Exhaust gas warning lamp

Juliette ryan · Jul 4, 2019

My exhaust gas warning lamp light came on (not flashing) yesterday and my mechanic said to use Redex.(He said it can be a result of too may short journeys - which I have been doing)
Has anyone use this or have you got any advice.
Thanks

Juliette ryan · Jul 4, 2019

Sorry - just realised that I've put this in the wrong section on the forum - Dash board?

westfalia · Jul 4, 2019

Forget the Redex.
You need to get it plugged in and see the fault codes.

There are a few sensors that might need replacing like the
Lambdasensor, it could even be your EGR.
Or it could need a forced burn out of the DPF.

Juliette ryan · Jul 4, 2019

heading off to Scotland next Thursday - it this a time consuming process ?

Loz · Jul 4, 2019

A long burn up the motorway should clear it nicely.

Perfectos · Jul 4, 2019

I presume the lamp is lit yellow ?

If so try taking the van for a 20 minute drive on a dual carriage way, keeping the revs above 2500 at all times, higher at times, use a lower gear than normal, get the engine nice and warm, the light should go out.
Near the end of the journey when approaching a junction use a low gear to break using the engine, which should assist in blowing the crud out of the DPF which should reset the light.

If the lamp is red don’t try the above

If the yellow bulb is not reset after the above take in to a dealer ASAP.

Report back to help others

TripleBee · Jul 4, 2019

Juliette ryan said:
heading off to Scotland next Thursday - it this a time consuming process ?

That depends on what is causing the engine light to come on.
If you mechanic tells you to use something just like that out of the blue, it is time to change your mechanic.
These vehicles (and certainly the engines) get more complicated each generation that 1 light can mean dozens of problems.
If you leave on holidays with your engine light on, it might result in severe damage if it is now just a small problem that could be fixed easily, and you keep on driving untill that small problem turns into disaster.

I don't want to scare you, but the only one that can tell you what could be wrong is, or VW, or someone with a decent diagnostic computer.

calikev · Jul 4, 2019

Is this it

Perfectos · Jul 4, 2019

Marginally different to my description but the same principle ( I tried my method on a T5, worked after 20 minutes or so, when using engine breaking)

Sorry, we're closed.

TripleBee · Jul 4, 2019

Oh, my mistake. Exhaust!

This light means that there were too many aborted attempts to regenerate the DPF. Now you need to drive your vehicle + - 90 km/h (60mph?) around the mark of 2000 rpm, constantly, without much acceleration and deceleration, until the light goes out.
If it does not work within 15 minutes, there is another problem, or you did not drive under the right conditions.
If the light doesn't go out, take it to the VW dealer, or someone with knowledge and a diagnostic computer to read the fault codes.

Juliette ryan · Jul 4, 2019

thank you all - I'll prob get it checked out as off on a big trip - hopefully they can look at it asap.
I did drive it 20miles along the A27/M27 to work today to do just that but keeping a constant speed is tricky at rush hour - light still on obviously -

Juliette ryan · Jul 4, 2019

and report back to help others x

Juliette ryan · Jul 5, 2019

All sorted.
My mechanic - not the one who recommended Redex - ran a test and said all the data said everything was as it should be and he reckoned that the light could have come on as the van is not used regularly and with the hot weather the DPF could have got a bit sooty etc. He said that running the van at a constant high speed would not have solved the problem. The light is now off and we are ready to roll.
Hope this helps anyone with the same problem.
Thanks for all your advice.