Was it running bad when it came on? If not it really is not that serious. Do you have any paper work stating what the code was they saw when it was on?

 

If the code cleared, it is generally considered safe to to keep driving it. The on board diagnostics will re-log the error if it see it occurs again. If the error does not re-occur, then there is nothing to fix.

If there is a true fault, sooner or later it will reappear. Until it comes back, the standard procedure is to keep driving.

 

Hi Yetti, not sure if replied properly. I'd only had car (2011 diesel) a week, drove like a dream. I have paperwork would have to check if it's states error code. But he mentioned a problem with some emissions thing, valves at the to need to be replaced. And I had to take it to dealers I purchased it from as I have warranty, they cleared code, drove around 2 x 30 mins and no light came up. To which they said if it comes back on come back to us. Do they have different code readers or something. I'll see if they stated an error code No. I have to take it back to first mechanic as one of the front lights has now gone ?

 

NickyT I like your, in the meantime, standard procedure advice I just hope if it's going to reoccur it does so while it's still in warranty. The other mechanics were quick to tell me there is an engine problem that's going deplete me of $2,300, weird.

 

Many dealers just see a code, and instantly throw parts at it. While effective, it is often just money down the drain. If you can get us a copy of what the first dealer said, we can give you a decent opinion about it.

The only concern here is how long is your current warranty and who is it through? You might also want to ask the dealer about getting a VW extended warranty. They are not free, but one repair will often cover it, two repairs and you are usually ahead.

 

I'll have a look if invoice states error code no. and more details. I have 2 months warranty on the dealer one and I purchased an extra 3 year standard warranty. So I have a bit of leeway at this stage, hopefully.

 

Extended Warranty?



Be mindful of the purchased extended warranty

I purchased a 2007 V6 Diesel with 85K on the clock 2 5 years ago along with 3 years warranty

And guess what? the engine light came on 4 months after this and the EGR cooler along with thermostat, valve & flap was replaced at a cost of 3k by my friendly VW dealership.

Unfortunately the extended warranty didn't cover this as well as a failed tailshaft centre bearing at $550.

 

Which model Touareg?

How many miles?

Was it a VW dealer who sold it to you?

Who is the extended warranty with?

As above, what was the code?

What was the $2,300 quote for, or didn't you get that in writing?

 

Touareg 2011 V6 TDI Deisel
In Australia, conversion to miles 92,000.
Purchased from Ford dealer. Have 3 year warranty. Seperate VW mechanic quoted $2,300 AUD over phone never documented. Invoice detail attached. New EGR complete with cooler required.

 

Sounds like the EGR system playing up. Had the exact same thing not long ago. Got the dealer to remove the entire system and replace it before i ran outta warrenty.

Mine was a 2011 v6 TDI with 100 000kms.

The fault kept coming up when we would drive at highway speeds approx 90kms/hr for more then 30mins.

 

Get it fixed as soon as you can as it CAN lead to the engine Hydraulic Locking. Which would be rather costly...

I replaced mine due to the same condition/problem 12 months ago.

Kind Regards
Stuart..

 

Thanks, the thing is the dealer who I have warranty with cleared the error code, drove it around for an hour and said the light didn't come on again. If it does bring it back and we'll investigate. So I don't think they'll do anything until light comes back on. Unless I have a right to demand they replace the parts you mention. I initially took my treg to my closest VW mechanic who diagnosed this EGR problem who said go back to dealer you bought off and have warranty with and those people have wait and see attitude it seems. Have 3 month warranty plus 3 years I paid for..had car for a month.

 

Thanks, same year and model it seems. I'm not sure I can demand they do this, as they foot the bill with the warranty and seem to have that control. Not sure of my rights here. How long after error was cleared that it came back on again?

 

I'm not sure whate code you got, but my check engine light came on as well. I cleared the light with my VAGCOM, and it came back within a week. The Treg is currently in Atlanta getting a DPF delete etc...however... While tearing into the Treg, the downpipe had a rusted leak, the intercooler had a rusted leak, and a few other leaks were found. I'm kind of lucky the thing made the three hour drive to Atlanta!

Bottom line is that your dealer needs to do a bit on investigative search on WHY the error was recorded instead of just clearing it. As others have said, you may be doing further damage to it by driving it.

As a bit of curiosity...how long after you bought it did the light come on? Sounds as if the car may have been offloaded by the previous owner and you unknowingly bought a broken car.

 

I'm confused. If you have a warranty, why isn't this repair covered?

 

Yes, it is covered but the dealer who sold it to me are doing a wait and see thing it seems. They cleared the error code drove around for an hour, the light didn't come back on so they said, just come back if it comes back on and we will do further investigation. They said if there is an engine problem it is covered by warranty. They cleared error code 13 days ago, it hasn't come back on.....yet.

 

Call your local consumer protection people straightaway and get their advice and help.

In the meantime, if the EGR is faulty you could be losing coolant without any obvious signs of leakage under the car or smoke coming out of the exhaust.

EGR failure is a known issue. The coolant is lost into the exhaust system.

So check the coolant level when the car is cold first thing every day before you drive it.

Any sign of the coolant level dropping, go straight back to the selling dealer without delay.

But, do call your consumer folk and get proper advice on your options/right without delay.

 

So check the coolant level when the car is cold first thing every day before you drive it.

Any sign of the coolant level dropping, go straight back to the selling dealer without delay.

I would agree to check it once daily for the next 7 days or once daily for the next 7 times she starts it. After that, if no change, then no problem and perhaps only check once a week for "a while." If no change after that, then all is good.

BTW... did they remove the low coolant fluid switch on her model? If my 2004 or 2006 dropped even the smallest amount below the min-fill mark, I would get the big "Check Coolant" level at startup with the bell and dings and a little error icon that stayed turned on the entire time the Touareg was running. If that system is still there, it really means that she should not have to check it more then perhaps once a week for the next month.

Also, while I agree that this needs to be checked out, this does not have to be the worst case situation. It could be, or it could not be.

With the amount of hysteria and the all is neigh here, I would recommend that she calls the service advisor at the first VW dealership. I would ask the service guy to please ask VW if there is any way other then the code they can check this system. If the mechanic could look it over, that would be great. At this point, $150 to the dealer might be better then the anxiety of "Is it going to blow up the next time I start it?"

We have a good start with watch the fluid levels. I would also recommend that she checks the oil level once a week for perhaps the next four weeks, just to make sure it is stable. Actually checking both of these fluids for the first month is good insurance on any used car you buy.

Speaking of that, as particular as these cars are with the "right oil" it might not be a bad idea to ask the first VW dealer if they would do an oil change and while you have it at the dealer, ask the dealer to have a mechanic look it over. Most of the dealers in my area love to do those free courtesy checks so they can tell you how many things you need to pay them to fix.

If the VW dealer can point at something on the EGR and say "Look there, see that crack or see that part is defective, then it will be really easy to get it fixed, even if the code has not reappeared.

 

EML light

My 2008 V6 TDI has the same problem, light came on over 3 years ago. I've covered about 50000 miles since then. I did some research and found there is a design flaw on this engine (Audi engineered) the official VW answer is to replace both inlet manifolds. UK estimate is approx £800 each side. I did find a supposed solution. The problem is wear in the swirl flap lever which after a period of time gets slack which is then picked up by the sensor. There is a VW replacement kit for the flap lever which costs £10 from a diesel performance company called Darkside Developments. Unfortunately it hasn't cured the problem permanently but when the light goes off it only seems to come back on if I do several stop/starts in a short period of time (switching engine off type stopping).

I've not noticed any drop in performance or fuel consumption. Speaking with a mechanic who's wife has a similar model, it is not a serious problem just an inconvenience.

Hope that helps

 

My 2008 V6 TDI has the same problem, light came on over 3 years ago. I've covered about 50000 miles since then. I did some research and found there is a design flaw on this engine (Audi engineered) the official VW answer is to replace both inlet manifolds. UK estimate is approx £800 each side. I did find a supposed solution. The problem is wear in the swirl flap lever which after a period of time gets slack which is then picked up by the sensor. There is a VW replacement kit for the flap lever which costs £10 from a diesel performance company called Darkside Developments. Unfortunately it hasn't cured the problem permanently but when the light goes off it only seems to come back on if I do several stop/starts in a short period of time (switching engine off type stopping).

I've not noticed any drop in performance or fuel consumption. Speaking with a mechanic who's wife has a similar model, it is not a serious problem just an inconvenience.

Hope that helps

You need the DieselGeek repair kit.


regards
Drag

 

@ nickyt, MsHannah states she is in Australia (where I live as well).

Sadly, successive governments have almost killed off consumer rights in cases like this.

My understanding from reading the material is that MsHannah bought her Treg from a Ford dealer. In law in Australia, the Ford dealer must give a warranty that covers documentable mechanical failure. These warranties are provided by an insurance company, but repairs up to a certain threshold are met by the dealer (to keep their costs down). So, the dealer has a motive to avoid admitting any failure (and there's little or no chance of challenging any such decision). Put another way, the car has to arrive on the back of a tow truck before the dealer will have to act.

The supplementary warranty MsHannah has purchased is provided by an insurer and many have written about the uselessness of these products. For example, the warranties state that they don't cover 'consumerables'. A head gasket is a 'consumerable'! And, as the head gasket 'consumerable' was the part that failed, the warped head is not covered!

My take on the possible cause of the light warning (diagnosed here), is that nothing has actually failed. Rather, the electrronics is warning that a component is operating below par and if not addressed a failure is likely to occur. Given this, the supplementary warranty will not deal with the matter.

My advice to MsHannah is to go back to the VW dealer, have a chat about the matter, and negotiate a 'deal' where the VW dealer will diagnose the 'condition' and write a report describing the 'condition' and what must be done to repair. Without such a doc, MsHannah has (as we say here) Buckley's chance of getting the warranty to pay for repairs.

Oh, by the way. I laughed when MsHannah wrote that the Ford dealer claimed the car was driven for 30 minutes. If anything, the motor was turned on for 30 minutes and occasionally someone went and looked to see if the light came on.

 

My advice to MsHannah is to go back to the VW dealer, have a chat about the matter, and negotiate a 'deal' where the VW dealer will diagnose the 'condition' and write a report describing the 'condition' and what must be done to repair.

And I agree with nickyt

Go back to the Ford dealer and insist that the car be repaired under the 3 month Statutory Warranty.

I don't know which State MsHannah is in but this is the Victoria Legalisation. Other States have similar Legalisation.
https://www.consumer.vic.gov.au/motor-cars/buying-a-used-car/warranties

 

I'm in Sydney, NSW, thanks.

 

@ JimJ

Hahahahahahaha

Try getting your Consumer Affairs department to step in to assist.

The operative sentence is "If you purchase a product or service and find it has a defect, the warranty sets out what you can claim and how you can claim it."

Now, go look at the warranty and you'll note the insurer has the purchaser over a barrel.

Critically (in Australia), it is the warrantor that decides if there is a defect. In the case of MsHannah, the dealer has said the light is now off [how and by what means turning that light off was effected is unknown] MsHannah says the dealer said they did a diagnostic appraisal and the light went off!

So, if MsHannah is to effect a desired outcome, she needs a reputable 3rd party (eg. VW Service Centre) to make a report that there is a defect and how that defect is to be repaired.

Until or unless, MsHannah is whistling Dixie.

 

The light came on a week after I drove it off the lot. The dealer whom I bought it off and have warranty (have said if there is engine problems then warranty covers it) cleared the error code and said if comes back on bring it back and we will investigate. That was 13 days ago, light has not come back on. I was initially confused because one mechanic diagnosed it with 2,300 engine issue. But other dealer I bought off and have warranty cleared the error and said wait and see. I had 2 different responses, that's what confuses me. Car is running like a dream and light has not come on for 10 days so hopefully that's a good sign.

 

Car is running like a dream and light has not come on for 10 days so hopefully that's a good sign.

That is a good sign and I hope it stays off. If something is broke, it should be fixed. Period. However, just because the light came on once, does not necessarily mean something is broke. Touaregs love to set Check Engine lights, in my experience.

If you are worried about it, pay the VW mechanic to go over the car and give you a basic bill of health. If you are not worried, keep driving it as long as the check engine light is off.

All I can tell you is the EGR light might come back on and it might never come back on. But, do check the fluids (oil and coolant) at least once a week for the next month. That is cheap insurance.

 

Waaaa he said they drove it around two times each for 30 minutes, are you saying they're telling me porkies. I need to know more..

 

But other dealer I bought off and have warranty cleared the error and said wait and see. I had 2 different responses, that's what confuses me. Car is running like a dream and light has not come on for 10 days so hopefully that's a good sign.

Did the dealer do a printout of the error or record the error?

If no you may have to wait for the error to manifest itself again. I would then go to back to the VW dealer, get a scan done and without deleting the error. Get a printout of the scan. This printout will show the date, time, VIN, mileage and the error. Cannot argue with that.

Then go back to the Ford dealer, show them the printout of the scan from the VW dealer and get them to do a scan.
If it shows the same fault, request that they fix it under the Statutory Warranty

If they don't or give an excuse not to, just a gentle reminder about social media may have the desired effect.

Dalliance
You may laugh, but I have had repairs done in Qld under the Statutory Warranty on second hand vehicles, no questions asked.

 

@ JimJ - Lucky you!

Also a Qlder, and each time I've had to fight tooth and nail. The reference to the head gasket is but one experience.

@ MsHannah

As JimJ has written, the only way you'll ever get to the bottom of the matter is to go "to the VW dealer, get a scan done and without deleting the error. Get a printout of the scan. This printout will show the date, time, VIN, mileage and the error".

It may cost currency, but you'll have peace of mind.

Cheers

 

In my 2011, the check engine light turned itself off today and my jaw dropped, such a constant companion of my journeys it has been! The car has always run great, give or take some NOx emissions ?

 

The Engine light going out would be a good thing, you would think..

 

If you are worried about it, pay the VW mechanic to go over the car and give you a basic bill of health. If you are not worried, keep driving it as long as the check engine light is off.

I had my Treg given the once over by and Independent European mechanic at no cost.
But he did gain a customer.

 

The light hasn't come back on and it's been 15 days.....It cost me $110.00 to diagnose the EGR, cooler replacement issue and give verbal quote $2,300. There is no code reader no. on the invoice. Again though Ford whom I bought car off turned off the light and said if it comes back on, to come back and they will look into it...