Had a very close call last week.
During all the rain last week our Touareg hesitated slightly then the engine light came on. Car ran ok the rest of the way home.
Hooked up the Ross Tech cable and it had reported 3 fault codes for the mass air flow sensor.
Contacted local VW dealer as its still under warranty, sorry sir cannot get you in to look at it until two weeks after easter !
Decided to clear the codes and do a short drive to see if they came back.
Car ran flawlessly and no new codes reported.
We live in our caravan so car sat outside in the rain for the next two days.
Wife drove it to visit our daughter and it coughed and spluttered as she got close to her destination but no engine light this time.
Called VW roadside assist and had it towed to the dealer.
First call from the dealer was asking if I had driven through any water crossings.
Left side air box had water in it and the air filter was sopping wet.
There are two one way drain valves, one inside the air box and one in the air intake, both were blocked with dirt !
Cleaned out and air filter replaced but was not covered by warranty as it was caused by an outside influence ie. dust.
Dealer advised that had water been sucked into the engine and destroyed it that VW would not cover it under warranty.
Found a old discussion on the US forum apparently it is a common problem with the 7P with many horror stories of hydro locked engines.
The water runs down the mudguard channel across the headlight and straight into the air intake clearly a design fault.
Air filter change interval is 45K so plenty of time for dust to build up and solidify blocking the drain valves.
I don't remember reading about this problem in any of the buyers guides or issues to be aware of for the 7P.
If you own a 7P I suggest you check your drain valves on a regular basis especially if the car has been driven in dusty conditions.
Kym
During all the rain last week our Touareg hesitated slightly then the engine light came on. Car ran ok the rest of the way home.
Hooked up the Ross Tech cable and it had reported 3 fault codes for the mass air flow sensor.
Contacted local VW dealer as its still under warranty, sorry sir cannot get you in to look at it until two weeks after easter !
Decided to clear the codes and do a short drive to see if they came back.
Car ran flawlessly and no new codes reported.
We live in our caravan so car sat outside in the rain for the next two days.
Wife drove it to visit our daughter and it coughed and spluttered as she got close to her destination but no engine light this time.
Called VW roadside assist and had it towed to the dealer.
First call from the dealer was asking if I had driven through any water crossings.
Left side air box had water in it and the air filter was sopping wet.
There are two one way drain valves, one inside the air box and one in the air intake, both were blocked with dirt !
Cleaned out and air filter replaced but was not covered by warranty as it was caused by an outside influence ie. dust.
Dealer advised that had water been sucked into the engine and destroyed it that VW would not cover it under warranty.
Found a old discussion on the US forum apparently it is a common problem with the 7P with many horror stories of hydro locked engines.
The water runs down the mudguard channel across the headlight and straight into the air intake clearly a design fault.
Air filter change interval is 45K so plenty of time for dust to build up and solidify blocking the drain valves.
I don't remember reading about this problem in any of the buyers guides or issues to be aware of for the 7P.
If you own a 7P I suggest you check your drain valves on a regular basis especially if the car has been driven in dusty conditions.
Kym