Herr Rolf

AMAZING! Thank you, Justin_NC !!
Well, no "adjustment" procedure for trunk is shown, so it looks like I'll have to pull the motor.
I've always suspected it to be a motor range of operation type problem. And now it appears so. Maybe there are some sensors that tell it when it's at min and max...or, maybe it's sensitive to current draw. Let's see how bad I can muck this up
Thanks again. This is a great asset.

Herr Rolf

Have yet to tackle. Guess I'm learning to live with it.
Still the same, but now on both opening and closing.
The key here is the "intermittent" nature of the problem. From, no problem up or down... to just cracks open... to just closes an inch... to nearly closed... and all points in between.
Seems to be working with less (but not, no) problems now that the weather has cooled here in So. Cal. Maybe something to that? Struts?? But, then, why not closing?

Q: What tells the motor that the trunk it's at the end of travel.. fully open or closed? I've always suspected that the problem is here. But then, when opening, I hear the motor whining for a few seconds after the trunk lid has stalled out and only raised an inch. So it seems the motor is continuing to work even after the lid stalls.

Dealers mechanics are generally worthless at trouble shooting. They've swapped their natural curiosity for whatever the VAGCOM says...
They've said it's a well know incurable problem...or, I need new "hinges". The intermittent nature has them just throw up their hands.

Justin_NC

Have you tried to remove the defective struts and close the trunk manually ? Could the struts be slowly building pressure and preventing the trunk from closing?

Is the motor is able to open the trunk without some assistance from the struts would this account for the motor noise?

Autoist

I have been experiencing this problem as well. Sometimes it works, and when it doesn't it can be either not working on closing or not working on opening, and when it doesn't work it has stopped at any range of completion.

The soft-close at the end of a successful close and the unlatch-to-just-open on an attempt to raise the lid from a completely closed state works just fine.

If there is a problem, I continue attempts to open or close, and it does eventually work. But, once it stops part way, it alternates from opening to closing or closing to opening on subsequent activation attempts. Because of this, I generally double-tap-activate it on each subsequent attempt once it has stopped. This is generally with the physical button on the trunk. I haven't tested enough to remember with the driver door button or button on the key.

The dealer couldn't replicate the problem so was not resolved while under warranty. Now under extended warranty, I will just live with it rather than paying for diagnosis time that may lead nowhere.

I have had to modify my behavior, to learn to stay and verify that the lid closes before walking away from the car.

I haven't had any other problems so far to indicate a bad battery, but the battery is original (2015ish), and others in the forum have indicated that replacing a battery in poor health can resolve electrical problems.

Since it doesn't seem to be consistently not working, I was suspecting it could be somehow related to the proximity sensors or convenience keys' signals not working. I keep a hard plastic OSIR Muzzero cover on my convenience key because I was having trouble inadvertently activating buttons while the key was in my pocket. As it is on there pretty securely, I just use proximity sensors, and don't use the buttons on the key. I've experienced the problem with both keys, and with a new battery in each key.
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