MK7 "Random / "Stupid" Questions Thread"

[JD-1]

How much gas (in liters) is left in the tank when the line reaches red? Is the range reading from the reading of gas til its red, or what it considers empty?

 

[demi9od]

Whoa, take it easy! I haven't looked through all the pages of fine print, and it was just a curiosity question.

You're probably right...I'm sure there's some BS clause in there that indemnifies VW (or their underwriter) from having to honor the extended warranty if you void your factory warrantly.

That just seems disingenuous to me, as it means that you are paying for a service that will not be rendered, and has not yet taken effect. It would seem that there should be some Magnusson-Moss protections or something else to prevent this, especially with a manufacturer so quick to flag as VW apparently is...

You can cancel your extended warranty at any time for a pro-rated refund. Just do that if you decide to mod with a tune, dp, intake, etc.

 

[heiney9]

Whoa, take it easy! I haven't looked through all the pages of fine print, and it was just a curiosity question.

You're probably right...I'm sure there's some BS clause in there that indemnifies VW (or their underwriter) from having to honor the extended warranty if you void your factory warrantly.

That just seems disingenuous to me, as it means that you are paying for a service that will not be rendered, and has not yet taken effect. It would seem that there should be some Magnusson-Moss protections or something else to prevent this, especially with a manufacturer so quick to flag as VW apparently is...

Any modification beyond factory will void any warranty. Common sense should ask the question, "why would they warrant a product I have modified in a way that means it's no longer operating as intended"?

No warranty company is going to do that unless they specifically say so and design the warranty around mods.............like APR's Plus program. But then they have different guidelines on where and how they fix your car should you buy the "Plus" program that are different than the VW warranty. And they build the cost of repair into each warranty to help offset what could go wrong.

Bottom line has ALWAYS been, if you mod your warranty is void so you better have a plan B working (ie, have the $$$ in the bank) for any repairs.

In fact many secondary market warranties have clauses in them about repairs and parts that are worse than the factory warranty.

Moss-Magnuson has NOTHING to do with modifications outside of intended operating/use parameters. Apparently you haven't ever read the Moss-Magnusson synapsis. It was enacted to protect the consumer against a dealer requiring them to use their OEM parts rather than aftermarket parts that meet OEM specifications. Meaning you could go to NAPA to have your oil changed as long as the filter and oil meet specs and not have your factory warranty voided unless the manufacturer could prove that NAPA parts caused the issue you were trying to get warrantied. MM has nothing to do with modifying beyond manufacturer's specified parameters.

Of course the example I am using is for an automobile, but MM applies to all situations like the above.

You seem to want to have your cake and eat it too! Doesn't work that way

 

[Strange Mud]

If you look at the wtty for mine it mentions that I MUST get it serviced by VW (preventive stuff!). Not willing to fight it but I wonder what would happen. I doubt they would win but I see it may be a battle

 

[Micah247]

Post I remember reading from the guru DV52:
TLDR: No conventional fuses for the fogs. Do you have OBD11 or VCDS to check codes?

^^^^ You won't be able to find a "fuse diagram" for the these LEDs because they aren't fused in the normal way!

In the mk7, "circuit protection" for the 35 x exterior lamps isn't done through conventional fuses. Rather, the role of the Body Control Module (BCM) has been extended to include current sensing and Lamp monitoring. The supply wire to each bank-of-LEDs comes directly from the pins on the BCM.

Although the BCM does have a single dedicated fuse for the left and right side fittings (i.e. a separate fuse for each side of the car), none of the lamp wires on a mk7 pass through a fuse. The BCM has the smarts to measure the electrical current flow through each wire and to monitor if everything is OK. When a fault occurs, the BCM simply switches off the supply voltage and waits until the fault is removed (much like a self-resetting electronic ciruit-breaker).

When a lamp fault happens, the BCM also sends a specific error code (called a Diagnostic Trouble Code) to a special memory location. Diagnostic cables like VCDS can read these DTCs - but the error messages are always accompanied by a warning tone and/or message/symbol appearing on the dash - do you have any chimes and/or error messages appearing on the MFD?

If you have no chimes and/or error messages appearing on the dash, and given that both sides aren't working - I suspect that it isn't a fault. Rather, I suggest that the design of the lighting on your car doesn't allow the fog lights to turn-on with the particular combination of switches that you had selected on the rotary dial.

Don​

Here's what I got.

 

[Micah247]

Here's what I got.

I had my headlights swapped while I was away on vacation. They were also doing a radar upgrade. The mechanic never plugged the fog lights back in after reinstalling the bumper. If you want something done right do it yourself.

 

[Micah247]

If you look at the wtty for mine it mentions that I MUST get it serviced by VW (preventive stuff!). Not willing to fight it but I wonder what would happen. I doubt they would win but I see it may be a battle

When I had a warranty issue the service manager called me and said when VW scans this car are they going to find any rogue software? I had none so I was OK, but they did advise me to remove my intake just in case.

You guys need to know your rights. Research the Magnuson Moss warranty act.

 

[Strange Mud]

agree..which is what made me double take at VW saying I needed to have it serviced by them. Your dealer is fair that's all most of us want/expect.

 

[AtlantaDad]

When I had a warranty issue the service manager called me and said when VW scans this car are they going to find any rogue software? I had none so I was OK, but they did advise me to remove my intake just in case.

You guys need to know your rights. Research the Magnuson Moss warranty act.

Not really disagreeing with you, per se. But it wouldn't be hard for their army of engineers to prove your (insert performance modification here) caused the vehicle to operate outside of the oem specifications. They also can't void your entire warranty...they can only deny claims they contend are impacted by said (insert performance modification here).

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

 

[heiney9]

They are referring to an "aftermarket" part that meets original specs, not an aftermarket part that alters original spec. Some parts aren't available as "aftermarket".

If you bought a FRAM oil filter that's an "aftermarket" part and it meets specs, which it should. If you throw a rod, VW can't come back and say since you didn't use OEM parts we won't warranty it. They'd have to prove that filter was either defective or didn't meet spec in order to deny warranty coverage.

If you modify your ECU with an aftermarket program and that aftermarket program results in the car being modified outside original design specs, they void your warranty.

The MM act came about so manufacturer's couldn't force you to use their parts and their service center thus causing them to take advantage of the consumer. Nowhere does it allow you to modify (with aftermarket parts) beyond the original design specs of the car and force the manufacturer to honor the warranty.

Don't confuse aftermarket parts that are designed and perform like OEM with aftermarket parts designed to go beyond the original design specifications.

 

[Strange Mud]

Except for the prove part you are correct...they can deny wtty service (under the possession is 9/10ths rule) forcing you to take them to court.
In the real world this is just conversation for me....so far there is little I am considering doing to mine. This is after doing a good bit to my Mustang. However the clutch delay valve and some OBD11 tweaks are something I've been considering. I do fond the GTI to do an amazing amount of stuff very well as it comes from the factory.

 

[heiney9]

Except for the prove part you are correct....

I am correct in all of it. They have to prove the FRAM oil filter was at fault. If it was designed to meet VW specs it's a moot point, they can't deny warranty coverage. They don't have to prove your APR tune was at fault. All they have to do it see what the APR was designed to do (alter original parameters of the stock ecu) and deny coverage. The mere fact that you flashed your ECU voids warranty coverage, end of story. Not saying they won't work with you on an individual basis, but that isn't the norm and is a rare exception.

You could invoke the MM act and try to take them to court, but A) not likely you'd win B) you'd spend waaaaaaaayyyyyyyy more $$$ fighting them than the repair cost.

 

[Strange Mud]

Let me try this poor exaggerated example:

you install an aftermarket muffler. Your turbo fails and the crappy dealer goes "well it's obvious you modded your car = I'm not fixing it under wtty."

Obviously you should win in court but IF the dealer is a turd he can make you take it to court. Yes in court they have to prove it but they CAN deny it without proof.

yes tunes should be (and are) a good way to loose wtty service but keeping on the friend side of the dealer is a good idea but it's doubtful it'll help with a tuned car

 

[heiney9]

I see where you're going, more of a gray area. I don't think the win in court is obvious, unless the muffler is OEM spec'd. but I doubt the dealer will void for just a muffler. Now deleting parts of the exhaust or going straight pipe will get your warranty voided and you'd be hard pressed to win.

Let's also agree anytime you take a big corporation to court, your going to need deep pockets. So willy-nilly courts cases aren't going to happen.

If you put 4 piston Brembo's on and the brake master fails, you won't get warranty coverage because you altered the original spec. If you put on a similar (to OEM) caliper from another aftermarket company, most likely they'd let it go since it was similar to the OEM part.

But really, all of it is a crap shoot if you start replacing OEM parts with aftermarket performance parts that are designed to add performance. If you are just servicing regular worn out parts with similar aftermarket parts, you will be fine.

 

[heiney9]

My Mk5 was in for service at the dealer for a throttle body issue which they covered out of warranty after a bit of a battle. When the service advisor called she told me they couldn't get the MAF sensor connection to snap on properly. She said they would have to replace the MAF and I said fine, I'm not paying for it since when it came in it was fine. She said well technically you have an aftermarket intake so it's not covered under warranty if we did have to replace your MAF.

They finally got it all back together and working, but she threw that in my face about the aftermarket intake. I would have fought like hell since they are the ones who "broke" it. But technically they are correct, how do they know I didn't break the connector putting on the aftermarket performance part? I never had to disconnect the MAF to install the Carbinino intake.