Help warning light on about to board ferry!!!!!

greenfintry · Sep 7, 2014

Just driven to Newcastle to get ferry. 20miles before arriving, stopped to eat lunch. Switched back on and orange engine pictogram came on and has stayed on. Handbook says catalytic issue, but van driving fine, good mpg, temps ok and oil etc was fine this am. Thoughts please, do we need to spend next days in holland looking for dealer etc, or is this a fix when home issue. Van is 3+ years old done 18k and full service etc. Out of vw support but we have euro help from RAC, BUT VAN SEEMS OK. might reset overnight but thoughts most welcome.......boarding soon. :sad

18hunts · Sep 7, 2014

I had this problem whilst in France in June on my 2013 Cali.
Read this forum and even resorted to reading the VW manual who state 'drive carefully until you can get to a VW garage to have the engine checked out'. It did not say ' do not pass go, do not collect £200, go straight to jail'.They stress no urgency at all.
After all I read and researched on the internet I decided that as the only driving I was doing was going home and the Cali was behaving itself in every respect ( 36.8mpg) I continued on my holiday and reported in to my VW Centre on return. The light at one point even went out and then a day later came back on. I drove back at a steady 65 on the Autoroutes whilst continuing our holiday.
The problem, a malfunctioning sensor on the catatlytic converter. Replaced and now everything ok.
Hope this helps!

T5WOB · Sep 7, 2014

we just had this with are audi A1 .its has 4 sensors on it .still drove ok .went to audi said its a fault with these sensors .change the sensor now was £140 for sensor .all ok now car sold to .dont panic over this

Andresz · Sep 7, 2014

Had the same this summer. Made 2000 km with the thing lit. (had no time to go to garage). Eventually it was diagnosed as Lambda sensor (the main one on catalytic exhaust), after replacement the fault did not appear anymore. 360 Euros though.

Regards
Andrzej

ChrisandPenney52 · Sep 7, 2014

Had this, phoned dealer from middle of France, they said lots of reasons why this comes on, probably OK. Drove on and after 24 hours it went out. Came on a couple of times afterwards.

Ours literally came on as I drove up the ferry ramp, so was committed.

On balance of probabilities, in your position I'd drive on. I was and I did!

Maybe a call to your dealer would help?

Andresz · Sep 7, 2014

ChrisandPenney52 said:
Maybe a call to your dealer would help?

As you said, this lamp is for a number of reasons, without connecting to a computer there is nothing what can be diagnosed. But from the cases above it is most likely ok to keep driving.

yanathem · Sep 7, 2014

I have had the same light on and off now for the last month, I had it diagnosed on a vagcom as a exhaust gas pressure sensor. Technician said nothing really to worry about but worth changing to get rid of the warning light lighting up. Still haven't changed it

greenfintry · Sep 8, 2014

Thanks all. Just landing so will carry on.... Might call in at local centre if see one, no point in calling home dealer as never get help there anyhow!