UNOFFICIAL Adblue Heater Element Failure Thread

BayNOLA

New member
Joined
Aug 2, 2015
Location
Alabama
TDI
2012 Passat tdi
Another Heater Failure Victim

Just wanted to add my 2 cents.

2012 Passat tdi
Production Date: 1/19/12
Current mileage: 53904
Check engine light on 7/30/15. Coded and found P205C. Took vehicle to dealership and they repaired same day (lucky...). Repairs covered under extended warranty w/copay.

Invoice details:
Fault P205C found in the ECM. Followed tech bulletin 2041110/1.
45VWZ engine electrical.
624 CPW $168.00
1 561-198-970-A REP KIT $625.00
Urea $10.70
Total Charges: $803.70 + Sales Tax

I really hope VW has looked at the root cause of this issue that many seem to be having, and have addressed the problem with superior replacement parts. I would hate to have this happen again in 50k miles. From reading the posts in this thread it looks like I'm really lucky the dealership had the repair part in stock.

If this keeps up folks will start bypassing the adblue system rather than spend the money to repair faulty sensors/pumps/heaters every few years.
 
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VeeDubTDI

Wanderluster, Traveler, TDIClub Enthusiast
Joined
Jul 2, 2000
Location
Springfield, VA
TDI
‘18 Tesla Model 3D+, ‘14 Cadillac ELR, ‘13 Fiat 500e
As far as u know there are not 2 separate heaters that can be replaced. It's all in one module.
There are three heater circuits. There is one for the lines, one for the tank, and one for the pump. I would expect all three to provide different error codes when failed, but I can't confirm that.

P205C appears to be the code for the reductant tank temperature sensor, which, if I remember correctly, is the same code that our Passat is throwing. I think this problem is also resolved when changing the "kit," but I can't confirm that, either, as we're waiting for summer to pass before dropping the tank in our driveway.
 

banshee365

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 4, 2012
Location
FL
TDI
06 Jetta
2013
36,600
CEL/MIL
P205B
No symptoms that I've noticed yet. It just threw it tonight.
I haven't contacted the dealer yet.


I scanned the MIL with my VCDS and got this code. I haven't cleared it yet. I wanted to wait until I spoke with my dealer to see if there's a chance of this being covered. I'm not going to take the car to them and pay a diagnosis fee to tell me warranty won't cover it and here's a crazy repair estimate. I have a feeling the dealer will say too bad so sad and I'll have to go to VWoA. I have a feeling they'll either say too bad so sad please buy another VW OR they'll offer to either pay labor or parts for a dealer repair. if they pay parts I may do that as labor may cost less than the part if I were to do it. I am confident the dealer will say it's not covered with infuriates me being 600 miles out of warranty. This car is still nearly new with this very common failure.
 

titleist1

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 12, 2013
Location
Baltimore
TDI
2013 Passat SE TDI
Another Victim of VW's Highly Regarded German Engineering....

9688 - Reductant Tank Temperature Sensor
P205B 00 [237] - Implausible Signal
MIL ON - Confirmed - Tested Since Memory Clear

2013 , 50,201 miles...

Looks like another Sat morning project on the horizon. Thanks so much VW for having a component defect be so common in your cars that I can easily find the repair procedure.
 

phlfly

Banned
Joined
Dec 20, 2012
Location
N.VA
TDI
Passat SEL
Nice Good job man


New to this forum, but thought I would post my experience on this subject as just another data point.
"wolfgang" exhibited CEL at about 59,500 miles.
I scanned it myself and got a 'heater low' error.
Searched online and saw repair kit from Parts.com for about $250, delivered.
Also read how to do it myself (mechanic time x 2 = my time = Saturday morning)
I also came to two other conclusions.
a. Not covered by federal 80k emissions warranty as its not a listed major part and not a gas engine vehicle.
b. Not covered by federal 50k emissions warranty as it's 10k over.
But, I have a Gold + 100k warranty so I dutifully took it to the dealer.
This is where things got WORSE.
Dealer said they have to diagnose it and then ask if its covered (True???)
I said: 'dont do anything that isn't covered by the warranty.
So they promptly took the exhaust off so they could diagnose the 'module' as well.
Later they tell me the fault isn't covered by the warranty, and I owe then $120 for taking the exhaust apart and telling me what I told them in the first place.
I had written on the estimate " only for work covered by warranty, max $100 deductible", so they agreed to put the car back together for 'free' but say I'm pushy.
I say they may feel that but I'm not feeling very good about paying $4k+ more for a TDI than the gas version of the same vehicle and then having one of the main parts that makes the difference fail. Also, I'm not too happy that the $2k warranty they sold me doesn't cover the Adblue tank.
I asked them to wait until I had spoken to VW America to see if there is any program.
This is where things got BETTER.
I call the customer service number.
TRULY nice person finds me in their system
LISTENS to me and asks me a bunch of questions about my TDI, the problem and my history with other VW vehicles I have owed/own.
Talks to supervisor. 5 minutes later they tell me my concern is a 'case' and I will hear from the regional rep and the dealer.
That was yesterday. My car spent the night on the workshop lift. (not a problem as I was out of town anyway).
Today, the dealer calls midmorning and tells me that VW are going to cover 75% of the cost and my balance will be about $250 including tax.
Figuring that's the same as the part from parts.com I say go ahead and forego half a day on my back in the driveway. By this point I'm pretty happy with VW for getting on the stick so fast.
Then, mid afternoon I get another call directly from a VW customer service representative, following up to tell me that they are going to pay for 75% of the repair (parts and labor) and that the repair total is $515 and my part will be $127 plus tax.
"That's strange" I say, "I just heard from the dealer's service manager that my portion is going to come to $233 plus tax".
"let me call you right back"
Which she did to let me know (and I quote her)
'there was a typo on the service manager's summary'.
'The bill to you will be $127 plus tax'
That's $137 for the problem fixed in 24 hours.
Thank you VW America.
And, because I left the vehicle overnight, the dealer got paid for taking the exhaust apart during the diagnosis phase as well.
I hate being the squeaky wheel.
Mostly.
 

dst5

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 11, 2012
Location
Los Angeles
TDI
Passat 2013 TDI
One more adblue heater failure here

One more adblue heater failure here at 97,500 miles. They want $1,100 to repair it but I will wait till I have to repair it next July to have it pass smog. I have a feeling there will be a recall on this failure mode too judging on how many failures VW is having.
 

cfm56

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 26, 2007
Location
97068
TDI
2014 Jetta TDI SportWagen
Check engine light just came on at 36,700 miles (wonderful that i just got past the warranty phase by 700 miles and this idiot light comes on).

Code: P205C (had o'reillys clear it, came back later in the day)

I have extended warranty but plan on calling the dealership to see what they say first regarding just passing the normal warranty period. Im not even sure if the extended one covers this..... just another thing to turn me off with this car and a modern/current diesel eng design. Im thinking that maybe its time to go back to gas and less MPG with less headaches.... maybe i'll get an ALH station wagon in the future for reliable, economical fun.
 

aullein

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 5, 2014
Location
Melbourne Fl
TDI
2012 Passat TDI SE 6Speed Manual
One more adblue heater failure here at 97,500 miles. They want $1,100 to repair it but I will wait till I have to repair it next July to have it pass smog. I have a feeling there will be a recall on this failure mode too judging on how many failures VW is having.

This is what I am hoping for. I called VWOA and did some complaining... also got transferred to their leadership/management and bithced some more.... they would only say they would possibly look into helping me out. What a joke.. i told them this will end up like the tubo charger issue. Hopefully it does and they end up issuing a fix on the house for everyone involved.
 

dst5

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 11, 2012
Location
Los Angeles
TDI
Passat 2013 TDI
This is what I am hoping for. I called VWOA and did some complaining... also got transferred to their leadership/management and bithced some more.... they would only say they would possibly look into helping me out. What a joke.. i told them this will end up like the tubo charger issue. Hopefully it does and they end up issuing a fix on the house for everyone involved.
The real ***** is that my heater probably was never used I live in southern California and my car is garaged. Really stupid that it should fail.
 

dst5

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 11, 2012
Location
Los Angeles
TDI
Passat 2013 TDI
Question for those who know... I read that the heater does not turn on till it reaches 12.5 deg F is this correct?
If so my ad blue heater in 97,500 miles never actually turned on since the coldest temp my car has seen in 28deg F
 

kydsid

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 18, 2012
Location
Texas
TDI
2012 Passat
Question for those who know... I read that the heater does not turn on till it reaches 12.5 deg F is this correct?
If so my ad blue heater in 97,500 miles never actually turned on since the coldest temp my car has seen in 28deg F

Where did you read that? Def freezes above 32. Afaik no matter the ambient temp the heater is working if the fluid is not 70 deg or higher.
 

dst5

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 11, 2012
Location
Los Angeles
TDI
Passat 2013 TDI
www.cumminsfiltration.com/pdfs/product_lit/americas_brochures/MB10033.pdf

Q. What is the freeze point of DEF?

2.5% solution of DEF will begin to crystallize and freeze at 12 deg F (
-11 deg C). At 32.5%, both the urea and water will freeze at the same rate, ensuring that as it thaws, the fluid does not become
diluted, or over concentrated. The freezing and unthawing of DEF will not cause degradation of the
product.
 

cfm56

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 26, 2007
Location
97068
TDI
2014 Jetta TDI SportWagen
Called the dealership and scheduled an appointment to argue that they should cover this under the emissions warranty. I doubt it will work and I think I'm gonna get stuck paying my copay and using the extended warranty for the first time. Will update this thread with my results
 

showdown 42

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 16, 2012
Location
naples,FL
TDI
2016 TDI touareg
My 2012 Treg TDI had the same heater element went bad 32,000mi . Car has never been in freezing weather ,up north in summer,in southern fl in winter. car has never seen weather below 50 degrees. VW did come through with a fix ,but this is a bad design which fails almost all the time. Should be recalled and changed out for everyone.
 

Drnknmnky13

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 13, 2010
Location
D.C.
TDI
2002 Golf 5spd, 2014 Passat DSG
Invoice details:
Fault P205C found in the ECM. Followed tech bulletin 2041110/1.
45VWZ engine electrical.
624 CPW $168.00
1 561-198-970-A REP KIT $625.00
Urea $10.70
Total Charges: $803.70 + Sales Tax


If this keeps up folks will start bypassing the adblue system rather than spend the money to repair faulty sensors/pumps/heaters every few years.
I know that PN 561-198-970-A is the heater repair kit. I'll probably need one of these. But what is the 624 CPW for $168.00?

Thanks
 

BayNOLA

New member
Joined
Aug 2, 2015
Location
Alabama
TDI
2012 Passat tdi
Reply to Drnknmnky13

624 CPW must be the labor charge. I didn't ask, but I'm not sure what else it could be.

BN
 

APT

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 20, 2012
Location
Metro Detroit
TDI
2012 Passat SEL
Just got P202A code today at 59.5k miles. Has anyone attempted to replace it themselves or had a guru do it?

Edit: Doh!
 

Drnknmnky13

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 13, 2010
Location
D.C.
TDI
2002 Golf 5spd, 2014 Passat DSG
Dealer quoted me $1300 to fix (heater repair kit to fix code p205c) . Stated the part was $800. Told him it was sub $500 online. He said if I bought the part they would install it. But they wouldn't warranty it. Only their labor. Which he would do for 400 to "cut me a break". Meaning. He would roll the diagnostic in at the later date.


. Anyway, all of that is a long way of saying I'll be doing it myself. The only part that scares me is the bumper removal. Mainly because if I mess it up, it's going to be very noticeable.
 

dst5

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 11, 2012
Location
Los Angeles
TDI
Passat 2013 TDI
I filed complaint on the adblue issue with the NHTSA, the EPA and the CARB just to put it on record we should all do that. Put some heat on VW. Pun intended.
 
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VeeDubTDI

Wanderluster, Traveler, TDIClub Enthusiast
Joined
Jul 2, 2000
Location
Springfield, VA
TDI
‘18 Tesla Model 3D+, ‘14 Cadillac ELR, ‘13 Fiat 500e
Drnknmnky,

Bumper removal is actually pretty easy. There are a few screws and clips that hold it in place, and the whole thing can be pulled off without much issue. It's best with two people - one person on each side.

I see you're in the DC area. Do you want to have a DEF tank fixing party at my house sometime this coming fall before the weather gets cold?
 

Drnknmnky13

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 13, 2010
Location
D.C.
TDI
2002 Golf 5spd, 2014 Passat DSG
Drnknmnky,

Bumper removal is actually pretty easy. There are a few screws and clips that hold it in place, and the whole thing can be pulled off without much issue. It's best with two people - one person on each side.

I see you're in the DC area. Do you want to have a DEF tank fixing party at my house sometime this coming fall before the weather gets cold?
Yes, although I'm planning on doing the repair sooner rather than later. Driving with a CEL on a 3 year old car just irks me.
 

amishcabdriver

New member
Joined
Oct 24, 2014
Location
Harrisburg PA
TDI
2012 Passat SE
Year: 2012 Passat
Mileage: 84,000~
Warning Light(s): CEL
Code(s): P202B
What a great way to start involvement in the forums..
This has been a journey. Abridged version follows: A month ago I got a CEL and the low DEF sensor warning (200 mi one, not the nice 1k mile one) on the return of a road trip. 200 miles when I was about 190 miles from home. Took it directly to the local garage I go to. They said CEL was fuel injector. Replaced the part ($450 w/ labor), DEF low sensor still on. Have to wait a week without car to get it in to a VW Dealership an hour away because the two local ones have NO idea what is causing this (I called, no one had heard of the error or knew what could be causing it). Get it up to the dealership finally, they get it in 2 days later, they tell me they've dealt with the problem, it's a $900 job. They call me back saying they aren't seeing the warning now though. Chalk it up to an error, but are unsure as to what could've been causing it. Pick it up (2 weeks and 2 days from initial drop off at local garage), everything is fine for 2 weeks.
Today the CEL returns. Take it to Advanced AutoParts for a reading. P202B error. After what I just went through of being vehicleless for 2 weeks, VWoA will be receiving a phone call. It seems based on all of your posts, this will be a crapshoot on help from them.
Will keep updated with how this epic journey continues.

Update: Spent the last hour on the online chat with a VW rep. After giving them all the details of what has led up to this event, no assistance. Since I am beyond warranty (they quoted the 2yr/24k emissions), they said there is nothing they can do to assist. Was told to hold out for hope regarding a possible recall.
 
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dst5

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 11, 2012
Location
Los Angeles
TDI
Passat 2013 TDI
I just had a very pleasant conversation with someone from the California Air Resources Board they are very interested in the adblue heater failures and especially the warranty. He will be reviewing the information on this board to see if this qualifies as a high dollar emissions repair in which case in California the part would be covered 7 years or 70,000 miles. We need to speak up to the people who make the rules not just ***** amongst our self's. Any other people experience an Adblue heater failure that live in California?
 

kydsid

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 18, 2012
Location
Texas
TDI
2012 Passat
I just had a very pleasant conversation with someone from the California Air Resources Board they are very interested in the adblue heater failures and especially the warranty. He will be reviewing the information on this board to see if this qualifies as a high dollar emissions repair in which case in California the part would be covered 7 years or 70,000 miles. We need to speak up to the people who make the rules not just ***** amongst our self's. Any other people experience an Adblue heater failure that live in California?
I advocated this long ago as vw is the only manufacturer with the stance that adblue isn't part of fed/csrb emissions AFAIK. Someone iirc contacted epa who agreed. They posted the epa response here too
 

ben2mx

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 14, 2012
Location
SoCal
TDI
2013 Passat SE
I just had a very pleasant conversation with someone from the California Air Resources Board they are very interested in the adblue heater failures and especially the warranty. He will be reviewing the information on this board to see if this qualifies as a high dollar emissions repair in which case in California the part would be covered 7 years or 70,000 miles. We need to speak up to the people who make the rules not just ***** amongst our self's. Any other people experience an Adblue heater failure that live in California?
I have had it. But it happened around 20k and a friends Passat TDI at 30k. Both were repaired under warranty.
 

Mr. Furious

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 19, 2012
Location
North Carolina
TDI
None
I got the dreaded 202B on Monday. Had AutoZone clear it out in the off chance it was a ghost in the machine. CEL stayed off until the drive home today, don't know if it's the 202B again but I'm going with that assumption. Called the dealer and the service manager said he'd see if there was anything he could do to help me out; only 43K miles.
 

NSTDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 26, 2002
Location
Nova Scotia
TDI
15 Passat
I had my 202B fixed finally, delays were mostly mine due to timing. Car was off warranty, VW agreed to pay 75%, the dealer paid the rest.

I think going to the EPA/NHTSA in the US and Transport Canada here is the way to go with VW stonewalling that "urea is not part of the emissions". Urea only exists for emissions, if VW chooses to use urea to meet emissions standards and emissions warranties are mandated by the government, the government should force a fix.

If GM, Ford, BMW, Mercedes, Chrysler, etc. cover urea as part of the emissions warranty, how can VW not?

In my case, I was covered and I am thankful for that.

Don
 

Mr. Furious

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 19, 2012
Location
North Carolina
TDI
None
Car was off warranty, VW agreed to pay 75%, the dealer paid the rest.
I'm really hoping that I can get some sort of arrangement like that. Hell, I'd pay the rest if 75% of the bill was covered. The Service Manager at my dealer is a really good guy, and I'm confident that if there's anything that can be done he'll do it.

So it appears that the going rate at a dealer to fix a P202B is about $1100-1500, give or take, with some outliers in either direction?
 

Drnknmnky13

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 13, 2010
Location
D.C.
TDI
2002 Golf 5spd, 2014 Passat DSG
I had my 202B fixed finally, delays were mostly mine due to timing. Car was off warranty, VW agreed to pay 75%, the dealer paid the rest.
How far out was your warranty?

I'm at 94,000 miles. I don't think VW or the dealer is going to cover me.
 
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