About this part
The 036919081C oil pressure switch is the genuine OEM low-pressure warning switch for Volkswagen Group four-cylinder engines, listed here for VW, Audi, Skoda and SEAT applications.
What this switch does
The 036919081C is the low oil pressure switch on the Volkswagen Group four-cylinder petrol and diesel engines — the one that lights the red oil-can lamp on the dash. It is a single-pin, normally-closed hydraulic switch screwed into the main oil gallery: with the engine off there is no pressure, the contacts are closed, and the lamp is on. Within a second of starting, oil pressure above its switching point (0.3–0.6 bar) pushes the diaphragm back, opens the contacts and the lamp goes out. If pressure falls below the threshold at any point, the lamp comes back on.
It is a small part but a precise one: M10 x 1 external thread, 22 mm hex, one electrical pin, green moulded body and a copper sealing ring. The body is stamped FEP Germany — FEP is a German OE supplier to the Volkswagen Group, and the green colour is not decoration, it is the pressure rating code. A black or brown switch in the same M10 thread is a different switching point and will either keep the lamp on or leave you without a warning.
Because the switch has only one wire, it earth through its own body and thread. That single fact is behind most of the mysterious faults people blame on the switch itself — see the fitting notes below.
OE / reference numbers
036919081C · 036 919 081 C. Interchangeable with 036919081A, 036919081B, 036919081D and 06A919081C — all five are the same green-coded 0.3–0.6 bar single-pin switch, the letters mark production revisions rather than different parts. Trade references: Febi 19014, Meyle 114 820 0001, Topran 108 891, Vemo V15-99-1999, Hella 6ZL008280001, FAE 12881, EPS/Facet 7.0174.
How it fails, and how to tell it apart from a real oil pressure problem
Lamp flickers at idle when hot. The classic worn-diaphragm symptom: the switching point drifts up as the switch ages, so a perfectly healthy engine at hot idle (where pressure is at its lowest) trips it. Flicker that disappears the moment you raise the revs is usually the switch.
Lamp stays on after start. Contacts stuck closed, or the switch is full of oil past a failed diaphragm. It can also be a wiring fault — the single wire and its spade terminal are exposed to heat and oil mist and corrode.
Oil weep around the hex. The copper sealing ring work-hardens and the joint starts to sweat. A switch that is wet with oil can also lose its earth through the thread and trigger a false warning.
Do not guess — measure. Before you fit anything, screw a mechanical gauge into the gallery and read the hot idle pressure. If the gauge shows pressure and the lamp still lights, the switch or its earth is at fault. If the gauge shows little or nothing, the switch is doing its job and you have a real oil pressure problem — pump, pickup, relief valve or bearing wear. Replacing the switch to cure a genuine low-pressure engine is how people destroy engines.
Compatible vehicles
Fits the petrol and diesel engines listed below where the low-pressure switch is the green-coded 0.3–0.6 bar type. Model year, market and engine code decide the final fitment — confirm against the table and your VIN.
| Make | Model | Years | Engine |
|---|---|---|---|
| Volkswagen | Golf Mk4 (1J) | 1997 – 2004 | 1.4 / 1.6 / 1.8 T |
| Volkswagen | Golf Mk5 (1K) | 2003 – 2009 | 1.4 / 1.6 / 2.0 TDI |
| Volkswagen | Golf Mk6 (5K) | 2008 – 2013 | 1.2 / 1.4 TSI, 1.6 TDI |
| Volkswagen | Golf Mk7 (5G) | 2012 – 2020 | 1.0 / 1.2 / 1.4 TSI |
| Volkswagen | Polo Mk4 / Mk5 (9N / 6R / 6C) | 2001 – 2017 | 1.2 / 1.4 / 1.6 |
| Volkswagen | Passat B6 / B7 (3C) | 2005 – 2015 | 1.4–2.0 TSI, 1.6 / 2.0 TDI |
| Volkswagen | Touran (1T) | 2003 – 2015 | 1.4 TSI, 1.6 / 2.0 TDI |
| Volkswagen | Caddy (2K) | 2004 – 2020 | 1.2 / 1.4 / 1.6 |
| Volkswagen | Tiguan (5N) | 2007 – 2018 | 1.4 TSI, 2.0 TDI |
| Volkswagen | Amarok (2H) | 2010 – 2020 | 2.0 TSI / TDI |
| Volkswagen | Beetle (5C) | 2011 – 2019 | 1.2 / 1.4 TSI |
| Audi | A1 (8X) | 2010 – 2018 | 1.0 / 1.4 TFSI |
| Audi | A3 (8P) | 2003 – 2013 | 1.4 / 1.6 / 2.0 TFSI |
| Audi | A3 (8V) | 2012 – 2020 | 1.2 / 1.4 / 1.8 TFSI |
| Audi | A4 B9 (8W) | 2015 – 2023 | 1.4 / 2.0 TFSI |
| Audi | Q3 (8U) | 2011 – 2018 | 1.4 / 2.0 TFSI |
| Audi | TT (8J) | 2006 – 2014 | 1.8 / 2.0 TFSI |
| Skoda | Fabia (6Y / 5J) | 1999 – 2014 | 1.2 / 1.4 / 1.6 |
| Skoda | Octavia (1U / 1Z / 5E) | 1996 – 2020 | 1.2–2.0 TSI, 1.6 / 2.0 TDI |
| Skoda | Rapid (NH) | 2012 – 2019 | 1.2 / 1.4 TSI |
| SEAT | Ibiza (6L / 6J) | 2002 – 2017 | 1.2 / 1.4 / 1.6 |
| SEAT | Leon (1P / 5F) | 2005 – 2020 | 1.2–2.0 TSI, 1.6 / 2.0 TDI |
| SEAT | Ateca (KH) | 2016 – 2023 | 1.0 / 1.4 TSI |
Fitting notes
Never seal the thread with tape or paste. The switch earths through its body. PTFE tape or sealant on the thread insulates it and you get exactly the fault you were trying to cure — a lamp that stays on or flickers. Clean the thread, fit the new copper ring dry and tighten to the workshop figure (about 20 Nm, do not gorilla it — the body is plastic-topped and the gallery thread is in aluminium).
Use the new sealing ring. A re-used copper ring that has already been crushed will weep. Every switch here ships with a ring.
Check the spade terminal and the wire. Pull the boot back and look at the pin: green corrosion or a loose crimp will cause an intermittent lamp that no new switch can fix. Clean it and squeeze the terminal slightly so it grips.
Oil level first. Before any of this — check the dipstick. A low oil level trips the switch at idle, and that is not a switch fault, that is a warning you should act on.
Check the number before you order
The number stamped on the body is 036 919 081 C — the green-coded 0.3–0.6 bar switch. If the body on your engine is black, brown or blue, it is a different switching point (the high-pressure switch on some engines looks identical but triggers at 1.2–1.6 bar) and swapping them will either leave the lamp permanently on or remove your only warning. Send us a photo of the old switch and your VIN if you are not certain.
Shipping and packing
Orders leave within one to two working days of cleared payment, bagged with the copper sealing ring. Tracking is emailed when the parcel is handed to the carrier. Customs charges, where they apply, are the buyer’s responsibility.
Condition & warranty
Brand new genuine FEP Germany production, twelve months warranty against manufacturing defects. A switch that has been fitted with sealant on the thread, overtightened into a stripped gallery or used to mask a genuine low oil pressure fault is outside the warranty. If a unit fails in service, send us the fault description and photographs before returning anything.
Not sure this is the right switch?
Send us the VIN, the engine code from the data sticker, and a photograph of the colour and number on your old switch. We answer fitment questions before you order rather than after — the colour code is the fastest way to get this right.
Wholesale
Tiered pricing for 1 pc, 5 pcs and 20 pcs is shown below. Workshops replacing switches across a fleet should ask for a combined quote on service items — filters, sensors and seals — we price mixed orders.
