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Unless they are disconnected boot side, not much at all

The trouble is some wire/wires might be partially cut through, typically when this happens and it is due to flexing, the damaged wire/wires will now not be sitting flat/inline but will have been folded up - and if you firmly manipulate the protective gaitor, you should be able to feel these jagged ends of wire - so finding that should give you confidence to dig deeper.

Now, if/once you have found a broken wire/wires, you need to pull the broken ends back into the car - then ideally in my world, cut the broken wire back a few inches, or if more than one wire cut then stagger the length of wires so that the joins are not all at the same point and definitely not ending up back in the rubber gaitor when everything is back in place. I'm lucky so far as I've never needed to do this sort of repair to a VAG car, done it once in a Ford Fiesta and again in a mate's SAAB 9-5 boot hinge.

It's a sunny day - I'll do some investigation.

Quick before winter comes back!
I've been dragged out into the garden to attack/reduce some bushes, my body is set to hibernate normally at this time of year - but getting outside is good for body and mind, it is said!

Ive already changed a thermostat and crank sensor at 7.30 am today....1.5C outside brrrrrrr

Checked the wiring by feeling over the rubber gaiter that runs from the tailgate to the body. No feeling at all that any wires are loose.

Disconnected the plugs at each end of the gaiter and pushed back to inspect the wiring. No signs at all of any breaks as best I could see,

I guess I'm going to have to remove the motor and inspect for signs of seizure?

Edit: The old unit has a Valeo motor with the following label:

404.725 12V
6Q6 955 711
NAHENTSTOERT
Op 4992/4827
4322
SW4 SPAIN

Will the following Valeo unit fit OK?

404 850B 12V
Op 4315/4863
4085
Other numbers same as original unit.

Replacement wiper motor arrived. It still has the wiper attached. Trying to remove it. Is it a normal right-hand thread?

Yup normal thread

The 6Q6 number is all you care about, the rest are internal valeo numbers

That seems a bit crazy that someone fitted the wiper arm back on, but at least as it has been removed recently, it should be not too hard to remove again. Make sure that the spray nozzle is still okay and clear.

It's off. Soaked in PlusGas for a while.

littlepolo wrote: ↑Wed Mar 06, 2019 11:59 am It's off. Soaked in PlusGas for a while.

Good! I've just discovered that after I managed to repair the number plate light wire that was sheared inside the rubber protecter boot of my mate's SAAB 9-5 boot area temporarly, that he repaired it "properly" using a length of single strand mains wire! Shock horror, that repair only lasted about 9 months, which must be a record for that problem being repaired that way! I have since advised him to "get a grip" and buy some proper car multi strand wire - really, some people?

Decided to test the replacement rear wiper motor so I plugged it into the harness at the tailgate. Switched on the wiper. Nothing. Tailgate was open so I closed it but still no action from the replacement motor. I seller said it was tested and working. Is there any way I can apply a voltage to the replacement unit to test it?

Otherwise, any ideas?

I’m still going for broken wires

Presume no voltage at the harness?

Sometimes, when there is voltage and a bad earth (which frequently breaks as it’s the thickest cable) you’ll see 12V but under any load it’ll drop

OK, will have another look at the wiring in the tailgate gaiter. Last time I checked there were voltages at the harness/motor connector but given what you've said about voltage drop, etc. that is not conclusive.

After checking the gaiter wiring again it looks sound. I pulled back the gaiter as far as I dare on both ends. Tugged on the wires. No signs of a break. Cannot feel anything within the gaiter to suggest there is. That isn't to say there isn't a break, it's just not obvious if there is. The tape bound part of the harness inside the tailgate/bodywork is difficult to access but I'm guessing the chance of a break there is low? Is it possible to unlclip/release the wiring harness in the tailgate so I can pull some slack back through the gaiter?

The block connectors inside the nearside boot area did get wet before from a leak on the rear washer pipework. There are some greenish deposits/furring. Is there any possibility that this could be the problem area, e.g. corrosion/material decay? It's not easy to figure which wire is which since many are white. To rule out both motors any idea which terminals I could apply 12V to check their operation?

Other thing I did was reset the ECU. There have been some electrical gremlins of late, rear fog lamp, warning on dash, windows going the wrong way, etc. Also, the oil had ran low after a long high speed return trip last week (just at the bottom of the hatch on the dipstick). I cannot recall when the low oil warning lamp comes on but I was surprised it had not. The sender was replaced with a quality unit (Hella, I think) not long ago.

Edit: Looking back over the thread there was the now fixed problem with the tailgate release (it's still working). Not sure how that, or the demister, came back to life. Does the tailgate close microswitch control anything in addition to the rear wiper?