So I got the infamous P2015 code....why do they seem to always replace the entire intake not just the sensor?

[Analogeezer]

So my 2013 JSW TDI started throwing this code the other week.

I can clear it (I used Dash Command) but it of course comes back after a few restarts. Strangely enough I have had the code lit, but NOT come back on a restart but that only happened once or twice.

The car has 104,500 miles on it and is under the extended VW emissions warranty through 09/2023.

Reading accounts of this happening online it seems the VW dealer approach is always to replace the entire intake manifold. That seems expensive and weird, is the sensor not a separate item that can be detached and replaced?

I see there are kits available to limit the mechanical travel to stop the sensor from throwing the code, but I am just going to let them deal with it; at the risk of them screwing something up.

I'd be interested in other people who have had this repair done and if they continued to have the problem later on. For sure after my warranty is gone, if it comes back I would get one of the kits.

Thanks!

Analogeezer

 

[Porch]

just get yourself a new intake manifold. when the error code pops back up in like 100k or whatever, put the little dieselgeek piece on there and voila.
vw's fix fixed my error code, as it should. i actually told them i was gonna put the dieselgeek piece on and they basically refused, i was like "ok". took about a week and i got a nice new atlas to drive in the meantime(although it got atrocious gas mileage).

 

[Bob S.]

From the outside looking in: Probably it is a corporate decision largely driven by the liability/insurance factors and the emissions scandal/EPA monitoring that instructs dealers to use only OEM parts with no modifications.

 

[Analogeezer]

From the outside looking in: Probably it is a corporate decision largely driven by the liability/insurance factors and the emissions scandal/EPA monitoring that instructs dealers to use only OEM parts with no modifications.

I assume you are referring to dealers installing the dieselgeek kit, I was wondering why they don't just replace the sensor instead of the entire manifold?

Rock Auto actually sells a manifold but it states "no sensor" so clearly the sensor can be detached from the manifold.

Probably one of those things from their view the part is cheap (the manifold) and just easier to swap the entire assembly out. This costs you much dollars of course if you are out of warranty' hence the existence of the kits.

Analogeezer

 

[Porch]

they follow the rules in general on these warranty repairs. for example, they(vw dealer service dept) broke off a glow plug in my cylinder head. they said it's possible to re-thread the cylinder head, but per the warranty they have to replace the entire cylinder head. just go with it.

 

[JELLOWSUBMARINE]

As I understand it, its the manifold pivot point that wears causing the over ride.

As long as you have good techs working on the car, a nice carbon free clean intake would be a plus. AND like was mentioned its a nice time to add the kit yourself.

 

[Analogeezer]

As I understand it, its the manifold pivot point that wears causing the over ride.

As long as you have good techs working on the car, a nice carbon free clean intake would be a plus. AND like was mentioned its a nice time to add the kit yourself.

Ahhhh that's a really good point I had not thought about, it pivots in the head with no sort of bushing or anything, like a 1970's Japanese DOHC motorcycle where the cams just rode on the head material.

My reluctance comes from the various dumbassery committed on this car by VW dealers:

1. Glovebox lock fell out the second day of ownership, I took it to a dealer and found out they had to replace the entire glovebox which involved taking the lower dash apart

So a while later my seat heaters start to malfunction, like 8 months later

2. Take it to a closer dealer and they tell me there is nothing wrong.

I buy VCDS, scan the car and find a seat heater module fault code. Take the printout of the log to them and they STILL tried to bullshit me but eventually caved when I pointed to the number of ignition events (56) that had occurred since the fault triggered. They were trying to tell me that code got triggered AFTER I brought it to them. They also tried to claim they scanned the car for fault codes when I had brought it in before but of course they hadn't.

They tried to tell me it was heat from my body making the seat warm....morons.

Well lo and behold they find a lose connection from dealer #1's repair

3. Take it to ANOTHER dealer for the 40k service, they wind up padding the bill without asking me (various fuel and oil additives) and then the car was taking forever to get done. Late in the evening (by this time I had been there for six hours) they say "oh we are just washing your car now for you".

I get out back with the car finally, pop the hood with a flashlight to take a look and sure enough, they had not sufficiently deppressurzed the filter so it had sprayed diesel fuel all around the engine bay. THAT was the "washing your car" bit they were doing.

4. Local dealer at my new location has seemed to be competent but is always trying to upsell me ****. They told me at the 80,000 mile service I needed front brakes. Well it's 25,000 miles later and I probably have another 10,000 to 15,000 to go on those same brakes.

My extended emissions warranty goes through 09/2023; that's 10 years and six months after I bought the car. OR if I have less than 130,000 on it that is the warranty but I suspect in another two years I will have put another 15,000 miles on the car for sure. So it will wind up being the time not the mileage.

So basically I have this repair, and 110k and 120k services left with these clowns. I know I could bail now and go with a quality indy but I just don't want the complication and static I would get on a warranty repair if I did that.

Thanks for the input, your bit about the manifold itself wearing at the pivot point makes a lot of sense. It's a fairly cheap part it seems just more labor to remove it and potential for them to screw stuff up.

Analogeezer

 

[oilhammer]

The sensor is in the actuator, and there is an updated part. You *could* replace just the actuator but they do not sell them that way, and the return spring would be challenging to get back on with the manifold on the engine.

 

[Analogeezer]

The sensor is in the actuator, and there is an updated part. You *could* replace just the actuator but they do not sell them that way, and the return spring would be challenging to get back on with the manifold on the engine.

Thanks for your answer that explains a lot.

What exactly does the throttle plate do on these cars? My understanding of diesel tech (which is probably wrong or not up to date) is I have read unlike gassers, diesels run "unthrottled". Unlike a gasser which tries to achieve stoichometric 14.7:1, diesels vary the AFR according to load and required/requested power.

I was under the impression they just took in a fixed amount of air, then added or subtracting fueling from that to respond to load and throttle inputs. Maybe I got this wrong or it does not apply to common rail diesels.

The car doesn't even seem to notice this CEL, runs fine so what are the functions/roles of the throttle plate, this sensor and the ECU/injection systems?

I'm not suggesting I not get this fixed, just curious as to how this all works in a modern TDI.

Analogeezer

 

[oilhammer]

First, you are confusing the intake runner control (your P2015 DTC) and the intake regulation flap (or "throttle"). Two different parts, doing two different things.

The intake runner control is to change the turbulence of air going into the engine, by blocking off half the intake valves' air source during certain conditions. This way, the swirl of intake air at lower RPMs helps with combustion efficiency.

The throttle part is to aid in the flow of the low pressure EGR, aid in the DPF regen function, and help keep the engine from shuddering when it is turned off.

There is also another throttle in the exhaust.

 

[Analogeezer]

So of course the past week the light went out all on it's own and has not come back on.

But I fully expect it to. I just need to make an appointment to get my state safety inspection done before I take the car to the VW dealer and have them do the repair/replacement.

Will report back after that (in about two weeks).

Analogeezer

 

[ApproachMedium]

hate to bring this one back up, but i installed the dieselgeek part last year. i now have a p2004, p2006 and p2015 fault set. running output tests the actuator motor works as it should bout on the one side (i believe closed) it makes noise like it doesnt know its gone far enough.