So I disconnected the battery for about 2 hours as I was changing my spark plugs (I know that 2 hours for a spark plug job is insane but I had a lot of distractions). When I finished and put everything back together, the car worked perfectly fine...

BUT...

I don't have power locks or power windows anymore!!! (I know! WTF!?)

I can manually unlock the driver's door and trunk with the key, all the other doors can be unlocked from inside the car by pulling the handle. But there is just no power locks, the switch doesn't work, turning the key twice doesn't work, clicker doesn't work, same thing for the windows and sunroof... I'm baffled!

Also the problem happened with my gas tank close to empty, nothing opened the lock on the gas tank hatch, so I had to pull the lining of the side of the trunk and reach in and manually pull out the rod that locks the hatch. Freaking PITA.

AND it has been a few days since this happened so it's not some crazy ECU relearning the car thing, at least I don't think it is. I tried VAG but I cannot access either the Central Locks or Central Convenience modules... !?!?!?!?!

Ok enough venting, and on to my question...

WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED!?!?!? lol

Thank you guys for the help.

PS: Does anyone have a picture of the fuse box indicating which fuse does what??? I checked every single fuse and they're all ok but there's a slight chance that one was removed by my brother and replaced on the wrong slot.

Thank you all in advance.

 

*Bump*

 

Does it rain a lot there? The central locking module (in the trunk) could be water logged. That happened to mine last winter.
When you disconnect the battery it will lose the auto function for the windows, and the ECU memory will be erased, so it has to re-learn all that. You can try re-adapting the keys (there is a thread for that, search) and re-adapt your windows.
To do that, roll them all the way up, all the way down, and all the way up again. That should set the auto function. If not try it again.

 

Thank you for your reply!

It has not rained since before or after the problem. I've also heard about this but, heh, lack of rain.

Yes, it has happened to me before where the automatic windows would not work for a while after reconnecting the battery; however, you could still roll them up or down, and after a while, the automatic function will work once again... But in this case, they do not work AT ALL, like I can hold the window buttons all day and they will not roll down, same thing for the locks, only way to open those is full manual with the handle or by inserting the key into the door.

Any ideas?

 

unplugging the battery for a spark plug change?

 

I would think the central locking module is toast. Take the trim off the right side of the trunk, and pull up the central locking module. Take off the connector and check for corrosion or any evidence of moisutre. Could just be that the module has taken a crap too.

 

just for ***** and giggles try going thru the fuse pannel and looking for any blown fuses. the arc between the battery and the terminal when putting it back on can sometimes pop a fuse. if not a fuse, the module could be toasted for some reason. in the future, it really isnt necessary to disconnect the battery to swap plugs.