Exhaust Gas Warning Lamp

[Transporter]

Hi, currently doing half a lap of oz with our Kombi Beach towing a Jayco camper. Quite a few hard miles over the last couple of months, and about at Woomera this light came on. As you say, reading the manual it says take it straight in to a dealer. I've booked into the VW dealer at Alice Springs for this Friday but still have a thousand or so k's before I get there. Anyone's thoughts on this delay? It is due for a service now and I was going to do oil and filters and save a big service for my return to brisbane. Be interested in hearing others thoughts on any potential long term damage / expense I may cause

The quality of the diesel fuel is important for your DPF and also the correct usage of the engine oil as all these will lead to the DPF clogging. But, that's just speculating, wait until it's properly diagnosed and take it from there. It could also be faulty sensor flagging the light.

[petenkaz]

Thanks all, we'll see what the VW dealer diagnoses. There's been no noticeable change in performance and economy (or otherwise when towing) remains about 13-14/100 k's. Not too bad when towing about 1400 kgs I guess. The fuel thing is something I've tried to be watchful with, only refuelling at bigger roadhouses, though I did put about 20 litres in on Kangaroo Island last week from a dodgy little joint. The light came on a couple of days after that, maybe some crap fuel. But I'll await the judges decision, and of course hope that I don't get a $2000 service bill!

[Sunny43.5]

All T5 TDI have the DPF in AU since 7/2006.

Ah well good news for our old one as its a 2004 so no DPF to worry about thanks for the info Transporter .

[petenkaz]

Good news, light went out before today's service at Alice Springs, car checked out fine and running nice after oil and filters changed. A couple of hours later though the light came back on again. Oh well, car is running great, will put some injector clean through at the next fill and see what happens. A little frustrating though!

[hotballs]

hi there. i have the diagnostic tool for these and when that light came on it said 1 glow plug was faulty. #2 cyl. i replaced that and a week later light came on again, so i checked again and #3 cyl glow plug this time, this carried on till i had changed all 4 plugs. still need the tool to clear the light. chances are they saw this and replaced the glow plug in question and now another is causing the message.

[Sunny43.5]

Don't you just love modern technology fix one thing and then another thing pops up sob sob I miss the good old days . I do hope you get to the bottom of the problem . My work van displayed an engine fault light about three years ago after filling with supposedly 85 - 91 Ron petrol this was the lowest recommended . So the engine check light comes on fill up a few days later with 91-95 Ron and it goes out , well off and on now for the last three years it has been a daily thing oh the lights on again I give up !! car runs perfectly was diagnosed and the light cleared two days later itsssss baaaack . But as Jmac told me whilst its okay to drive the fact that that this pesky light keeps coming back on its a problem only because if something else more serious happens it will not give a warning because the sodding thing is already ON .

[petenkaz]

I have a moral of a story...don't disregard warning lights and don't take it should be right mate for an answer. Car just stopped this morning at Richmond in North QLD. So now I'm stuck with getting it and van towed to Townsville and bundling family on the next greyhound outta town which is not until Sunday. I got the car serviced for this very reason in alice Springs only Monday, and just very glad it didn't kark it with a road train up my behind. Really not happy, guy from Alice Springs doesn't give a crap cos I'm a long way from there now. So who knows when I'll be leaving Townsville as I'm sure the part has to come from somewhere exotic

[petenkaz]

I've got a confession to make....it appears as though I put unleaded in instead of diesel. Kind of embarrassing and expensive all in one. Anyhow, new exhaust sensor in now and car running great. On the plus side I can highly recommend Pickering if you're ever in Townsville and are stupid enough to fill with unleaded, or just need a service. Extremely top class service that is ten times better then I've ever experienced at a Brisbane dealer

[Sunny43.5]

One has to ask how long have you owned the van to make that mistake ? or was it the thought that you were entering the path of Cyclone Ita and needed to escape fast from FNQ .

[petenkaz]

I've had the van since new, 2009, and driven diesels for a while before that, and my ute is also a diesel. Only ever made that mistake once before, that was almost 30 years ago when driving an old bread truck. Symptoms were completely different back then, a whole bunch of white smoke, but come to think of it the truck stopped then too! I put it down to a few things, screaming kids, 38 degree heat, screaming kids, flies, screaming kids! It kind of did me a favour in one respect, we actually got to avoid the cyclone and associated flooding. And seems everybody knows someone that's done it, even the mechanic said its a pretty common thing with the amount of diesels out there. Still though cost me a bunch (and RACQ about $5000 in towing and accom) so you can bet I'll be watching closely from now on