safe to drive TDI with exhaust leak in engine bay?

[nyc863]

An exhaust leak in the engine bay has clearly got worse to the point where I can see the diesel smoke at night when I lift the hood and it is idling, obviously it is also coming in through the vents more when the car stops.

It is the weekend and I don't know when the vw dealer is going to take the car, apart from my own health, is it ok to continue driving just gently? we've got some plans for the weekend not highway kilometers and not being able to use the car is going to stuff everything up.

It is a 2012 built 2.0 TDI, so it is all warranty work but I don't want to knowingly make anything worse. Mind you the leak, I now realize, has been there almost since new. It has just got worse. Only came to realize the smell was not the tailpipe when I took a good sniff of the exhaust at the back and discovered it smells like a pool changing room, not the diesel smell emitting from the front somewhere..

[Idle]

Apart from the health risk (serious with diesel — drive with a couple of windows open,) probably a few more K's won't do any harm that hasn't already been done.

[Guest001]

Too much diesel exhaust will send you to sleep big time. I drove a Farmall tractor once that the exhaust stack had fallen off and end of pipe was at bonnet level right in front of me.

Drove it over a bank, didnt know a thing about it till it had happened, was sound asleep at the time.

Woke up really quick though LOL

Had only driven it for 2km when it happened. Just as an indication of what could happen Was on a bush track through trees.

[Ben J]

Re: safe to drive TDI with exhaust leak in engine bay?

Keep some windows down and you'll be fine. obviously don't want to do it for long periods of time, but if it's just for a couple days I say go for it. Obviously it's not ideal, but don't let it ruin plans

Sent from my GT-I9305T using Tapatalk 2

[mk5_tdi]

Also may help to keep the aircon on recirc through the cabin so that the fumes don't come through the vents as well

[nyc863]

thanks, we'll drive with the windows down. I was just concerned about reduced back pressure possibly causing some issue with the engine, if for example the gaskets go completely.

Also the fuel economy has been disappointing around town, especially when cold. I mean we're getting 11l/100km diesel if we only do short trips. In a passat wagon.

I'm wondering if the leak is causing the engine computer to run the fuel mixture in a non optimal way.