I have a 97 VW Cabrio that has started stalling when I’m in a car wash. It turns over when I try to restart it, but won’t actually start for 3-5 minutes after the water stops. (It does always restart again, though!) I’ve tried turning it off when I’m in the car wash, but that doesn’t help - it won’t start for several minutes. Any idea what the problem is? Someone suggested it might be a bad coil.
Obvious thing to do is: don’t wash it.
What engine? the 4 cyl. turbo has separate coils for each cylinder.
VWs have been known to have a splash problem. Water splashing up from underneath does unhelpful things to the electrical system. Contact a VW dealership, service department. They may have a TSB (technical service bulletin) about installing an improved splash shield.
This could also be a sign that the ignition wires are past their prime and need to be replaced.