VW Phaeton Wipers Dead After Botched Repair Job

Had the same problem on a 2013 VW Passat. The windshield wipers suddenly stopped responding despite the switch feeling normal. Initially suspected the switch, but diagnostic testing revealed a damaged wiring harness near the steering column. The previous repair work had accidentally pinched and damaged several wires while accessing components behind the dash. The damaged section created intermittent connections, triggering the warning light and error codes. This required removing parts of the dash to access and replace the affected wiring harness section. The repair was fairly serious since it involved the main electrical system connecting multiple components including the turn signal and wiper controls. A proper fix required specialized diagnostic equipment to identify the exact location of the wiring break. Based on your description, the symptoms match almost exactly. Would strongly recommend having a certified shop perform a full diagnostic test rather than just replacing the switch. The Phaeton uses a similar wiring configuration to the Passat, and these issues often trace back to damaged wiring rather than switch failure.

Thanks for sharing that experience. Your wiring harness issue sounds identical to what I am dealing with on my Phaeton. The rain sensor and wiper switch behavior matches perfectly with what you described. Since you went through this already, do you remember roughly what the repair ended up costing? Also curious if youve had any other electrical gremlins pop up since getting it fixed? I want to make sure I address everything while they have the dash apart.

Good news on this, just got my Phaeton back from the mechanic. The problem turned out to be much simpler than a full wiring harness replacement. They found a loose connection where the wiring plugs into the wiper switch assembly. Total repair was 95€ including diagnostic time. The rain sensor and wiper motor are working perfectly now. They tested all the connected systems while they had it apart, including the turn signal module, and everything checked out normal. No other electrical issues have appeared since the fix. This was definitely less complex than my previous Passat repair experience. Sometimes these wiper system problems can be resolved by addressing simple connection issues rather than replacing major components. Still worth having a professional check it out since accessing these connections requires proper knowledge of the electrical system.

Thanks everyone for the great advice! Just wanted to update on how this turned out. Took the car to a certified shop yesterday. The tech found a damaged connector behind the steering column that was causing the wiper motor to lose power intermittently. They had to partially remove the dash to access it, but the actual fix was straightforward, just replacing the connector and securing the wiring properly. Total cost came to 280€ including parts and labor. The cruise control and wipers are now working perfectly. The warning light is gone and no more error codes showing up. They also checked the surrounding wiring while everything was apart and found no other issues. Much better outcome than I feared, especially after that previous botched repair job. Just glad to have properly working windshield wipers again before the rainy season hits.