Brought 161 VW Tiguan in for service, now facing ~11k in repairs

s_mcloughlin

Hi,

Brought my 161 VW Tiguan in for a service with an official Volkswagen garage in Dublin. They recommended a few repairs such as the timing belt, suspension shock absorbers, brake pads, propshaft, and tires. I went ahead with all of their recommendations apart from the tires. Total cost was €3,300.

After it was repaired, I arrived to pick up the car, and on the same day it cut out when driving and wouldn't start. It was jump started by roadside assistance, and then after driving it 200m, the glow plug warning light appeared, and it seemed to be in LIMP mode, so decided to get it towed back to the garage.

They firstly said the EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) valve needed to be replaced. This cost €2,600 (half for labour, half for parts). Was asked to pay for the parts up front (maybe that's normal, but was never asked to do so before)

They've now came back and said that the Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) is is "severely overloaded", and regeneration is not an option, so needs replacement. Estimate to replace the DPF is €5,000 (~3k parts, 1.3k labour, +VAT).

Haven't been asked to pay for the EGR labour yet, or for the DPF, have paid for everything else.

Not sure of the mileage, its approx 120k, but haven't checked in a while.

The car has never caused trouble before this. Any recommendations on what to do? Could the DPF have been the problem from the start? I'm in shock at the escalating costs

Gusser09

Get it to an independent mechanic.

s_mcloughlin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122960267#Comment_122960267

Would have to get it towed to one as apparently its currently not driveable, but maybe its worth it? I've dealt with other VW garages before and have had good experiences, but can't get over whats happening here

colm reilly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122960267#Comment_122960267

Thats where an 8 year old VW should off went in the first place .

User1998

My God what a disaster. So you’re saying that you’ve spent €3.3k on the service parts as well as €1.3k in labour for the EGR?

Seriously, get the car towed out of that garage immediately and bring it to a DPF specialist

Lewis_Benson

Jesus, who even has that kind of money sitting there to pay for vehicle repairs.

The price of the dof replacement alone is eye watering.

I'd definitely go to an independent mechanic.

Can I ask what type of driving you do? A blocked dpf suggests a lot of town driving and not a lot of long journeys.

s_mcloughlin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122960294#Comment_122960294

Yes, €1.3k for the EGR parts, I'd still technically owe them for the labour.

Thanks for the advice, based on the advice so far it looks like I'll need to. If you have any recommendations I'm all ears

Clo-Clo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058384571/brought-161-vw-tiguan-in-for-service-now-facing-11k-in-repairs

You are getting robbed by the main dealer, if they haven't done the work or started it, move the car out. Your insurance should cover the cost to move it if they have free roadside

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122960320#Comment_122960320

Jesus, you could have brought it to a specialist and got it cleaned or remapped for only €200. Same with the DPF. Please get it towed far away from that VW garage and bring it to any DPF specialist in the country, don’t even bother with an independent mechanic as they won’t have the expertise to deal with a DPF. Where abouts in the country are you?

s_mcloughlin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122960298#Comment_122960298

Yes, and frustrating that they didn't flag either issue in the initial service, or detect the DPF when it was brought back in

Can I ask what type of driving you do? A blocked dpf suggests a lot of town driving and not a lot of long journeys.

I'd do a mixture, some town driving alright, but I've been up and down to Longford from Dublin once every week or two for the last 6 months, so plenty of motorway driving as well

s_mcloughlin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122960322#Comment_122960322

That's a good point, I do have free roadside assistance. They haven't started the work yet

s_mcloughlin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122960338#Comment_122960338

I'm based in Sandyford, Dublin at the moment. In hindsight yea, that would have made sense. When it initially broke down I thought they were the best place to repair it as they had done the timing belt etc. and that it could have been related to that.

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122960362#Comment_122960362

I have had good experiences with The DPF Centre in Greenogue and Coby Autos on the Naas Road. Give each a call and explain your situation.

s_mcloughlin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122960393#Comment_122960393

Ok, thanks for the recommendation. The VW rep mentioned going to a DPF cleaner over the phone. He mentioned that there wouldn't be any warranty doing that or something to that effect, but at this stage it might be worth it

Clo-Clo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122960344#Comment_122960344

Pull it out onto the front of the road and tell them to leave it

Ring insurance and ask them to bring to a local garage

A specailist VW garage in Finglas I used before and they done a great job, can't think of name of them. :-)

In terms of the question about parts and paying up front, fairly standard in case they order in and then you pull the car out and they are left holding the parts so dont pay for thme

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122960432#Comment_122960432

Well you could have got the EGR cleaned or bypassed for €200 but there’s nothing you can do about that now. You can get the DPF cleaned for about the same or bypassed for slightly more. Me personally I would recommend getting it bypassed as the issue will never come back but there is mixed opinions of that on here..

But to me it seems like you have a fault somewhere as you have been doing a lot of motorway driving and the DPF still got clogged. I don’t think cleaning the DPF will last very long if there is an underlying fault.

s_mcloughlin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122960449#Comment_122960449

Pull it out onto the front of the road and tell them to leave it

Yea that might be an idea. With the roadside assistance I have (FBD) they said you had to bring it to the closest garage, and anything over that is charged per mile, but even it cost a few hundred to get it towed, it'd probably still be worth it

In terms of the question about parts and paying up front, fairly standard in case they order in and then you pull the car out and they are left holding the parts so dont pay for thme

Right, maybe that's the case so

s_mcloughlin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122960457#Comment_122960457

Well you could have got the EGR cleaned or bypassed for €200 but there’s nothing you can do about that now.

Crazy, that would have been <10% of the cost. Seems like the MO in VW is to replace things outright

But to me it seems like you have a fault somewhere as you have been doing a lot of motorway driving and the DPF still got clogged. I don’t think cleaning the DPF will last very long if there is an underlying fault.

Yea you might be right, which would mean even going VW's recommendation of replacing it still mightn't have fixed the root cause. I guess my only hope is that a DPF specialist or other mechanic might be able to figure that out if that's the case

honda boi

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122960471#Comment_122960471

Know anyone with AA membership with rescue plus?

If so they will tow anywhere for you.

s_mcloughlin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122960625#Comment_122960625

Ok cheers, good to know - I don't think I do though

Clo-Clo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122960491#Comment_122960491

VW have to replace, that is driven by HQ.

In terms of these parts etc you will get a 12 month warranty on them from VW if they do repairs etc, also funny enough they give you 12 months roadside assistance to bring the car to a VW garage. In that case they will always replace the parts and replace them with VW parts

Hence why I would normally get a car serviced with VW when its in warranty, once its outside warranty go to a good private garage and get them to do repairs. The warranty is up so paying a more expensive service with VW is pointless when a good garage will do the same

Lewis_Benson

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122960339#Comment_122960339

A service wouldnot flag those.

The engine management system will tell you when they are in bother.

zg3409

Your car is long out of warranty. You should have avoided main dealer.

As said get it towed to dpf specialist. If you can't get it towed for free haggle with tow truck companies.

In relation to dpf specialist they might try to rip you off too. You do t mention the original fault or what it broke down so it's important to diagnose the issues properly first.

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gsi300024v

Here are some recommended diesel VW specialists in Ireland who can assist with DPF (Diesel Particulate Filter) issues:

1. The DPF Clinic (Limerick): This specialized clinic offers DPF reconditioning, cleaning, and exchange services with a nationwide collection and delivery option. They use advanced equipment and provide a one-day turnaround. Contact them at 061 518325 or visit their website for more details【6】.
2. Manor Auto Service (Dublin): Located in Stoneybatter, Dublin 7, they offer in-depth DPF assessments, cleaning, and replacement services. They focus on identifying the root cause of DPF issues for long-term fixes. You can reach them at 01 838 4920 or visit their workshop【7】.
3. Coby Autos (Dublin 22): This independent garage specializes in DPF and EGR repairs and cleaning for VW and other vehicles. They are members of SIMI, ensuring high standards. Contact them at 01 459 1308 or visit their location in Clondalkin, Dublin 22【8】.

For expert and cost-effective solutions, contacting one of these specialists would be a good choice depending on your location in Ireland.

Gusser09

Say absolutely nothing to the DPF specialist about having it in the VW garage. Let on like you know nothing.

If you say VW quoted 11k they will load their quote to 6 or 7k and you think it will be a great deal. The DPF isn't rocket science.

Del2005

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122960449#Comment_122960449

Insurance will only bring it to a main dealer, which is no good to the OP as that's where they don't want to be, they definitely won't tow to a place that defeats the DPF. You may be able to do a deal with the insurance tow person to bring you to a different garage but you can do that without having a claim on your insurance record, that has no effect on your premium.

Clo-Clo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122961349#Comment_122961349

I had FBD before, they took it to whatever dealer I wanted. Unless that has changed because its a few years ago now

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122961349#Comment_122961349

Thats not true, some insurance companies will just bring it to the closest mechanic

drury..

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122961349#Comment_122961349

My insurance covers me to be towed home from anywhere in the country

I've checked this with Aviva twice

The concern is though when the tow truck turns up he'll just shrug his shoulders and bring it down the road

jimmycrackcorm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122961392#Comment_122961392

As long as the garage is nearby they won't make a fuss about it. In a lot of cases, main dealers are farther away.