Mk 4 hazard switch spontaneously combusted

[VAG Fan]

I was driving yesterday afternoon , waiting to turn right at an intersection, indicator switched on, when suddenly I smelled burning electrics and saw smoke coming from my Golf 4's dashboard, above the hazard switch.

Fortunately, the dash didn't catch fire... I pulled through the intersection, then to the side of the road and shut the ignition down to let things cool down.

Last night I took the hazard switch apart. It turns out, the relay inside the switch, which is also used to flicker the normal indicators, is known to burn. (No wonder, it's a miniscule thing, compared to the good old "proper" relays in Mk1s and Mk2s. In fact, in the US they had a recall from VW.

Fortunately, Goldwagen had a spare part (A2369) for R315, which I bought and fitted this morning. Quality of finish isn't as good as the original, as the button sometimes gets jammed in the surrounding frame, but it'll have to do, as I need the flickers.

What I don't understand, is that the fuse (no. 2) remained intact.

Just wanted to give all Mk 4 drivers a heads-up...

Part no. 1J0 953 235 J