17' Alltrack Log

[Roxchambeau]

Excited to be back in the Mk7 family again with a 2017 Alltrack S!

I'm familiar with the MQB platform, having owned a couple of GTIs, but excited to learn more about the DSG and AWD systems in this car.

No plans for mods at this point. The car has 180,000 mi, so lots of maintenance to come.

 

[Diggs24]

Welcome back!

That doesn't look like AZ......

 

[Roxchambeau]

Had the day off. Went through the car.

It's in pretty great shape given the mileage, but there are going to be a few projects to keep me busy!

Did an oil change, air filter and spark plugs.

Also checked boost pipes and turbo inlet for oil, but they were nice and dry.

The drivetrain appears in good shape. Dampers on the driveshaft are intact. Some rust on the transmission and rear diff, but nothing too concerning.

The P.O. replaced shocks all around at 130,000 mi. Suspension and brakes appear in good condition.

I did have an airbag light pop up at some point. Cleared codes with VCDS and it did not reappear.

 

[Roxchambeau]

I've now driven the Alltrack nearly 4,000 miles. The car has been great!

My airbag light has stuck around. Code B1016 14 ( open or short to ground)

Any help tracking down that issue would be appreciated.

Today I replaced the N82 valve. The climate control has not been able to produce heat consistently, only turning on after running on the highway. This part appears to have fixed the issue. Time will tell.

Otherwise, I'm loving the car and don't expect to do anything until its next oil change at 185,000 miles.

 

[Roxchambeau]

186,000mi

 

[Roxchambeau]

The passenger side rear brake blew a seal recently. Replaced the caliper and did rear pads + rotors while I was back there.

The car now has 196,000 miles on the clock. I've started accumulating parts in order to do a soft rebuild at 200,000 miles. No real performance mods, but a lot of overdue maintenance to tackle. More updates to come!

 

[Roxchambeau]

 

[Roxchambeau]

Parts arriving! Build is scheduled for the first week of April. Waiting on one thing from overseas.

 

[Sub-to-Dub]

That's a nice looking parts pile you've got there! Is that a front sway bar? Front/rear kit? Should be a fun and satisfying wrenching session.

 

[Roxchambeau]

Alltrack day 1 - The car is mostly torn down into major assemblies. Lots of room to access the engine for services, and will be able to start refreshing the suspension components.

Tomorrow- continue disassembly of front and rear assemblies, remove bushings, start paint prep. Maybe do engine mounts or something just to install a new part.

I found the rattle coming from the rear- both exhaust heat shields have corroded where the fasteners sit. This caused them to come loose, and the shields were just sitting on top of the mufflers!

The rust is overall better than I was expecting, but still present. So far will have 3 broken bolts to extract, and am working on a solution for the rusted body studs that mount things like the exhaust tunnel brace and skid plate.

The motor is in great shape and overall dry. The DSG cover and oil pan are leaking considerably at this point. The lower timing cover is showing some rust, but will tackle that later.

Seems like lots of progress today, but the real work hasn't even begun. I'm still waiting on a couple of parts as well, so mot in a huge rush (yet)

 

[Roxchambeau]

I'm 5 days into the car at this point. The "soft rebuild" turned out to be pretty full on!

Been too busy to organize thoughts and photos into a post, but here's a quick recap:

Pulled the motor, figured I was going this deep might as well get better access to change parts/clean/paint


Driveshaft was also removed in order to replace the carrier bearing

Rear end was a nightmare to disassemble. Broke 4 or 5 bolts, had to cut one.

Went through the rear diff, used a Dremel to remove rust on the vent ports. Changed transmission and bevel box fluids.

Cleaned the engine bay while It was accessible. Replaced the heat shield fasteners.

Began rust removal on rear suspension arms

Replaced inner + outer tie rods and steering rack boots

Refreshed the motor with a steel oil pan, new DSG cover, replaced PCV valve, plugs, cleaned the intake valves, painted the block, cleaned up the accessories (alternator, oil filter housing, AC compressor, SAI system)

The lower timing cover is pretty rusted, but not leaking so going to leave that for now and monitor.

The plan is to finish the car next week. Once the engine goes back in (tomorrow) I can focus attention on finishing up the suspension, then it all sews back together.

 

[Roxchambeau]

Lots of action since the engine was put back in the car:

Went through and cleaned/tidied up the engine bay.

Did a lot of work on the underbody of the car with the wire wheel and paint. Pic of driveshaft before paint.

Driveshaft and heat shields installed with JXB support. Racecar parts!

Fluids went in engine/trans, bevel box and diff.

Welding in a new stud for the driveshaft tunnel brace. Original snapped when removed.

Body rust removal and paint

 

[Roxchambeau]

Made the call to source a fresh rear subframe instead of attempting to repair the original. Also began the process of removing rust, painting, and replacing bushings in all of the suspension components.

Diff bushings coming out

Still waiting on that intercooler to arrive. I'll be picking up all of the missing/broken bolts and odds and ends from VW tomorrow before putting the suspension back in.

 

[Roxchambeau]

 

[19birel]

Nice work, she's gonna be super fresh when you're done!