VW Polo Light Switch Problems & Circuit Malfunction Fix

Having some experience with VW electrical systems, I dealt with a very similar issue on my 2012 VW Golf TDI. The symptoms were nearly identical, erratic behavior when using the headlight switch and dashboard lights flickering. Initially thought it was the dimmer switch, but after taking it to the workshop, they diagnosed a faulty cable connection in the lighting circuit. The connector pins at the main headlight switch were corroded, causing intermittent contact issues. The whole repair, including diagnostic and fixing the connection, cost 95€. The car lighting system has worked flawlessly since the repair. These connection issues are fairly common in VW models from that era. To better assist with your specific case, could you share: Does the issue occur more frequently when its wet or humid? Are all exterior lights affected or just specific ones? Does adjusting the dimmer switch make any difference? Have you noticed any pattern to when the dashboard lights act up? The trouble codes from your error memory would also be helpful to compare with what I experienced.

My Polo just had its service at 81551km and similar lighting gremlins started appearing shortly after. The issues definitely get worse in damp conditions. The automotive switch problems affect all exterior lights out of nowhere, but the passenger side seems more problematic. Adjusting the dimmer makes no difference to the erratic behavior. The dashboard lights flicker most noticeably at startup and when using turn signals. Your experience with corroded connector pins sounds very similar to what I am experiencing. The error codes point to a general lighting circuit fault rather than individual bulb failures. Think I will have the switch connections checked based on your feedback, as the symptoms match up closely with what you described.

Thanks for those additional details. The symptoms you describe match exactly what I experienced with my Golf before getting it fixed. The correlation with damp weather and the unusual lighting issues, especially affecting the passenger side, strongly suggests a connection problem rather than a faulty light switch itself. The flickering dashboard lights during turn signal operation is particularly telling. In my case, this was caused by voltage fluctuations from the poor connector contact. When the workshop checked my fuse box connections, they found light corrosion starting to build up around several terminals. Since your issues started after the service, its worth checking if any work was done near the lighting circuits or if cleaning products may have accelerated existing corrosion. The repair should be straightforward, in my case they cleaned the connections, applied contact protection spray, and retightened all relevant terminals. Much cheaper than replacing the entire light switch assembly. Given the identical symptoms, especially the weather sensitivity of your tail lights and dashboard lights, I would bet on connection issues being the culprit rather than a switch failure. Worth having those connector pins checked first before replacing any parts.

Thanks for the helpful input. I really appreciate the detailed feedback, especially regarding the correlation between damp weather and lighting system problems. Based on the similar experiences shared, I am now confident the issue is related to corroded connector pins rather than a complete headlight switch failure. Will schedule an appointment to have the electrical connections inspected, particularly around the fuse box and switch connectors. The symptoms match perfectly, weather sensitivity, unusual lighting issues, and dashboard flickering when using signals. Makes total sense that poor connections are causing voltage fluctuations throughout the lighting circuit. Good to know this can likely be fixed without replacing the entire switch assembly. The service history timing and identical behavior to other cases is too much of a coincidence to ignore. Will update once I get the connections checked and hopefully cleaned up. Really helpful to have confirmation of the likely cause before taking it to the shop.