Hi ALL!
I have been having problems starting my T6.1 4Motion 6 sped manual since I had the EGR update done in May 2023. The first issue I had was that the start stop would not work as normal. I never had an issue with the start/stop since I bought it and i have put 6500 miles on the clock from new (September 2022). When the start/stop was engaged it was unable to restart the engine and made a terrible grinding noise. The engine did not crank and it felt as if the starter motor was unable to turn over the engine at all. I rang VW Assistance when this happened on 9/5/23 and the engineer told me he thought that the 'small cog' that turned over the engine may have had some of its teeth worn or broken. I booked my vehicle with SMG Tonbridge, where I bought my van and the earliest date I could get was 10/7/23 and I was to turn off the start/stop during this time which, I did.
I took my van to SMG Tonbridge and they had it overnight to fault test. I was told that they had ordered a new heavy duty smart alternator and that this would fix the problem. I collected my vehicle on the 12th July and driving home everything was working as it should. I picked up my fiance to drop het to work and when she exited the van the start/stop had engaged. On closing the door I was directed by the driver display to start the engine with the key which, I did. On turning the key the same crunching noise was heard and the engine did not turn over. My finace came back to the vehicle to tell me that the noise sounded like someone 'trying to cut the engine with a chainsaw'! I rang SMG Tonbridge again and this was near their closing time (17:30hrs) and the lady I spoke to told me to bring the vehicle back the next day and that she would speak to the service manager about ordering in a new starter motor.
I took the van back on 13/7/23 and dropped off my van and was given another courtesy vehicle to use in the meantime. I got a call on 14/7/23 to let me know that the starter motor had been replaced and I could collect my vehicle from them the same day. During the weekend the vehicle had been parked up as I was n ot going anywhere. I tried to turn over the engine this morning and yet again I encountered the grinding noise. I recorded this on my phone and also the error message on the infotainment system which showewd 'lane assist currently unavailable'. The dash also showed a flashing orange coil light and orange engine light.
I called SMG Tonbridge and spoke to the service manager today who asked me to call VW Assist and if they could not fix the issue, then if they were going to tow my vehicle to VW, it should be to them at SMG Tonbridge. I should also get them to arrange a courtesy car as well. I spoke to VW Assist and was offered an AA technician but I opted for the VW Assist technician. I was told that there wasn't one in the area but hopefully there should be one after 11:00 today.
Thank you all for reading this far and I would just like to ask if anyone else has encountered this problem. It has NOT put me off my vehicle in the slightest as I understand that every company no matter how prestigious, all have some quality control issues and parts that fail. This is my first experience buying a brand new vehicle with the spec I wanted. In the past I have bought used cars and possibly after the original owner had all the teething problem sorted so by the time I had the vehicle it was all in good working order. I must also commend SMG Tonbridge for how they treated me during the whole process to date. The service manager could not apologise enough, given that my vehicle had been purchased from them and was still within it's first 12 months of warranty.
I hope that it will be sorted and I will have my vehicle back before I return to work on Wednesday and I will keep you all updated.
ATVB!
David
I have been having problems starting my T6.1 4Motion 6 sped manual since I had the EGR update done in May 2023. The first issue I had was that the start stop would not work as normal. I never had an issue with the start/stop since I bought it and i have put 6500 miles on the clock from new (September 2022). When the start/stop was engaged it was unable to restart the engine and made a terrible grinding noise. The engine did not crank and it felt as if the starter motor was unable to turn over the engine at all. I rang VW Assistance when this happened on 9/5/23 and the engineer told me he thought that the 'small cog' that turned over the engine may have had some of its teeth worn or broken. I booked my vehicle with SMG Tonbridge, where I bought my van and the earliest date I could get was 10/7/23 and I was to turn off the start/stop during this time which, I did.
I took my van to SMG Tonbridge and they had it overnight to fault test. I was told that they had ordered a new heavy duty smart alternator and that this would fix the problem. I collected my vehicle on the 12th July and driving home everything was working as it should. I picked up my fiance to drop het to work and when she exited the van the start/stop had engaged. On closing the door I was directed by the driver display to start the engine with the key which, I did. On turning the key the same crunching noise was heard and the engine did not turn over. My finace came back to the vehicle to tell me that the noise sounded like someone 'trying to cut the engine with a chainsaw'! I rang SMG Tonbridge again and this was near their closing time (17:30hrs) and the lady I spoke to told me to bring the vehicle back the next day and that she would speak to the service manager about ordering in a new starter motor.
I took the van back on 13/7/23 and dropped off my van and was given another courtesy vehicle to use in the meantime. I got a call on 14/7/23 to let me know that the starter motor had been replaced and I could collect my vehicle from them the same day. During the weekend the vehicle had been parked up as I was n ot going anywhere. I tried to turn over the engine this morning and yet again I encountered the grinding noise. I recorded this on my phone and also the error message on the infotainment system which showewd 'lane assist currently unavailable'. The dash also showed a flashing orange coil light and orange engine light.
I called SMG Tonbridge and spoke to the service manager today who asked me to call VW Assist and if they could not fix the issue, then if they were going to tow my vehicle to VW, it should be to them at SMG Tonbridge. I should also get them to arrange a courtesy car as well. I spoke to VW Assist and was offered an AA technician but I opted for the VW Assist technician. I was told that there wasn't one in the area but hopefully there should be one after 11:00 today.
Thank you all for reading this far and I would just like to ask if anyone else has encountered this problem. It has NOT put me off my vehicle in the slightest as I understand that every company no matter how prestigious, all have some quality control issues and parts that fail. This is my first experience buying a brand new vehicle with the spec I wanted. In the past I have bought used cars and possibly after the original owner had all the teething problem sorted so by the time I had the vehicle it was all in good working order. I must also commend SMG Tonbridge for how they treated me during the whole process to date. The service manager could not apologise enough, given that my vehicle had been purchased from them and was still within it's first 12 months of warranty.
I hope that it will be sorted and I will have my vehicle back before I return to work on Wednesday and I will keep you all updated.
ATVB!
David
