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VW Dealership Warranty haldex shenanigans.

Codeca

Passed Driver's Ed
Location
Pasadena, CA
Car(s)
2016 GoRf DSG
I purchased my 2016 golf R just a couple months ago and noticed a month ago when just putting my foot down a bit to get on the highway, it started to spin the front tires and had a mechanical malfunction code in the obdeleven. So fast-forward a few weeks because of work, I took it in with my powertrain warranty to get it fixed and it seems the code has gone away. I took the technician with me yesterday(bc he was apparently an merc tech and wasn't even aware the car was AWD so he couldn't find any faults) to prove it, and spun the tires quite a few times down the street to show him that there isn't any power going to the rear wheels, so the problem is definitely still there. So now onto the issue, the haldex is clearly not engaging and they even found metal shavings in the transmission and haldex system; but because they can't get a code to show up, they can't file a claim with anything. Am I just shit out of luck? I've burned more money than the cost of both the transmission and haldex service at this point, taking off of work, and am quite furious about it all. The other option is just to keep driving it in hopes the tranny/haldex completely fails and breaks in the next thousand miles.

Should the haldex engage when driving it in the air? Could I tell them to do that for a bit in hopes that the haldex eventually throws a code?

Update: Actually on the verge of losing my mind. Ended up just eating the diagnostic cost and picked up the car. Scanned it again as soon as I got home and sure enough, the code for the haldex mechanical malfunction is there alongside 2 new codes for the engine and brakes. I have no idea what that mechanic did, but apparently broke more things after handing it back over. I sent the screenshots back over and she told me the error codes have to be static for them to report it to VW. WHAT. So it's fine if the car is constantly failing, with visual metal bits in the fluids, as long as the code isn't a static code? I'm actually furious(i'm not an angry person I promise) at how ridiculous VW has been. Literally forced to pay them to make the car worse, nice. So is there a way to make that intermittent code a static code of sorts?

Update 2: Had them clarify what they mean by, "static" code, and apparently they just mean an actual engine light on the dashboard. I can't even.
 
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hans611

Lost
Location
Miami
Car(s)
'16 Golf R 6MT
Are you sure you still have the factory powertrain warranty? It was 5 years from the day it was originally purchased by the first owner... or 60k mi
I would think by now all the 2016s are out of warranty... Unless it was originally sold before Oct 2016, its out of warranty....?
They do help out in cases like this.. fresh out of warranty, recently purchased, etc...
However I would definitely contact VWoA like others have said, before taking any more steps...
 

Codeca

Passed Driver's Ed
Location
Pasadena, CA
Car(s)
2016 GoRf DSG
You haven't called VWoA yet?
I did, but they couldn't do anything sadly. Especially frustrating after a 3 hour hold.

Are you sure you still have the factory powertrain warranty? It was 5 years from the day it was originally purchased by the first owner... or 60k mi
I would think by now all the 2016s are out of warranty... Unless it was originally sold before Oct 2016, its out of warranty....?
They do help out in cases like this.. fresh out of warranty, recently purchased, etc...
However I would definitely contact VWoA like others have said, before taking any more steps...
It's from another dealership that has a 5k mile powertrain warranty, and have another 40k mile bumper-to-bumper warranty kicking in, in a month or so. But I guess that isn't an issue since they won't even file a claim without an CEL light.

also you are in Pasadena, other dealerships in the area? Maybe a second opinion, but you should be able to get your money back. Also I find talking to the service manager calmly works well, especially if you can show the codes

https://www.vw.com/en/contact.html
Yeah there are other options, but the second closest is half an hour away which sucks for my situation since I work full-time and the costs of the last uber (7 miles for $38, other dealership is about 15 miles out) to go back and forth a couple times could be quite pricey for just an "if they can fix". I just need to call around and make sure they can fix faults without a CEL so I can take time off to do it.

edit: Took her up to mulholland to butt inspect the drive, and the problem child is definitely 2nd gear and maybe even first(last owner probably launched it too many times). Slow-shift and a quite loud "clunk" when shifting.
 

hans611

Lost
Location
Miami
Car(s)
'16 Golf R 6MT
edit: Took her up to mulholland to butt inspect the drive, and the problem child is definitely 2nd gear and maybe even first(last owner probably launched it too many times). Slow-shift and a quite loud "clunk" when shifting.

The dual mass flywheel is this car is super loud and cluncky, makes all kinds of noises at slow speeds... its probably normal.....

The way the AWD system works in this car the transmission is pretty much a separate unit to the rear haldex, everything else is probably working fine just at the back the haldex isnt clamping down and transferring the force to the rear differential and wheels.... so no rear wheel drive....

The reason it doesn't spin that bad in 1st is because the MK7 has a bunch of things that limit torque in 1st gear, so thats why it spins only 2nd....
The fact the haldex failed doesn't necessarily mean it was abused.... they just fail

Do you have evidence the haldex fuild was changed at required the 30k mile interval? How many miles does it have?
 

Codeca

Passed Driver's Ed
Location
Pasadena, CA
Car(s)
2016 GoRf DSG
The dual mass flywheel is this car is super loud and cluncky, makes all kinds of noises at slow speeds... its probably normal.....

The way the AWD system works in this car the transmission is pretty much a separate unit to the rear haldex, everything else is probably working fine just at the back the haldex isnt clamping down and transferring the force to the rear differential and wheels.... so no rear wheel drive....

The reason it doesn't spin that bad in 1st is because the MK7 has a bunch of things that limit torque in 1st gear, so thats why it spins only 2nd....
The fact the haldex failed doesn't necessarily mean it was abused.... they just fail

Do you have evidence the haldex fuild was changed at required the 30k mile interval? How many miles does it have?
its up to 80k miles now, and had no evidence from the dealership that it was specifically done when I asked. They just said all maintenance was done every 10k miles and many were done early with one owner(hence why I opted for this one since it looked well taken care of).

Also yeah I've looked through the thread in the past, and now that I looked through it again, its good to know that it's clutch debris that clogs the filter. Worth a mention to the mechanics.

It definitely spins bad in first gear on my end. To make sure it wasn't just a delayed reaction, I took the mechanic on a first gear pull and spun tires for a solid 2-3 seconds.

There are also a few other odd problems with the transmission I didn't mention since I figured its not terrible at the moment, and can wait until its worse to fix. Twice now, I would put the car into reverse with the camera and reverse lights turning on...except it would just sit in neutral and would need to be put back in park to reverse again. I don't push the car on public roads(I mean, it's LA so there isn't space anyway), but I gave it some oomph to get on the highway one night since it was empty, and it sat between maybe 4th or 5th for a good 2 seconds or so before shifting. Enough time for me to release the gas and press it twice with no car reaction before it finally shifted. Oh and by the clunk, I mean the entire car feels like it shudders, to where if on a track, would probably break traction like a clutch kick.

Thanks for your help by the way. At this point it just seems I need to test my luck with the dealerships around here when I have time, although time is running out on the standard powertrain warranty and will have to hope nothing goes seriously wrong in the next month or so before the other warranty kicks in.

Also for future reference, I learned something unbelievably stupid with the Chase auto recommended bumper-to-bumper warranty known as quality guard +. I originally was turned away from VW(I didnt know about the powertrain warranty at this point) because the warranty doesn't kick in for 90 days. Now get this, if there is a problem within the first 90 days, they can deny the claim and can deny it again after the 90 days. So the mechanic told me not to use it until later. The entire auto insurance honestly seems like a scam from what i've read since its $100 a month with a $1000 cancellation fee also, that essentially just covers powertrain... But I guess i'm.....lucky that I have it with all the problems i'm foreseeing in this vehicle's future. Or possibly just fix the haldex/trans and get it cancelled. I'd love to service the haldex myself but I don't have a flat space anywhere on my street and my garage is occupied so i'm shit out of luck.
 

AceHammer

Go Kart Champion
Location
NY USA
Car(s)
2015 A3
If the haldex didn't have the fluid changed and the filter screen cleaned every 30k it will fail, it's really easy to tell the second you pop the pump out if this was done. Many dealerships for some reason have 0 idea that this needs to be done and just don't do it...

A stock R unless on the shittiest tires possible should have 0 wheelspin.

For the transmission, I'd specifically ask the dealership to show proof of when the fluid was changed. When I bought my car they printed out a paper that showed the exact day and mileage the previous owner had them do the DSG service, as well as all the other stuff.
The factory says every 40k and it's a 500 dollar job at a dealership, there's a chance the previous owner said screw it. All those symptoms, slow shifts clunkiness sound like the fluid could use to be changed and then run a DSG readaptation.
 

Codeca

Passed Driver's Ed
Location
Pasadena, CA
Car(s)
2016 GoRf DSG
If the haldex didn't have the fluid changed and the filter screen cleaned every 30k it will fail, it's really easy to tell the second you pop the pump out if this was done. Many dealerships for some reason have 0 idea that this needs to be done and just don't do it...

A stock R unless on the shittiest tires possible should have 0 wheelspin.

For the transmission, I'd specifically ask the dealership to show proof of when the fluid was changed. When I bought my car they printed out a paper that showed the exact day and mileage the previous owner had them do the DSG service, as well as all the other stuff.
The factory says every 40k and it's a 500 dollar job at a dealership, there's a chance the previous owner said screw it. All those symptoms, slow shifts clunkiness sound like the fluid could use to be changed and then run a DSG readaptation.
yeah I figured I was maybe just nitpicking with the transmission until realizing the problems I was having were real, because the mechanic went and checked the transmission since he said VW recommends that as a first step when there isnt power to the rear wheels. Turns out there was an aftermarket filter in it so it was done by another shop or themselves. All-in-all, it's my own fault for not launching it before purchasing so I can't be mad at anyone but myself. But holy hell has this VW dealership made me never want to touch another VW.
 

AceHammer

Go Kart Champion
Location
NY USA
Car(s)
2015 A3
TBH I would seek out a VW specialist indy shop, the first step for an R with a lack of power to the rear, is to always check the Haldex. You should never have to open the transmission. The only way the transmission would ever be the issue for that is total bevel box failure, ie your transmission litterally exploded.
I'd also question the aftermarket filter... The plastic housing is resued and all the generic dq250 filters look and function the exact same. You also have to remove the intake and battery to even access the trans filter. It sounds like they are preparing to pull some BS, it's aftermarket so it's not covered on you.

Plus I doubt it was caused by launching too many times, I've prolly done close to 200 launches with 400+ hp on my car without issue, it all comes down to fluid changes.

And yea some VW dealerships are hit and miss and some are great. You could also check with an Audi dealership, I know the one I go to will work on certain VWs, ie GTIs and Rs as they are just A/S3s
 

Codeca

Passed Driver's Ed
Location
Pasadena, CA
Car(s)
2016 GoRf DSG
TBH I would seek out a VW specialist indy shop, the first step for an R with a lack of power to the rear, is to always check the Haldex. You should never have to open the transmission. The only way the transmission would ever be the issue for that is total bevel box failure, ie your transmission litterally exploded.
I'd also question the aftermarket filter... The plastic housing is resued and all the generic dq250 filters look and function the exact same. You also have to remove the intake and battery to even access the trans filter. It sounds like they are preparing to pull some BS, it's aftermarket so it's not covered on you.

Plus I doubt it was caused by launching too many times, I've prolly done close to 200 launches with 400+ hp on my car without issue, it all comes down to fluid changes.

And yea some VW dealerships are hit and miss and some are great. You could also check with an Audi dealership, I know the one I go to will work on certain VWs, ie GTIs and Rs as they are just A/S3s

damn, i'm glad I asked around here! Thanks for the tips, and I will definitely not be visiting that dealership again. I'll check in with some Audi dealerships when I have time and report back.

But now im wondering, if the original dealership told me they full serviced every 10k miles, and now there's damage due to missed service on the transmission, should I just wait for the transmission to shit itself within the next 40k miles? That should be covered by a bumper to bumper warranty, although it doesn't cover normal wear, right? I just don't want to waste my time and money now doing the service only for it to have more issues a bit later. Already blew too much cash on literally nothing already.

edit: don't think i'll DSG service. When heading to work this morning, 2nd gear went from "Clunk!" to "brrrr" for a split second. Definitely grinding before it catches.
 
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Codeca

Passed Driver's Ed
Location
Pasadena, CA
Car(s)
2016 GoRf DSG
No service/maintenance documentation? What's CARFAX show? How much did you pay for this lizard?
CARFAX showed service at 10k intervals(was early to about each one), one older owner, and seemed like it was well taken care of. No trim damage anywhere I could see, all looked well until I pushed it onto the highway and slipped the tires. I paid far too much since the dealership threw in lojack and ppf(its just on the door edges for $800 what a joke, esp since they started peeling off already) at 30k. But from what I saw, it was the only one not modded out or looked beaten on that I could find in an couple hour radius around me.
 

Codeca

Passed Driver's Ed
Location
Pasadena, CA
Car(s)
2016 GoRf DSG
also you are in Pasadena, other dealerships in the area? Maybe a second opinion, but you should be able to get your money back. Also I find talking to the service manager calmly works well, especially if you can show the codes

https://www.vw.com/en/contact.html
couldn't get my money back after talking to VoA, they couldn't do anything since it was up to the dealership. I also nicely asked over text to the manager of my account along with obeleven screenshots showing the new codes, but all they said was that there needs to be an CEL to do anything. Absolute joke of a dealership.
 
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