Volkswagen Repair: 97 Golf Wiper Switch, windshield wiper switch, magic smoke

Question
My windshield wiper switch was in it's last throws[going on by itself, not
shutting off,  etc.] for the past year and gave up the ghost this past week
[couldn't shut it off & started to see whiff of smoke so I pulled the fuse]. How
difficult is it to replace?

Answer
Quite difficult to replace without the necessary special tools.  Airbag must be removed.  Steering wheel must be removed, and then there are two sections of electrical switching components below the steering wheel.  The one on the right side is for the wipers, and the one on the left is for the turn signals.  If you have no experience in removing the airbags from these cars, it will be an exercise in frustration which could lead to injury if the airbag is energized, and you happen to be sitting in the drivers' seat in front of it.  The repair is rather expensive at the dealer, but many other shops have qualified persons, which should be able to help you with this problem.  The wiring inside the column will probably require some repairs too, since the "magic smoke" has been "allowed to escape" from this circuit.  The ignition switch, the turn signals, and the wipers all have wiring connectors, and components inside the two piece "clamshell" that covers up all that stuff.  Sorry, they weren't necessarily engineered to be repair friendly.  Good luck, John.