Failed fuel pump on 2016 Touareg TDI????

murraycod · Jan 14, 2019

Glad that you are back in business.

Disclaimer, I have no personal experience with this nor any specific detailed knowledge, but have general knowledge as an engineer. I would expect that no significant metal particles would have passed the tiny injector nozzles to contaminate the engine when you first had the problem. If it is running normally now, I would assume that it has been fixed. If any metal particles were remaining, then the nozzles would jam up and the engine would not run properly.

To keep it running I buy fuel from a good brand busy depot, so the fuel is relatively fresh. Avoid purchasing when you see a tanker replenishing the fuel depot because that may stir up the residue that is sitting at the bottom of the tanks. Keep the fuel above 1/4 tank in the car.

There is no definitive evidence that fuel additives help, but it is a small cost to use these. Personally, I add a small dose of lubrication additive every second fuel refill.

tadpole · Jan 14, 2019

deadlock, A gallon of Power service additive cost less than 20 bucks. You use 6 ounces per fill up. How does anyone not use it when people have said they put 10s of thousands of miles on their TDIs with very little issues like the HPFP blow ups. I have had 5 tdi's with no HPFP issues. 2 of them were the 2.0s that had the most trouble. As my grade school teacher use to say " a word to the wise is sufficient".

TurdBurgler · Jan 14, 2019

Also, it's pouring rain today... check your air filter once this rain spell is over, for water damage, make sure the drain inside the filter box at the bottom is draining properly.... this is a 2015 -2016 issue. This is especially important if you go off road. One other thing, if you go offroad with others, in a group, stay back from the vehicle in front of you, don't eat their dust. Let your air filters for the engine and cab breath dust free, air, don't clog them up unnecessarily. Back off, be patient, go easy on the filters, don't load them up unnecessarily.

One last item.... don't EVER run a K&N filter in a german car... Period! Just don't! They are sieves, not air filters, they let dust and dirt into your MAF, intake and engine, causing a quicky bore job. Use factory paper filter elements, Mann, Mahle, Hengst, etc.

x10003q · Jan 14, 2019

According to this post - there is no difference in diesel fuel at differently branded stations.

From post #27:
https://www.clubtouareg.com/forums/f49/who-makes-the-best-diesel-fuel-183978-3.html
Author - 40acres

"The best diesel fuel is fuel that is purchased from clean, well maintained stations with modern fiberglass storage tanks and high sales volume. I currently haul fuel for a living to retail stations. Diesel fuel branding by manufacture is irrelevant in most parts of the Country (USA). Manufacturers (refiners) usually transport their products through common pipeline systems and the product ends up in common storage tanks at tank farm facilities until it is loaded on a truck to it's retail point. Diesel fuel branding in most areas is non-existent. Gasoline shares this same transport/storage scenario however when gasoline is loaded in the delivery truck the branding companies additive is injected into the gasoline common stock as it loads making the "branded" product. Since the gasoline stock is common and the EPA requires additive in all gasoline sold to control engine deposits branding is largely marketing with probably very little difference in the product. Diesel fuel usually doesn't have this branding additive injection and when you see a station branded it usually pertains to the gasoline only. There is a difference between regular gas/diesel stocks and premium gas/diesel stocks but again they are stored in common storage tanks respectively regardless of brand."
From post #27:
https://www.clubtouareg.com/forums/f49/who-makes-the-best-diesel-fuel-183978-3.html

deadlock · Jan 14, 2019

Excellent information again, thanks! I'm not super familiar with Power Service's products but I'm assuming you use the "white bottle" because it gets below freezing there? I believe the equivalent for temps above 30 degrees is the silver bottle, does this sound correct? I'm about order some, I imagine I will perhaps be in below 30 degree temps maybe a few times a year but not regularly.

I just got my car back, everything seems good. They replaced the AdBlue heater as well as part of the recall which I wasn't aware of until I dropped it off. I asked the service rep about their thoughts on the additives, he suggested calling VW but said he wouldn't do it but he has done nothing to impress me or make me think he even has a clue about anything.

As for driving habits, in this car I'm generally quite chill driving around cuz it just seems to be most comfortable that way. It definitely has power but I never smash the accelerator unless I need to for some reason. For a period of time, I was letting the tank drop below 1/4 gallon and have occasionally used the Ralph's or Valero nearby but I generally look for brand name stations. I have an Airstream which I towed with my Touareg from NJ to CA 2 years ago, not sure if that could've exacerbated the failure rate but I have not towed with it in over a year.

Is it even possible for me to get B99 biodiesel here in SoCal? I will look into this but if not, I'll likely be heading out to Zion or Bryce soon and will try to find a safe way to load up on some.

Thanks again, I appreciate your advice!
Zach

TurdBurgler said:
I run Power Service white bottle, most every other fuel up, 5 to 7 oz added, depending on how much fuel I bought for the fillup. I also usually try to fill up with 18 to 21 gallons, every fillup, and I buy 12 gallons of B99 biodiesel at Dal Soglio's in Salt Lake City, every 12 to 18 months, and add 32 oz every fillup, from an Arizona Ice Tea 40 oz, plastic bottle. I believe that the lubricity of current diesei fuel in CA is inadequate, it's not low enough. So 1 to 2% or somewhere in between is what I blend at, every fillup. Add a qt of B99, then top the tank with 18 to 21 gallons of D2.

Power Service White keeps your fuel dry, biodiesel adds lubricity.

That, and drive it nice and gentle, easy going on the throttle and easy getting off the throttle.

Diesel engines are best run in a steady state RPM and load. Think of Boats, Trains, tugs, heavy equipment for mining, heavy equipment for farming. If it runs diesel fuel, try to keep the rpms and throttle positions near constant, with out making changes.

I realize there are a lot of driving enthusiasts here, that drive TDI's. TDI's work great if you drive like a big rig truck driver, lots of miles between warm ups and shut downs, on freeways and interstate, steady state. TDI's don't work so well if you are on and off the throttle a lot, drive enthusiastically, or come from American V8 cars, or little japanese 4 bangers that you rev to 7 or 8000 rpm with their overhead cams, before they start making any horsepower.

Moderation.... lot's of moderation, and will power, makes a VW TDI diesel last a long, long time. Driving hard, burning up brakes, burning up rotors, getting low MPG's compared to others in the same vehicle, those are your signs the Touareg is being driven hard and used hard.

deadlock · Jan 14, 2019

tadpole said:
deadlock, A gallon of Power service additive cost less than 20 bucks. You use 6 ounces per fill up. How does anyone not use it when people have said they put 10s of thousands of miles on their TDIs with very little issues like the HPFP blow ups. I have had 5 tdi's with no HPFP issues. 2 of them were the 2.0s that had the most trouble. As my grade school teacher use to say " a word to the wise is sufficient".

Yep, agreed this is well worth it. I just wanted to make sure as there's also lots of junk additives sold out there and wouldn't want to risk some warranty issue since I now have the super long extended warranty as part of the recall settlement.

Do you recommend silver or white bottle for SoCal?

deadlock · Jan 14, 2019

TurdBurgler said:
Also, it's pouring rain today... check your air filter once this rain spell is over, for water damage, make sure the drain inside the filter box at the bottom is draining properly.... this is a 2015 -2016 issue. This is especially important if you go off road. One other thing, if you go offroad with others, in a group, stay back from the vehicle in front of you, don't eat their dust. Let your air filters for the engine and cab breath dust free, air, don't clog them up unnecessarily. Back off, be patient, go easy on the filters, don't load them up unnecessarily.

One last item.... don't EVER run a K&N filter in a german car... Period! Just don't! They are sieves, not air filters, they let dust and dirt into your MAF, intake and engine, causing a quicky bore job. Use factory paper filter elements, Mann, Mahle, Hengst, etc.

Hmm I will check this out, I'm not sure if the air filter is included in any the regular service checks. I know they replaced the cabin/pollen filter but I'd have to check the manual to see if they should have replaced the engine air filter, then confirm if they actually did when this rain lets up. Thanks!

deadlock · Jan 14, 2019

I've always thought this was the case but obviously after this incident, i'm rethinking my assumptions. Also, even if the gas/diesel is the same, is it possible storge tanks are not properly maintained or the actual filling pumps could be jacked up? I assume the Dept. of Weights and Measures requires some sort of inspection but I really know nothing about this... Fortunately diesel prices have come down quite a bit and there's no need to shop around for the best diesel prices. Plus I made sure they returned the car to me with a full tank since I took it in with a full tank.

x10003q said:
According to this post - there is no difference in diesel fuel at differently branded stations.

From post #27:
https://www.clubtouareg.com/forums/f49/who-makes-the-best-diesel-fuel-183978-3.html
Author - 40acres

"The best diesel fuel is fuel that is purchased from clean, well maintained stations with modern fiberglass storage tanks and high sales volume. I currently haul fuel for a living to retail stations. Diesel fuel branding by manufacture is irrelevant in most parts of the Country (USA). Manufacturers (refiners) usually transport their products through common pipeline systems and the product ends up in common storage tanks at tank farm facilities until it is loaded on a truck to it's retail point. Diesel fuel branding in most areas is non-existent. Gasoline shares this same transport/storage scenario however when gasoline is loaded in the delivery truck the branding companies additive is injected into the gasoline common stock as it loads making the "branded" product. Since the gasoline stock is common and the EPA requires additive in all gasoline sold to control engine deposits branding is largely marketing with probably very little difference in the product. Diesel fuel usually doesn't have this branding additive injection and when you see a station branded it usually pertains to the gasoline only. There is a difference between regular gas/diesel stocks and premium gas/diesel stocks but again they are stored in common storage tanks respectively regardless of brand."
From post #27:
https://www.clubtouareg.com/forums/f49/who-makes-the-best-diesel-fuel-183978-3.html

TurdBurgler · Jan 15, 2019

Run your new HPFP with light throttle application the first 3 to 5 tanks of, fuel.... You literally are breaking in a brand new HPFP, and it should be done gently. No hard or deep throttle applications that will cause the roller and cam to have to be subjected to extreme loads, until the parts have a few thousand miles to burnish in and mate wear patterns together. There's a place down in Corona, Downs Energy, that sells B99, fill up a 5 gallon jug and add a Quart ASAP to your fuel tank, during break in.

Here in the Western USA, especially CA, we don't use pipelines for fuel or raw petroleum oil for delivery. This doesn't apply to us. This is more for oil refined around the Houston area and then pipelined to the NE USA

deadlock · Jan 15, 2019

TurdBurgler said:
Run your new HPFP with light throttle application the first 3 to 5 tanks of, fuel.... You literally are breaking in a brand new HPFP, and it should be done gently. No hard or deep throttle applications that will cause the roller and cam to have to be subjected to extreme loads, until the parts have a few thousand miles to burnish in and mate wear patterns together. There's a place down in Corona, Downs Energy, that sells B99, fill up a 5 gallon jug and add a Quart ASAP to your fuel tank, during break in.

Here in the Western USA, especially CA, we don't use pipelines for fuel or raw petroleum oil for delivery. This doesn't apply to us. This is more for oil refined around the Houston area and then pipelined to the NE USA

Thanks again, TB! Well this is LA so running completely light on the throttle isn't always an option but I am going as easy as possible, despite the dirty looks I'm getting from other drivers.

Corona is a bit of a hike but I will try and get down there. Are you using an online tool to find the B99 retailers? Wondering if something is closer to me in the SFV...

B99 is definitely safe and not going to impact any warranty stuff? I've read that initially it has a solvent effect and can clog fuel filters which makes me a little hesitant. Also, stupid question but since there's no separate trunk in the Toureg, do you have a good container setup you to transport this stuff and to measure and pour it? I'm living in my Airstream so I don't have a garage or too much space but obviously want to do right by my car. I'm curious to hear if you've used any specific brand of Jerry Can or what?

Keep me posted, I don't typically drive a ton but was thinking of driving into the mountains today to get a run in the snow, hopefully this thing is reliable now...

Zach

TurdBurgler · Jan 15, 2019

deadlock said:
Thanks again, TB! Well this is LA so running completely light on the throttle isn't always an option but I am going as easy as possible, despite the dirty looks I'm getting from other drivers.

Corona is a bit of a hike but I will try and get down there. Are you using an online tool to find the B99 retailers? Wondering if something is closer to me in the SFV...

B99 is definitely safe and not going to impact any warranty stuff? I've read that initially it has a solvent effect and can clog fuel filters which makes me a little hesitant. Also, stupid question but since there's no separate trunk in the Toureg, do you have a good container setup you to transport this stuff and to measure and pour it? I'm living in my Airstream so I don't have a garage or too much space but obviously want to do right by my car. I'm curious to hear if you've used any specific brand of Jerry Can or what?

Keep me posted, I don't typically drive a ton but was thinking of driving into the mountains today to get a run in the snow, hopefully this thing is reliable now...

Zach

Zach, it's very rare for the HPFP's to just go and get wrecked, and fail. Reevaluate your throttle applications and towing needs, something is amiss. I pull a 4400# 21 ft travel trailer. I've never lost a HPFP, even with towing. The Touareg is not a truck you can pull an Airstream at 65 MPH with a tiny 3.0 liter V6 motor, up grades, with the cruise control on. You need to back out of the throttle and drive and shift in manually. Something is missing or not making sense, that you had a HPFP failure in your Touareg. What do you get for MPG per tank, driving around empty, and then what do you get for MPG when towing?

deadlock · Jan 16, 2019

TurdBurgler said:
Zach, it's very rare for the HPFP's to just go and get wrecked, and fail. Reevaluate your throttle applications and towing needs, something is amiss. I pull a 4400# 21 ft travel trailer. I've never lost a HPFP, even with towing. The Touareg is not a truck you can pull an Airstream at 65 MPH with a tiny 3.0 liter V6 motor, up grades, with the cruise control on. You need to back out of the throttle and drive and shift in manually. Something is missing or not making sense, that you had a HPFP failure in your Touareg. What do you get for MPG per tank, driving around empty, and then what do you get for MPG when towing?

Hey TB,
I really find it hard to believe it's my driving habits, I drive like an old man in this car. My trailer is larger than yours though, I have a 25' Airstream, I forget what the CAT scale said full loaded without checking the paperwork but around 6000 lbs.

You could just be a statistical anomaly, how many TREGs have you been driving? I think you mentioned it but I don't recall. The dealer seemed completely unsurprised that this happened and said it's about a 25% failure rate on the HPFPs, again I don't have a ton of confidence in this guy.

It's been 3 years since I did any major towing when I drove cross country, last year I moved the trailer about 35 miles so I don't recall my exact mileage but I do remember that it was only marginally below what I was getting without the trailer attached, I want to say like 17mpg but I'm not sure, I just remember it was impressive.
Currently on the computer, my long-term mileage goes back 6837 miles and says my mileage is 21mpg, this makes sense since I tend to drive surface streets when traffic is very bad in LA and I also do lots of short trips, THIS is the only thing from you've said where this car might not be happy but unfortunately it's what I need to use the car for. I do feel like I lost quite of bit of economy after I did the recall fix, not so much on the freeway as that is typically always around 27-28 but for city or stop/go it's pretty low, around 18-20mpg.
(Also, only used cruise while towing on flats, immediately took it off on any grade up or down though I didn't use manual shifting as much as I thought I might, I felt like it was shifting fine in automatic)
Is there any way to get my older mileage off the computer or is it gone? It's not a big deal, I really doubt it's how I drive, I know this is an expensive car and I don't drive it hard. It could be that I started towing too soon when the vehicle was new, I only had a few thousand miles on the car when I picked up my trailer, VW said 1000 miles is all that's required for break in but I put as many on as I could. Outside of that, I'm not buying that it's my driving habits.

Some of the other comments seem to indicate that below a 1/4 tank puts strain on the pump, that I have done and I'm not sure how frequently but like I said, with the volatility in diesel prices here over the last year, it's feasible it's happened 5-6 times.

I'm open to changing something about my habits that can be changed but driving slower would be unsafe and I'm not going to avoid using the car for what I need it for. And if the pump is that sensitive to varied driving habits then it's not a functional car, it's actually quite useless to most but I just don't believe it. I do think it's possible the diesel out here in CA is not adequate in terms of lubricants and sure, there could be something else going on with the car? Not sure but let me know what you think!

Thanks,
Zach

TurdBurgler · Jan 16, 2019

1. Always keep your fuel tank full. Otherwise the tank breathes in moisture at night into the early morning.

2. IMHO, for driving in western states with mountains, your trailer is too heavy for the displacement of your motor. German TUV standards of 7700 # towing are misleading to North American towing needs. This is because the [CHASSIS, by TUV (our DOT standards) is rated for 7700 pound... All over EU a 4.2 L Audi / VW motor that is a V8 is shoehorned into the front end of a Touareg, putting out 345 to 375 HP and up to 627 ft lbs of torque. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Volkswagen_Group_diesel_engines

3. As a result of this, and it's a marketing gimmick here in the USA, the 7700 lbs of trailer should probably (IMHO) be a lot closer to 2/3 of the rated 7700 lb's allowed based on weight of trailer to number of ft /lbs torque the motor can produce. That would be about 5100 lbs of trailer, maximum. iMHO, your trailer is overweight, based on engine displacement size alone. You really need a bigger diesel motor for your 25 ft Airstream, or a smaller, lighter Airstream TT.

4. Your driving patterns, driving around in a city, for the majority of miles, are not conducive to owning a TDI Touareg.

5. There are a lot of enthusiasts here, that state their Touareg "tows like there's nothing back there at all". I don't know what their problem is, but the statement is patently false. All you need to do is look in the side view mirrors and rear view mirrors and watch your MPG's drop in half or more, towing 55 mph here in CA, and feel how deep your foot is into the accelerator, going up even the slightest of grades, or how the shifting pattern of your vehicle changes when towing, to know this is the big lie, trying to make their Touareg into something it is really not. It is not a heavy duty diesel motor, it is built, engineered and designed as a light diesel motor, fine for pushing around Audi 6, 7 and 8 model sedans, marginal in a 5000 # Touareg, and really marginal in a close to #6000 pound Audi Q7. You just can't do that much work with such a limited displacement motor, and expect things to last.

Honestly... for your driving habits, you'd probably be a lot better off with driving a gas model SUV like a Honda CRV around the city, and buy a real truck for your towing needs. This is all just IMHO.... The Touareg TDi will do you no favors with how you are using it. You will, IMHO, have more trouble and problems than it's worth, with your driving style. I won't even begin to go into how you are not completing DPF regenerations with your driving style, or what that does to the turbo charger when you shut down during one of those going on.

Sell it, your Touareg, and buy something else, before you end up whining about how much time your Touareg spends in the shop getting fixed.

deadlock · Jan 16, 2019

TurdBurgler said:
1. Always keep your fuel tank full. Otherwise the tank breathes in moisture at night into the early morning.

2. IMHO, for driving in western states with mountains, your trailer is too heavy for the displacement of your motor. German TUV standards of 7700 # towing are misleading to North American towing needs. This is because the [CHASSIS, by TUV (our DOT standards) is rated for 7700 pound... All over EU a 4.2 L Audi / VW motor that is a V8 is shoehorned into the front end of a Touareg, putting out 345 to 375 HP and up to 627 ft lbs of torque. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Volkswagen_Group_diesel_engines

3. As a result of this, and it's a marketing gimmick here in the USA, the 7700 lbs of trailer should probably (IMHO) be a lot closer to 2/3 of the rated 7700 lb's allowed based on weight of trailer to number of ft /lbs torque the motor can produce. That would be about 5100 lbs of trailer, maximum. iMHO, your trailer is overweight, based on engine displacement size alone. You really need a bigger diesel motor for your 25 ft Airstream, or a smaller, lighter Airstream TT.

4. Your driving patterns, driving around in a city, for the majority of miles, are not conducive to owning a TDI Touareg.

5. There are a lot of enthusiasts here, that state their Touareg "tows like there's nothing back there at all". I don't know what their problem is, but the statement is patently false. All you need to do is look in the side view mirrors and rear view mirrors and watch your MPG's drop in half or more, towing 55 mph here in CA, and feel how deep your foot is into the accelerator, going up even the slightest of grades, or how the shifting pattern of your vehicle changes when towing, to know this is the big lie, trying to make their Touareg into something it is really not. It is not a heavy duty diesel motor, it is built, engineered and designed as a light diesel motor, fine for pushing around Audi 6, 7 and 8 model sedans, marginal in a 5000 # Touareg, and really marginal in a close to #6000 pound Audi Q7. You just can't do that much work with such a limited displacement motor, and expect things to last.

Honestly... for your driving habits, you'd probably be a lot better off with driving a gas model SUV like a Honda CRV around the city, and buy a real truck for your towing needs. This is all just IMHO.... The Touareg TDi will do you no favors with how you are using it. You will, IMHO, have more trouble and problems than it's worth, with your driving style. I won't even begin to go into how you are not completing DPF regenerations with your driving style, or what that does to the turbo charger when you shut down during one of those going on.

Sell it, your Touareg, and buy something else, before you end up whining about how much time your Touareg spends in the shop getting fixed.

Thanks for the comments. I'm not selling it any time soon, it's just not practical. With the extended warranty and all the coverage I have, it's worth dealing with any problems for right now but it certainly might not be the vehicle I drive until the bitter end like initially thought.

Your suggestion to sell it is not a practical one for many reasons and my comments on here have been far from "whining" but actually seeking out information to help with the first problem I had with this car in 3 years. Also, it seems based on the fact that I do some regular towing here in the Southwest which I do not do, it's just not fun to tow in CA as the 55mph limit creates a huge gap between the rest of the traffic and IMO makes it even more dangerous than other places. On top of that, generally it's difficult to get reservations at places I like to go without advance planning, something I generally do not do. I do however camp quite a bit and the TREG has been fine for that.

Also, ultimately I think you missed the point of my frustrations with the VW dealer that was handling the repair, it was more around how long it took them to get parts and missing numerous deadline after deadline and not communicating once during the whole time. I had to go there in person to get any updates which is just bad business, set the proper expectation and customers will not get nearly as upset.

I will say that after having the VW Jetta rental they put me in, I've considered picking up a beater since it was fun to not worry about anything and get better mileage but probably not going to happen.

IIRC correctly, the DPF is also covered under the extended warranty up to 120k/10years so come on, why would I sell? I still owe money on this car and I'm open to the discussion but the way I see it, this car is a keeper until maybe like 70-80k miles or another few years then I can reconsider. But that said, some of those S-line Q5s look pretty nice, if I could work out a good trade, it might be worth it.

This probably doesn't matter but my vehicles are all registered in SD, no inspection, no emissions check so if things get really bad, the AdBlue/DPF delete looks pretty appealing but I've not researched this in much detail.

Again, appreciate your thoughts, I'm certainly not rejecting any of your comments but just letting you know where i'm coming from. If there's something that's not under warranty or other stuff to watch out for then let me know, I think I'm probably good for a bit with this ride but who knowss...

Zach

TurdBurgler · Jan 16, 2019

You will forever deal with VW's and their dealerships smugness, arrogance, leaving you in the dark, and flat out lying to you on when it will be ready. It's part and parcel of Teutonic Heritage. Goes back clear to Audi 5000 sudden acceleration lawsuit in the 1980's, and blaming it on the owners, when it was their throttle and brake tree design putting the brake pedal too close together. Audi called it "operator error" and blamed the owner, while silently keeping the same part number and changing a C to a D ending on the same part, with more offset, in the Audi 100 model.

I had a 2013 that had a very simple electric switch in the shifter column fail, making my removal of the keyfob impossible on my 2013 Sport. It was a supposed $1800 fix, 7 hours and a $900 part that had now become completely "integrated" and a very, very expensive fix, compared to my 2012 model.

I have been brand loyal to VW forever. It still took 30 days with my car down, for VW to get the part and fix it, including a "week delay" because supposedly Antelope Valley VW was so "backed up" with repair work, that when the part finally got in, after being on backorder 3 weeks from Germany, bec, (thoause VW didn't keep the parts in inventory in stock here in the USA at any of their 5 major part warehouses, (the one closest to us in in Ontario, California)

I really have nothing much good to say about VW and how they run their US side business. It's like every dealership fights for money from VWoA to get paid for warranty work, and VWoA fights for money from VW De to get reimbursed also. They are absolute stinkers about it all. As a result, the dealership would just rather screw you, the customer, and have you pay full pop for work that should be covered under warranty work, than have to deal with USA corporate and Deutschland corporate. The tech makes a lot more money, the Service Writer makes a lot more money, and the dealership makes a lot more money. You, on the other hand, get screwed. Been there, done that, owned VW diesel product my whole life since I bought a Jetta coupe 2 door diesel brand new back in 1981.

VW's are reliable if you baby them. They are not reliable if you abuse them. IMHO, your Airstream and higher speeds constitutes abuse. That's OK, you don't have to believe me... you can think I'm a nut job. Or, sooner or later, you might come to the conclusion that I was right. I had to cancel my trip and reservations with travel trailer to West Yellowstone in July of 2018. My Touareg was out of commission for a month. Somehow, all the people at VW saying they were terribly sorry about my circumstances, ruining my vacation, while they shipped the part slow boat, VW overnight air shipping the part, didn't cut it. YMMV, VW's are not reliable. There's a lot of plastic parts, switches and components that fail, that VW doesn't keep in stock here in inventory in the USA, they keep it all in Germany.

Sorry, Just the Facts here.

I've never, ever owed a cent on any of my Touareg TDi's. Owned a 2012, and 2013 outright, since new, and now a used 2014 Lux, only because I wanted leather seats, the sunroof sucks. Otherwise, they'd all be Sport Models.

deadlock · Jan 17, 2019

TurdBurgler said:
You will forever deal with VW's and their dealerships smugness, arrogance, leaving you in the dark, and flat out lying to you on when it will be ready. It's part and parcel of Teutonic Heritage. Goes back clear to Audi 5000 sudden acceleration lawsuit in the 1980's, and blaming it on the owners, when it was their throttle and brake tree design putting the brake pedal too close together. Audi called it "operator error" and blamed the owner, while silently keeping the same part number and changing a C to a D ending on the same part, with more offset, in the Audi 100 model.

I had a 2013 that had a very simple electric switch in the shifter column fail, making my removal of the keyfob impossible on my 2013 Sport. It was a supposed $1800 fix, 7 hours and a $900 part that had now become completely "integrated" and a very, very expensive fix, compared to my 2012 model.

I have been brand loyal to VW forever. It still took 30 days with my car down, for VW to get the part and fix it, including a "week delay" because supposedly Antelope Valley VW was so "backed up" with repair work, that when the part finally got in, after being on backorder 3 weeks from Germany, bec, (thoause VW didn't keep the parts in inventory in stock here in the USA at any of their 5 major part warehouses, (the one closest to us in in Ontario, California)

I really have nothing much good to say about VW and how they run their US side business. It's like every dealership fights for money from VWoA to get paid for warranty work, and VWoA fights for money from VW De to get reimbursed also. They are absolute stinkers about it all. As a result, the dealership would just rather screw you, the customer, and have you pay full pop for work that should be covered under warranty work, than have to deal with USA corporate and Deutschland corporate. The tech makes a lot more money, the Service Writer makes a lot more money, and the dealership makes a lot more money. You, on the other hand, get screwed. Been there, done that, owned VW diesel product my whole life since I bought a Jetta coupe 2 door diesel brand new back in 1981.

VW's are reliable if you baby them. They are not reliable if you abuse them. IMHO, your Airstream and higher speeds constitutes abuse. That's OK, you don't have to believe me... you can think I'm a nut job. Or, sooner or later, you might come to the conclusion that I was right. I had to cancel my trip and reservations with travel trailer to West Yellowstone in July of 2018. My Touareg was out of commission for a month. Somehow, all the people at VW saying they were terribly sorry about my circumstances, ruining my vacation, while they shipped the part slow boat, VW overnight air shipping the part, didn't cut it. YMMV, VW's are not reliable. There's a lot of plastic parts, switches and components that fail, that VW doesn't keep in stock here in inventory in the USA, they keep it all in Germany.

Sorry, Just the Facts here.

I've never, ever owed a cent on any of my Touareg TDi's. Owned a 2012, and 2013 outright, since new, and now a used 2014 Lux, only because I wanted leather seats, the sunroof sucks. Otherwise, they'd all be Sport Models.

Your insight has been interesting and HAD been appreciated, however operating my Touareg within the manufacturer's guidelines (which is why I bought the TREG in the first place) is NOT abuse, if you really want to be factual.

Your experiences and problems with VW diesels may or may not impact me but you lose lots of credibility when you claim I'm whining and abusing my car (I'm not even sure about what the speed comment you're referring to but I don't care). I never called you a nut job or made any negative remarks, always said I appreciated your insight but I'm good, bruh...

The Right Kind · Jan 17, 2019

Zach, I had the same thing happen to my TDI the Friday before the holidays and had the same experiance with the dealer as you, poor comunication. With the holidays the parts were not being delivered in a timely manner and then the mechanic broke a sensor and had to order that delaying the completion even more. When I picked up the car I looked under the hood and at the undercarage. There were some small parts missing like a cap on one of the AC lines and a clip on the air cleaner. No big deal I told the sevice writer and she called the mechanic. He came out and replaced the missing parts. While talking to him he said he cleaned out the fuel tank as best he could but couldn't reach every corner of the tank. He suggested that after this tank of fuel was gone to change out the fuel filter. I did it yesterday and there was some remaining particals like dust in the fuel I extacted and at the bottom of the bowl. I'm going to do it again after this tank of fuel too. Hopefully that will do it. For six years I've gotten most of my diesel at the same station. It wasn't until I had the fix done and the dealer filled the tank that my HPFP went out, one week later. Coincidence???

deadlock · Jan 17, 2019

The Right Kind said:
Zach, I had the same thing happen to my TDI the Friday before the holidays and had the same experiance with the dealer as you, poor comunication. With the holidays the parts were not being delivered in a timely manner and then the mechanic broke a sensor and had to order that delaying the completion even more. When I picked up the car I looked under the hood and at the undercarage. There were some small parts missing like a cap on one of the AC lines and a clip on the air cleaner. No big deal I told the sevice writer and she called the mechanic. He came out and replaced the missing parts. While talking to him he said he cleaned out the fuel tank as best he could but couldn't reach every corner of the tank. He suggested that after this tank of fuel was gone to change out the fuel filter. I did it yesterday and there was some remaining particals like dust in the fuel I extacted and at the bottom of the bowl. I'm going to do it again after this tank of fuel too. Hopefully that will do it. For six years I've gotten most of my diesel at the same station. It wasn't until I had the fix done and the dealer filled the tank that my HPFP went out, one week later. Coincidence???

Ugh, sorry to hear you've had the same issues, The Right Kind. The communication thing goes a long way, especially when the repair takes weeks. I didn't mind driving the rental car, I just hated not knowing what was up and I knew after a while that I was likely only going to get a call when it was done and would have to rush over to pick it up.

What dealership did you go to? Everyone I know in SB is so chill and nice, I would almost assume better customer service up there. I went to Galpin VW on Roscoe here in Van Nuys and they've always been worse than any other dealer I've gone to in terms of communication but I have no reason to suspect the work is not good. It's been raining here non-stop but now I'm extra concerned about looking under the hood and making sure nothing was damaged, ugh!

Also this makes me extra concerned about getting some additive in my tank to lubricate things, I'll have to grab some of that Power Service silver bottle. I asked about checking the filters or anything else, the service writer told me they got everything and it went flawlessly but that's just lipservice.

How difficult was the fuel filter swap? I'm thinking it might be worth while doing just to be safe but I haven't touched this car really since it's been under warranty.

Thanks for sharing and sorry to hear you had the same issue!

Zach

The Right Kind · Jan 17, 2019

The dealership here in SB closed its doors a couple years ago, I have to go down to Ventura for any warranty work. Had to have it towed 50 miles when it grenaded. Bummer because two of the mechanics at the local dealership were friends of my son and I knew most of the staff there, good guys.
The fuel filter is easy, look for videos on line.
Good luck

TurdBurgler · Jan 22, 2019

deadlock said:
Ugh, sorry to hear you've had the same issues, The Right Kind. The communication thing goes a long way, especially when the repair takes weeks. I didn't mind driving the rental car, I just hated not knowing what was up and I knew after a while that I was likely only going to get a call when it was done and would have to rush over to pick it up.

What dealership did you go to? Everyone I know in SB is so chill and nice, I would almost assume better customer service up there. I went to Galpin VW on Roscoe here in Van Nuys and they've always been worse than any other dealer I've gone to in terms of communication but I have no reason to suspect the work is not good. It's been raining here non-stop but now I'm extra concerned about looking under the hood and making sure nothing was damaged, ugh!

Also this makes me extra concerned about getting some additive in my tank to lubricate things, I'll have to grab some of that Power Service silver bottle. I asked about checking the filters or anything else, the service writer told me they got everything and it went flawlessly but that's just lipservice.

How difficult was the fuel filter swap? I'm thinking it might be worth while doing just to be safe but I haven't touched this car really since it's been under warranty.

Thanks for sharing and sorry to hear you had the same issue!

Zach

You're local.... Avoid Galpin on Roscoe like the plague, for all of your service. They indeed are the worst. Santa Monica VW might be better for you. Wynn's sucks too.

I take my Touareg up to Antelope Valley, use one service writer and only one master technician for all of my work. Why? Because if you pick and use one master technician for all of your work, you have accountability, when they ef something up. And they will, there's lots of plastic parts they break, as the car gets older.

Failed fuel pump on 2016 Touareg TDI????

murraycod

tadpole

TurdBurgler

x10003q

deadlock

deadlock

deadlock

deadlock

TurdBurgler

deadlock

TurdBurgler

deadlock

TurdBurgler

deadlock

TurdBurgler

deadlock

The Right Kind

deadlock

The Right Kind

TurdBurgler

Top Contributors this Month

Recommended Communities