Car left unlocked with all four windows partially open

Hello!

Vehicle: Volkswagen Golf 7 GTI, manufactured in May 2016, 4-door.

(Autoscan will be provided upon request.)

This morning, when I came to my vehicle, I saw that all 4 windows were half open (yesterday, when I left the vehicle, they were definitely closed!). And when I pressed the door handle, the car unlocked - and I am absolutely certain that I locked the vehicle yesterday (the sound of the central locking is quite loud ).

Since we had the first frost today, all the windows were naturally frosted on the inside .

In the past, it has occasionally happened that I have approached my car, which I thought was locked, and found that the doors were not locked. I then assumed that I had inadvertently activated the car key – which is also located only 15-20 meters from the parked vehicle overnight (in my pants, which I don't wear while sleeping ). Tests confirm that the central locking system responds to the key at this distance.)However, it takes several seconds of pressing to lower the windows, and I think it's highly unlikely that someone would accidentally do that.

Unfortunately, it's not possible to recreate that.

Interestingly, I still have a 20-day warranty on the vehicle, and there's also a scheduled inspection at the end of November – so I have to go to the dealership anyway.
But maybe someone here can give me some tips on where to look (which I will then, helpfully, pass on to the inspector ).
Such occasional errors are difficult to diagnose.

As far as I know, there was/is a microswitch in the doors (only the driver's door?) that, if defective, could be responsible for problems with opening the doors, but also for lowering all the windows.

It's hard to imagine what it would have been like if it had rained last night!
Fortunately, I also live in an area where thieves don't roam through the forests at night .

Greetings to everyone!

Hi,

I have no ideas for troubleshooting the issue with the vehicle. I've already tried turning and shaking the FFB (Force Feedback Wheel) in all positions, but maybe the opening button is defective and loose interior parts are causing it to intermittently register as being pressed?

Best regards, Rainer.

Hi there,
It seems like this is a classic case of unintentional convenience opening. It's very comfortable in the summer, but it has its quirks. I've experienced this unintentional opening myself with windows and the roof multiple times; simply bending over or touching the edge of the table with a key in my pocket was enough. And once you have to dry it out, the convenience opening feature no longer works.
hg
Herbert.

I would wrap the key in aluminum foil after locking it, just to be sure that no signal transmission can occur. This way, we can rule out that possibility.

I've also had open windows in the past.

It simply happens when the key is pressed against by other keys or objects in the pocket. This is more likely to occur with tighter pants (e.g., jeans with small pockets) and during deep bending movements (e.g., tying shoes).

A solution for open windows:
A) Completely disable the automatic opening function via the remote control (simple, but then it won't work at all).
B) Activate the "Range limitation for comfort opening" (or something similar) function in VCDS. This will only allow the feature to work when you are within approximately 1-3 meters of the vehicle. That's how I solved it.

What surprises me is that your car isn't automatically locking again. Was something reconfigured there? In its original state, the car should relock itself about 30 seconds after being unlocked, provided no door is opened. (I think it's called "automatic relocking"). Check to see if that feature might be disabled in your case.

Regards,
Sure.

Here is the translation of the text from German to English:

"Guste" means "gust" in English. It refers to a sudden and strong gust of wind.

guste100 wrote:

What surprises me is that your car isn't automatically locking again. Was something reconfigured there? In its original state, the car should relock itself about 30 seconds after being unlocked, provided no door is opened. (I think it's called "automatic relocking"). Check to see if that feature might be disabled in your car.

That doesn't make sense anymore if all the windows are open.

Is the error memory empty?

dieselschrauber wrote:

Hi, I have no idea what's causing the problem with the vehicle. I've already tried turning and shaking the control panel in all positions, but it doesn't seem to help. Could it be that the opening button is defective and that loose interior parts are intermittently making it appear as if the button is pressed? Best regards, Rainer

Knocking doesn't do anything .

About two months ago, I replaced the battery for the first time (the car indicated that the battery was dead). I didn't notice any loose parts during the replacement. And before, at least with the doors, there were already times when they wouldn't unlock.

However, if the key accidentally opens the doors, wouldn't they automatically relock since no one is opening any of the four doors or the tailgate?

Herbert wrote:

That seems to me like a very typical case of unintentional comfort opening.

I've now disabled the comfort opening feature. If it really is the key, at least the windows won't go down anymore .

vag-driver wrote:

I would temporarily wrap the key in aluminum foil after locking it

.
Of course, I can do that too. Let's see if I can maintain this consistently for a longer period of time...

guste100 wrote:

It simply happens when the key in the pocket is pressed by other keys or objects in the pocket.

I can rule that out. Since I've had the Golf, the key fob has always been alone in the front left pocket of my pants. And when I'm home, I take off the pants with the key and put on something more casual .

guste100 wrote:

A) Completely disable the comfort opening function via the control panel (simple, but then it won't work at all). B) Activate the "Range limitation for comfort opening" (or something similar) function in VCDS. Then it will only work when you are about 1-3 meters away from the vehicle. That's how I solved it.

A is done. I didn't know that B could do something like that. Please provide more information .

guste100 wrote:

What surprises me about your situation is that your vehicle isn't locking again. Was something reconfigured there before? ... Please check if this feature might be disabled in your settings.

"That's actually what surprises me the most. And no, nothing has ever been coded into this vehicle (I'm the original owner, it was a brand new car)."
Is it possible to disable the automatic relocking feature?

vag-driver wrote:

Is the error memory empty?

Kann ich jetzt noch nicht sagen. Ich komme während der Arbeit nicht an´s Fahrzeug. HLater tonight.

Thank you for the numerous comments!

Greetings to everyone!

vag-driver wrote:

guste100 wrote: What surprises me about you is that your vehicle won't lock again. That doesn't make sense anymore if all the windows are down.

While I completely agree with you on the substance of that, for a software developer, the number of open windows isn't actually a criterion to disable auto-lock.

At least that's what happened with my former Passat 3C/B6 and also with my current Golf 7. They would close again even when the windows were completely open.

softpudding wrote:

guste100 wrote: B) Activate "Range limitation for comfort opening" (or something similar) in VCDS. A is done. I didn't know that B could do something like that. Please provide more information

.
Take a look through the coding of the BnSTG; you'll find it there.
Unfortunately, I forgot to back up my "Coding.log" file during the last time I reset my laptop, so I can no longer access it.

Okay, I'm back home and I've re-enabled and tested the "comfort opening" feature again:

"When the doors and windows are closed, I have to press the 'open' button on the car's remote control for 6 seconds until the windows are completely open. If I do that and don't open the doors, the car will relock with the windows still open (although this morning my door wasn't locked!). And since the windows were frosted over on the inside, it couldn't have been accidentally activated just before I got to the car."

BTW: When the comfort opening function is disabled, the comfort closing function still works .

Even though I don't believe the key is the cause of the problem, I will remove the battery from the key that has been used so far and use the second key (which has been unused in the closet since the purchase of the vehicle), and then we'll see what happens.

It's difficult to track down the cause of such an error. Can you identify any correlation between the occurrence of the issue and external conditions, such as cold or humid weather?

vag-driver wrote:

It's difficult to track down the cause of such an error. Can you determine any correlation between the occurrence of the issue and external conditions, such as cold/damp weather?

Unfortunately, not. It doesn't matter whether it's raining or not, or whether it's hot or cold.
Unfortunately, it's so rare (maybe only 10 times in the last 5 years. Yesterday was the first time with open windows – otherwise, just unlocked doors) that I can't identify any pattern or correlation.

Since I can't provoke it, it's also difficult to find the error.

I've also considered installing a camera at home to monitor my car and see if the turn signals activate when it's left unlocked in the morning. If that happens, there should definitely be an unlock signal from the key, right? Because I mainly notice this happening in the mornings after the car has been parked overnight.

BTW: What I just remembered (I'm ashamed to admit ): Sometimes the automatic up and down function of the windows also stops working. Then I have to recalibrate the end positions, and it works again. Do the window lifters and central locking system use the same control unit?

It makes me sick that I can't demonstrate this! On the 16th, I have an appointment for the annual inspection, and a week later, the factory warranty expires .

BTW2: Es gehört hier eigentlich nicht her, aber kann mir jemand sagen warum mein GTI mit QI6 jedes Jahr zum Ölwechsel soll? Ich fahre unter 10000km/Jahr und selten für sehr kurze Strecken - so 15km (zur Arbeit) sind es fast immer. Trotzdem wurde mir bei der Heimfahrt vom Ölwechsel in der Anzeige eine Restlaufzeit von 365 Tagen gezeigt - zumindest bei den letzten malen war es so. Wenn es diesesmal wieder so ist frage ich da natürlich nach, aber es ist mir immer recht bei so was etwas mehr techn. Wto keep in mind.

Thank you for your attention!

softpudding wrote:

Unfortunately, not. It doesn't matter whether it's raining or not, or whether it's hot or cold. Unfortunately, it's so rare (maybe only 10 times in the last 5 years. Yesterday was the first time with open windows – otherwise, just unlocked doors) that I can't identify any pattern or correlation.

Does this always happen in the same place?

softpudding wrote:

BTW: What I just remembered (I'm ashamed to admit ): Sometimes the automatic up and down function of the windows also stops working. Then I have to recalibrate the end positions, and it works again. Do the window lifters and central locking system use the same control unit?

I would discuss this with the workshop.

vag-driver wrote:

softpudding wrote: Unfortunately, not. It doesn't matter whether it's raining or not, or whether it's hot or cold. Unfortunately, it's so rare (maybe only 10 times in the last 5 years. Yesterday was the first time with open windows – otherwise, just unlocked doors) that I can't identify any pattern or correlation. Does that always happen at the same location?

Yes, there are only two places where a golf club typically stays for an extended period: at home and at work.

And in both cases, it has happened before! However, the car key is within reach both times. At work, I don't have the key with me; it's then in my locker .

(I don't drive much! Of the roughly 8,000 kilometers I travel per year, almost 6,500 kilometers are just commuting to and from work.)

vag-driver wrote:

softpudding wrote: BTW: What I just remembered (I'm ashamed to admit ): Sometimes the automatic up and down function of the windows also stops working. Then I have to recalibrate the end positions, and it works again. Do the window lifters and central locking system use the same control unit? I would discuss that with the workshop.

I will. Let's see what comes of it .

I would also bring up the issue of the open vehicle with the workshop. Ultimately, you still have a manufacturer's warranty. Therefore, the responsibility lies with Volkswagen and not with you.

It is important to document any defects now, before the warranty expires. If these defects need to be repaired after the warranty period has ended, your claims will still be protected.

Have you tried to see if you can somehow trigger the faulty "non-automatic reclosing" yourself?

For me, the windows are easier to explain (e.g., faulty key, broken lock, etc.). However, I absolutely cannot understand how the car was not locked in the morning. Therefore, I would like to know more about it.

Regards,
Sure.

Here is the translation of the text from German to English:

"Guste" means "gust" in English. It refers to a sudden and strong gust of wind.

Hello!
Just a thought: The wiper blades might need to be recalibrated to their end position even after disconnecting the battery. Perhaps a fuse is corroded or a cable is loose (possibly due to rodent damage).
TDI-Erwin.