Lujess
Active member
Apologies in advance for a rather long post.....
Up to this point, I've been very happy with my 2011 MK VI Golf TDI (6 speed). I purchased it new in June 2011.
I use this car as my daily driver, commuting about 8 miles one way to work each day....without about 6 of these one way miles on interstate highway (speeds 70-85). I do take occasional longer trips (1-1.5 hours one way) about once per month. I tend to keep RPMs on the high side.
About a year ago I had my first problem with the EGR / DPF. The check engine light came on during a longer drive (3 hour round trip drive in a single day). At the time I did not notice any performance changes, but took the car into the dealer the next day. The repair report from the dealer was as follows:
December 30, 2011 = 8,095 miles =
"Customer states check engine light on. Through GFF checked for faults and code P0401 present. Insufficient flow through particulate filter. Ran test plan in GFF and failed plan - low pressure system is outside range. Checked intake for leaks – none present. Contacted Tech Line and instructed to replace EGR and particulate filter with updated system. Removed and cleaned EGR valve. Replaced EGR filter and replaced diesel particulate filter. Road tested vehicle and reset basic settings. Cleared all faults-now OK. Total labor and parts = $2,170.16 (covered by warranty)."
I was happy with the car and performance following this work.
Flash forward to this week. On the way home from work on Monday night, as I accelerated onto the highway the engine starting to make a strange noise almost as if the heating fan in the car was suddenly turned on full blast. This noise only happened when giving the engine throttle..did not seem to be at a specific RPM. At the same time the heater was not working. A day later the check engine light came on. Although I could drive it safely, power was definitely reduced.
Took it into the dealer yesterday...here is the report =
December 6, 2012 = 19,503 miles =
"Customer says there is a noise when accelerating and limited power. Check engine light is on. Verified. P0240F EGR valve slow response test plan. Removed both intercooler hoses and checked for water/ice. No ice or water. Removed EGR and found carbon build-up. Removed and replaced faulty EGR. Upon road test tech noted diesel particulate filter pipe split/leaking. Replaced particulate pipe and hardware. Road tested. Repairs verified."
Dealers quote was "we've seen a lot of these".
I got the car back last night and took it for a half an hour drive up and down the interstate at varied speeds/RPMs. The noise is gone and the car seems to be running fine, but for some reason I feel like a little bit of the "oomph" has been taking out of it. Not dramatic, but just enough to be noticeable to me. Also - at first the heater was not working (nice when it is 28F outside)...until about 3/4 of the way through the drive when I flipped it back and worth between de-frost and the various heating settings. Seems to work fine now.
I'm going to drive it for a few days to see how it performs before doing anything else and taking back to the dealer.
2 QUESTIONS:
(1) With what seems like a related problem having happened twice, is it possible the dealer "de-tuned" it in some way to try and avoid it happening again?
(2) Not sure if these problems were caused by my driving style, short commute or just faulty parts. Regardless, is this something that is likely to keep occurring? Trying to evaluate whether to stick with it or sell and move to GTI.
Opinions welcome - thanks
Up to this point, I've been very happy with my 2011 MK VI Golf TDI (6 speed). I purchased it new in June 2011.
I use this car as my daily driver, commuting about 8 miles one way to work each day....without about 6 of these one way miles on interstate highway (speeds 70-85). I do take occasional longer trips (1-1.5 hours one way) about once per month. I tend to keep RPMs on the high side.
About a year ago I had my first problem with the EGR / DPF. The check engine light came on during a longer drive (3 hour round trip drive in a single day). At the time I did not notice any performance changes, but took the car into the dealer the next day. The repair report from the dealer was as follows:
December 30, 2011 = 8,095 miles =
"Customer states check engine light on. Through GFF checked for faults and code P0401 present. Insufficient flow through particulate filter. Ran test plan in GFF and failed plan - low pressure system is outside range. Checked intake for leaks – none present. Contacted Tech Line and instructed to replace EGR and particulate filter with updated system. Removed and cleaned EGR valve. Replaced EGR filter and replaced diesel particulate filter. Road tested vehicle and reset basic settings. Cleared all faults-now OK. Total labor and parts = $2,170.16 (covered by warranty)."
I was happy with the car and performance following this work.
Flash forward to this week. On the way home from work on Monday night, as I accelerated onto the highway the engine starting to make a strange noise almost as if the heating fan in the car was suddenly turned on full blast. This noise only happened when giving the engine throttle..did not seem to be at a specific RPM. At the same time the heater was not working. A day later the check engine light came on. Although I could drive it safely, power was definitely reduced.
Took it into the dealer yesterday...here is the report =
December 6, 2012 = 19,503 miles =
"Customer says there is a noise when accelerating and limited power. Check engine light is on. Verified. P0240F EGR valve slow response test plan. Removed both intercooler hoses and checked for water/ice. No ice or water. Removed EGR and found carbon build-up. Removed and replaced faulty EGR. Upon road test tech noted diesel particulate filter pipe split/leaking. Replaced particulate pipe and hardware. Road tested. Repairs verified."
Dealers quote was "we've seen a lot of these".
I got the car back last night and took it for a half an hour drive up and down the interstate at varied speeds/RPMs. The noise is gone and the car seems to be running fine, but for some reason I feel like a little bit of the "oomph" has been taking out of it. Not dramatic, but just enough to be noticeable to me. Also - at first the heater was not working (nice when it is 28F outside)...until about 3/4 of the way through the drive when I flipped it back and worth between de-frost and the various heating settings. Seems to work fine now.
I'm going to drive it for a few days to see how it performs before doing anything else and taking back to the dealer.
2 QUESTIONS:
(1) With what seems like a related problem having happened twice, is it possible the dealer "de-tuned" it in some way to try and avoid it happening again?
(2) Not sure if these problems were caused by my driving style, short commute or just faulty parts. Regardless, is this something that is likely to keep occurring? Trying to evaluate whether to stick with it or sell and move to GTI.
Opinions welcome - thanks
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