Crazy. When you hang out here, you have to separate the wheat from the chaff. This is a great resource but I don't worry about my TDI. I drive it and do the maintenance. I do use Power Service. That's it besides keeping it clean.

For me, the TDI has been great and I have a great dealer.

My other ride is a Chrysler product: 2011 Dodge Durango Citadel. Have no issues. Great ride and comfortable...our family ride.

I do recall you not keeping cars/SUVs for long. Maybe its time. You're bored.


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Crazy. When you hang out here, you have to separate the wheat from the chaff. This is a great resource but I don't worry about my TDI. I drive it and do the maintenance. I do use Power Service. That's it besides keeping it clean.

For me, the TDI has been great and I have a great dealer.

My other ride is a Chrysler product: 2011 Dodge Durango Citadel. Have no issues. Great ride and comfortable...our family ride.

I do recall you not keeping cars/SUVs for long. Maybe its time. You're bored.

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I think the slap-rattle in the rear end is the motivating force. I'm reminded of it constantly on Eugene's potholed streets. I've tried everything I can think of to find the cause myself, without success.

I've also advised other TDI owners to just Drive And Be Happy. Guilty of not taking my own advice.

 

Could it be an exhaust banging against something? I'd go under and check all the rubber bushings and points of contact or anything it can possibly get in contact with.

 

The rattle would drive me nuts. Maybe another dealer can figure it out.

 

It could be a small stone trap somewhere between the exhaust and a heat shield.

 

It's not the exhaust. Not the spare or related tools. Not the hatch. I've crawled underneath and banged on things with a rubber mallet and my fist and everything is solid. It's like a slap-pop noise as if something is slapping against the bottom of the rear end when i drive over any jarring bump. Even driving over a driveway edge causes this noise. It's really annoying. Another Exec owner here says he has the same problem. I seem to recall a 3rd owner who was so frustrated by the same problem he bailed out of his Touareg very quickly.

Dealer replaced a strut. Wrong guess.

 

Tires? Overland Test

Try 18" rims

I tested the Grand Cherokee V8 4 times, the one V6 test was an immediate failure. The V6 seems to always be trying too hard and lousy gear hunting. The seats bottom are short and like orange crates. Steering, tranny shifting pattern and cabin noise a problem. The last nail were the side window height at 14" and protruding driverside pillar post. Almost a Hummer experience.

The good, air shocks and real 4wheel with low transfer. Not sure I trust all the E gizmos to last more than 2-3 years. For the 15-20% tough off road travel, not worth the driving difference. When I go on hardcore off road trips, I ride in my friend's restored 1943 military Willy's.

My advice, Rent a grand Cherokee for a week and post comparison result.

 

I had 2004 Durango awhile ago. Loved its HEMI. The dealer is absolutely best one can wish for and rated 5 diamonds for many years in a row. After 4 years of happy driving she developed a sound exactly matching the one you've described for your Exec. Four dealer's visits yielded nothing. On fifth, I ended up having Service Department Manager riding in a trunk to confirm the problem presence. Next step was getting brand new suspension installed - they've replaced all parts which could be causing the problem simultaneously. When I traded in my truck a year later, someone got a very nicely refreshed suspension. Needless to say that the whole thing was paid by the extended warranty (~4K$).

 

Forgot to say that the problem was solved... Or was it obvious?

 

I've wracked my brain on this. The 20" wheels with lower-profile tires on the Exec definitely ride more harshly than the 19" Everests on the Lux, but I can't fathom how that would cause this slap-rattle. Played with tire pressure, no effect. Changing from 20" to 19" or 18" is kind of an expensive experiment. I'd do it in a heartbeat though if I knew for sure it would fix the problem.

The JGC V6 8-speed transmission does hunt some, definitely more than the Touareg TDI 8-speed, but that can be mostly mitigated using the paddle shifters to select the gear.

 

Biggest issue with the JGC is
It's a Dodge.

 

Well some might say the biggest issue with the Touareg is it's a VW.

 

Or Service

Not sure VW and the dealer service is up to the mechanical and computer sophistication. I doubt Jeep will be either.

 

Well at least they give you a 5 year 100,000 mile power train warranty and 3-36000 bumper to bumper and roadside. If VW did that on the power train they would go broke.

 

T3 Touaregs in the US have a 10/100 powertrain warranty and 3/36 bumper to bumper, with roadside & scheduled maint.

The exterior fit on the '14 JGC was clearly inferior. The interior looked very good though.

 

They do? I thought it was 5 year 60000? What did you find inferior about the exterior fit? I guess I didn't look at the lines that close but it's not a Bentley so I wouldn't expect perfect gaps from many factory assembly line vehicles.

 

Yep 100,000 checked it on the net .. Shows what my dealer knows lol.

 

I have a pretty good eye for body panel & door alignment. The JGC had obvious issues (few people would probably notice). Touaregs are a precision Swiss watch in comparison. I don't know the right automotive terms but where the front pillars meet the front fenders, the gap lines were way crooked.

Mexi-built Sportwagens are not great either. German-built Tiguans are much better. Just speaking to VW models here.

 

I totally know what you mean. the A pillar alignment gap with the quarter panel. I always feel a vehicles gap in that exact area. From that one point you can see straight down the alignment of the door to the quarter panel and quarter panel down the hood. TBH, It's not that perfect on my T3 2013 (JUST turned 1,000 miles).

I was minutely disappointed with it, but its unacceptable by any means. It's just that my 10 year old Infiniti G35 (Manufactured in Japan) and my 2005 Jetta Wagon TDI (Germany) have better aligned hood > quarter panel than my brand spakin' new Touareg.

Salty...

 

I think your referring to the A pillar. The one I looked at was fine. That area is typical for fit issues though. I make fun of my buddy's GTR every time.. 100,000 Nissan and its way off. Yes the Treg is built well but I'm having a hard time justifying a new one because of the issues with dealer service and parts breaking.I had 2002 range rover that incredibly was more reliable then the 06 I have. My girl friends sportwagen is a disaster and I feel bad because I talked her into it after she didn't want to because of all the issues she had with the passat.

I have been cross shopping the Touareg with the Grand and GX460. I'm leaning more to the GX because of the frame on body construction and build quality and reliability. I need a 2 speed Tcase and some good ground clearance which it gives me and the Touareg no longer does. The Treg is just to much of a soccer mom car for me.. But that's me.

 

Yeah, bottom of A pillars not meshing well with fender. Seen it on Jettas too.

I don't think of a NA Touareg as a soccer mom vehicle. But i get why it seems neutered now in NA.

Why is there no filter downstream from the HPFR to contain the considerable damage when the HPFR fails?

 

Why is there no filter downstream from the HPFR to contain the considerable damage when the HPFR fails?

Other than the paranoia on here, what makes you believe the HP pump is going to fail?

If you say the sky is purple often enough, eventually some people start to believe it.....

 

Have you checked the sparewheel and parts in the trunk for movement?

 

New JGC now has a Fiat diesel engine and 8 speed box
I test drove the previous 5 speed model and was quite impressed but felt the suspension was too soft (moose test anyone?) and the interior panel fit was poor - check the interior covers over the A pillars - not very secure at all, perhaps they are designed that way for the air bags but I thought they were very flimsy...

 

New JGC now has a Fiat diesel engine and 8 speed box
...

This is only partially true, and it doesn't have a Fiat diesel per se.

The ECO Diesel used in the JGC is made my an Italian company called VM Motori. That company is owned 50/50 by Fiat and GM.

VM Motori - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

Dave, I don't blame you a bit for being frustrated with the clunk noise.

As far as your other concerns go....

The 2014 JGC will likely have more problems than a T3. The steering issues you felt were caused by the electro hydraulic power steering. I drive a 2013 Dodge Charger at work with the same system, It gets MUCH worse with time! 20k miles since Jan. Brake rotors are crap, cel light issues ect. I strongly considered the 2014 JGC for it's off road abilities, not even close to being in the same league as the T3 in build quality.

Ryan Leon is the shop foreman at Armstrong VW. He is very sharp. I am very confident in his abilities. I do realize that it would be a bit of a drive for you.

Getting back to the clunk. Sounds like it is easy to replicate on demand. Try another service dept. Based on the HD radio issue it sounds like you are a tenacious guy. Why not push the issue to a satisfactory resolution or a buy back?

On the other hand sometimes if you want something done right you have to do it yourself. I'm not that far away if you want help troubleshooting or to try swapping on some 18" wheels and tires.

 

I wouldn't loose my sleep over HPFP. If you're going to worry like that then you'll have to worry about every damn part in your truck. You have 10 years 100,000 miles not to worry, so give it a rest and start enjoying your Treg. This forum is relatively small and and only a few have had problems out of how many thousands?

As far as clunking noise, have you pulled EVERYTHING out of the trunk, rear seat area, etc... including the retractable cargo cover? If that doesn't help I have another theory, pull the right side liner in your trunk area and inspect the modules located there. It may be that one of them or the bracket is loose.

 

As far as clunking noise, have you pulled EVERYTHING out of the trunk, rear seat area, etc... including the retractable cargo cover? If that doesn't help I have another theory, pull the right side liner in your trunk area and inspect the modules located there. It may be that one of them or the bracket is loose.

Yes on removing all that stuff including the floor piece, tools, and the cargo cover. Checked rear seats, folded down, upright, etc. The only change is AdBlue sloshing noise becomes very noticeable with the cover and related noise isolation pieces removed.

The right-side wheelwell area has occurred to me, what with lots of stacked electronics in there. Haven't gotten up the ambition to tear into it...

 

Update

I've been making a lot of roundtrips in the Touareg between Eugene and Florence over the last few weeks. About 65 miles each way. The Touareg is just so awesome on the open road. I can't see making a change at this time. A big heavy SUV getting 29.5 MPG (hand-calculated) and almost zero auto transmission hunting over the Coast Range pass and taking curves without feeling the need to slow down.


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Just my .2 cents on your clunking rattling suspension noise. My 2007 w/sport suspension had rear shocks replaced, due to clunking / rattling noise only over certain surfaces. They examined everything nothing was loose! It almost sounded like the license plate was rattling against the body. There was a tsb about suspension noise, but I can't remember the number. Once my dealer called tech line they authorized new shocks. The noise is gone! He shocks were internally damaged somehow. This was around 30k miles. Try the search function on here, and look for the old thread on this. I don't know if this even applies to your year, but they could be using the same shock/supplier. Just a thought........

 

Oops my bad mine didn't have 30k more like 43k when they did the shocks. Speed bumps also did not cause the noise, or regular dips in the road. Rough concrete, cracks in the road, and backing down my steep driveway caused the noise. Otherwise quiet, and perfect.

 

The noise seems to be right-rear. They replaced the right-rear strut on the last go-around, no change in the problem. I've owned a LOT of cars and none has had this problem except this Touareg which except for this I love. It's not my imagination. Grrr...

I told them to ignore all other rattles and squeaks for now (and there are a couple). I want this specific problem found and fixed.

 

I would be pissed if they only did one! They should always be replaced in pairs! My dealer is great, and they deal with a lot of Touaregs, and Phaetons. They also have VW certified master techs on hand. Not all dealers are equal. Maybe get a 2nd opinion at another. My noise was not noticeable with the radio on, but driving down low or off it was annoying. I feel your pain! Hope you get it sorted!