Got the "fix" friday, got P0401 code today :)

Lightflyer1

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Sep 13, 2005
Location
Round Rock, Texas
TDI
2015 Beetle tdi dsg
I would argue most people don't pay for huge repairs themselves either. Insurance, extended warranties, take it to an independent mechanic or just sale/dump the car as is or with a minor partial repair or trade in. A several thousand dollar repair is huge for the average owner to pay themselves.
 

Diesl

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 3, 2012
Location
Chicago
TDI
'78 Golf Diesel (long gone); 2012 Jetta Sportwagen TDI w/ DSG
2nd DPF replacement after fix

UPDATE: Cracked again (sooty tailpipe), but no codes yet, after 13,000 miles on the new DPF.
The check engine light came on with code P0401 (EGR flow insufficient) less than 1000 miles later. After the initial misunderstandings were sorted out (I forwarded TSB V011523 after the dealership tried to fix things with a forced regeneration....), VW has instructed the dealership to replace the DPF. The second DPF lasted 1000 miles after the fix, the third one 13,000 miles.

Question: does it make sense to wait with replacing the EGR filter?

Update 3/16: they replaced both the DPF and 'the EGR' (filter, I assume); I should get the car back on Monday. The loaner 2017 Passat TSI feels a bit zippier than the JSW TDI, and gets about 30 mpg gasoline, compared to 35 mpg diesel for the TDI.
 
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phantom1260

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 15, 2017
Location
Brampton, Ontario
TDI
1997 Jetta GL IDI, 2010 Jetta TDI (Sold)
I had the CEL come back with codes P0401 and P2002 and made an appointment with the dealer. The light went out before my appointment but I asked if they can still diagnose from the stored codes.

Just call a call back from them that they'll be replacing the DPF again, approx 35,000 miles later since the last one I got under warranty after the fix.

I don't mind going back since its still under warranty but I can't afford to be replacing the DPF every 35K miles once I'm out of warranty
 

soot1

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Nov 6, 2009
Location
Houston, TX
TDI
Currently none. Formerly: 2010 VW Jetta TDI 6M, 1993 Dodge Ram W250 Cummins 5M 4WD, 1990 VW Jetta Diesel 5M, 1986 VW Jetta Diesel 5M, 1980 VW Uabbit Diesel 4M. Currently driving 2018 Toyota 4Runner SR5 4WD.
..... I can't afford to be replacing the DPF every 35K miles once I'm out of warranty
Roughly one year ago, when I was in the process of selecting a replacement vehicle for my 2010 Jetta TDI, the sentiment expressed in that one statement above was THE EXACT REASON why I switched teams and, for the first time in my life, after driving nothing but diesels for 31 years, decided to buy a gasser. The main theme that permeated my decision was - what is the point of driving a car that gets 50 mpg if you have to blow all the money you saved at the pump over the years on an ultra-expensive, ultra-unreliable part that is bound to fail at some point? And I am not even mentioning the other expensive and unreliable systems found in diesels that gassers do not have (not yet, anyways). Seriously, what is the point?
 

Lightflyer1

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Sep 13, 2005
Location
Round Rock, Texas
TDI
2015 Beetle tdi dsg
Until the warranty runs out, it isn't so expensive. After that you may have to make a decision on dumping it or deleting. Or if VW starts giving you a hard time with it. phantom1260 what is your driving regime like? If you are short tripping, taking an active role in ensuring regens happen and complete would help.
 

soot1

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Joined
Nov 6, 2009
Location
Houston, TX
TDI
Currently none. Formerly: 2010 VW Jetta TDI 6M, 1993 Dodge Ram W250 Cummins 5M 4WD, 1990 VW Jetta Diesel 5M, 1986 VW Jetta Diesel 5M, 1980 VW Uabbit Diesel 4M. Currently driving 2018 Toyota 4Runner SR5 4WD.
Until the warranty runs out, it isn't so expensive.
You may not have to pay anything for the repairs, but the expenses related to bringing the car in for the service is your burden. Look at Diesl, for instance - he is on his fourth DPF. The second one lasted only 1,000 miles, the third 13,000 (talk about real garbage parts here), and every time it failed, he had to waste his time, effort and money to bring the car to the dealer. Then, one has to consider what good is it that VW gave you 100,000-mile warranty (or whatever it is) on the stupid DPF, if it fails and leaves you stranded in the middle of nowhere and you have to walk 20 miles to get help. That is the true cost of driving an unreliable car, no matter what warranty the manufacturer gives you.
 

drsven

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 7, 2009
Location
Bay Area
TDI
2011 JSW - DG Buyback
You may not have to pay anything for the repairs, but the expenses related to bringing the car in for the service is your burden. Look at Diesl, for instance - he is on his fourth DPF. The second one lasted only 1,000 miles, the third 13,000 (talk about real garbage parts here), and every time it failed, he had to waste his time, effort and money to bring the car to the dealer. Then, one has to consider what good is it that VW gave you 100,000-mile warranty (or whatever it is) on the stupid DPF, if it fails and leaves you stranded in the middle of nowhere and you have to walk 20 miles to get help. That is the true cost of driving an unreliable car, no matter what warranty the manufacturer gives you.
Good points. I can't think of any other "economy" vehicle where the owner base is so obsessed over oil certifications, timing belt intervals or filling stations.

Deleting components post warranty may make the vehicle more reliable, but it's certainly not a sustainable repair.

FWIW - We're still here talking about it and for some reason several of us still own one of these vehicles. :cool:

Looking back on all of this, my ALH Jetta was probably the only TDI that had lived up to all the diesel hype.
 

Lightflyer1

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Sep 13, 2005
Location
Round Rock, Texas
TDI
2015 Beetle tdi dsg
Well I have a 2015 Beetle and have had no issues. Most people don't and it seems to be a few isolated incidents to me. Taking the car in is no biggie as the dealer for me is 5 miles down the road. Drop it off and get rental or use my other car. There is very little time and zero money involved. There may be some for those who live far away from the dealer and have to drive large distances to get there. But I would have thought of that pre-buying the car and not afterwards. Better to buy a car that has local support for exactly this reason. I have even posted to those who come here asking about buying one of the older models that if you can't DIY or have a dealer or trusted mechanic near you, this probably isn't the car for you.

If this were a very common numerous problem I would agree with you. But there just aren't enough cases to support that. I also believe that some of these could be reduced through more driver involvement in the knowledge and aiding the regens to occur and complete. The dpf is a ceramic substrate from what I have read so it is somewhat fragile and seems to be susceptible to handling and heat cycles causing cracking. I wouldn't say garbage parts as much as somehow the dpf were cracked during or before installation in Diesl's case.

Just my opinion and I am keeping mine until the warranty runs out or VW sees fit to run me off by denying warranty. Then I will have to decide to sell or delete. Fortunately I have several cars around to drive if need be.
 

soot1

Veteran Member
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Nov 6, 2009
Location
Houston, TX
TDI
Currently none. Formerly: 2010 VW Jetta TDI 6M, 1993 Dodge Ram W250 Cummins 5M 4WD, 1990 VW Jetta Diesel 5M, 1986 VW Jetta Diesel 5M, 1980 VW Uabbit Diesel 4M. Currently driving 2018 Toyota 4Runner SR5 4WD.
Good points. I can't think of any other "economy" vehicle where the owner base is so obsessed over oil certifications, timing belt intervals or filling stations.
Deleting components post warranty may make the vehicle more reliable, but it's certainly not a sustainable repair.
FWIW - We're still here talking about it and for some reason several of us still own one of these vehicles. :cool:
Looking back on all of this, my ALH Jetta was probably the only TDI that had lived up to all the diesel hype.
I know exactly what you are talking about - the economy diesel movement (let's call it the VW diesel movement since there was no other economy diesel available in the US), was a cult in the true meaning of the word, and I was a part of that. That was the era of fuel injection pumps, simplicity and reliability. In those days, it never occurred to me to consider anything else but diesel when I was making decision about which car to buy. Then, insidiously, turbos crept in, then common rails, then EGR, DPF, NOX traps, urea injection, regen cycles, $120 glow plugs, and it became painfully obvious that with all the advances gassers made, diesels no longer are the clear choice they once used to be. That is why last June, when I was faced with the task of selecting a replacement for the 2010 Jetta TDI I intended to sell back to VW, for the first time in my life, I pulled a clean sheet of paper and a pen and started writing down all the facts, ratings, figures and opinions. When I was done, I have, for the first time in my life, selected my next ride based on rational set of arguments, figures, expert opinions and my own needs, rather than simply saying "it has to be a diesel", which is how I decided on all previous vehicles.
 

Lightflyer1

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Sep 13, 2005
Location
Round Rock, Texas
TDI
2015 Beetle tdi dsg
So you have been doing it all wrong for years now. ;)

I did this too and bought my stop sale 2015 Beetle with the 11 year/162k mile emissions warranty with GEICO MBI as backup, just in case. Along with that for my "other" needs I have a 2000 Chevrolet Z71 LT, extended cab, 4 door, 4x4 5.3l truck.

All cars are expensive to own and operate and are getting more so every day. If I get rid of the Beetle ever I am going to just have old cheap cars that can be disposed of if they need anything major. Plenty of them out there. I have bought and driven a lot of good $1k cars in my lifetime.
 

soot1

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 6, 2009
Location
Houston, TX
TDI
Currently none. Formerly: 2010 VW Jetta TDI 6M, 1993 Dodge Ram W250 Cummins 5M 4WD, 1990 VW Jetta Diesel 5M, 1986 VW Jetta Diesel 5M, 1980 VW Uabbit Diesel 4M. Currently driving 2018 Toyota 4Runner SR5 4WD.
Well I have a 2015 Beetle and have had no issues. Most people don't and it seems to be a few isolated incidents to me. Taking the car in is no biggie as the dealer for me is 5 miles down the road. Drop it off and get rental or use my other car. There is very little time and zero money involved. There may be some for those who live far away from the dealer and have to drive large distances to get there. But I would have thought of that pre-buying the car and not afterwards. Better to buy a car that has local support for exactly this reason. I have even posted to those who come here asking about buying one of the older models that if you can't DIY or have a dealer or trusted mechanic near you, this probably isn't the car for you.

If this were a very common numerous problem I would agree with you. But there just aren't enough cases to support that. I also believe that some of these could be reduced through more driver involvement in the knowledge and aiding the regens to occur and complete. The dpf is a ceramic substrate from what I have read so it is somewhat fragile and seems to be susceptible to handling and heat cycles causing cracking. I wouldn't say garbage parts as much as somehow the dpf were cracked during or before installation in Diesl's case.

Just my opinion and I am keeping mine until the warranty runs out or VW sees fit to run me off by denying warranty. Then I will have to decide to sell or delete. Fortunately I have several cars around to drive if need be.
Your vehicle is only 4 years old, so it may be too early for any failures to surface, depending on how much driving you do. My Jetta was almost 9 years old when I returned it last July, and even though I never experienced a DPF failure (it only had 58,000 on the odometer), I was certain the day was coming. As for the DPF - I am aware that the filtering element itself is made of high-grade, highly porous ceramic material, and it is enclosed in a stainless steel case. However, if that material is prone to cracking when exposed to heat cycles, that would indicate the design engineers selected the wrong material for this component because the ceramic element is cleaned by being periodically exposed to elevated temperatures, i.e., being able to withstand periodic heat cycles without damage must have been one of the most basic initial design requirements. I do realize that there may not be that many materials out there capable of withstanding such harsh environment, but if the filter elements do crack due to heat stress, that means the design is defective. The same goes for the mechanical integrity - the part has to be able to withstand normal handling during assembly of the vehicle in the factory or replacement at the dealer without sustaining any damage. If it can't, the design is flawed.
 

soot1

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 6, 2009
Location
Houston, TX
TDI
Currently none. Formerly: 2010 VW Jetta TDI 6M, 1993 Dodge Ram W250 Cummins 5M 4WD, 1990 VW Jetta Diesel 5M, 1986 VW Jetta Diesel 5M, 1980 VW Uabbit Diesel 4M. Currently driving 2018 Toyota 4Runner SR5 4WD.
So you have been doing it all wrong for years now. ;)
Yes, up until last June, my selection process (if you want to call it a process) was flawed.:rolleyes: However, I still ended up with what I believe was the best vehicle for me at that time.
 

Lightflyer1

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Sep 13, 2005
Location
Round Rock, Texas
TDI
2015 Beetle tdi dsg
Nothing lasts forever no matter what we do. My vehicle is really only 2 years old. It was a stop sale car and was stored new until 2017 when I bought it. It is 4 model years (actual years) old though. I don't see the huge numbers of people having dpf issues, here or any other site. They seem to be the exception rather than the rule. Are they susceptible to cracking or other issues? Yes. Is it happening to a majority of users? No. No company has a zero failure rate of their parts. When you combine that with mechanics who do improper installation, some are bound to fail. I guess I just have more confidence in the car than you do. I too ended up with what I believe is the best vehicle for me. Both of them currently. Your unique experience and mine don't make for all cars being flawed or not though. The majority of them seem to be doing just fine. Kind of like the early HPFP issues.
 

93celicaconv

Veteran Member
Joined
May 22, 2013
Location
Wisconsin
TDI
Turned in my 2010 Jetta TDI Cup Edition to VW, DSG, Nav, Sunroof / Replaced with a 2015 Passat TDI SEL Premium
Interesting points - all. I had a 2010 Jetta TDI Cup Edition with well over 80,000 miles on it when I returned it for the diesel emissions settlement. Original DPF on it. Ran extremely well, virtually not part replacements ever. I heard the emissions fix on these non-urea cars was taxing their systems much more than those with urea, and also heard good things about the new 2015 TDI engine, so I got a virtually brand new 2015 Passet TDI SEL premium. I've put 25,000 miles on that since the Phase 1 & 2 fixes - runs like a champ and hasn't had any issues (yet) with part failures. Looks to me like not everyone is having the same experiences.
 

phantom1260

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 15, 2017
Location
Brampton, Ontario
TDI
1997 Jetta GL IDI, 2010 Jetta TDI (Sold)
phantom1260 what is your driving regime like? If you are short tripping, taking an active role in ensuring regens happen and complete would help.
The daily commute is about an hour each way and around 22 miles one way.

The CEL actually came on during our road trip to Florida about 14 hours into the trip. It then kept coming back after a while even after I cleared it while we were there. I suspect it had something to do with the warmer temperatures since it went away on it's own couple days after we returned to Canada.

I just think there's some other underlying cause for it to fail and they are just changing the DPF without addressing the actual issue. I would appreciate a more thorough diagnosis.

The vehicle has about 238,00 Miles on it and is 10 years old.
 

soot1

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 6, 2009
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TDI
Currently none. Formerly: 2010 VW Jetta TDI 6M, 1993 Dodge Ram W250 Cummins 5M 4WD, 1990 VW Jetta Diesel 5M, 1986 VW Jetta Diesel 5M, 1980 VW Uabbit Diesel 4M. Currently driving 2018 Toyota 4Runner SR5 4WD.
I just think there's some other underlying cause for it to fail and they are just changing the DPF without addressing the actual issue. I would appreciate a more thorough diagnosis.
It's scary to think that replacing a $2,000 DPF (plus labor) poses less trouble for the dealer than properly diagnosing the root cause of the fault code. You may not feel too much pain for as long as the dealer or VW keep replacing the DPF under warranty, but once that deal expires, you definitely need to have a plan what to do next. Also, it appears that when you buy a "new" DPF, they expect you to send them the core, which means the one they sell you isn't new, but rather refurbished junk.
 

Lightflyer1

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Sep 13, 2005
Location
Round Rock, Texas
TDI
2015 Beetle tdi dsg
I would say at 238k miles and 10 years old you got all your monies worth from that one. More than likely full of ash and needed changing. Your daily commute doesn't really lend itself to good regens either. 22 mph for an hour each way on average. But it sounds like the dpf handled it but maybe with some additional ash buildup. Just my opinion.
 

soot1

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Houston, TX
TDI
Currently none. Formerly: 2010 VW Jetta TDI 6M, 1993 Dodge Ram W250 Cummins 5M 4WD, 1990 VW Jetta Diesel 5M, 1986 VW Jetta Diesel 5M, 1980 VW Uabbit Diesel 4M. Currently driving 2018 Toyota 4Runner SR5 4WD.
I would say at 238k miles and 10 years old you got all your monies worth from that one. More than likely full of ash and needed changing. Your daily commute doesn't really lend itself to good regens either. 22 mph for an hour each way on average. But it sounds like the dpf handled it but maybe with some additional ash buildup. Just my opinion.
According to phantom1260, he is on his third DPF. He didn't say how many miles he's got on this latest one, but the previous unit gave up after 35,000. We also don't know anything about the original one. These are his statements he made a few days ago if you read his posts.
 

Lightflyer1

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Sep 13, 2005
Location
Round Rock, Texas
TDI
2015 Beetle tdi dsg
First one lasted 202k miles. Second after fix 35k miles. Now going on the third. You are correct. I still would venture a guess that a defective dpf or install was at fault.
 

soot1

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 6, 2009
Location
Houston, TX
TDI
Currently none. Formerly: 2010 VW Jetta TDI 6M, 1993 Dodge Ram W250 Cummins 5M 4WD, 1990 VW Jetta Diesel 5M, 1986 VW Jetta Diesel 5M, 1980 VW Uabbit Diesel 4M. Currently driving 2018 Toyota 4Runner SR5 4WD.
First one lasted 202k miles. Second after fix 35k miles. Now going on the third. You are correct. I still would venture a guess that a defective dpf or install was at fault.
His first DPF (the original installed in the factory) lasted 202,000 miles. That was with the original cheating software. Then, the vehicle was castrated (fixed) and a "new" DPF installed. That one only made it to the 35,000 mark and quit. Now, a third DPF is in place and God only knows how long that one will last. Similarly, Diesl is on his fourth DPF, with the original one lasting 84,000 miles, then the second one only 1,000 miles immediately after the fix and the third one 13,000. Do I see a pattern here? Like I said earlier, it appears you can no longer get a factory new DPF, only a refurbished junk. That, coupled with the modified regen cycles may quite well be the reason why these "new" DPFs fail so frequently nowadays.
 

soot1

Veteran Member
Joined
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Houston, TX
TDI
Currently none. Formerly: 2010 VW Jetta TDI 6M, 1993 Dodge Ram W250 Cummins 5M 4WD, 1990 VW Jetta Diesel 5M, 1986 VW Jetta Diesel 5M, 1980 VW Uabbit Diesel 4M. Currently driving 2018 Toyota 4Runner SR5 4WD.
Are they even available as a rebuild/refurbished unit? What is the part number?
Yes, they should be. I Googled DPF for 2010 Jetta TDI, and several sites popped up, ID Parts among them. All sellers I saw will hit you with a core charge, usually around $ 500. The part number that shows on ID Parts web site is 1K0254708GX, although I cannot swear it is the right p.n. as I have never replaced mine.
 

phantom1260

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 15, 2017
Location
Brampton, Ontario
TDI
1997 Jetta GL IDI, 2010 Jetta TDI (Sold)
The first one actually did not last the entire 202K miles either. I'm not sure at what mileage but before the care came into my care my father in law had it replaced once before out of his own pocket. When I got the car at around 180K Miles the light was on again. I don't know how long my wife was driving the car with the light on because they did not want to spend thousands of dollars again to have it replaced.

I guess it's also fair to note that before I the care came into my care my FIL was just taking to to the local Jiffy Lube etc for oil changes and I'm certain they were not using the correct spec oil.

Original DPF - Unkown
Second DPF - Unknown - Out of pocket
Third DPF - 202K - Warranty
Fourth DPF - 238K - Warranty (Not installed yet, Dealer is waiting for parts)

Not sure if this is a contributing factor but my muffler does have a crack in it as well.
 

soot1

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Location
Houston, TX
TDI
Currently none. Formerly: 2010 VW Jetta TDI 6M, 1993 Dodge Ram W250 Cummins 5M 4WD, 1990 VW Jetta Diesel 5M, 1986 VW Jetta Diesel 5M, 1980 VW Uabbit Diesel 4M. Currently driving 2018 Toyota 4Runner SR5 4WD.
I guess it's also fair to note that before I the care came into my care my FIL was just taking to to the local Jiffy Lube etc for oil changes and I'm certain they were not using the correct spec oil.

Original DPF - Unkown
Second DPF - Unknown - Out of pocket
Third DPF - 202K - Warranty
Fourth DPF - 238K - Warranty (Not installed yet, Dealer is waiting for parts)

Not sure if this is a contributing factor but my muffler does have a crack in it as well.
What grade of oil your father-in-law was using certainly had significant impact on how long the DPF lasted, there is no doubt about that. Unfortunately, there is not much you can do about it now. Just out of curiosity - have you been using the correct grade of oil since the vehicle became your property? Also, did VW ask you to prove you were using the correct grade of oil before they determined the DPF would be replaced under warranty?
 

soot1

Veteran Member
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Houston, TX
TDI
Currently none. Formerly: 2010 VW Jetta TDI 6M, 1993 Dodge Ram W250 Cummins 5M 4WD, 1990 VW Jetta Diesel 5M, 1986 VW Jetta Diesel 5M, 1980 VW Uabbit Diesel 4M. Currently driving 2018 Toyota 4Runner SR5 4WD.
Not sure if this is a contributing factor but my muffler does have a crack in it as well.
The exhaust assembly of your car is a complex system, which will only function correctly if all of its components perform normally. If one of the components is defective, the system may be throwing codes that could lead the mechanic to identify perfectly good component as being defective. To be more specific, all elements of the exhaust (the catalyst, the DPF, the pipes, the resonator, the muffler and anything in-between) present specific restriction to the flow of the exhaust gases. That restriction is well known, measured continuously by the numerous pressure sensors located throughout the exhaust system and compared to values stored in the car's computer memory. If the values at any point deviate from their expected ones, a fault is detected, the CEL goes on, and a code is thrown by the computer. In your particular case, if your muffler is cracked, that means the restriction it poses to the passing gases is lowered. This will not go unnoticed by the two pressure sensors that are located in the DPF (one at the inlet and another at the back side). Your car's central computer expects certain pressure drop across the DPF. However, since that pressure drop is impacted by all downstream components, including your muffler, that reading will be off (it will be higher than it should be), and your mechanic may be misdiagnosing the situation as clogged DPF, when, in reality, you may only need a new muffler. Both clogged DPF and cracked muffler will cause higher than normal pressure drop across the DPF.
 

phantom1260

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 15, 2017
Location
Brampton, Ontario
TDI
1997 Jetta GL IDI, 2010 Jetta TDI (Sold)
have you been using the correct grade of oil since the vehicle became your property? Also, did VW ask you to prove you were using the correct grade of oil before they determined the DPF would be replaced under warranty?
I've been using the correct oil since, even did the last oil change myself.

VW did not ask for me to prove anything. I also had the intake manifold replaced under warranty since I had the code for that as well.

I wonder if they will replace the muffler under the warranty if I bring it to their attention as its not specifically listed in the warranty.

The entire exhaust after treatment system, including the Diesel
Oxidation Catalyst, the Diesel Particulate Filter, the Selective
Catalytic Reduction converter, the dosing injector and other Diesel
Exhaust Fluid system components, the exhaust flap, and all sensors
and actuators;
 

soot1

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 6, 2009
Location
Houston, TX
TDI
Currently none. Formerly: 2010 VW Jetta TDI 6M, 1993 Dodge Ram W250 Cummins 5M 4WD, 1990 VW Jetta Diesel 5M, 1986 VW Jetta Diesel 5M, 1980 VW Uabbit Diesel 4M. Currently driving 2018 Toyota 4Runner SR5 4WD.
I wonder if they will replace the muffler under the warranty if I bring it to their attention as its not specifically listed in the warranty.
It is certainly worth asking. The worst that can happen is they will say no. On the other hand, if they replaced your intake manifold as a warranty item, which is not on the list either, they may say OK. BTW, the MSRP on the OEM VW muffler is $ 581, but you can get it for less than $ 500 from places like FCP Euro with free shipping and lifetime warranty.
 

Diesl

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 3, 2012
Location
Chicago
TDI
'78 Golf Diesel (long gone); 2012 Jetta Sportwagen TDI w/ DSG
Didn't see the renewed activity until now. It might be worth putting together the driving conditions and regeneration observations of those that experienced DPF failures.

For example:
driving pattern: my car spends most of its miles on one hour long fast highway commutes.
regen intervals: Since the fix I observe regens at irregular intervals, sometimes as soon as 50 miles after the previous finished regen.
regen OBD display change: For some of these regens the soot load display stays live, i.e. not frozen at the maximal value like before the fix, and one can see it decrease as the regen proceeds.
DPF max load change: Before the fix regens always happened when the DPF load reached 23.45 g (have to double-check this number). Now the max soot load (but read from a different OBD location) seems to be 24.01g, but I have observed regens happen at 12.x gram or 17.x gram.
regen temperature change: Sometimes the DPF temperature goes significantly higher than the 600-630C that seemed normal before the fix, well into the 700's.
regen duration change/irregularity: Sometimes the regen seems to get stuck, lasting well over 20 miles.

So it could be that either defective DPFs are installed, or that they are damaged during install, or installed improperly (e.g. so they are under mechanical stress), but from my observations it could also be that the regen parameters got modified and now create higher thermal stress on the DPF. Or, as mentioned, that there is another undiagnosed fault in the exhaust system that causes the DPF failures. Initially my replacement DPFs did not let soot escape, at least not to the point that observable quantities would be deposited in the tail pipe.

In any case, this creates an unsustainable situation after the extended warranty runs out. Unfortunately the failures are not happening fast enough for the 'lemon law' fix failure clause to kick in.
 
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lb71

Active member
Joined
Feb 23, 2017
Location
Toronto
TDI
2013 Jetta TDI Highline Manual w/ Nav
I have a 2013 Jetta. I bought it used in September 2016 with 62,000 km. Had the fix done in January 2018 at 90,000 km. Back in April with 112,000 km the check engine light went off with the P0401 code. Took a month for the parts to arrive, and had the DPF replaced in May. Had the light go on end of July with P0401, P2002 and P240F at 118,000 km. Ends up being a faulty thermostat, and was replaced under warranty. Driving the next day, the light goes off. I was leaving for vacation so I called to make an appointment for my return.
Brought it in yesterday and was told the soot is building up and requires a new DPF. I was told since I don't drive it enough they will not cover under warranty. Told me to drive it on the highway for a while to help burn off the soot. The work order did not identify the error codes, and I didn't get a chance to have a friend check for me.
In reading through this and other threads, this does not seem right to me. @Diesl in post #112 talks about replacing his DPF multiple times, even after 1000 miles. What are my next steps? Would I be contacting VW headquarters? I didn't speak to a manager, just the service rep.
 
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ebain21

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 1, 2019
Location
St. Paul, MN
TDI
2012 Golf TDI 6M
Did they replace the thermostat? My DPF and EGR filter were replaced two weeks ago on my 2012 golf at 65k miles and after replacement, they realized the engine was not getting up to temp to trigger a regen, so they replaced the thermostat under warranty as well. It's been about 300 miles since the work with no lights yet.

I'd talk to the service manager first and then VW. Your driving habits should not be a determining factor in whether or not you receive warranty service.
 
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