V6 Passat Recall (inc R36)

[tryingavw]

I have a white R36 wagon, and it has just gone back to the dealers a 2nd time for a flat battery after been left overnight in my garage. Its a bit disappointing to here that click click click noise when your already late for work.

these problems can be really tricky.

my brother has a toureag which had this issue for over 2 years, 3 batteries dead.

VW were unable to locate the problem, even though they had been told about the aftermarket dvd fitted and it could be the cause.

in the end it was the dvd player direct to the battery. an auto elec found it after vw even suggested the main battery cable needed replacing.

So if you've had any mods make sure they aren't the culprit. also look for a light which stays on when it shouldn't.

[PowerHungry]

The car is standard with satnav, auto tailgate, towbar options. Interestingly when I have attached the trailer and go to reverse the reversing sensors stay on. I can turn them off but the loose the camera. VW spent 5hrs a couple of weeks ago trying to work out why. They still don't know. I will give them a call around lunch time to see what they have discovered.

Still minor things compared to the enjoyment of driving it.

[PowerHungry]

They have discovered that it continues to draw current instead of shutting off like it is meant to do after about 10min. They are in the process of trying to find out the where and why. Could have something to do with the towbar assembly and wiring.

[gregozedobe]

It is most often an aftermarket or dealer installed mod that causes incorrrect battery drain. ICE, alarms, parking sensors and towbars being the common culprits.

Intelligent usage of a multi-meter can often identify the source, but the complexities of Can-bus multiplex wiring can make a proper cure rather more difficult. Sometimes it is a faulty installation making a std component keep on "polling" instead of going to sleep, so the source of the current drain appears to be a faulty VAG electrical control unit, but the real problem is incorrect wiring of a stereo (for example).

[PowerHungry]

Have spoken to dealers today. As I may have the only R36 in the country with a towbar, they have found that the normal passat codes for the towbar/reverse camera/sensors don't work. They think the problem is in that area as something that should shut down after 10mins doesn't. They have sent off to germany for additional codes, so if I am lucky I may have the problem resolved tomorrow.

[Swallowtail]

Going to get a towbar on mine, so I hope I don't have the same issue...

[Caddyman]

me three.... mine is going in on wednesday to have a towbar fitted (mine is a Sedan) so hopefully no problems!


Matthew

[Swallowtail]

me three.... mine is going in on wednesday to have a towbar fitted (mine is a Sedan) so hopefully no problems!


Matthew

Keep me posted LOL...

[PowerHungry]

The problem with the reversing camera/sensor is that when the trailer is attached and you go to reverse the parking sensor alarms saying there is an 'obstruction' rather than switching itself off, which is loud and annoying. You can swith it off but you then also loose the reversing camera picture as well. Hopefully they will fix this problem for me as well.

[Buck]

I ordered my 09 R36 Estate which I picked up just after Christmas with a tow bar... When I asked why it cost so much ($1800 from memory) the dealer advised that the wiring needs to be fitted from near the front of the car and then fed through to the back. This is why they suggested it was better to be done at time of manufacture than have a third party do it post delivery.

Not sure how true this is but I took their advice and haven't had any problems using the trailer with it. In fact it identified some problems with my trailer lights on the MFD when I first used it which was good.

I don't have the reverse camera so perhaps this is linked to the problem you have. I do have the auto tailgate though, and have noticed that this doesn't work when the trailer is hooked up. Note the trailer wouldn't get in the way of the door - if it opened.

[PowerHungry]

Hi Buck, I have spoken with the dealers again today to get an update on things. They are still corresponding with VW in germany which make progress slow due to the time difference, as VW australia are unable to provide a solution. VW germany have been able to provide additional codes. The problem is that because one of the control modules won't shut down (there are about 30 in total), then none of the control modules will shut down. Its a bit like how a crying baby keep everyone awake all night. This results in the battery being depleted within 2 days if the car isn't used. They are working there way through the control modules now, as well as waiting for Germany to get back to them. They feel it's due to the reversing camera/towbar combination and hopefully some correct codes might sort things. This should also fix the issues when the trailer is plugged in.

btw my auto tailgate doesn't open either when the trailer is plugged in, I guess some sort of safety feature, that happens to be a bit annoying.

[passatpout]

[QUOTE=Buck;287024]In fact it identified some problems with my trailer lights on the MFD when I first used it which was good.
QUOTE]

Mine did the same thing - came up with a permanent trailer light fault warning on the dash. After having a look at Euro wiring specs, and comparing to Aussie, Euro wiring feeds each side's tail lights separately, Aussie is common supply. The adaptor leads made up by the dealer/VWA only feed the tail lights from one side of the Euro supply on the car - hence it kept telling me that the left hand tail lights weren't operating, although visual check on everything showed 100% functionality of the trailer lights.

I'm now tossing up whether to rewire the trailer to suit the 13-pin connection on the car (and buy some more plugs from e-bay etc), or just to keep hassling the dealer until they realise they need to put about 2 inches of wire within the loom to bridge it out.

After mentioning it to them the other day whilst the gearbox was being checked (again), they said that they were going to replace the trailer light control module....

[Buck]

I got the same error but in my case I new I had a fault. The trailer lights all worked but when an indicator came on the brake/park lights blinked with them.

I was happy to live with this for generally short trips in the past but when the R36 came along and the MFD error message kept yelling at me I had little choice but to investigate. Like you I have a 7 pin connection on the trailer but this was fine ... I just had to ensure the base of the globes on the trailer were not in contact with each other (also changed one globe) and the MFD then gave me the all clear . I was impressed.

[PowerHungry]

I should get my car back today. They have found that the trailer/towbar module needed to be rewired, and so it now works and allows the rest of the electronics to shut down. So hopefully no more flat battery issues. They are also have a couple more codes to try and see if these correct the issue with the reversing sensors when a trailer is plugged in. I'm lookng forward to getting it back, the diesel golf loan car is just not the same to drive, plus the trip computer tell me I have about 40km left till the tank is empty.

[PowerHungry]

Have my car back, and everything works! They found the correct code to fix the reversing sensor issue when the trailer was attached. I now get a nice picture of a car with trailer on the sat nav display. When I reverse the camera work so I can see the trailer.