stupid problem....any ideas?

[damn99beetle]

so,working with a 1999 VW Beetle... here is the problem. i don't have the remote half of the key,just the key part. the car worked fine. then yesterday,it started acting up. when you try to start the car,the alarm goes off,and car won't start. and the alarm won't deactivate with the key 1/2 the time,the alarm keeps going till i shut the door,then it turns off. try again,same reult,no start,alarm goes off. and the interior lights do not come on when i open the door now,and the windows and locks no longer work... and weirdly,the little red alarm light on the door,does not come on,at all... what could be the problem?

[Smileybug]

Microswitch in the door would be my guess. Common problem on these cars.

At first it sounded like an immobilizer issue but you have a '99 so no immobilizer (be thankful for that!)

[damn99beetle]

so the door latch can make the car not start?

[Smileybug]

I don't remember if you can start it with the alarm going off or not. I had my microswitch die and it would not allow the alarm to disarm like it should. The switch tells the door if its open or shut. So if you unlock the car and open the door, the car doesn't realize that you opened the door so it re-arms the alarm after 30 seconds. So you fuss around with your key for a few seconds and the alarm re-arms and when you go to start the car, bam, the alarm goes off. I had it happen. I think I hit the unlock button to get it to turn off (though it took me a few seconds because I got flustered!).

Does it not start ever? Or only when the alarm goes off?

[damn99beetle]

it won't start at all. when you turn the key,no matter how fats you jump in,the instant the key is turned,the alarm goes off. nothing else makes the alarm go off,and then,the only way to sut the alarm off,is to close the door.

[RedThunder94]

def microswitch prob. ours did that a few times until i got in the door and gave the wires a good strong tug, after i had to walk 4 miles to go pick up the bird and pull the bug home after it left us stranded at chilis, and almost two years later and it is still doing okay, knock on wood. before that happened it would not turn on the dome light when we opened the driver door and the alarm would not always arm with the key, we don't have any of the remotes, my wife never got them when she bought the bug 7 years ago.