Mk7 Gti Gasoline Leak Problem

[Subliminal]

It would fall under the emissions warranty.

I believe dealer said that's only in PZEV states, which NV is not. If the car was still registered in CA (where it was purchased) then apparently it would be covered ( )

Friend had a problem with 2016 base gold. Went to an Indy shop and had used tank put in for 800cad. Entire tank needs to be replaced.

why didn't he take it to the dealer and get it replaced under recall? from what i've found, the dealer will probably want to replace the entire tank but in reality i think just the $30 pump needs to be changed and the canister will need to be drained, maybe replaced. looks like a bunch of people have been able to get VW to cover 80-90% of it out of warranty, so we'll see what they say tomorrow

 

[Daks]

That's your car there?

 

[Subliminal]

That's your car there?

yup, that was right after i shut it off and the rest of the fuel was still draining out

 

[Daks]

That's dangerous man. Jesus.

 

[sheldon902]

Mine is currently in the shop with this exact issue. had the evap cannister and lines replaced. didn't work. they said it was the rollover valve and they had to replace the fuel tank. luckily, the evap parts were under warranty. i hop the fuel tank is as well.

 

[wintert3a]

Hey guys, I'm sadly suffering the same issue on my 2017 golf - gas in my charcoal canister and EVAP system. Plus, my gas tank is bulging from high pressure due to a fuel tank vent valve that's stuck closed. They need to replace the charcoal canister, gas tank, and various valves due to gas/charcoal contamination (N80 purge valve, venting valve, and leak detection pump) estimated $3200 for parts+labor+tax.

Dealer is aware of the "20Y6" recall on older (2015-2016) golfs, but says my suction pump "looks fine". They think it was caused by overfilling - except that I never top off my car.

I have some questions for you guys:

#1: Is there some overfill-protection mechanism that failed in my car? E.g. the Toyota 2AZ-FE uses a "refueling valve" that closes the passage to the charcoal canister once the tank reaches a certain level. I feel like the dealer should check that out. I'm not sure what the equivalent is on VW, does anybody know?

#2: Should I ask the dealer to actually inspect/test all those valves (2 valves + leak detection pump), or is it a lost cause?

#2: Worth asking the dealer to identify the part number and date of the suction pump? Anyone know how to identify a faulty (pre-recall) suction pump?

 

[Subliminal]

Hey guys, I'm sadly suffering the same issue on my 2017 golf - gas in my charcoal canister and EVAP system. Plus, my gas tank is bulging from high pressure due to a fuel tank vent valve that's stuck closed. They need to replace the charcoal canister, gas tank, and various valves due to gas/charcoal contamination (N80 purge valve, venting valve, and leak detection pump) estimated $3200 for parts+labor+tax.

Dealer is aware of the "20Y6" recall on older (2015-2016) golfs, but says my suction pump "looks fine". They think it was caused by overfilling - except that I never top off my car.

I have some questions for you guys:

#1: Is there some overfill-protection mechanism that failed in my car? E.g. the Toyota 2AZ-FE uses a "refueling valve" that closes the passage to the charcoal canister once the tank reaches a certain level. I feel like the dealer should check that out. I'm not sure what the equivalent is on VW, does anybody know?

#2: Should I ask the dealer to actually inspect/test all those valves (2 valves + leak detection pump), or is it a lost cause?

#3: Worth asking the dealer to identify the part number and date of the suction pump? Anyone know how to identify a faulty (pre-recall) suction pump?

Ask for documentation of what failed exactly... the technician's notes, pictures, or other evidence they can provide. "Looks fine" isn't an acceptable answer when we're talking about a $3,000+ bill. Keep fighting them on the issue. Everyone else I've spoken to about this same issue says it was the suction pump that failed in their 2017, so don't believe the dealer's word without proof. My dealer has been stalling for days now to provide that documentation. I have an insurance adjuster from Geico who's going to inspect the car in person on Monday. He just had another person with the same problem last week.

Blast them on facebook, twitter, BBB, any social media you have. The more public this issue becomes the more likely VW will react. Here's what I posted (along with a video clip of the leak):

@Volkswagen @NHTSA @(Dealer)
My '17 GTI has the same fuel leak issue that has been recalled in the 15/16's. Why haven't the '17 model years been addressed too? This is a major safety issue.
I've already located and been in touch with multiple other people that have/had the same problem with their 2017s.
VW is refusing to cover the repair and the dealer wants $2,985 before taxes. Car has 31k miles. Plus the tank is on "national backorder with no ETA". I've asked multiple times for documentation detailing what part broke exactly and they have yet to provide it, instead they keep stalling.
Please have a VW Regional Rep (Vegas/Nevada) contact me or send me their info so I may get in touch with them.

I've spoken to multiple people who have gotten VW to cover 80-90% of the repair. They were treated the same initially too. The worst thing you can do is just pay and disappear, which is what VW is hoping for.

 

[El_bigote_AJ]

Just discovered this problem on my 2017, little over 30k miles. They better not try to charge me $2300

Damn only 30k, my 2019 turds at 42k now

 

[Subliminal]

Damn only 30k, my 2019 turds at 42k now

they grow up so quick

 

[Subliminal]

Been waiting all week for the dealer to explain what part failed exactly (since they're so sure it's not the suction pump) and finally got this email

In regards to your vehicle, diagnosing, your concern was a fuel leak.
We found raw fuel stored in the evap canister, (charcoal canister)
The way we diagnosed this was, we removed the wheel and wheel liner, and we found signs of fuel leak coming from there.
We are recommending to replace the fuel tank as well due to finding an internal failure of the fuel tank causing fuel to escape into the canister.

My response-

I need to know what failed exactly.
On the phone the other day you said the "tank itself" failed, please explain what that means. What was the "internal failure" and what would cause it?
Thank you for getting back to me, but this explained nothing that I wasn't already aware of when I had the car towed to you guys.

 

[wintert3a]

I got some clarifications from the dealer:

• They never tested my suction pump, only guessed that it's fine. Never tested my roll over valve, either.
• On the 2017 Golf, the suction pump is now molded inside the fuel tank in a nonaccessible location, meaning it's now impossible to inspect/replace the suction pump. Sounds impossible for VW to extend the recall to 2017 models financially speaking, since the whole tank would have to be replaced.
• The vent valve is also molded into the fuel tank. In my case, my vent valve was clogged (stuck closed). That means my old tank has got to go. (I think I might want to get a second opinion on that.)
• The new/OEM charcoal canister ($635) includes a leak detection pump, i.e. is non-optional, which explains why the new canister is so expensive. (You can get the leak detection pump without the charcoal canister but not the other way around.) They said my original leak detection pump was probably fine.
• My Golf has an older fuel tank, which was superseded twice. The new/OEM fuel tank ($993.85) has new "breather valves" which the older version lacks. (Why'd the older version lack that?!) They also need to buy a breather line ($66.87), fuel line ($121.93), and clamp ($9.86) for compatibility with the new tank. The new fuel tank has part# 5Q0-201-055-CH.

I called VW USA customer care - they weren't helpful, like at all. I called again and got some assistance, see my next post.

 

[Subliminal]

I got some clarifications from the dealer:

• They never tested my suction pump, only guessed that it's fine. Never tested my roll over valve, either.
• On the 2017 Golf, the suction pump is now molded inside the fuel tank in a nonaccessible location, meaning it's now impossible to inspect/replace the suction pump. Sounds impossible for VW to extend the recall to 2017 models financially speaking, since the whole tank would have to be replaced.
• The vent valve is also molded into the fuel tank. In my case, my vent valve was clogged (stuck closed). That means my old tank has got to go. (I think I might want to get a second opinion on that.)
• The new/OEM charcoal canister ($635) includes a leak detection pump, i.e. is non-optional, which explains why the new canister is so expensive. (You can get the leak detection pump without the charcoal canister but not the other way around.) They said my original leak detection pump was probably fine.
• My Golf has an older fuel tank, which was superseded twice. The new/OEM fuel tank ($993.85) has new "breather valves" which the older version lacks. (Why'd the older version lack that?!) They also need to buy a breather line ($66.87), fuel line ($121.93), and clamp ($9.86) for compatibility with the new tank. The new fuel tank has part# 5Q0-201-055-CH.

I called VW USA customer care - they weren't helpful, like at all.

Did you read my reply to you from Thursday?

The dealer is feeding you a bunch of bs because you're not asking the right questions.
VWOA won't help until you make enough noise that they can no longer ignore you.

The problem is the suction pump. You hit the nail on the head as far as why VW doesn't want to acknowledge the problem and recall it.
It's already gone from "looks fine" to "we guessed that it's fine", keep pushing them on the issue. You've already proven that they've been lying to you. They still haven't explained what caused the failure.

Don't be an asshole but don't be afraid to push back either. This is a manufacturer defect that is a known issue and a safety hazard. And VW is trying to weasel their way out of it.

 

[Subliminal]

Quick update on the saga of the bleeding mk7, the insurance adjuster called and informed me the dealer told him they will help cover some of the bill. They didn't give a specific amount/percent, so I'm waiting to find out how much exactly. At least it's a step in the right direction.

I'm going to keep pushing the issue of the suction pump though, at this point there's not a doubt in my mind that that's the cause. Dealer still won't admit it, they just keep giving general/vague responses that don't actually answer or explain anything- which tells me that that's the button I need to keep pushing.

As far as I'm concerned I shouldn't have to pay at all for a manufacturer defect, especially since this has resulted in me not being able to drive the car for almost 2 weeks already, and there's still no ETA on the fuel tank

 

[techserb]

Another 2017 GTI reporting in. Car is under 45k miles. Felt bucking driving down the highway, I had a quarter tank left so when i got off i went to refuel. I managed to put less than a gallon in before the pump shut off. Since i felt bucking at a quarter tank, there's no way the evap canister was filled up due to overfilling (which i've never done), since I'm assuming it came from the N80 valve trying to get some vapors into the engine but couldn't since the canister is full of gas and that was the reason for the brief loss of power?

Dealer wants to replace the evap canister and the fuel tank. Contacted VWcare and some assistance is being offered but nowhere near 80-90% that you guys are saying. Not sure how to proceed, especially since one poster said the suction pump may be molded into the tank? And if it's replaceable, who's to say it won't fail again? I wonder if im just better off with a new tank because it looks like it's got some things the old one doesn't have.

 

[Daks]

Another 2017 GTI reporting in. Car is under 45k miles. Felt bucking driving down the highway, I had a quarter tank left so when i got off i went to refuel. I managed to put less than a gallon in before the pump shut off. Since i felt bucking at a quarter tank, there's no way the evap canister was filled up due to overfilling (which i've never done), since I'm assuming it came from the N80 valve trying to get some vapors into the engine but couldn't since the canister is full of gas and that was the reason for the brief loss of power?

Dealer wants to replace the evap canister and the fuel tank. Contacted VWcare and some assistance is being offered but nowhere near 80-90% that you guys are saying. Not sure how to proceed, especially since one poster said the suction pump may be molded into the tank? And if it's replaceable, who's to say it won't fail again? I wonder if im just better off with a new tank because it looks like it's got some things the old one doesn't have.

New/Used tank is the way to go.