The battery was within a year since I bought it when it started to go extremely low or dead. After re-charge, the battery was fine and the car would start fine, but if I did not use the car for a day or two it would go dead again. I got another battery and after a few weeks with no worries the problem shoed up again. The computer check identified a problem with the radio - alarm system draining the battery even when the car is off- (?). My mechanic disconnected the radio (which didnt't turned off the alarm). The fuse was pulled out and this seemed to work. After a couple of weeks the problem still the same. The battery is dead.

I read some of the battery and radio problems of other VW owners, what can you tell me about my case?

try checking the hood latch microswitch. funny as it may seem the hood latch microswitch for the alarm is grounded through the radio being properly seated in the bracket for the radio in the dash. It the radio is not seated all the way and the red light blinks than the alarm can go off.

I also have a 98 passat that has a battery dying every few days. The dealership said it "could" be the microchip you refered to. They want nearly 400$ to fix it. Can i just cut the wires going to that switch and go without the alarm? What options do i really have other than forking over more money to vw?

When battery dies, does it erase any computer memories? Just wandering...

When battery dies, does it erase any computer memories? Just wandering...


i'm not sure. the radio has to have the pass-number re-entered in order for it to turn on. hope that info helps.

If it is the microswitch that is bad, is it hard to replace that switch on my own, or does it require special vw tools?

I had to reopen switch in trunk, it looks like everything is "takable appart" and it does not look that difficult either. I think that was the idea behind VW initially so people can fix them at home. Anyhow, I would try to check it out myself.

I had to reopen switch in trunk, it looks like everything is "takable appart" and it does not look that difficult either. I think that was the idea behind VW initially so people can fix them at home. Anyhow, I would try to check it out myself.


When i asked VW they said the microswitch for the hood is actually located in the 'engine compartment'. I am going to go and have the mechanic show me where tomorrow morning. Is the switch your referening to in the trunk hatch?

When i asked VW they said the microswitch for the hood is actually located in the 'engine compartment'. I am going to go and have the mechanic show me where tomorrow morning. Is the switch your referening to in the trunk hatch?

Yes, I had to take insulation out, but it was easy. I changed upper control arms and it was not hard either about 2 to 4 hour job. It looks like everything is designed to be taken apart--German style.

the microswitch for the trunk and hood are part of the latch itsself. You can replace just the microswitch on either one if you want. But its smart to replace the latch/switch together on the hood one. The trunk latch microswitch is easy to exchange into new latch or vise versa. I would say deff replace the trunk latch if you replace the microswitch due to passat latches being a known problem. (new ones are beefier)

the front switch is zip tied in so its easier to replace the switch and latch assembly as one (have vw put it together)

Ok, my batery problem continues. But now I have a better lead on the problem. The battery to the vw passat wagon i have dies only if the stereo has had the 'saftey code' punched in. If i don't punch in the saftey code and just leave the stereo alone the battery never dies. I have spent somewhere around 700 at the vw mechanic trying to get this thing fixed. Can I fix this on my own? Also, I think i need new shocks/suspension. What should i expect to pay an non-dealer mech. to fix them? Thanks! (Mechanics feel free to email me if you live in the houston area and want a side job.)

i had a problem just like you. it turned out that the power wire to the radio malfunctioned some how and the radio was always on draining the battery. so run another power wire to your radio straight from the battery. use this wire instead of what the car has already wired. now i'm guessing that you have an after market radio because everybody does. so ( now im not so sure about this because i don't have the colored wires right in front of me) use the power wire you ran through the car and hook it up to the yellow power wire. then run another power wire and hook this up to the red one. i think the yellow one is what controls the on off part of the radio where the red wire controls the constant power(memory of radio). then of course ground with black wire where ever you want. this might help your problem it might not. but it sounds like a problem i had. now i have another question. do you have any amps or things that are suppost to power on when you turn on your radio???