2000 Jetta gls, parking brake light on, constant beep

[kalvin]

I have a jetta 2000 gls. i washed my car recently, and shortly after, the parking brake light goes on, along with a constant beep. i have had this problem b4, and usualy i just have to replace a 7.5 fuse and its good to go. although this time, every time i replace the fuse, it jsut blows right away. the beep is driving me crazy, what should i do, what is wrong?

eric at,
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[CaseyVR6]

If the brake handle is all the way down, and it's not a faulty sensor, there is a wire shorting out someplace. One of the pro's will tell you where to look and all that. I will definately get nasty looks for this, but for the meantime try putting in a 10 amp fuse. Don't go any higher or you're risking fire. Even a 10 amp fuse poses a danger to the ECM, so definately keep that in mind. It may help keep the beep away, but it's only a TEMPORARY fix. The only time you should actually one-up a fuse is if there's added workload, like the first time I pulled a trailer with my Jetta the brakelight fuse needed to be pushed up one size, a 10A to a 15A if I remember right. Best advice? Wait to hear from one of the pro's, check the VW.com end to see if there are any open recalls on your car, be patient.

[kalvin]

Hi, thanks for the advice. i tried a 10 and it poped, so i put in a 15 and that also poped when i started the car so i then put in the 15 as the car was running, and the light went away, the beeping stoped and it looks like the problem has been solved. i started the car 5 times since and still no beep.

[CaseyVR6]

15a fuse in a 7.5a circuit is probably not a good idea. The ECM is probably freaking out and could eventually burn out. I really reccomend removing the fuse. It's now moved from a temporary fix to a fire hazard and a danger to the sensitive electronics. It's your car, but I need to make clear again that you shouldn't have gone more than one step up in fuses and it's definately, totally, surely, absolutely only a temporary fix.

[kalvin]

Hi, i thank you for your advice, and i have put back a 7.5 fuse and all seems to be well. its like it just needed a kickstart with a bigger fuse. so its a return to normal for now. Thanks again.