What did you do to your MK7 today?

GolfSW98

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 8, 2021
Location
Texas
TDI
2015 GSW TDI
Ordered a CR190 from Kerma. Lost the stock turbo yesterday, Had some boost spiking issues for some time, and turbo whine/siren noise you could faintly hear on a quiet day. She gave out on the highway heading up a hill, lots of oil spraying out. I shut her down right away, so really the turbo was the only victim. Once I remove it I can investinge further.
 

740GLE

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 19, 2009
Location
NH
TDI
2015 Passat SEL, 2017 Alltrack SE; BB 2010 Sedan Man; 2012 Passat,
Ordered a CR190 from Kerma. Lost the stock turbo yesterday, Had some boost spiking issues for some time, and turbo whine/siren noise you could faintly hear on a quiet day. She gave out on the highway heading up a hill, lots of oil spraying out. I shut her down right away, so really the turbo was the only victim. Once I remove it I can investinge further.
turbo and DPF were the only victims. good luck
 

Cuzoe

Veteran Member
Joined
May 24, 2017
Location
Los Angeles
TDI
MK7 Golf S
As usual, I didn't do anything (yet) but I prepared do a lot of things...

Loading up and laser marking some wire for what I hereby proclaim to be my last trip through the firewall...
https://flic.kr/p/2p2xPT1 https://flic.kr/p/2p2ARHm https://flic.kr/p/2p2D8gq https://flic.kr/p/2p2D8gv
Battery cover, oil cap, air quality/humidity sensor, updated touch detection module (for Mk8 steering wheel), and play/pause pedal so I don't get confused in my old age...
https://flic.kr/p/2p2D8ga
 

Cuzoe

Veteran Member
Joined
May 24, 2017
Location
Los Angeles
TDI
MK7 Golf S
The play/pause pedals are actually for the wife's Tesla, to give it some VW ID style 😆. Those are the only mod she has authorized for that car.

The oil cap doesn't fit unless the engine cover is removed. I'm not removing the engine cover, so the oil cap is gone, haha.
 

Nuje

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Feb 11, 2005
Location
Island near Vancouver
TDI
2015 Sportwagen; Golf GLS 2002 (swap from 2L gas); 2016 A3 e-tron
Battery cover, oil cap, air quality/humidity sensor, updated touch detection module (for Mk8 steering wheel), and play/pause pedal so I don't get confused in my old age.
Wait - do I need that "updated touch detection module"?
I think my Mk8 wheel is supposed to be able to detect that I'm holding the wheel, even if I'm not moving it (driving straight line) - and stop pestering me to "resume steering" (or wording to that effect).
Will this make that feature actually work properly?
 

Cuzoe

Veteran Member
Joined
May 24, 2017
Location
Los Angeles
TDI
MK7 Golf S
Wait - do I need that "updated touch detection module"?
I think my Mk8 wheel is supposed to be able to detect that I'm holding the wheel, even if I'm not moving it (driving straight line) - and stop pestering me to "resume steering" (or wording to that effect).
Will this make that feature actually work properly?
The touch detection only works if you also have the 2Q0 camera, which is required for Travel Assist (which uses the touch sensors instead of needing torque on the wheel).

I have recently found out, through Google Translate of a french forum, that you can have Travel Assist without traffic sign recognition. In that case it works pretty much like lane assist now, except that it will still adjust for upcoming curves and speed limit changes (based on data in the nav maps). Previously I thought, and had read, that you needed full pACC (with traffic sign recognition) to get Travel Assist. And on the 2Q0 camera they moved traffic sign recognition to SWaP, with a current cost of about 940 euro.

Wait.. what was your question?



Oh yea, unless you're going 2Q0 camera touch detection won't work anyway. This later revision module is "better" at hand detection than the previous. But there is no additional functionality.
 

Nuje

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Feb 11, 2005
Location
Island near Vancouver
TDI
2015 Sportwagen; Golf GLS 2002 (swap from 2L gas); 2016 A3 e-tron
Well, not exactly on my Mk7, but it's a MQB car (and I need a place to rant), so here we go.

My wife's A3 e-tron started making some kind of droning noise - stayed the same pitch, didn't seem to be related to tires (stayed the same regardless of brand new or old degraded pavement). Checked wheel bearings - near silent. Axles seem fine - car only has 65K km on it.

As much as I wanted to think it wasn't the case, it sure sounded to me like the electric drivetrain was making some noise....but that's impossible, right?

A quick digression: Car was bought with AudiCare, and the last of those services (at ~45K km back in 2020) included a DSG service. So, why not - it's like 25K km early, but saves me having to do it in a couple years.

So - changing the oil the other day, I noticed a little wetness around one of the DSG's drain plugs. Wiped it off, let the car sit overnight with the belly pan off and sure enough - nice little oil spot on the driveway. Pull out the Snap-on digital torque wrench and set it to the 45Nm spec for that plug - easily get another 30° or so before it beeps/buzzes.

So now, I'm realizing how long this thing has probably been slow-leaking (never left spots on our driveway, but the belly pan did have some dampness) and thinking....this can't be good.

Pull out the DSG fill equipment and figure I'll pump in 1L and see how much drains back out. If it's close to that same 1.0L, non-issue.
Start the car, open the fill plug....nothing comes out. Usually there's a little residual stuff in the fill pipe, but this was literally a few drops around the sealing edge of the plug.

Pump this in.


Let it spin for a bit. Then this much comes out.

(Had the wrong scale facing the camera there, but it's looking across to the other side of the container, you can see it's a little under 300mL)

So, in a car where the DSG fluid level is so finicky that not only does the car have to be perfectly level, but has to be within a 20°C temperature range (between 20-40°C...mine was right at 30°C), I was down over 700mL. 🤬

Now here's the kicker: Not only is the DSG the transmission on this car, but that 0DD transmission also houses the hybrid drive system for the car (which I take to mean, that's where the electric motor resides). 🤬🤬

Just on a hunch, when I tightened that drain plug, I initially set my torque wrench at 30Nm (which is the oil drain plug spec), then tightened it to the spec 45Nm and sure enough - that felt identical to what my initial check of the tightness of that plug was. So, not too difficult to figure out how and what the mistake was.

A message containing much of the info in this post was sent to the dealership that did the DSG service; they've received it and are "reviewing".

So yeah - that's what happened with my car today.
So, to follow up on this: Still haven't arranged with the dealer to get the DSG fluid checked - which they offered when I called to explain my findings and concern.

BUT....with the noise getting progressively worse, and still no discernible difference between the wheel bearings - they all sound fine spinning when up on a lift, even with screwdriver-to-ear, or stethoscope - I figured I'd try replacing the right front wheel bearing as the car does make more noise on LH curves (loading up the RH side). Worst case, I put in the new one, it makes no difference, and I still have a perfectly good wheel bearing sitting on the shelf.

Wouldn't you know it, though: no more noise. Despite all of the "it's never the wheel you think it is", "even though you think it's the bearing, it's the tires / ball joint / cv joint....trust me"....turns out it was the wheel / bearing I thought it was almost from the start.
(Still not pleased with the DSG fluid / drain plug situation, but I'll get the level checked - while I watch, just to see if there's some special mojo needed with the hybrid-drive situation on the e-tron).
 

740GLE

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 19, 2009
Location
NH
TDI
2015 Passat SEL, 2017 Alltrack SE; BB 2010 Sedan Man; 2012 Passat,
So low DSG fluid was not the cause of any sounds? Either way having topped up fluid will allow the unit to behave and wear as designed so all isn't lost.
 

Nuje

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Feb 11, 2005
Location
Island near Vancouver
TDI
2015 Sportwagen; Golf GLS 2002 (swap from 2L gas); 2016 A3 e-tron
Correct. Even without the noise that turned out to be the wheel bearing, I'm quite sure I would've checked the DSG fluid level and topped it up once I saw the drip from the causative improperly torqued drain plug.
 

Nuje

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Feb 11, 2005
Location
Island near Vancouver
TDI
2015 Sportwagen; Golf GLS 2002 (swap from 2L gas); 2016 A3 e-tron
Nicely done!
Is that the same emblem that would be used with the ACC radar sensor in the newer models, where the radar is behind the emblem?
 

Cuzoe

Veteran Member
Joined
May 24, 2017
Location
Los Angeles
TDI
MK7 Golf S
Nicely done!
Is that the same emblem that would be used with the ACC radar sensor in the newer models, where the radar is behind the emblem?
I suppose I don't know for sure. But this emblem is from the last of the Arteons and my understanding is that front emergency brake assist was standard. Assuming that is true, I guess this would have to be compatible with emblem mounted sensor. The Arteon is likely using a 2Q0 radar sensor which is actually a bit smaller than the 3Q0 square ones in the Mk7/7.5 Golfs. I don't think the camera would block the "view" of the 2Q0 radar.

My calling it a "facelift" emblem was not accurate. The Mk8 Golf(s) have an emblem that looks like this, with flat logo. For an Mk7.5 there is a different (radar transparent) emblem as compared to what is on our cars, although the outward appearance was still the same. The Mk7.5 grill is also different, in any case, because of the different headlight shape.
 

740GLE

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 19, 2009
Location
NH
TDI
2015 Passat SEL, 2017 Alltrack SE; BB 2010 Sedan Man; 2012 Passat,
I changed out the spark plugs for some freshies, 50K on the last set with no issues, such is the life of a gasser, slave to the spark plug empire.
 
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