BRAND new Passat, and an even NEWER engine light illumination?!

Alright everybody,
I am brand new to posting on forums, I do know how to navigate thru them somewhat from scanning on other forums....

I figured this would be the best place for any/all input regarding my concerns..

I have just purchased (Saturday evening Jan. 17th) a brand new 2015 VW Passat TDI DSG SE w/ Sunroof and NAV. from a dealer about a good hour and a half away...on my way home, everything was fine. This morning (pretty cold in NW Indiana) the car started okay...I emphasize okay because after initial start, it chugged a little, dropped rpms, speratically kind of....a little concerned. (My only experience with diesel is with trucks and with a block heater... I know my car DOES NOT have a plug-in style block heater [if any heater at all])....
I then noticed my engine light was on... starting and re-starting the car never tripped it off. The car ran fine and everything after the chugging stopped (only lasted a few seconds).

Does ANYONE know why an engine light would be on with such a new car? It still continues to be illuminated. The service manager from my place of purchase was very nice and told me to check all caps. Oil cap, dipstick, fuel cap, etc. He mentioned that these engines pull a lot of vacuum and it could be as simple as that. (he understood my frustration and as to why I didn't want to bring a brand new vehicle back from an hour and a half away - he was very helpful) but it didn't fix my issue.

I thought about scanning it to check the code myself, biting the bullet, and taking it in AFTER I scan it???

Any and all input would be very helpful for this newbie on a forum and for owning my FIRST diesel VW car. (I do still like it! )

Thank you in advance!
- Luke

Don't even waste the slightest amount of effort on trying to scan it or fix it yourself. Drop it at the dealer and tell them to fix your 48 hour old car. Sure its inconvenient but it's a brand new car. I'd want it correct and reliable from the start - it could be some silly sensor that could be replaced fairly quickly.

Thanks Samcar222! The car will be in route in t-minus 30 minutes!

Your service manager told you your diesel VW pulls a LOT of vacuum and also to check oil cap and even your dipstick? I think you need a new service manager.

This may be something as simple as fuel gelling and after some additional starts the light may reset. In the future it would help to post model specific questions in the correct section. More owners would be scanning that section and may have better insight.

Good luck and enjoy your new car.

Specifically this area of the forums for NMS Passat.

http://forums.tdiclub.com/forumdisplay.php?f=86

Just down the main forums page.

mohawk69,
I agree..i did not know if it was the fuel or not... like mentioned, I'm not too familiar with these kinds of diesels. I would ASSUME that it would have to do with fuel.

And sorry to you and Lightflyer1 for not posting in the correct area, I read that the 101 was for new users so I figured I couldn't go wrong posting there.

Thanks again!

No need to apologize to me. I was trying to help point you to the correct model forum for any later posts. This is the place to post if you don't know where to go, but someone will point you to the correct spot for later.

I would take it to nearest dealer, not necessarily the one you bought it from.

tdipower15, welcome to the forum! you are going to love it here. You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave……

Please post anything and everything you learn from the dealer back here. It will give you a good reality check and help us learn a bit more about these machines.

Under warranty, have the dealer do it.

Fortunately what a service writer/manager says has nothing to do with a technician's knowledge. The guy you spoke with is working under the assumption of your vehicle being a gas engine, or he's just so diesel illiterate, he assumes they operate similar enough to the gas engines.

The gas engines do in fact have quite a bit of vacuum in their crankcase. So a cracked valve cover or bad PCV, a cracked dipstick/tube, or a leak at the oil cap makes them run like ****. Most gassers from VW these days don't use manifold vacuum to operate anything. The 2.5L and all the turbo engines (newer than the old 1.8T) use vacuum pumps. The only exception is the old 2.0L 8V found in the Jettas... for now.

Alright everyone, I really appreciate all the posts! I did take it back to the dealer and was pretty firm with them. They actually were extremely cooperative and good to deal with (so far as the shop still has the car). Anyways, they called engineers/techs from VW. Walking through step by step. I do believe it to be camshaft sensor/timing issue. Will keep posting as I go along
I asked (and they seemed as they were going to anyway) for all code number and diagnosis. May just end up attaching a pic when I have the paper in front of me for all of you who are interested.
Thank you again!

There is an old adage that on a VW, if the Check Engine light is on - all is well. If it is out, there is a problem and that you should replace the light and hope that it comes on again. Welcome to VW ownership - it's fun, but it can be frustrating!

Gee, the first time my check engine light came on since 2008 was last week for the exhaust flap. 135,000 miles without the distraction (except during the start process which verifies the lamp works)

2008?

You could buy the 09 in late 2008. They were few and far between but I started looking at that time.

intercooler icing issue ?

jimbote said:

intercooler icing issue ?

Click to expand...

Not on a Passat, they use water/air intercoolers so they don't have the issue.

TheGrove said:

Not on a Passat, they use water/air intercoolers so they don't have the issue.

Click to expand...

interesting !