Rear wiper / washer / alarm problems.

[a3a3a3]

Recently had problems with my rear wash wipe and thanks to posters on this site got it sorted. Thanks to you all. I have just registered with the forum to thank you AND to give my advice to anyone having probs of this kind.

1. Don't put it off to tomorrow - check it out now !! Corrosion = cost.
2. When taking your rear door panel off remove the 2 screws in the handles first and pull the trim - don't panic - it sounds a lot worse than it is.
3. If it turns out that the hose is detached replace and reseal - you've been lucky.
4. If your hose is attached and watertight and your wiper moter is leaking fluid you're not so lucky. I used sealing compounds and 'o' rings to try to seal the spindle on mine but neither worked. Motor assembly had to replaced. Got new one from TPS Trade Parts Specialists for best part of £100. Not cheap but original VAG part and for peace of mind ( no more 02:30am alarms ) it's worth it.
5. Let your inner panel dry off ... the soundproofing pad gets saturated with wash fluid.
6. Open your battery cover and dry it out with rags / newspaper etc. Mine was 4 inches deep. Much further and it would have been sloshing over the battery terminals with god knows what result.
7. Judging by the number of threads dealing with this issue, this has been a regular problem with a wide range of VAG models and a few threads mention that you would think that 'they would get their ar*es in gear and sort it.' Here's what i did to minimise the outcome should it ever happen to me again.........While your old wiper motor is off take a sheet of plastic 18 inches wide by about 36 inches long. ( i used heavy duty black bin liner) and push it onto the wiper motor mounting studs so they pierce through. Refit your new motor trapping plastic between it and car body, and connect water hose and electrics. Refit your door panel with the plastic protruding out of the bottom at the latch. When the panel is secured, trim the excess plastic away with a sharp knife.......The end result is that should i spring a leak again, the washer fluid will run down the bag instead of into the latch's alarm microswitch. Second benefit is that any leaked fluid will show up on the outside of the door sill and most will run outside the car and not into the boot / battery. Will be easier to detect as well.

Sorry for the long post but i felt that as the forum helped me so much, it's only fair that i added my tuppence worth for the next unfortunate victim.