At 10:47 AM 7/2/2011, Ryan wrote:
>Could these switches heating up and fusing in one position be
>related to faulty grounds?

Nope.   They're related to VW cheaping out and not using relays in
two heavy(ish)-load switches where it would have made sense to do
so.  The switches develop high resistance which dissipates power and
makes them heat up; and you then discover that VW made the housings
out of thermoplastic so it softens and the fixed contacts sink down
and trap the movable contact so you can't turn the switch off.

I already suggested a relay on the blower switch.  Adding a
(commercially available if you don't want to roll your own) relay kit
to drive the headlights will give you better light and preserve your
fancy new headlight switch, or let you get away with using a crummy
old one that's already mostly worn out.

Don't feel *too* bad...my beast blew a coolant hose (the wrong one
got shipped as I discovered when replacing a bunch of hoses;
naturally that was the one that had already failed and had a silicone
tape bandage on it, and naturally I forgot about it after the
replacement hose came in), converted a once-a-month P/S refill leak
to red blood running down the street all in the same ten minutes, and
some time in the day or two leading up to that blew a hatch strut as
well.  But the Vanagon Guardian Angel(TM) allowed this to happen
while sitting outside the house.

Yours,
David