It wasn't "dad, can I borrow the car" it was more like "son, plead your case". Presumption of innocence doesn't quite apply with a teenager, eh?

Anyway, tough break having to take the round trip all the way to the dealer. Coordinate with them ahead of time to keep it as short a waste of time as possible. They'll probably try a little harder if you explain the hassle. Or not, but it can't hurt to ask.

I talked with the service manger at the dealer (the 50 miles away one) and he suggested I take the car into a closer dealer where I made an appointment for tomorrow a.m. Seems the service operations are somewhat separate from sales in the dealers and I know the service managers well at Campbell-Nelson, They welcomed my warranty work, so I have my fingers crossed they'll fix the problem OK.

I have bought 4 VW's from the same dealer since 1977 (Campbell-Nelson VW in Edmonds, WA), a Scirocco and 3 GTI's, but the salesman who sold me those cars retired and the current sales staff just didn't act as if they wanted to sell me a car. They were lackadaisical, gave me outdated tech data, and didn't want to locate a car with the stuff I wanted (they only had one black GTI w/ an auto transmission in stock - no black cars or auto transmissions for me!). They wouldn't check their inventory net to see even if there was a car available in the area unless I signed an agreement to buy a car. So I got on the internet and located the car I bought at the 50 miles away dealer (Karmart VW in Burlington, WA). *They* were interested to sell the car and wanted my 98 GTI VR6 as a trade. Incidentally, my second daughter has 2 masters degrees, one in econ and one in marketing and is a national used truck manager for Kenworth truck. She worked the sales manger over pretty good. Again, nice to have help in the family.

I'm not much of a fan of lawyers. I've have bad and good experiences with them, but when the straights are narrow, a good attorney is essential.

Cheers,

- Jim K

If anyone is interested, the dealer fixed my car today. Seems the rear door window squirter was leaking inside the door. The fluid ran down and shorted out the switch in the latch making it report open.

Nice that the dealer drove me home after I dropped off the car, then picked me up at home and drove me back to the dealership when the car was finished. Warranty, no charge (of course - I've only had the car a week).

Nice all around - (except for the problem in a brand new car.)

- Jim K