Reverse camera not working/hatch not opening

[JakeySan92]

As the title states my reverse camera goes black upon putting the car in reverse(still shows “look behind you” text on the screen and the hatch won’t open. I’ve been having this issue on and off for a couple months now. Seems like it happens after I wash my car at the car wash then goes away after a few days and everything works fine again. I read this post
https://www.golfmk7.com/forums/index.php?threads/rear-view-camera-hatch-release-not-working.322380/
And a few others stating it could be water getting into the wires or something and messing with the electronics.
I’m mostly wondering if there’s anything I could do as far as sealing it out from the elements or if this is something too technical and I should just take it too the dealer? Is there a good chance this would be covered under warranty or good will even out of the limited warranty period? Just seems stupid that I can’t wash my car without this happening -__-

 

[SnailpowerMk7]

Yeah man, that was the first thing I thought also. Your wiring might be shorting out. It sounds like the camera is working fine but the hatch door swinging open is really your issue. If your car is under warranty (of some kind) it may be covered but honestly, a lot of those extended aftermarket warranties cover things that will never break (ex. your steering wheel column, rofl).

Honestly, it's this type of engineering that scares me. Like, it is a good idea to put the camera inside the VW handle for the hatch to keep it clean, but it adds another level of mechanical mechanism that can fail. Just how many times do you go in reverse and this thing has to keep flipping open? I'm worried for it but hoping it doesn't happen anytime soon.

 

[gixxerfool]

If you have a bumper to bumper or CPO warranty in effect, take it to the dealer. As @SnailpowerMk7 stated, the aftermarket warranty may not cover the repair.

If not, I would take off hatch and find out the point of intrusion. The drain may be clogged allowing the water to build up and drain into the camera motor.

While I had my hatch apart I was looking at the motor module and it is extremely similar to the drive by wire throttle body modules used in some cars. They are really robust.

 

[JakeySan92]

Thanks for the responses, kind of sucks because I’m driving ~2000 miles tomorrow moving to California from South Dakota and not being able to open my hatch without unhooking the battery and resetting the hatch to open to load things is such a PITA so I won’t be able to see the dealer until I get there.
The camera actually just flips once and stays until I go back to neutral or in gear. When I unplug the battery it seems to “reset” and automatically tries unlocking and I have to run to the hatch and open it quick. Is there a diagram of the drain holes for the camera area? Search reveals nothing but then again getting the search function to work on here is not my forte lol.

 

[gixxerfool]

Thanks for the responses, kind of sucks because I’m driving ~2000 miles tomorrow moving to California from South Dakota and not being able to open my hatch without unhooking the battery and resetting the hatch to open to load things is such a PITA so I won’t be able to see the dealer until I get there.
The camera actually just flips once and stays until I go back to neutral or in gear. When I unplug the battery it seems to “reset” and automatically tries unlocking and I have to run to the hatch and open it quick. Is there a diagram of the drain holes for the camera area? Search reveals nothing but then again getting the search function to work on here is not my forte lol.

This is the drain itself. If you open the VW emblem and look all the way in and down right underneath the actual camera there is a drain hole. It is a straight shot out of the hatch. A little compressed air from the bottom up will be able to confirm if it is clear. Good luck with the move.

It only works once after a battery pull?

 

[JakeySan92]

This is the drain itself. If you open the VW emblem and look all the way in and down right underneath the actual camera there is a drain hole. It is a straight shot out of the hatch. A little compressed air from the bottom up will be able to confirm if it is clear. Good luck with the move.

It only works once after a battery pull?

I’ll check after work today still need to load my TV in tonight so I have to wait and unhook the battery to get hatch open again. I have some compressed air so I’ll get in there and check.
And yesterday it worked multiple times and then today it decided it would only open once and now it’s giving me the hatch open screen on the dash but it’s still locked.
Will update later today with what I find and thanks for the picture!