When you drive a Volkswagen, you expect a durable and stylish ride. Shorts in your vehicle’s wiring harness can put frustration in your experience. If you do not address wiring harness issues, they can have serious consequences for your vehicle. They can also cause harm to yourself, your passengers, and other drivers.
To help you protect yourself and your VW, below is some information about the conditions that cause wiring harness shorts and the steps you can take to solve the problem.
Common Causes of Wiring Harness Shorts
The number one cause of wiring harness issues is increased harness stiffness. When your VW is new, its wiring harness is very flexible, which means that when the wiring is stressed, it bends instead of cracking or breaking. Over time, however, regular use and exposure to the elements will cause the wiring harness to stiffen. When this happens, the harness becomes much easier to break. In fact, if the problem is not fixed, the harness may begin to crack and shed pieces on its own.
Prolonged driving through extreme heat, cold, or moisture can cause the wiring harness to stiffen faster than normal, but even if you only drive your VW in pristine conditions, regular wear and tear will eventually stiffen the harness enough to cause issues.
A less common though still significant cause of wiring harness shorts is faults in the initial manufacturing process. VW manufacturers are known for their high-quality craftsmanship, but there is always a chance of a manufacturing flaw. Some of the wires could be incorrectly sized, poorly laid out, or improperly crimped (terminated at the ends). Any of these problems could potentially cause electric shorts, if not repaired.
Recognizing and Fixing Wiring Harness Problems
Typically, the first symptom of faults in a VW’s wiring harness is flickering or failing lights. Your vehicle’s lights are connected to protected cables that are comparatively difficult to damage. If your VW’s lights begin to fail, the problem likely lies with the wiring harness that powers them.
Your vehicle’s lights are an important safety feature, so if they begin to fail, you should ask a professional to examine your VW’s wiring harness as soon as possible.
Not only are flickering lights a safety hazard on their own, but they can also indicate larger problems to come. If an issue with its wiring harness is identified but not fixed, your VW may begin to drive less smoothly, as wiring shorts can cause vehicles to lurch, stutter, or rev up when they shouldn’t. Again, this can be unsafe, not to mention extremely irritating.
If the problem is still left unaddressed, then your VW’s battery will almost certainly begin to fail. It might not die immediately. Rather, it might just start losing its charge unnaturally quickly. It will die eventually, which will make it starting your vehicle difficult, if not impossible. Therefore, if you leave your vehicle’s faulty wiring harness alone for too long, you may end up needing to have your car towed.
In a worst-case scenario, driving a VW when it has severe wiring harness problems could cause it to catch on fire. The best way to prevent this is by taking care of any suspected wiring problems as soon as they crop up.
Repairing a Wiring Harness in VW
Fixing a VW’s wiring system is not a task for a novice, as someone who is not an expert at performing wiring repairs could make the problem worse or give themselves serious electric shocks. So, if you think that your VW’s wiring harness is having issues, you should bring your vehicle to an experienced mechanic as soon as possible.
DART Auto Can Help
At DART Auto, our master technicians have 
the expertise it takes to safely assess and repair your VW’s wiring harness. For over twenty years, we have proudly served German automobile owners from all over Englewood, Littleton, Centennial, and Denver, CO.
We are trusted experts in our field, and we would love to help you keep your VW running safely and smoothly for years to come. So if you need help with your VW’s wiring harness or any other aspect of your vehicle, give our professional mechanics a call today.
