Electrical problem; need help

Just purchesed a 93 Passat GL and I love it! However, I noticed that the power windows will sometimes work when the car is off and the key is out of the ignision. Sometimes they won't. Something is draining the battery while the car is off and I believe the power windows are the culprit. Anybody familar with a glitch like this one. Whats my first step? Is there a relay or fuse that needs to be replaced or is something majorly screwy? Thanx in advance.

My brother's Audi had just the opposite problem. When the key was in and engine was running, no accessories (windows, blinkers roof etc) worked. It turned out to be an ignition switch problem. This sounds so similar it would be my first guess. I believe an ignition switch is a relatively easy and inexpensive to replace.

Hope this helps!

Might want to check your door harness. Pull the rubber boot down around the wares and check for broken wires which is common on this model.

Well I found out that the power windows are supose to stay on untill the car has been shut off, and they shut off when the driver door has been opened then closed. So it's back to the preverbial drawing board. I have traced a strange buzzing noise to a black box under my rear seat. It doesn't stay on when the car is off. However, it is very loud when it's on and I'm thinking about replaceing it if it's cheap enough to do so. Anybody know what this thing is? It looks like a relay for something but I'm not sure what it is. Methinks I might need to invest in a bentley manual. I'll take any imput in the meantime though. Thanks.

J that the power windows will sometimes work when the car is off and the key is out of the ignision. Sometimes they won't. Something is draining the battery while the car is off and I believe the power windows are the culprit.

My Passat VR6 -1995 had a moment of insanity when ALL windows where going up/down with no key during snowfall/freezing rain ... for long enough to drain the battery. I remember mechanic mentioning 'distribution cap/switch' which was $200 CDN to replace. Since then I have front passenger window rolling down by itself sometimes ( usually when breaks applied, turn signals, shaking). Visually no broken wires.
Once car was off I could hear clicking noise when window was trying to go up/down so I disconnect battery when I leave the car, still looking where the glitch is! I

I am not sure if this will help.

I have a '91 Passat.

I had battery draining problem and it was due to the console. The console was faulty. Sometimes the battery recharge light would be on when starting the engine and sometimes it would stay off. If the recharge light was on, then the alternator would receive the signal to charge the battery while running. If the recharge light remained off, then the alternator would not recharge the battery and the car would run off the battery until the battery went dead.

It was an extremely annoying problem because I changed every component related to no avail. Finally someone told me what the problem was and I had someone repair the console for $100 canadian.

To replace the console would have costed around $600 canadian.