Hi there -

If have a 2011 Jetta TDI with about 60,000 miles on it. My glow plug light has been flashing and beeping at me for several months now. Also, the check engine light periodically comes on and stays on for a while, then goes off. It seems random whether the check engine light is on or off. The flashing and beeping glow plug light usually comes on when I am idling for any extended period of time - like a longer stop light or traffic. It will beep and flash and then if i don't start driving it will beep and flash again etc. etc. It sometimes comes on when I am moving, but not often. I have had no mechanical issues with the car whatsoever, and it recently had its 60,000 mile maintenance and the dealer told me everything looked great.

It took the dealer a while to figure out what was causing the glow plug light and check engine light to come on. At first they told me it was the throttle body plate, which needed to be replaced. I did that and the light came back on right away. I took it back and now they say that the wiring harness needs to be replaced and that the wiring harness is causing a short which is damaging the throttle body plate (or something like that). The cost of all of this is very high - around $2,000 to replace both parts and labor. Apparently the wiring harness is an expensive part. However, they tell me that if i don't fix it, there will be no damage to the engine or anything else and no risk to continuing to drive it in this condition. However, I will continue to be very annoyed by the glow plug light beeping at me all of the time.

For those of you who know anything about these kinds of cars - does what the dealer is telling me sound legit? If I replace the wiring harness, do you think that will be the end of all of this? Is there a way to address this issue without spending so much money? Thanks in advance for any advice....

 

Welcome to the forum.

You need to get your motor scanned (preferably with VAG-COM\VCDS) for any error codes logged in the ecu and post them, that will save a lot of guessing.

https://volkswagenforum.com/forum/ne...gnature-34185/

 

Okay, I called the dealer and got a little more information. The error codes associated with the check engine light coming on are P0638 and P2101. These were the error codes that told the dealer they needed to replace the throttle body plate. They did this, sent the car home with me, and then the glow plug light came back on (five minutes after leaving the dealer) and subsequently, the check engine light again (the next day). Upon further investigation, the dealer discovered that the Engine Control Module Harness pins are causing a short to the throttle body plate which is "grounding it out." This short caused the glow plug light to blink and then when it "grounded out" the throttle body plate, the check engine light came back on. There are apparently no error codes associated with the glow plug light/harness malfunction issue.

The dealer tells me there is no way to replace the individual piece of wiring that is causing the problem on the harness - i need to replace the entire harness (and the throttle body plate again since it has been damaged by the short). The price they are quoting me to replace the harness plus labor is $1,000. They also tell me I don't risk damaging any part of my car or put myself in danger by continuing to drive the car in this situation. Knowing nothing about this subject matter, I was just hoping to get any feedback on whether all of this sounds accurate/correct before I decide whether the pay the money they are saying I need to pay.

Thanks again

 

VAG Error Code: 17022

EOBD II Error Code: P0638

Fault Location:
Throttle Actuator Control (TAC), Bank 1 - Range/Performance Problem

Possible Cause:
Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL)(K83) active.

Basic setting not carried out (if applicable).
Idle speed control (ISC) actuator/throttle motor.
Accelerator pedal position (APP) sensor.
Drive-by-wire control system malfunction.
Throttle valve malfunction.
Powertrain Control Module (PCM) malfunction.

Tech Notes:
Dirty or clogged throttle body can triggered the P0638 code. Before replacing any parts try cleaning the throttle body and reset the engine light.

Description:
The Powertrain Control Module (PCM) compares the actual Throttle Possition (TP) with the target TP when the engine is running. If the difference is more than the specification, the Powertrain Control Module (PCM) determines that there is a throttle actuator control circuit range/performance problem.

As taken frok my https://volkswagenforum.com/forum/ge...oftware-34973/