DPF failure data collection

POBOX2897

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 25, 2014
Location
Hudson Valley
TDI
2014 JSW 6-speed
My replacement DPF and EGR, ect, ect are in after nearly 3 months of waiting.

My modification done at 37k, threw first code 10k later. Cleared at 50K service, threw codes within 500 miles of being serviced. I kept driving. Parts were ordered at 60K service, MIL light disappeared shortly thereafter and has stayed off for 8,000 miles. Hmmm. 70k service is in a couple weeks with new goodies being installed. Exhaust and bumper has lots of soot. I drive highway 135 miles/day.
 
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viva la figa

Member
Joined
Feb 2, 2016
Location
Los Angeles
TDI
2010 sportwagon
Post fix DPF and CEL on....throwing permanent codes... and have gotten the car to regen multiple times but wont clear the permanent codes.



Car has been at the dealer for 8 days before they finally call and say the parts are and this is a direct quote "on super duper back order"



Dealer said good luck we cant help....call VW and see what they say.
 

skyblaster

Member
Joined
Dec 28, 2019
Location
British Columbia, Canada
TDI
2013 GSW Highline
This was a common failure pre-Fix. Of course it will be worse afterwards. There was a TSB about it. If you have sooty tailpipes, your DPF has cracked.
I went to look at a 2013 with 177k miles today. Due to it's emissions repair date and current mileage, it is now out of warranty.

I stuck my finger in the tailpipe and there was an ever so slight amount of soot present. Is this normal?
There was a text warning message on the main screen, which I could have sworn said "Service engine", however there were no accompanying engine or DPF warning lights. Unfortunately I don't have a scantool.
 

Lightflyer1

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Sep 13, 2005
Location
Round Rock, Texas
TDI
2015 Beetle tdi dsg
I wouldn't even look at cars like that without a VCDS scan reading to check. It is that important when dealing with a car that will not be under warranty.
 

dbakevw

New member
Joined
Jan 31, 2020
Location
San Diego
TDI
2012 Jetta Sportwagen
I brought my 2012 JSW into the dealer for the third time last week with a DPF warning light on that won't go off. The first time they did an active regeneration and the warning light went away. About 5000 miles later it came back on and I brought it back in. This second time, after a week of figuring out what to do, they ended up replacing the entire EGR and DPF system - basically everything.

Third time happened again only 3000 miles later and I continued to drive it for another 2000 miles (with significantly increased fuel usage) hoping that it would go off and I wouldn't have to deal with it again. When I brought the car in last week they ran a coolant temperature test and supposedly determined that the thermostat needs to be replaced, not covered under warranty, at a cost of $1300 (and I had to pay for rental car while they figured this out). I complained directly to VW customer care that the DPF warning light is the only issue and it is crazy that the thermostat is not covered by extended warranty when almost every other part is - including 11 other temp sensors. After they spent another week doing further investigation, the result was the same - its not covered under warranty.

I got a quote from another repair shop to replace the thermostat for $550, less than half dealer cost, and they said that they suspect the thermostat is not the issue but will check it themselves before replacing. Anyone else dealing with these repeated DPF warning lights and have a suggestion on how to handle this with VW? What if I replace the thermostat through a private repair shop and then the DPF warning light comes on again? How do I prove to them that is not the issue and get them to deal with the real issue (whatever that is)?
 

rnlorena

New member
Joined
Feb 1, 2020
Location
Florida
TDI
VW Jetta 2.0L TDI
I have a 2011 2.0L TDI. I have 104,000. I am currently getting 40 or so miles to the gallon. I took my car to a local shop and they put in a wheel sensor that fixed the lights coming on the dash. They told me that they found a bulletin 2034898 that Supersedes T.B. V011411 dated April 21, 2014 to update Jetta. They said that it would update the ECM because the check engine lights come on and the update would extend it further so they didn't come on. Now I would have to go to the VW dealership. My check engine light comes on and goes off at various times. My mileage is great and I do not hear or see anything wrong with the car. It drives great. So when I went to the dealership and asked them to do this they told me that the car has the highest software level (9942) version for my vehicle. But the codes P0401 is coming up and they want to "FIX" my car. I told them no. the guy stated that they have many software updates they can do but they are associated with part replacement and the approved Emission Modification. I have read about a lot of people out there that have the check engine light on and go spend a lot of money to get their cars "FIXED" and then it comes back on. I would love to hear from anyone that knows if the version 9942 is the highest software version. I am not seeing anything that says my car needs to be fixed except for the people that are in it for the money. Please if anyone has any thoughts I would love to hear them. My husband takes good care of my cars. I will run this one into the ground before letting them touch my car. I believe people are getting ripped off by this.
 
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Lightflyer1

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Sep 13, 2005
Location
Round Rock, Texas
TDI
2015 Beetle tdi dsg
P401 is usually a cracked dpf and requires replacement of it and egr equipment to repair. Should be covered by the extended warranty and they will have to use the updated parts. You probably won't be able to even get the old parts anymore so you more than likely will have to get the fix done or do an illegal delete and tune. I don't understand your reluctance to have the fix done but that is up to you. It may or may not affect your fuel economy. Even if it does in a negative manner it is usually on a mpg or two. If I were you I would get it fixed now. If you have emissions testing for diesels there you will have to either get it fixed or stop driving the car eventually.
 

Diesl

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 3, 2012
Location
Chicago
TDI
'78 Golf Diesel (long gone); 2012 Jetta Sportwagen TDI w/ DSG
POBOX, what is the typical highway speed in your neck of the woods? I'm asking because I suspect that the car after the 'fix' doesn't like being driven above 70mph or thereabouts for extended periods.



rnlorena, mine's a slightly different take: the car has lasted 9 years and 100k miles without a warranty issue. I would look very carefully at what value the extended fix warranty is going to add. I got my car fixed, and had the EGR filter & DPF replaced twice since under that warranty. I suspect I might be happier and more confident about the longevity of the car without the fix. I was intending to drive it until it is used up; my last car reached that point after 14 years and slightly over 300k miles. I'm not so sure anymore this one will last that long.
 

rnlorena

New member
Joined
Feb 1, 2020
Location
Florida
TDI
VW Jetta 2.0L TDI
I have been to two different VW dealerships and two very different stories. I have a fairly new car. I decided to keep this one because I could use it and not run the wheels off my new one. I keep seeing people that have had the check engine light come on and they get their car fixed to the tune of 5,000 dollars then the check engine light comes on again. I am not a mechanic. However the shop that did the original work told me about this bulletin of reprogramming the ECM due to check engine light issues. I find it very hard to believe that due to a code that I need to spend 5 grand to get it fixed. I do not drive my car like a grandma. I would love to find out the truth about my car if it does have the highest software version at (9942). I do not believe the dealership is telling me the truth.
 

Dieselkraut

Active member
Joined
Mar 8, 2018
Location
Texas
TDI
SOLD
I just wonder what everyone will do once the extended VW warranty expires and those DPF's keep failing? Sell the car with a failed DPF or throw everything out and re-programm.

There is a lot of Life left in those cars and its engine if it wasn't for the DPF.
 

3turboz

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 29, 2011
Location
Tempe AZ USA
TDI
2000 Golf GL Wolfsberg
I just wonder what everyone will do once the extended VW warranty expires and those DPF's keep failing? Sell the car with a failed DPF or throw everything out and re-programm.

There is a lot of Life left in those cars and its engine if it wasn't for the DPF.
Probably the latter, if it will pass a visual and not throw a code.

I was shopping for a 14 or 15 Jetta to replace my old ALH Golf. Having read this entire thread I am about ready to cross off the 14. I am sure this may be relatively rare, but if it happens to you (or me) it sounds like a nightmare.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
I suspect more and more will get deleted, and until there is some nationwide inspection program (which is not likely to ever happen), they will continue on for hundreds of thousands of miles.

While not the exact same, it is similar, my 2016 Sprinter has much of the same types of emissions equipment on it. So far it is working flawlessly, and I have never been a fan of smokey or stinky diesels. And it is certainly not that. It only has clean clear warm air exiting its tailpipe, it has less "smell" than my newish Kawasaki powered John Deere lawn tractor. I can white glove the tail pipe. I like this. However, I have already taken the stance that if some wallet crushing thing happens to it, and I admit I have no hard and fast figure set for this, I will not fix it and delete it. I will not become a slave to it. A $250 NOx sensor, fine. But a $2000 DPF? Nope. Not gonna happen.

Fortunately, the 2014+ Sprinters seem to be pretty well sorted, and the track record for them from my experience here at the shop gives me confidence that mine is unlikely to incur a lot of hardship in keeping its engine and related items working properly. I wish VAG could claim the same, but they cannot, and all Dieselgate did is make the problem worse.
 

Dieselkraut

Active member
Joined
Mar 8, 2018
Location
Texas
TDI
SOLD
Probably the latter, if it will pass a visual and not throw a code.

I was shopping for a 14 or 15 Jetta to replace my old ALH Golf. Having read this entire thread I am about ready to cross off the 14. I am sure this may be relatively rare, but if it happens to you (or me) it sounds like a nightmare.

I'd think the same, but woder how to get inspection when they plug in the OBD. ?
Not sure if it really matters then for a 10+ year old vehicle.
 

nist7

New member
Joined
Jun 20, 2020
Location
Kansas City
TDI
none currently
Whether it irritates you or was disclosed by VW doesn't negate that it can be an issue and cause problems for those who do it. VW did mention it in one of their catalogs or some such for some small island that wasn't big enough for regens to occur. It is posted here somewhere from long ago.

If you want to short trip the car and have continual problems with it then fine keep on keeping on. Or you can take an active role and insure the regens occur when needed. Or knowing of this issue now sell the darn car and get something else that doesn't present this issue. Complaining to me about posting about the issue won't get you anything. I am just trying to inform those who don't know for what ever reason that this can happen. Now go down to your dealer or call VW and have it out with them.

At the end of the day, the majority of society (and all of us here included I imagine) rely for the most part on accurate and concise messaging and understanding when we buy the thousands of things we do in our lives. If we truly wanted to be extremely well-informed, each of us would have to spend hours researching forums and talking to people in the know or are experts before we decide on items. Granted, things that are as expensive as cars do deserve much more hours of heavy research, imo, than say a $10 trinket.

The majority of people are not into cars and probably have no interest or the time to delve really deep into certain things. I consider myself only moderately informed on cars, and there are people who are WAY WAY more knowledgeable than me...and yet my friends and my co-workers dub me the "car guru" because just by the fact that I can name 90% of the car make and model and some generally okay-informed opinions on various cars....to them I am at some god-like level of car knowledge when I myself am only moderately knowing. The amount of people who are informed as us on this forum is absolutely tiny.



Most people's main goal for cars is efficiency (MPG), practicality (interior space, cargo capacity) and economy (reliability for reduced cost of maintenance). And there is no doubt manufacturers compete to sell more cars by driving very very strong advertising campaigns that mainly focus on those things. And the TDI/diesel cars were certainly touted as MAINLY better in efficiency and economy as the big points.

I highly doubt VW or at the point of sales (aka car dealers) would've really really emphasized the negatives to caution buyers so the buyers can make a very well-informed decision because that certainly will lose them sales. And VW/car dealers are not in the business of reducing their own sales. It would be better if we lived in a world that happened, but the reality is that we don't and the result is there are people who do feel wronged and frustrated at buying a car they thought would be very economical and efficient but then found out this very expensive/annoying part/system that is not found in most other cars. In the long-term this could end up damaging VW reputation and longer-term sales.
 
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Lightflyer1

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Sep 13, 2005
Location
Round Rock, Texas
TDI
2015 Beetle tdi dsg
A lot of what you say is true, but doesn't negate the fact it is buyer beware. If you fail to educate yourself you put yourself at risk.
 

mydecember1985

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 6, 2015
Location
Florida
TDI
2013 JSW 6MT ;2011 JSW (buy-back May 2017)
Add me to the list. I'll be dropping the same story in the "what problems have you had post-fix" thread

2013 JSW
6SPD MT
38,300 miles on car
9,800 miles post-fix

Within a few weeks of buying the car in October, I noticed regens were happening about every 210-240 miles. Almost twice the frequency of our '11 that we turned in during buyback. Just assumed it was part of the software patch. I am religious about letting them complete. Maybe 1 in 10 I cut off after only a few minutes of cycling. Other times, I just pass by the house and drive an extra 15 miles til I hear the fans quiet down. Service rep says so many people have no idea what a regen is and even less know not to interrupt them so it's odd that mine failed.

Light came on 2 weeks ago. Made appointment. Dealer did a forced regen. Reset light. Drive home. comes on next day. appointment to ditch it overnight 2 days later. Got news yesterday that they found excess soot in the DPF. No cracks. Deemed it needed to be replaced. I asked if technician pressure tested the charge side. Said no but might try it next time it's in.

Backorder for DPFs is currently 4-6 weeks. I will park it as much as possible but drive it ~2 days a week when the wife needs her car.

Technician didn't put it back together very well. I can easily hear the turbo dumping pressure out of the exhaust/DPF. Video here
https://youtu.be/W2IQ7kFHsKY

awaiting response if dealer wants to investigate leak

NOTES:
I do use 2oz OptiLube XL fuel additive (did not tell dealer) each fill up
Oil is VW 507.00 spec Motul Xclean 8100 5W-30. Changed at 6,000 miles since purchase. Now just over 3,500 miles on that oil.
 

Matt927

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 29, 2013
Location
Northeast
TDI
several
Second replacement DPF soon under the emissions fix/warranty, this one lasted 40k.

CJAA engine
 

Matt927

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 29, 2013
Location
Northeast
TDI
several
Quick update, my last DPF lasted 26,000 miles. I thought it was 40,000.

I do not see how a fuel additive like Optilube would cause DPF failure.
 

johnsTDI

Veteran Member
Joined
May 25, 2019
Location
Canada,ont North America were Neighbours to usa
TDI
2012 Highline
On my 2012 VW TDI i got over 150,000 km's im prety sure its the original dpf still on the car i bought it used at 100.000 km's still no trouble or engine lights on i have had to do a few regens when the Yellow DPF light came on but when it did come on i would drive it over 2000 rpm and shortly afterword it would reset and light would go out. other German vehicles have DPF's that too plug up but can be cleaned out along with the source cause that gets them dirty as this guy in the video explaines from everyones comments on here sounds like VW DPF's are faulty or defective.? so im not sure what to beleive you would think the dealer would try a good cleaning like this shown.?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUjlc4y034Q
 

cbragdon

New member
Joined
Apr 8, 2021
Location
Massachusetts
TDI
2014 Jetta
I bought a 2014 Jetta TDI about a year ago, <40K mi. Last week the DOF light came on and I followed the procedure to start a regen, multiple times, with no effect. I had a dealer look at it (charged me for diagnosis and quoted 5 hours of labor to do what I had already done and also had an independent mechanic look at it.

I took it to a dealer with a high volume of used car sales, and explained the issue. Many hours of testing later, that dealer determined that the thermostat was faulty and active regeneration was not taking place. The whole process at the second dealer was covered under warranty and the issue was fixed.

If you cannot force a regen through high RPM driving, ask the dealer to include a check on the thermostat. It may save you a lot of time and money.
 

ticaf

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2018
Location
US Mid-Atlantic
TDI
Stock 2015 Golf SW S Manual TDI
Many hours of testing later, that dealer determined that the thermostat was faulty and active regeneration was not taking place. The whole process at the second dealer was covered under warranty and the issue was fixed.
If you cannot force a regen through high RPM driving, ask the dealer to include a check on the thermostat. It may save you a lot of time and money.
Did you notice anything with the temperature gauge ?
 

johnsTDI

Veteran Member
Joined
May 25, 2019
Location
Canada,ont North America were Neighbours to usa
TDI
2012 Highline
I bought a 2014 Jetta TDI about a year ago, <40K mi. Last week the DOF light came on and I followed the procedure to start a regen, multiple times, with no effect. I had a dealer look at it (charged me for diagnosis and quoted 5 hours of labor to do what I had already done and also had an independent mechanic look at it.

I took it to a dealer with a high volume of used car sales, and explained the issue. Many hours of testing later, that dealer determined that the thermostat was faulty and active regeneration was not taking place. The whole process at the second dealer was covered under warranty and the issue was fixed.

If you cannot force a regen through high RPM driving, ask the dealer to include a check on the thermostat. It may save you a lot of time and money.
the do's & dont's on owning a TDI are not to use the cheapest diesel possible use Shell V-Power Diesel, dont do alot of short distance driving, & they need to be opened up or driven hard on highway to blow out the crap once in a while. these are my own do's i follow that have worked for me no nearly 179,000 Kms' no issues on DPF.
 

jcruse64

Member
Joined
Apr 12, 2017
Location
Paducah, KY USA
TDI
2010 TDI Jetta
2010 Jetta TDI sedan at 178K. Had a CEL a bit before 178K, and my local diesel guy had p0401, p240f, and p2002 codes. The dealer inspected it on this information, and soot on the tail pipe, and is getting me a new DPF, along with a new turbo, under the Dieselgate warranty. I asked if the intake manifold or other items noted in threads like this were needed, and they said no.

I also get the frustration of some, about the car beginning to own the user. I wasn't a member here in '09, when I started looking at these new cars, but I DID look at reviews coming in from the various car mags, as well as POP Mechanics. Everyone was raving about the new TDI, and no mention of managing regens. The dealer I purchased from was also fairly vague about regens. When I had a dealer do the Dieselgate fix, they simply told me there would be more regens, but that I'd barely notice. No asking about how I would be driving the car or anything else (I have a 10 mile 1-way commute to work each day). I've enjoyed having the car for over 10 years now, and it's served us pretty well, on long road trips and locally, and I'm willing to help the car help itself, but I'm not keen on it "driving me".
 

Lightflyer1

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Sep 13, 2005
Location
Round Rock, Texas
TDI
2015 Beetle tdi dsg
2010 Jetta TDI sedan at 178K. Had a CEL a bit before 178K, and my local diesel guy had p0401, p240f, and p2002 codes. The dealer inspected it on this information, and soot on the tail pipe, and is getting me a new DPF, along with a new turbo, under the Dieselgate warranty. I asked if the intake manifold or other items noted in threads like this were needed, and they said no.

I also get the frustration of some, about the car beginning to own the user. I wasn't a member here in '09, when I started looking at these new cars, but I DID look at reviews coming in from the various car mags, as well as POP Mechanics. Everyone was raving about the new TDI, and no mention of managing regens. The dealer I purchased from was also fairly vague about regens. When I had a dealer do the Dieselgate fix, they simply told me there would be more regens, but that I'd barely notice. No asking about how I would be driving the car or anything else (I have a 10 mile 1-way commute to work each day). I've enjoyed having the car for over 10 years now, and it's served us pretty well, on long road trips and locally, and I'm willing to help the car help itself, but I'm not keen on it "driving me".

It really isn't that hard to do especially if you actively monitor them with some tool and app. OBDII dongle and VAGDPF work well for me. Then you only need to help when required which for most isn't that often.
 

Ovrhill

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 9, 2019
Location
Haltom City, Texas
TDI
'04 Jetta Wagon BEW, '06 Golf BEW, '15 Golf TDI(sold), '05 Golf TDI (wrecked)
It really isn't that hard to do especially if you actively monitor them with some tool and app. OBDII dongle and VAGDPF work well for me. Then you only need to help when required which for most isn't that often.
May I ask what OBDll dongle you are using?
I downloaded the free VAGDPF version just to test with a Kobra ELM327 dongle. It will connect but will not display any information to the app. Looks like my settings are correct. Just thinking that the Kobra devise is not going to work.
 

Lightflyer1

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Sep 13, 2005
Location
Round Rock, Texas
TDI
2015 Beetle tdi dsg
I bought the real one from scan tool. I tried three of the cheapo ones from somewhere and they didn't work at all or not for long.
 

Miked914

New member
Joined
Dec 5, 2019
Location
Santa Clarita, Ca
TDI
2013 Sportwagon
Bring this thread back!
DPF Lights on again and the Check Engine sometimes on, sometimes off. Back to dealer and yes they wanted charge me $400 for a "wiring overlay"...??!! said harness was not part of recall warranty. In other words they wanted to drag new wires on the outside of the main harness to ECU for temp sensor and pressure sensor. I asked if they checked harness for continuity or resistance... answer, "we don't do that." .... So how do you know something is wrong? "Sir this is what they told us to do"... - No Thanks.
I took it to a local mechanic and he checked, said he is getting a signal from all the sensors and the pre and post exhaust gas pressure sensors are not showing a difference, so the DPF is not clogged. He did find that the car was not getting up to temp and staying there. It would get to 190 then drop to 165. Thermostat was stuck open. Not once did VW dealership guy mention that car wasn't running at temp. It was almost time for a timing belt, so bought everything and did the whole shebang, Timing Belt, water pump, thermostat, engine mount, and and and... everything cleared! then the light came back on.... :mad:
I have thousands of dollars of new equipment on the car, 95% of which the dealership paid for and still getting a DPF light...
I haven't had time to try driving 45mph for 15min. No where to do that safely, hazard on, on the freeway I guess.
 
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