Engine light on for 2 1/2 years! I think I need a dealer

[westfalia]

How do you know about Pimlico Plumbers? He probably has so many he services them himself. Or possibly SMG.
I‘ll go back to Campervantastic’s recommended Peter Day. Now I know it’s a common thing to do I have a lot more faith that they’ll know what to do.
And I’ll stick with my non dealer VW specialist for everything else.
Thanks again.

I've seen their vans with the cool Reg plates in London village.

One independent Vw garage that i've since used after ending my loving
relationship with my dealer, had a problem to reset some code once, it
needed a certain programming code that only Vw had.

He managed to get it in the end.

 

[yanathem]

Hello, I honestly think you are over thinking this, it’s just a small sensor that can be ordered from any vw garage or a TPS if the one local to you will allow the public in. Always better with a part number using a TPS i find.
The sensor is a doddle to change and easily accessible. I changed mine not long after we purchased our van. I am not a mechanic or have worked in that industry but I do know how to loosen a bolt and pull a sensor from it’s clip. Regarding the fault code i‘ve got to be honest here I cannot remember taking the van back down to my local any car make independent one man service garage so I’m guessing the light on the dashboard went out and after six years it’s not come back on. Or I did take it down to the garage and it was reset. Your options are to either change the sensor yourself, if the light stays on, take it to your independent garage and ask them to reset the fault code if you have a long term relationship with them and they charge you a fortune for a simple reset, next time you require work done on your van find someone else. Or get them to change it and reset the code while you are there waiting, shouldn’t take any longer than a couple of minutes to change the sensor but ask for a price first before they start. Or take it to a vw franchise and ask them for a quote. Whatever you decide it’s a simple small job and the price should reflect this, you would hope.




View attachment 65135
I took this to my non dealer VW specialist Peter Norris who told me this was showing as a DPF sensor. My 2008 Cali has done about 44,000 miles, is just used for holidays and day trips so lots of motorway drives, hardly no short drives. I said it was running fine and he thought the sensor was broken and unlikely to be an actual DPF fault. He reset the engine light.
For the last 30 months the light has come on and off (mainly on) and the van is driving superbly as always. No limp mode.
At this point I’m guessing people think I’m an idiot. I was wondering if anyone has had a similar problem.
Over this time I have wasted money putting DPF cleaner in the tank a few times and even bought a code reader.


View attachment 65137
I was wondering if anyone had had this sensor replaced and where. From what I have read the sensor is known to be faulty and if a new one is fitted some VW diagnostic stuff needs to be done to make the new improved sensor work. The sensor contains a crystal which measures small differences in air pressure either side of the DPF. As I have said I have been driving around with the engine light on for 30 months and am confident that the problem is the sensor. I think it’s time to replace it.
I have used Peter Norris for ten years for my Cali and Golf and find them cheaper than a dealer but reassuringly expensive. I trust them but suspect I need a dealer for this. I try and avoid dealers like the plague. I find SMG in Croydon utterly rubbish. I once rang Campervantastic rentals and asked which dealer they used and they recommended Alan Day Tower Bridge. I have used them once and they were ok but not great.
I suspect I’m going to have to go back to them. I just don’t want to spend £500 on “labour” and the light to come back on.
[/QUOTE]

 

[Lambeth Cali]

Hello, I honestly think you are over thinking this, it’s just a small sensor that can be ordered from any vw garage or a TPS if the one local to you will allow the public in. Always better with a part number using a TPS i find.
The sensor is a doddle to change and easily accessible. I changed mine not long after we purchased our van. I am not a mechanic or have worked in that industry but I do know how to loosen a bolt and pull a sensor from it’s clip. Regarding the fault code i‘ve got to be honest here I cannot remember taking the van back down to my local any car make independent one man service garage so I’m guessing the light on the dashboard went out and after six years it’s not come back on. Or I did take it down to the garage and it was reset. Your options are to either change the sensor yourself, if the light stays on, take it to your independent garage and ask them to reset the fault code if you have a long term relationship with them and they charge you a fortune for a simple reset, next time you require work done on your van find someone else. Or get them to change it and reset the code while you are there waiting, shouldn’t take any longer than a couple of minutes to change the sensor but ask for a price first before they start. Or take it to a vw franchise and ask them for a quote. Whatever you decide it’s a simple small job and the price should reflect this, you would hope.




View attachment 65135
I took this to my non dealer VW specialist Peter Norris who told me this was showing as a DPF sensor. My 2008 Cali has done about 44,000 miles, is just used for holidays and day trips so lots of motorway drives, hardly no short drives. I said it was running fine and he thought the sensor was broken and unlikely to be an actual DPF fault. He reset the engine light.
For the last 30 months the light has come on and off (mainly on) and the van is driving superbly as always. No limp mode.
At this point I’m guessing people think I’m an idiot. I was wondering if anyone has had a similar problem.
Over this time I have wasted money putting DPF cleaner in the tank a few times and even bought a code reader.


View attachment 65137
I was wondering if anyone had had this sensor replaced and where. From what I have read the sensor is known to be faulty and if a new one is fitted some VW diagnostic stuff needs to be done to make the new improved sensor work. The sensor contains a crystal which measures small differences in air pressure either side of the DPF. As I have said I have been driving around with the engine light on for 30 months and am confident that the problem is the sensor. I think it’s time to replace it.
I have used Peter Norris for ten years for my Cali and Golf and find them cheaper than a dealer but reassuringly expensive. I trust them but suspect I need a dealer for this. I try and avoid dealers like the plague. I find SMG in Croydon utterly rubbish. I once rang Campervantastic rentals and asked which dealer they used and they recommended Alan Day Tower Bridge. I have used them once and they were ok but not great.
I suspect I’m going to have to go back to them. I just don’t want to spend £500 on “labour” and the light to come back on.

[/QUOTE]
I am starting to think that but what does Elmo3’s ‘checked cause of MIL light on. Traced to DPF pressure sensor failed. Renewed pressure sensor and carried out adaption’ mean?

Does “carried out adaptation” just mean reset the code (I can do that) ? Or does it require a VAG technician with a laptop following a procedure to make the sensor work.

 

[yanathem]

I found there is loads more pressure sensor failures on our age of van than the dpf of any age of van. My sensor fault was just over 20k mileage. I’m not sure if it was you or another poster suggesting but the part number has been changed which suggest the part has been improved.
If you have been running around in your van for the last two years or so with the light blinking on and off for that time with no issues at all to how it runs. Change the sensor and see what happens.

I am starting to think that but what does Elmo3’s ‘checked cause of MIL light on. Traced to DPF pressure sensor failed. Renewed pressure sensor and carried out adaption’ mean?

Does “carried out adaptation” just mean reset the code (I can do that) ? Or does it require a VAG technician with a laptop following a procedure to make the sensor work.
[/QUOTE]

 

[Mike Maguire]

There was a service action on these and I had mine replaced under warranty. It causes the engine to stop doing regens and eventually clogged up the DPF and went into limp mode.

Loz ... when was that & which configuration?

 

[Loz]

Loz ... when was that & which configuration?

It was on my 2016, but yours is older so might just be a failure of the sensor.

 

[Lambeth Cali]

Finally rang VW Battersea. No one picked up. Emailed them. No one called back. I hate dealers.

Bought the new sensor on EBay instead and went to remove it myself. Struggled with the hoses but watched a YouTube video and finally got it off. I’m a hopeless mechanic but still trust myself more than any dealer inside the M25.

Hopefully the new one will arrive soon. Thanks for the help.

 

[Lambeth Cali]

New sensor arrived. Annoyingly it appears to have an August 2009 manufacturing date. I’ve switched it. I’ve realised that “sensor adaptation” is an actual thing that needs doing with VCDS!? But if the sensor is that old it might not need adaptation.

 

[andyinluton]

I once rang Campervantastic rentals and asked which dealer they used and they recommended Alan Day Tower Bridge. I have used them once and they were ok but not great.
I suspect I’m going to have to go back to them. I just don’t want to spend £500 on “labour” and the light to come back on.

Alan Day has either gone or is just about to, I received a letter from them advising that they were shutting. Shame as they were the best dealer Ive come across, helped by being very convenient for tube/ train into central london so no faffing with courtesy cars etc.

 

[Lambeth Cali]

Today I fitted a newer 2018 sensor and “adapted” it using VCDS Lite and following various YouTube videos.
I love YouTube. I’m no mechanic but YouTube does make many things seem possible.
I hope it’s fixed.