Emission Software Update - Update on my situation

When i received the letter from VW about updating the software on my '10 Golf TDI I thought (naively) 'sure, maybe it will run even better' - not that I had any issues. So I arranged for Joe Heidt in Northern NJ - the nearest VW dealer - to do the job. Should have known better as I've always found them to be sub-standard, even by VW dealership standards. But I thought it would be a simple job - surely they couldn't screw this up.

When I picked it up afterwards, there was no obvious difference. But on the first decent run the MIL light came on. Back to Joe Heidt, who discover that I apparently now need to replace my particulate filter - cost $2800. So I call VW USA Customer Service. They seem to think this is normal, as my car has 92,000 miles on it.

What do you guys think? Any link between the software update and the sudden problem with my particulate fiiter? And this is "normal" at 92K? And the cost of $2800?....

This could be the end of my love affair with Golfs. Love driving my TDI but hate the dealer/service experience.

Any advice would be welcome.

DPFs fail at random intervals it seems.. I've seen some fail as early as 30k or so, and some last 200k+. Your DPF probably isn't full, or more than likely cracked. I say delete that crap, instead of 2800 on a new one, spend about a grand on a downpipe with cat muffler or whatever else you want in it, 550 for a Malone stage 2. Then enjoy your new power and fuel efficiency and zero risk of emmisions crap going bad

The OP lives in NJ. I doubt that deleting Federally required emissions equipment will work out well there...

S2000_guy said:

The OP lives in NJ. I doubt that deleting Federally required emissions equipment will work out well there...

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Yep....
DPF delete won't pass emissions in NJ


Sent from my iPhone. There may be horrible grammar and misspelling involved

YOu can get a rebuilt DPF for under $1k.

http://www.vwpartscenter.net/volksw...components-scat/?part_name=converter-and-pipe

(so dealer markup and labor makes up the rest of your price)

You can shop around for a less-expensive option than the dealer, but yes, it seems that some of the DPFs do crack and need to be replaced.

that being said, might be worth looking for a second opinion anyway, to make sure it really is done for.

From my limited time in NJ, EVERYTHING there is substandard.

Thanks to everyone for some great points. The DPF delete sounded good but looks like it's not possible in NJ. I'm getting another non-dealership to look at it this week hoping that we can find a cheaper fix.

Have you played the "good will" , my car was perfect until you did this update yet card?

Isn't all emissions equipment federally mandated to have a 100k 10year warranty

914fan said:

Isn't all emissions equipment federally mandated to have a 100k 10year warranty

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It's 8 years or 80k miles... whichever comes first.

I think only California is 10/100k

20IndigoBlue02 said:

Yep....
DPF delete won't pass emissions in NJ


Sent from my iPhone. There may be horrible grammar and misspelling involved

Click to expand...

Are you sure? The NJ inspection these days is just an OBD scan +the visual check which is just a camera on the ground looking for the cat.

ashesofthewake said:

Are you sure? The NJ inspection these days is just an OBD scan +the visual check which is just a camera on the ground looking for the cat.

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Read what you type.

Readiness monitors status is part of the OBD-II check

Removing the DPF means you have to disable the readiness monitor




Sent from my iPhone. There may be horrible grammar and misspelling involved

Lubro Moly makes a kit now to clean DPF's. They even come with the equipment. Worth a look.

20IndigoBlue02 said:

Read what you type.

Readiness monitors status is part of the OBD-II check

Removing the DPF means you have to disable the readiness monitor




Sent from my iPhone. There may be horrible grammar and misspelling involved

Click to expand...

The readiness monitors look for "incomplete" don't they? And some states allow one or two incomplete items, need to find out for sure! A stage 2 Malone tune with exhaust, gave me all components in tact say ready, and the other things simply say unavailable and are grayed out. Now with stage 3, two things say incomplete at all times.

yes i did - VW weren't interested...

Thanks. Just checked out their website and it looks pretty convincing. Has anyone out there tried this?

My light is coming on and off intermittently - not sure what that means. But yesterday I picked up a bottle of Cataclean. Looking at the online reviews, it looks like many people have found it to be good. I haven't tried it yet as I need to wait until I only have 1/4 tank of fuel before adding. Has anyone out there tried Cataclean? Wouldn't that be great if you could resolve a clogged cat with a $25 bottle of cleaner?

NJDude said:

...Wouldn't that be great if you could resolve a clogged cat with a $25 bottle of cleaner?

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Sounds too good to be true...

http://idparts.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=4958

Speaking of clogged filters, I just saw this today.. any thoughts? What is it? HPFP safe?

NJDude said:

My light is coming on and off intermittently - not sure what that means. But yesterday I picked up a bottle of Cataclean. Looking at the online reviews, it looks like many people have found it to be good. I haven't tried it yet as I need to wait until I only have 1/4 tank of fuel before adding. Has anyone out there tried Cataclean? Wouldn't that be great if you could resolve a clogged cat with a $25 bottle of cleaner?

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Your cat is likely not clogged but cracked. No cleaner will fix that, unless there is another problem. It surely won't hurt.

ticketed2much said:

Your cat is likely not clogged but cracked. No cleaner will fix that, unless there is another problem. It surely won't hurt.

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I've never heard of the catalyst cracking... Plenty of diesel particulate filters cracking however

Yep it's the particulate filter that's the problem, according to the dealer, not the cat. I'll let you all know how the cataclean works - or not - when I get to it next weekend. Seems like this could be interesting for many TDI owners.

if the DPF is cracked (if you have a significant layer of soot inside your tailpipe, this would validate the cracked DPF) you will need to replace the DPF.

rebuilt ones are available for under $1k

1K0-254-708-GX (feel free to google the part number for other sources)

the EGR filter will also need to be cleaned or replaced, if clogged.

http://www.asrcreviews.org/2014/03/...hallenged-claims-for-cataclean-fuel-additive/

If you have not spent the money, you may want to save it for the proper repair.

meerschm said:

http://www.asrcreviews.org/2014/03/...hallenged-claims-for-cataclean-fuel-additive/

If you have not spent the money, you may want to save it for the proper repair.

Click to expand...

Huh, I used to work for the parent company to Accel in the R&D lab but that was over 16 yrs ago

20IndigoBlue02 said:

Read what you type.

Readiness monitors status is part of the OBD-II check

Removing the DPF means you have to disable the readiness monitor




Sent from my iPhone. There may be horrible grammar and misspelling involved

Click to expand...

I'll admit that I am not that knowledgeable about VW tuning, my assumption was that with a DPF delete and appropriate tuning the car should read ready for all the sensors. My other car is a modified Subaru WRX with associated tuning and I passed NJ inspection easily.

I had the reprogramming done about a month ago on my 2012 JSW. A day later, I noticed a regen cycle in progress on my ScanGauge. CAT and EGT3 temps during regen have typically been in the mid-600's (degrees C) on my car and will stay there maybe 5 minutes, certainly no more than 10.

On this occasion, though, temps were 700C+, and stayed there for over half an hour. I have never seen this before.

I've since been paying closer attention, and have noticed (1) my temps seem to be consistently higher, both regen and regular running; and (2) my mileage seems to have dropped at least 10%. For me, mileage is fairly easy to watch as I mainly use my car to commute 180 miles each way from NJ to MD once a week, and the highways are generally pretty consistent.

Is there a thread about what others have found with this update?

I've noticed very little difference in mpg. I've noticed that regeneration egt Temps prior to the update averaged around 1400F. Post update EGTs are around 1200F.

I'm going to cancel my service appointment to have the ECM flashed. I just
don't see it helps... at best "it can not hurt", not a big endorsement. I
scanned through the other three related threads on this forum. CEL coming
on soon after ECM flash has happened more than once.