2013 Golf glow plug light/check engine light

annamei

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Aug 13, 2014
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Tempe, AZ
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2013 VW Golf TDI 4 door Manual
2013 Golf TDI 4-door, 20,825 miles /purchased Sept. 2012 has had all of its regular checkups & maintenance.

This is my first brand new car and first diesel so forgive my ignorance on the proper terms/engine knowledge. I've owned 2 used GTIs that I loved but dumped heaps of cash into to keep them running.

Today while driving about 2 miles after starting my car the glow plug light(?) started flashing and it felt like I lost power. I got to a safe place about 500 feet after, pulled over, turned off the car and started it again it seemed ok for a minute but then it started flashing again then the check engine light came on, I turned it off and it wouldn't turn back on (made a clicking noise). I had my infant daughter in the car and it was 100 degrees out today so I was pretty upset after calling VW roadside assistance and being told a tow truck was at least an hour away when I was in the middle of a busy populated area of town.

When I got to the dealer they asked what happened, I explained and they said "welp, we're really busy today, service isn't open tomorrow so we probably won't get to it until monday" and tried to send me on my way. I asked for a loaner and they said ok, when I asked if I was going to have to pay for the loaner they said depending on what is wrong with my car yes - if its the battery or something. I realize this isn't their fault but it smelled like an ashtray and was filthy. My daughter & I both have asthma and cannot be around cigarette smoke so I drove it back to swap it out and they were pretty rude. I'm getting off track here but is this normal behavior from the dealer? Am I just being overly sensitive? When I took it in for regularly schedule maintenance I never got this kind of treatment.

I LOVE this car and on one hand I'm glad that this happened while its still under warranty but I'm worried, am I going to have another VW that costs more to repair then a new car payment? Is it time to think about trading it in?
 

VeeDubTDI

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Normal behavior from a dealer? Unfortunately we see poor dealer service too often.

You won't have to pay for the loaner because there is obviously something wrong with your car. A flashing glow plug light indicates a major fault.
 

Tdijarhead

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Let's hope it's just the Saturday crew that didn't really want to be there that was being less than " kind". Even if it is a battery, and it is not, we are talking about a very new car. I would just assume they will cover everything including the loaner even if it is a battery that should last a minimum of 4-5 years.
 

annamei

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Aug 13, 2014
Location
Tempe, AZ
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2013 VW Golf TDI 4 door Manual
Did the motor crank normally but just not turn over?
After the second time the light came on & CEL came on it when I tried turn it over the dash lights, A/C, radio, etc came on but the engine just made a whine then a loud click. I was pretty distracted with a crying baby so I don't have much more detail then that, I didn't keep trying because I didn't want to flood the engine or do more damage. The tow truck driver kind of treated me like a dumb girl and said it was probably the battery and tried to turn it over too but it made the same loud whine then click noise. Living in the desert I've had to replace batteries every 2 years even if you pull maintenance on them. If it was just the battery I would have had a friend jump me but it didn't sound like that to me. Does that make sense?

Also while I was sitting waiting I had ample time to read my entire warranty handbook and it says the battery is only covered for 2 years/22000 miles and I am just over 1 month over 2 years.
 

Matt927

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I unfortunately do not think it was a battery issue. You don't happen to to know any of the codes pulled?
 

VeeDubTDI

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Loud whine then click sounds like the starter trying to turn over, but not having enough power to do so.
 

annamei

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2013 VW Golf TDI 4 door Manual
I unfortunately do not think it was a battery issue. You don't happen to to know any of the codes pulled?
No I don't, as far as I know it hasn't even been looked at yet. Will they give the codes to me on a report about the repair or do I need to ask for them?
 

Matt927

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They should give them to you on the work order. When they call you ask them, I'd be interested to know.

Hopefully it is an easy and quick fix.
 
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annamei

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Tempe, AZ
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2013 VW Golf TDI 4 door Manual
Ok I just spoke with the dealer and they said there were no codes? This sounds incorrect to me - wouldn't the CEL register some codes? Anyhow he said its the High Pressure Fuel Pump - the bearings failed, they need to get the parts from VW and they're keeping my car until at least Thursday.
 

annamei

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2013 VW Golf TDI 4 door Manual
That is what I thought. Read up on VW HPFP failure. Tons of info here.

Go onto NHTSA's website and report your failure there to add to the ongoing investigation.

Also add your failure here and you will see you are not alone.

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=299854
Thanks for the info Matt927. I just reported to NHTSA, does that actually help with recalls?
 

Matt927

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Probably not, until someone is hurt. Their investigation and engineering analysis has been ongoing for years but still not closed.

VWOA also recently issued a memo to its service departments to retain and ship back all failed HPFP units for further analysis.

Do you remember where you purchased fuel last? You might want to contact the station and see if anyone else has reported problems with the last diesel load.

I am going to assume you never used a diesel fuel additive?
 

annamei

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Tempe, AZ
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2013 VW Golf TDI 4 door Manual
I know exactly where I purchased fuel from last because I was on my way out of town for a business trip and stopped at a station I don't normally go to.
On 09/22/2014 at a Shell station just off the freeway in an upscale shopping center:
http://www.phoenixgasprices.com/Shell_Gas_Stations/Phoenix_-_North/74163/index.aspx

I always save my receipts so that I can check my fuel economy but I put them in my glove box so it is in my car at the dealer right now. Will they be able to tell from the date & time which batch my fuel came from? And I guess the bigger question, will they care?

I have never used an additive. The reason I joined this site is because I was interested in using alternative diesel but after reading about it I realized that I don't have the time, energy or room to store and deal with WVO.
 

Matt927

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WVO won't work in a CR TDI regardless. Some swear by fuel additives like Optilube to help improve the lubricity of our questionable US diesel supply among other things.

Stations are responsible for the fuel they sell and have a guarantee on it, chances are slim but you never know.

Ask your dealer if they took a fuel sample.
 

annamei

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2013 VW Golf TDI 4 door Manual
Good to know! (I just had to google CR TDI...) I am embarrassingly ignorant about this car but especially about anything relating to diesel engine. My previous gas GTIs I knew enough so that when it broke down I could almost always troubleshoot the issue on my own. This car intimidates me, I guess its time to do at least some basic research. I was also sorta hoping I wouldn't have any issues with it because it is still pretty new.

I'll ask the dealer about a fuel sample, they seemed reluctant to give me much information at all. I'm very interested to read what they include on the final repair report.
 

Matt927

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Most of your fuel system will be replaced if metal was found. The job runs anywhere from $6000-8000.

Regardless, you are under warranty and Volkswagen has been repairing these systems free of charge for owners who are far outside their warranty window. Do some research here on the HPFP, US Diesel fuel quality, etc. Lots of good info.
 

VeeDubTDI

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Good to know! (I just had to google CR TDI...) I am embarrassingly ignorant about this car but especially about anything relating to diesel engine. My previous gas GTIs I knew enough so that when it broke down I could almost always troubleshoot the issue on my own. This car intimidates me, I guess its time to do at least some basic research. I was also sorta hoping I wouldn't have any issues with it because it is still pretty new.

I'll ask the dealer about a fuel sample, they seemed reluctant to give me much information at all. I'm very interested to read what they include on the final repair report.
annamei,

This link should get you up to speed on your engine: http://www.natef.org/NATEF/media/NATEFMedia/VW Files/2-0-TDI-SSP.pdf

It's the service technician's self study program and it goes through all of the details of how things work and the theory behind it.
 

kjclow

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Sorry to hear about your failure. My comments are more related to the dealer comments. You will find good and bad dealers and then good and bad people within any of those dealers. Although, from many stories on here, VW seems to make a habit of highering the worst of the bunch. Since buying my 10 JSW, I haven't had a problem with two out of the three dealers here. The place I bought it from give me a loaner when the battery went out at about 15 months. The dealer where my wife bought here Golf has been very good to deal with on both cars. The third dealer was the only one in town that had a Hankook tire in stock when I picked up a roofing nail. Made the out of the way drive to get the new tire put on. Picked it up late and didn't really look at it. Noticed the next morning that the mechanic put the wrong tire on it.
 

annamei

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2013 VW Golf TDI 4 door Manual
Sorry to hear about your failure. My comments are more related to the dealer comments. You will find good and bad dealers and then good and bad people within any of those dealers. Although, from many stories on here, VW seems to make a habit of highering the worst of the bunch. Since buying my 10 JSW, I haven't had a problem with two out of the three dealers here. The place I bought it from give me a loaner when the battery went out at about 15 months. The dealer where my wife bought here Golf has been very good to deal with on both cars. The third dealer was the only one in town that had a Hankook tire in stock when I picked up a roofing nail. Made the out of the way drive to get the new tire put on. Picked it up late and didn't really look at it. Noticed the next morning that the mechanic put the wrong tire on it.
When my other cars needed repair I had a trusted, reliable mechanic but since its under warranty this is a whole new ballgame. Where I work my company is an authorized warranty facility for industrial electric motors. The OEM pays us some agreed upon percentage of what we would normally charge to do a repair so warranty work on something we didn't sell doesn't thrill us. I suppose its the same way for service centers at the dealer?
I am not one to normally complain but if they send me a customer satisfaction survey I will not hold back this time.
Side note - when I wanted my windows tinted I decided to have it done at the dealer. I knew I would pay more but I liked the idea that if it bubbled, cracked, or was defective in some way I wouldn't have to hunt down some guy who did it out of the back of his truck. I called around to 3 dealers asking for pricing and I got quotes for $110 - $190. It is still very strange to me that dealers that are about 15 miles apart would have such a big price difference. The highest happens to be the place my car is at now.
 

annamei

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Tempe, AZ
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2013 VW Golf TDI 4 door Manual
Are you disappointed with the way you or your car are being treated?
I'm starting to think I have unrealistic expectations. My first car was a used Ford with an extended warranty and it was at the dealer for warranty repair A LOT. Each time it went in the service advisor contacted me and gave me a detailed rundown of the issue, estimated time for repair and promptly called me when it was ready for pick-up. They knew me by name, did a vehicle rinse without my asking and was in general friendly and courteous.

I had to contact the dealer to ask about my car 3 different times, I was told it would be ready on Thursday but after not hearing from them had to call them to find out it wouldn't be ready until late Friday. Then on Friday I had to call to make sure it would really be ready, they said it would by 5pm, I got a call at 5:15 saying it was ready (service closes at 6). When I did pick it up they hurriedly handed me the key and had me sign the paperwork. I guess I was hoping for some explanation about the issue and what they did to fix it. Here is a copy of the report if you're interested, I'm not sure if this shows the CEL code?
http://tinyurl.com/vwrepair

So far no issues, I think from what I read on this forum, if I was going to have issues I would have had them pretty much right away.
 

kjclow

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Did they fill it for you? Just wondering what the $29 charge was for.

My worst dealer experiences were at two different Ford garages. Had a master cylinder and fluid reservoir replaced three times in 13 months, just over the lemon law period for Wisconsin. Took the same van to the local dealer after I moved down here. I knew from the way it was running, that it was miss firing on at least one cylinder. So I asked for a tune up. Was told twice that it didn't need a tune up because there weren't enough miles from the last tune. Don't remember where we finally got the tune done, but it ran like a champ for about three more years. That's when I traded it in on my old beetle.
 

Matt927

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It would appear the charge was for fuel.

It looks like they did a proper clean/flush of your fuel system, not doing this properly has led to a few repeat failures around the country. With regards to your dealer experience, you will find a lot of opinions on this forum about VW Service Departments. Some good, some bad. The particular dealer I use always calls me and leaves a detailed message when the car is done and in general, I have been happy with their service.

Think about using a fuel additive.
 

VeeDubTDI

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It looks like they replaced almost your entire fuel system, which leads me to believe that your high pressure fuel pump failed.
 

annamei

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Aug 13, 2014
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Tempe, AZ
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2013 VW Golf TDI 4 door Manual
Did they fill it for you? Just wondering what the $29 charge was for.
The charge was for fuel and they waived it for me... they filled the tank half way.

Question: wouldn't the dash lights and failure register some codes? I'm still having trouble believing that it didn't record any.
 

kjclow

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The charge was for fuel and they waived it for me... they filled the tank half way.
Question: wouldn't the dash lights and failure register some codes? I'm still having trouble believing that it didn't record any.
Many have reported failures without triggering any codes while others have had codes show up. Seems about as random as the hpfp failures.
 

annamei

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Aug 13, 2014
Location
Tempe, AZ
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2013 VW Golf TDI 4 door Manual
So this happened tonight...

There wasn't any indication of an issue aside from the dash light, it seemed to run ok but I got off the freeway and took surface streets and limped it home. I've been waiting on the tow truck now for over 2 hours.
 
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