[s-cars] Fire in Aux Relay Panel II - Help Requested

[Dave Ellis]

So I go to leave late from work last night and I'm greeted with a faint 
burning smell in the car.  Start the engine and the cabin quickly fills 
with toxic smoke, and I can see flickering light reflecting from flames 
somewhere in the driver's side foot well.

Nice.

After using an extinguisher and frantically unbolting the rear seat to 
disconnecting the battery, I spend the next hour and a half 
disassembling the kick panels outdoors while it snows heavily, with wind 
drifting snow into the car while I try to work.  In the dark.  Fun (not!).

Turns out either one of the relays or relay sockets in the driver's side 
lower kick panel caught fire, completely burning through socket, relay 
plate, most of the way through the relay, and a few inches down the 
wiring harness.

The patient is a '93 S4.  So now I need to track down a replacement 
relay, relay plate, relay socket, and preferably a few inches of wiring 
attached to the socket to splice into what's left of the wiring (I had 
to cut out the burnt sections to avoid a short, about 3 inches worth).

Here's what I was able to find out about the relay:

   From the top of the Relay (what was left of it):
   ------------------------------------------------
   218 (in white letters on top)
   89 99 70
   12V 20/50A
   895 951 254

   Bentley Manual:
   ---------------
   Auxiliary Relay Panel II
   Relay Position 3: "Automatic Window Closing Relay, J261
   Page 97-9, and Wiring Diagram (no page ref)

   ETKA 7:
   -------
   Illustration 937-70, POS 8
   Part Number 8A0 951 253 A
   Description:
     "contact close relay for electric window regulators
      for vehicles with comfort wiring.  Relay Location: 3"


So what else does this do besides the "one touch down" feature for the 
front power windows?

A possibly related problem I need to track down is that the infra-red 
remote key now no longer appears to work.  Can't lock/unlock the doors 
with it.  I don't know if it's related or not, but I'm also unable to 
lock or unlock the driver's side door using the key in the lock.  The 
lock mechanism is either jammed or frozen.  The lock/unlock button on 
the interior doors still works though.

I can't say if the mechanical lock has ever worked.  Had the door 
replaced two years ago after someone backed into it in a parking lot.  I 
can't remember ever actually using the key in the lock since then.

Anyone know how this burnt relay might affect the remote locking feature?

Any ideas why this particular relay would have suddenly decided to burn up?

Thanks for any suggestions or insight you can offer!

Dave

'93 UrS4
'99.5 A4 1.8t