VW Refuses to Fix 2010 2.0l Jetta "Split-Year" with One-Piece DPF/CAT

GoFaster said:

Call the lawyers handling the case. The two-piece design is totally backward compatible as an assembly and there's no technical reason why they can't give you a new DPF to convert your vehicle to the later arrangement. There is, of course, a $ reason for them not wanting to do it.

This has nothing to do with EPA/CARB approvals. The later two-piece design is functionally identical to the one-piece design, it's just easier to service.

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GoFaster said:

This company https://www.lieffcabraser.com/ is the lead legal firm. Call them.

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BlueThunderBunny said:

Update:

I left the car at the dealership overnight to get the P2015 intake error fixed under goodwill coverage. Got a call from the advisor the next morning saying that since they had discovered DPF problems, VW would provide a new DPF to mate with the 2010 kit's new cat and make the fix possible. Car spent 8 days being worked on but finally got it back today.

Drove around today, car felt fine. Less low end torque and louder, but fine overall.

About 30 miles in CEL comes on. Also between 2-3k RPM there is a loud rattle that sounds like some sort of heat shield or exhaust component wasn't fastened properly. Back to the dealership first thing in the morning...

VW has lost me for life no matter what they do at this point. Never owned anything else nor has my immediate family, but never ever again.

Haven't heard anything from the lawyers.

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DHud13 said:

...(the stated DPF life expectancy is 125K miles).....

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BlueThunderBunny said:

I took my 2010 manual TDI Cup Jetta to my dealership today for the emissions modification after finalizing and having all the paperwork approved.

Just a few minutes after I signed all the dealership paperwork, my service advisor gets a call from the parts guy advising that I have a one-piece catalytic converter and DPF assembly, which they say is rare on 2010s but typical on 2009s. Apparently a few 2010s were built with some 2009 parts and vise-versa and are sometimes called "split-year" cars. Because of this they do cannot yet modify these cars, despite being able to modify both normal 2009 and normal 2010 cars.

The car has never been modified nor had repairs to the DPF or cat.

I called VW's settlement line and another dealership and got the same story. Nobody has any idea whatsoever when or if they'll get a fix approved for this small subset of cars. My dealer said they'd seen 5 ever, the other dealer said they'd seen 2.

I have no interest in a buy-back.

Has anybody had the same experience? Anybody know anything more about this issue or VW's progress fixing it? I'm concerned the repair option will simply be dropped as it was for 2012 Passat manuals.

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DHud13 said:

I am in a similar situation with my Cup Edition.

I replaced the entire intake manifold assembly (out of pocket/warranty expired) in early 2015 because of the dreaded P2015 Intake Manifold Runner code. I am planning on intalling the $80 CNC keeper bracket at some point in the future, but I didn't know about its existence until after I paid to replace the intake manifold assembly.

A month or two prior to September 2015 I got the CEL P0401 code. The dealership stated that I needed a new DPF. At the time I had over 130K miles on the car (the stated DPF life expectancy is 125K miles), so I figured I got my monies worth out of the factory DPF, so my vehicle is on record at the dealership as having a DPF issue.

Once Dieselgate hit I essentially "Parked" the car in the garage because I didn't want to pay to fix the DPF if it was going to be part of the "Fix". Besides the DPF, I am due for the timing belt replacement (130k miles), and I was planning on having the AC compressor and water pump replaced at the same time as the timing belt (hopefully I can save on some labor cost).

Over the past two years I have read everything I could about the Dieselgate issue, and had heard rumors of complete engine replacements or complete exhaust replacements as potential solutions. I was hoping that the "Fix" would at least include the DPF. I was disappointed to hear that only the 2009MY vehicles would get new DPF's, but then I heard about the unicorns (2010MY vehicles with the one piece CAT/DPF). Common sense would dictate that these unicorns would get the same fix as the 2009MY vehicles, but we are dealing with government agencies and lawyers, so who knows...

You are the first Cup Owner that I have come across as having the one-piece CAT/DPF. I assumed I would have to pay for a new DPF on mine, but now I am going to check my exhaust system and see if it is also a unicorn. Would you be willing to PM me with your build date or last few numbers of your VIN? I would be willing to do the same. With only approx. 2500 Cup cars built it would be interesting to know if they were manufactured together (build date/VIN numbers) or not.

I am planning on keeping my Cup for a long time. The restitution payment should cover the DPF, timing belt, water pump, and AC compressor replacement. Most of my family think I am crazy for wanting to keep it, and not just taking the money and run!

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av8r said:

ok, my interest it piqued. What is your production number on your 2010?

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BlueThunderBunny said:

My apologies for brevity as I’m on my phone.

There is absolutely no way that you should be paying for a new DPF yourself at this point. Whether you have a one piece or more likely two piece setup VW should replace your DPF under the goodwill program before or during your fix. If your dealer is unwilling to work towards this goal find another dealer.

To be clear, my DPF was not replaced because I had a one-piece setup. It was replaced because it was cracked (diagnosed simply by soot in tailpipe) and the part was provided pre-fix under the goodwill warranty program. Having this part enabled the use of a 2010 kit on my car to perform the fix and covert it to a two-piece setup.

I’m also not sure I’d replace the AC compressor proactively unless you have had problems.

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meerschm said:

In no way is this true.

many DPFs on these cars run well into the 200,000 mile area (and half way to three)

but if they crack, they crack.

Hope you find out your DPF is welded to the NOX cat.

but if not it sounds like you have a good plan and good attitude.

nothing wrong with keeping and driving a car you like.

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DHud13 said:

Thank you for the suggestion. I will definitely look into the goodwill program when I schedule the "Fix". I agree that I shouldnt have to pay for the DPF, but I had read multiple other threads indicating that the dealerships were requiring repair/replacement (if current/prior CEL's) prior to the "Fix" The CEL has not come back on since the dealership reset it, so I am hoping it was just a sensor issue after the intake replacement (20k miles traveled since repair).

AC unit went down summer 2014. I did not want to pay $2,500 (compressor, drier, and expansion valve) to the dealer to replace. Using the Forums, I discovered a cheap fix. The VW AC compressor has a solenoid that varies the output of the compressor based on the cooling load instead of always being at 100% load when AC is on. It is supposed to help with fuel economy. The solenoid is usually the culprit for AC failure. VW will not replace just the solenoid, since when it fails it typically releases metal shavings into the system. Replacing just the solenoid is not a permanent fix, just a temporary band-aid. The metal shavings will eventually cause complete failure of the compressor. I was able to purchase the solenoid from a company in FL for $175 (I think). Then had a local mechanic evacuate the system, install the solenoid, and recharge the system for $125. The cheap fix lasted two summers, but now the compressor is kaput! Summers in Arizona without AC can be deadly!

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BlueThunderBunny said:

$2500 seems very steep to me for that repair. I had the same failure and had it fixed by a dealer. I swear it was under $2000.

Anyway, I would try and definitively ascertain the status of your DPF. VW WILL replace it for free under the goodwill program if it’s cracked or otherwise needs replacement. If your dealer tries to tell you otherwise, they’re trying to get you to pay for it because they make more money by billing customers vs warranty rates. If it’s cracked you do not want to be driving with that after the fix. The fix increases EGR use dramatically and having a cracked DPF and tons of EGR will put soot all through the engine.

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DHud13 said:

I dont recall the dealership saying that my DPF was cracked, just that the CEL indicated low flow accross the DPF. I think that the faulty intake manifold flap, and subsequent intake replacement, may have led to the CEL on the DPF. After a few regenerations it may have cleaned itself out, since the CEL never came back on (knock on wood). I have never had any tailpipe soot/smoke issues (knock on wood). Emissions place only checks the computer for CEL's and opacity at the tailpipe. Typically I am less than 1%.

Hopefully I can qualify for the goodwill program, but if the expected lifespan of the DPF is 120k miles (I am over 140K) I am not expecting it. The dealership I go to is very customer oriented, so hopefully they will fight for me. They have a lot of diehard VW people working there.

Since VW replaced your one-piece CAT/DPF with the two-piece unit, did VW (or the lawyers) ever send you something in writing about the one-piece/two-piece CAT/DPF resolution?

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BlueThunderBunny said:

Under the goodwill program VW should fix anything even tangentially related to your emission system for free, regardless of expected lifespan.

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BlueThunderBunny said:

$2500 seems very steep to me for that repair. I had the same failure and had it fixed by a dealer. I swear it was under $2000.

Anyway, I would try and definitively ascertain the status of your DPF. VW WILL replace it for free under the goodwill program if it’s cracked or otherwise needs replacement. If your dealer tries to tell you otherwise, they’re trying to get you to pay for it because they make more money by billing customers vs warranty rates. If it’s cracked you do not want to be driving with that after the fix. The fix increases EGR use dramatically and having a cracked DPF and tons of EGR will put soot all through the engine.

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