Mk6 Jetta: Hard Start / No Start - Intercooler icing discussion in here!

If you have experienced intercooler icing, select from the following options...


  • Total voters
    144

mac5155

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 19, 2012
Location
PA
TDI
2011 Jetta
Guys, how much do you think a Guru would charge to inspect the intercooler?

Second question: Is this too obsessive an idea?

Paul
My shop guy charged $15 labor. It is about a 20 minute job if the belly pan is already off. I do it every oil change and fear that is not obsessive enough so that should answer your question:)

If you tell them exactly what you want, and that it should only take 20 minutes, they won't rip ya. OR if they're good, too.
 

ddhd

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 30, 2010
Location
Long Island, NY
TDI
2013 Jetta TDi 6spd
Guess 8 hours today isn't enough... Platinum VW requires it tomorrow for another 4 hours. Kind of sad that their service department is run so poorly - it reflects badly onto VW itself.
 

RegeleDiesel

Active member
Joined
Nov 27, 2013
Location
Michigan
TDI
2013 Jetta Premium w/Nav
Mine is a lease and I went to the dealer to talk about this issue. They stated that they had several occurrences last year but none this year. They also stated that it most likely occurs when the temperature fluctuates a lot from hot to cold, ie. having it in a warm garage and going outside into the cold. Installation will be done only if engine code shows up.
 

RZB

Active member
Joined
Feb 13, 2014
Location
Connecticut
TDI
2014 Jetta TDI
Drove mine on a 40 minute trip this morning in roughly 20* weather. Went to start it after a few hours of sitting in the same 20* weather, and it didn't want to start first two times. Third time, it did start, but sputtered so bad I shut it down seconds after.

Learned that Volkswagen's choice of roadside tow companies are not too competent, but had AAA flatbed it to my dealer. They did notice some water built up and said they would order the updated intercooler kit. Supposed to take a few days, but hopefully they'll be able to complete the repair without issue.

Mine is a 14' by the way, with only 5k miles. Hadn't had any signs of a ruff start before this point.

My SGII gave me a pending code of p2015. Anyone else get this??
 

NWO_TDI

New member
Joined
Mar 7, 2014
Location
Ohio
TDI
2013 Jetta
I've experienced several hard starts/stall outs that I believe is due to IC icing. It is under warranty but when I leave for work at 4 am and cannot be absent so I've had to just give it gas and get through the problem. Taking my car in tomorrow to get it checked out, I read that the compture stores missfires so hopefully that'll be enough to get the kit installed.

Is there anything I can have them look at to prove this is the problem?
 

RZB

Active member
Joined
Feb 13, 2014
Location
Connecticut
TDI
2014 Jetta TDI
Just an update after having the hard start.

Dealer called me day 2, and noted that they found a chunk of ice; their new plan of action was to order the "full kit," which included a new intercooler. It was able to be installed within a day of them receiving the kit.

Dealership also cleaned the throttle body up - apparently, some water / grime had built up in there.

(Knocking on wood), the car has been running better than before. The common hiccup that is known commonly on the manual transmission TDIs (mine was noticed in 3rd gear) has gone away! It's a little too early to tell, but it also seems as though fuel economy has increased.
 

MAXecutive

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 1, 2011
Location
New York
TDI
Jetta VI
3rd gear hiccup? I starting noticing a hiccup after I left off the gas medal in 3rd gear every now and then ...
 

weasel

Deactivated Member Account
Joined
Sep 12, 2000
TDI
None.
Just had the kit installed in mine yesterday. Didn't have any starting issues, but I did get a P0299 code and it went into limp mode. Got it to the house and called the dealer and then roadside assistance. Kudos to Marcel's towing in Pembroke, ON and to Myers VW in Kanata. Car was picked up within a half hour of calling roadside assistance and was fixed the next day. Hell, they even washed it for me!! According to the paperwork, I got the new intercooler and kit.
 

Debra Morgan

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 28, 2014
Location
Columbus Ohio
TDI
Memories of a fantastic 2015 Jetta
intercooler icing?

How effective are the tsb changes in eliminating intercooler icing? Are the 2013 and 2014 cars also affected?
 

ytjetta

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 15, 2014
Location
Bowie, MD
TDI
2014 Jetta SportWagen TDI DSG
Debra:
Check the second sticky on the current forum page, i.e., (Sticky: Poll: Mk6 Jetta: Hard Start / No Start - Intercooler icing discussion in here!) . The answer to your questions are there.

ytjetta
 

PressEnter[]

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 5, 2013
Location
Saratoga Springs, NY
TDI
2013 Jetta 6M
The issue is real, though, and in my case meant power loss on a busy state highway. I would insist on having the updated intercooler if I were purchasing new.
 

SkeeterMark

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 8, 2013
Location
North Branch, MN
TDI
2013 Jetta TDI 6M
Beside the other thread pointed out here, you can take a look at this thread:

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showpost.php?p=4483232&postcount=205

It is not a thread looking for issues with the cars, but does list some items that may have been replaced.

You will see in that small sampling that there have been several IC updates performed on all MKVI model years (except '14s, so far). You will also note that no HPFP's have been replaced by anyone posting there.

The issue is common, if not universal, though many people live where it will never be an issue due to climate. The severity ranges from minor nuisance, to no start, no power.

The update has eliminated any issues for me, though others have had varying results.
 

dirtysouthjacket

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 5, 2009
Location
Charlotte, NC
TDI
2012 Jetta TDI Premium 6MT, 2004 Jetta TDI GLS (sold)
For me they have been effective. I had a no start after parking the car for 4 hours. It got down to the mid 20's for several days in Columbia SC and I had the no start. Since I've had none, however I'm not convinced I haven't taken a little bit of a mileage hit on cold days since the update.
 

RDC98tdi

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 14, 2009
Location
Louisville KY
TDI
'13 Jetta 6MT Prem / (RIP) '98 Jetta 5MT [280k+mi]
Debra - the issue is overblown, much like all the other CR issues on this forum.
This issue is not overblown. Of course the percentage of people on this site that have had the problem is higher than the percentage of people that have it for the entire population of MKVI Jettas. That's the nature of forums (people sign up to complain or ask for help).

But in this case -- at least for Jettas -- the IC Icing issue is more common than fuel pump or DPF failures. The latter two are the ones that everyone used to wary of, but this has cropped up to be the most prevalent one.

In my case, I was lucky enough that when I went into limp mode, I could pull off to an exit within a mile and get there ~55 mph without endangering myself.

Of course, it was covered by warranty no questions asked. I knew this car had issues, but decided to take the drive more, worry less approach.

I'm sure the total percentage of people that have had this problem is much less than the forum would suggest, but I would not say it is over blown.
 

6DOF

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 16, 2006
Location
Senatobia, MS
TDI
2011 TDI Jetta 6MT Premium, 2012 TDI Jetta DSG Premium
This issue is not overblown. Of course the percentage of people on this site that have had the problem is higher than the percentage of people that have it for the entire population of MKVI Jettas. That's the nature of forums (people sign up to complain or ask for help).
But in this case -- at least for Jettas -- the IC Icing issue is more common than fuel pump or DPF failures. The latter two are the ones that everyone used to wary of, but this has cropped up to be the most prevalent one.
In my case, I was lucky enough that when I went into limp mode, I could pull off to an exit within a mile and get there ~55 mph without endangering myself.
Of course, it was covered by warranty no questions asked. I knew this car had issues, but decided to take the drive more, worry less approach.
I'm sure the total percentage of people that have had this problem is much less than the forum would suggest, but I would not say it is over blown.
I agree with you RDC98tdi, there is a higher % of users that have had the icing issue on this forum. For the reasons you stated above. I would like to add the observation that 75% of drivers are clueless to the icing issue and would simply have the car towed to the dealer for repair and think no more of it after the dealer releases it from service.
I myself had no idea the icing issue existed until this January when the 2011 6MT Jetta I bought last spring at CarMax exhibited icing problems with a rough start and stall out. After some research on this forum I took the discharge off the intercooler and found a river of sludge slowly making its' way up the intake plenum to the turbo. However the 2012 DSG Jetta we have with identical driving conditions has no icing issues. Both are the same engine, same fuel, same oil, same additives (power service every fill up), same maintenance schedule, ect. Both came equipped with the same intercooler hardware setup. I am at a loss to explain it? Any constructive input welcome.
 

RDC98tdi

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 14, 2009
Location
Louisville KY
TDI
'13 Jetta 6MT Prem / (RIP) '98 Jetta 5MT [280k+mi]
Luckily, my car is still going strong since they replaced my intercooler in December!

That being said, I wonder how many months until the issues starts popping back up? It will be interesting to see how 2014 and 2015 models fare this winter.
 

RDC98tdi

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 14, 2009
Location
Louisville KY
TDI
'13 Jetta 6MT Prem / (RIP) '98 Jetta 5MT [280k+mi]
Well, if you see the poll results, there are still a small percentage of people who have had the issue even after the replacement intercooler. I think it helps, but it isn't 100% fool proof.
 

SkeeterMark

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 8, 2013
Location
North Branch, MN
TDI
2013 Jetta TDI 6M
I agree with you RDC98tdi, there is a higher % of users that have had the icing issue on this forum. For the reasons you stated above. I would like to add the observation that 75% of drivers are clueless to the icing issue and would simply have the car towed to the dealer for repair and think no more of it after the dealer releases it from service.
I myself had no idea the icing issue existed until this January when the 2011 6MT Jetta I bought last spring at CarMax exhibited icing problems with a rough start and stall out. After some research on this forum I took the discharge off the intercooler and found a river of sludge slowly making its' way up the intake plenum to the turbo. However the 2012 DSG Jetta we have with identical driving conditions has no icing issues. Both are the same engine, same fuel, same oil, same additives (power service every fill up), same maintenance schedule, ect. Both came equipped with the same intercooler hardware setup. I am at a loss to explain it? Any constructive input welcome.
The difference between your two cars could be quite subtle. Do they both get parked in a garage? Drive the same distance? Leave the house at the same time?

The conditions that cause it seem to be dependent on starting, operating, stopping temperatures, and duration of drive. A combination of over freezing temps after driving in below freezing temps seems most common. Starting in a warm garage and going into freezing temps also seems to cause it. It's pretty fussy, actually, for what causes it, so differences in operating the cars, even from day to day, can produce different results. Blocking grilles, driving speeds, etc, may also contribute.

This is not at all like the HPFP issues. There is not a part that fails, so to speak. It is not from wear or breakage, or even incorrect operation. It is a basic design issue, which if I'm not mistaken, is identical across all models.
This should mean that ALL vehicles configured with the original intercooler are susceptible to the issue. It does not mean they will all experience it, or like you pointed out, everyone would even know what is going on if they don't read about it here.

The same could be said about the updated intercooler, though mine has also worked perfectly since it was installed.
 
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6DOF

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 16, 2006
Location
Senatobia, MS
TDI
2011 TDI Jetta 6MT Premium, 2012 TDI Jetta DSG Premium
In response, no I usually don't park either car in the garage. I keep the Titan in there and there isn't a whole lot of room left with all the tools, compressor, hydraulic press, work bench, ect. in there.

The 2011 is my daily drive and it gets 70 miles of hwy driving 5 days a week at a steady 80MPH. It has the icing issue. The 2012 this year my youngest son is speeding around town in it and supposedly taking it to school and back daily which is 5 miles round trip. It has no icing issues.

I just changed the oil in the 2011 last weekend and there was 1/4 cup of water in the intercooler outlet hose and had a buildup of sludge too. That was since January's oil change 10K miles ago. The mileage also varies with temperature. The lower the temperature the worse the MPG. During the summer I get a steady 45MPG. In the cold I have seen it as low as 38MPG.
 

TDI_Coast2Coast

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 6, 2009
Location
Lehighton, PA
TDI
2010 Jetta TDI SW 6spd Manual
Is it possible to add one more field?

-I have not had any issues with the IC

I just think it will give better idea of percentage of those who have the problem as well as whether the fix seems to work.

Thanks
 

PressEnter[]

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 5, 2013
Location
Saratoga Springs, NY
TDI
2013 Jetta 6M
I think it would be a bad idea, since you'd have to give less weight to responses from people in warmer parts of the country, and you couldn't change your response if the problem did develop.
 
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