vinkodex.8 fault write-ups. 2 important. 1 recalls.
If you know the year, pick it. Faults for other years drop out of the list.
Before you buy
A thin wall of the mechatronics valve body can crack, which causes a loss of pressure. The typical signs: jerking and harsh shifting from 1st to 2nd at low speed, a flashing PRNDS display, then a gear engagement fault, intermittently at first.
What to check
Water gets in through the sunroof drains, the door seals or the window guides, and collects on the floor and in the sill. The water also ruins the wiring and the control units in the floor, which leads to hesitant starting and an alarm going off on its own. With a fault like this, lift the carpet first, because the water is under it.
What to check
Pixels drop out on the central display of the instrument cluster, where you read the trip computer: the text fades, the backlight becomes erratic, at first one or two dots are missing, and later whole lines are unreadable. This is where the service interval, the outside temperature and the warnings appear, and if a warning is unreadable you will not notice it. The instrument cluster can be refurbished, and a new one is not always needed.
What to check
The G62 sensor tells the engine control unit how hot the coolant is. If it is faulty, the control unit thinks a warm engine is cold, and runs it rich: hard warm or cold starting, a rough idle, markedly increased fuel consumption, and a dash temperature gauge that jumps around or never reaches its usual reading. The part is cheap and can be replaced in half an hour: the trouble is that many people do not recognise it and replace an injector or a lambda sensor instead. If the fault persists, the rich mixture can destroy the catalytic converter too.
What to check
From the late nineties to around 2006, petrol engines used a secondary air pump to blow fresh air into the exhaust on a cold start, so the catalytic converter reaches operating temperature faster. The impeller of the pump rusts or its bearing seizes, soot clogs the combination valve (N112), and the rubber hoses crack. The control unit then stores the `P0411` code. It barely affects driving, but the engine warning light is on, and the emissions test can fail because of it, and the roadworthiness test with it.
What to check
On the 8P the rubber bushes in the front lower control arms wear out: the steering goes vague, you hear a knock on uneven roads, and the tyre edges wear unevenly. It often shows up around 60,000 to 80,000 miles, which is roughly 95,000 to 130,000 km. On front wheel drive cars the rear suspension bushes wear too, it then rattles, and the back of the car follows the front uncertainly. One part on its own is not expensive, but when they all need replacing together the suspension repair costs more. You can hear it on the test drive and see it in the tyre wear.
What to check
The central locking control unit takes in moisture over the years, and from then on it is unpredictable: the doors do not lock together, the remote sometimes does not respond, and the alarm goes off for no reason. A door that stays open is a problem in a car park, and an alarm that goes off on its own can flatten the battery.
What to check
The dash shows "Error: Workshop! Only leave vehicle in position P" with an audible warning. The message appears in whatever language the car is set to, for example "Fehler: Werkstatt! Fahrzeug nur in Stellung P verlassen" in German.
The message points at the gearbox, but the fault is not there. A tiny switch sits in the module under the selector lever and signals that the lever is in park (P). Its contact wears and can also burn. That makes the signal unreliable, and the car warns you. The fault codes appear as 617752, P173400 or B116229.
At first it is intermittent. Sometimes the message comes up, sometimes not, so a short test drive easily misses it. Later it becomes permanent, and the gearbox can drop into limp mode.
This fault looks more expensive than it is. The maker released a separate retrofit switch kit for it (5Q0713128A for the black module, 3Q0713128 for the white one), which can be fitted in half an hour. The kit costs 70 to 100 pounds. At a franchised dealer, however, the whole selector lever module sometimes gets replaced, which costs 626 to 1,000 pounds there. So the difference between the two routes is roughly tenfold.
The affected group is post 2013 MQB platform Volkswagen, Audi, Seat and Skoda cars with a DSG gearbox. The switch is in these gearboxes, because that is what these cars have in common. The part itself is not part of the gearbox but of the module under the lever.
What to check
vinkodex.Checklist
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Before you buy
The printed sheet starts with what you would check on any car. What you tick stays on this device only.
The manufacturer fixes these for free at a franchised dealer. Ask with the VIN whether it was done.
A12/0714/17Safety recallInjuriesno date · EU Safety GateThe power supply to components of the ABS/ESP control unit may fail. This could lead to the vehicle stability control function not working when required in dynamic driving situations, such as over-steering, under-steering or emergency braking.
Remedy: Type of economic operator taking notified measure(s): Manufacturer Category of measure(s): Recall of the product from end users Date of entry into force: Unknown
Variant data
The manufacturer specifies this for this version. Of the mileage and the time, the one that comes first is the one that counts.
Air filter
DQ200: lifetime fill by the maker, not in practice
Cabin (pollen) filter
Engine oil and oil filter
Brake fluid change
Coolant (antifreeze) change
Spark plugs, petrol
We write the descriptions, and we put the source next to them. A person reviews them before they go out. They are still information, not a technical expert opinion.