Golf GT 170 DPF

Author
Discussion

nickliv

Original Poster:

84 posts

216 months

Tuesday 8th April 2008
quotequote all
Hi

We've got a GT170 TDI golf, and the DPF keeps 'clogging'. It's been into the dealers a number if times, firstly because the emmissions light was on (told that the ECU needed a reflash, only to leave the car with them for a full day, to be told that their computers were down. No loan car available, so mooched around town all day)

Was sent away being told that I could book the car in at my convenience, and that it was fine to drive, so we drove it, knowing it's in for a service in a couple of months.

DPF light's been on a few times, but I've always been able to clear it by following the instructions in the book of words.

BUT the other day the emmissions light came on with the DPF light, so I took it in again on Friday for the 'reflash' etc. This was done (Again, no loaners available)
Told the car needs an exhaust pressure sensor, and it's not in stock, and that the car's still OK to drive, so I booked the service in June, just before I leave for LM.

Saturday afternoon the DPF light's on again, and the glowplug light, car goes into limp mode, and 'ENGINE FAULT GARAGE' comes up on the display.

VW assist out to the car yesterday, forced a regeneration, but told me the car's OK to drive (Notice a theme here) but that it needs to go to the stealers to be mended properly.

It's booked in for a week on Thursday, and I've asked for a loaner. Then they tell me it'll be £10 a day for insurance? Whe car's insured F.C. with myself and my wife the only named drivers. It's a bloody warranty job, the garage should claim the £10 back off VW themselves.

I'm going to try to get them to drop the fee, otherwise I'm going to get VW assist to recover the car to the dealers and their hire car scheme.

This is driving me and my wife to distraction, at the moment, we won't have another VAG car.....

Muzzer

3,814 posts

223 months

Tuesday 8th April 2008
quotequote all
I have a friend with a diesel Megane with exactly the same problem.

When I got my Golf, the stealer tried to tuck me into a DPF but luckily, said friend warned me off.

The stealer was adamant that the DPF should only come on if you do a lot of town work and the filter gets clogged - If the DPF light comes on, all you have to do is run it one junction up the motorway and back and it should clear it. I wasn't convinced.

Stick at the dealer.

pbarlow0032

420 posts

215 months

Wednesday 9th April 2008
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Same has happened to the parent's in law with a Vauxhall Astra Twin top with 1.9 diesel DPF engine.

They rejected their first car after it being repeatedly back to the garage to fix for the 6 months they owned it. Vauxhall gave them a newer version of the same car to replace it, and thats now gone exactly the same way.

The car regularly does 60 to 80 miles per day on dual carriageway/motorways, so it should be fine according to the handbook.

ETA when they took the newer car back for its most recent DPF regeneration, the same dealership had their own demonstrator in the workshop getting fixed for the exact same problem!!

DPF = work of the devil rolleyes

Edited by pbarlow0032 on Wednesday 9th April 16:28

Tame Technician

2,467 posts

206 months

Sunday 13th April 2008
quotequote all
Why anyone would buy a PD engine with a DPF is beyong me. A common rail diesel engine with DPF will usually be ok, depending on how you drive, Forget about it if you do short journey or long time spent in trafic jams. But with old PD injector technology you have to drive the car in a very very specific way for it to work propperly. With the roads and trafic in england thats virtually imposible and you get the problems you and many others are having. There have been some software changes, reflash updates if you will but they only make the customer regeneration process a bit easier, they dont change the way the system works. Updates require the car to be linked to the factory in germany to download the new software and sometime the network is down, hence your centres inability to do it straight away.

Sadly our sales team with no technical knowledge, can only regurgitate what they are trained which is that DPF is great and means no smoke from your tail pipe etc. The reality is stay away from DFP unless you do nice long motorway runs and have a modern Common rail diesel engine.

The problem I have is customer says we cant fix his car, that light is on again, and he's done about 100 miles 5 mile trip across town 2 or 3 times a day. We cant fix it cos its not broken, thats how it is.

We have had customers back cars and change to ones without DPF, If you feel you were mis-sold, salesman didnt explain what DPF was or how it worked etc, I would try this. VAG are all about customers service at the mo if you kick up enough stink you should get results.

croxsons

1,843 posts

201 months

Tuesday 15th April 2008
quotequote all
I've for the same engine (170 pd) but in a Passat estate.

The light has come up a few times, but given one good journey (you have five attempts according to VW assist) and it clears.

If after the five journeys, it hasn't been cleared, it goes limp home mode. Basically, the computer recognises that the filter has clogged up I think 40%, then the first light, then 50% and 60% etc.

I knew about this "characteristic" before I ordered (lease from VW Finance) so knew what I was getting myself into. If the light comes on again, and I know that I won't be doing a good run (20 minutes @ 2K revs to clear when in limp home mode), then I was told that I would call VW Assist and they would come out and drive it for me, on my company's fuel, but big deal. I would rather the peace of mind that I can get places when I need to.

I reckon that I do about 10 short journeys to every long run, maybe sometimes squeezing out 20. If I go over two weeks, then I expect the filter to flash up.

nickliv

Original Poster:

84 posts

216 months

Thursday 17th April 2008
quotequote all
Tame Technician said:
Why anyone would buy a PD engine with a DPF is beyong me. A common rail diesel engine with DPF will usually be ok, depending on how you drive, Forget about it if you do short journey or long time spent in trafic jams. But with old PD injector technology you have to drive the car in a very very specific way for it to work propperly. With the roads and trafic in england thats virtually imposible and you get the problems you and many others are having. There have been some software changes, reflash updates if you will but they only make the customer regeneration process a bit easier, they dont change the way the system works. Updates require the car to be linked to the factory in germany to download the new software and sometime the network is down, hence your centres inability to do it straight away.

Sadly our sales team with no technical knowledge, can only regurgitate what they are trained which is that DPF is great and means no smoke from your tail pipe etc. The reality is stay away from DFP unless you do nice long motorway runs and have a modern Common rail diesel engine.

The problem I have is customer says we cant fix his car, that light is on again, and he's done about 100 miles 5 mile trip across town 2 or 3 times a day. We cant fix it cos its not broken, thats how it is.

We have had customers back cars and change to ones without DPF, If you feel you were mis-sold, salesman didnt explain what DPF was or how it worked etc, I would try this. VAG are all about customers service at the mo if you kick up enough stink you should get results.
The 170 is a CRD IIRC

Tame Technician

2,467 posts

206 months

Thursday 17th April 2008
quotequote all
The (170) 125kW engine is PD, not CRD. It does use the newer injector technology within the "Unit-injector" or "pumpe-duse" layout where the 140 doesn't.

The New A4 is the first Audi to have 2.0tdi with common rail. 120kW. This engine with DPF is fine. This engine will inevitable end up being in everything as time goes by, But for now Golfs and A3 are coming with PD engines. If you don't believe me I'll find some data from work and post it here.


nickliv

Original Poster:

84 posts

216 months

Sunday 20th April 2008
quotequote all
I stand corrected.

My 130 PD howks enough smoke as standard, I'll bet the 170 fills the DPF in about 10 minutes.