99 cabrio weird problems: spinning meters/ guages + throttle sensor

after getting my (5-speed) cabby back from the mechanic who had to
replace the driver's side door. (i was side swiped by a eighteen
wheeler) i have had some weird electrical problems.
i went to turn on the enigine and it flashed off (the battery died)
and all four meters started spinning wildly.
the speed, rpm, gas + heat level guages all went psycho and rapidly
moving in circles or back and forth even though the battery seemd dead.
i took it back to the same guy, he got it running and blamed my battery
terminals being cruddy. i don't buy that.

next time i used it, the car keeps pulling back + lurching when i want
to do over 25 mph or 20rpms, does not accelerate.
it also stalls at low idle much more easily , so i took it to a
different mechanic and they said i need
throttle position sensor adjustment on my cars computer.

is this related to the accident repair? i do not want to go to a dealer
if i can help it. around here, (near nyc) they are a rip off.
any input would help. thanks.

In rec.autos.makers.vw.watercooled, bettyellen wrote:

>after getting my (5-speed) cabby back from the mechanic who had to
>replace the driver's side door. (i was side swiped by a eighteen
>wheeler) i have had some weird electrical problems.
>i went to turn on the enigine and it flashed off (the battery died)
>and all four meters started spinning wildly.
>the speed, rpm, gas + heat level guages all went psycho and rapidly
>moving in circles or back and forth even though the battery seemd dead.

I would check the grounds. A jumper cable temporarily between the
negative on the battery and a bracket bolted to the engine may make
some anomalies go away for testing purposes. If that does fix it,
fix grounding.

That could be adding a wire, or it could be replacing whatever is
the normal method of grounding.


This may not be your problem, but it is easy to check. That test
jumper could be half of a cheap pair of starting jumper cables, but
it may or may not be difficult to close the hood with that in place.

wow, that went over my head. i know this problem is beyond my ability
to fix, i'm just trying to sort out whether this could be a side effect
of the repairs done to the door and gather some knowledge so that i
don't get screwed by the mechnics. i'm mostly trying to figure out if
i'll be able to prove this is a result of the accident or repaire work
done after.
so, i took it back to the guys who fixed the door this morning, hoping
it's some small adjustment or that we can get the insuance to cover it
due to the fact that it has been glitchy since i got it back from them.
.. i'm not thrilled about it, because they blamed the spinning meters on
the battery and i'm sure there has to be more to it than that. could
cruddy terminal cause the battery to do that to the meters? they also
tried to get me to say (to the insurance company) the car was driving
fine when i first got it back, and that's not the truth. it was
stalling very easily from the moment i got it back. i don't know how
in the world that would help me with an insurance claim, and i think it
could take the mechanic off the hook if this was a result f the repairs
and not the accident. that's my big fear.
what they did tell me was that they never test drove it after fixing
the door and panel above the front wheel. they swear they are going to
try to handle this the best way possible so the insurance company will
cover it. this may well mean another couple of weeks in the shop. after
5 weeks, i'm seriously fustrated.
what is the liklihood of these problems originating from the accident
or from the repairs? i just don't know if it's worth another whole
week waiting to here from the insurance company if they are totally
unrelated. i feel like this mechanic is really playing it pretty close
to the vest because he's trying to avoid acknowleding i got the car
back in less than perfect shape. i took it back the monday after the
friday afternoon i picked it up. he towed it in and got the battery
working but did it for free, without paperwork or anything. gosh, at
least i have a witness who knows they worked on it.

In rec.autos.makers.vw.watercooled, bettyellen wrote:

>wow, that went over my head.

Sometimes the connection from the battery to the engine becomes not
so good. That can affect various things in strange way.

I was suggesting an extra temporary ground wire connection. If the
temporary connection helped anything, make a permanent connection.

Let us know how it turns out.

right you were.
wire. and they fixed it without any extra charges. they freaked me out
because if it was bigger than that they were going to bill somebody.
thanks sooo much