ADAS wires cut when the windscreen was replaced

barrymw · Oct 5, 2023

I had my windscreen replaced by O'briens AutoGlass (I'm in Australia) and was informed that the ADAS needed to be recalibrated by a VW dealer. When the dealer looked into it, they found that several of the wires had been severed. The first dealer performed a temporary fix and quoted parts with a total cost of about $800, whereas my local VW dealer is saying that an entire wiring loom is required, that is closer to $21,000!! They are also proposing to splice the wires near the ADAS, solder, heatshrink, etc and correct the fault that way. According to my local VW dealership, both approaches are approved by Volkswagen, however one is major works, the other is localised. There are pro's and con's to both, hence reaching out to those in the know!

In terms of the first quote, the parts to be ordered were as follows:
7C0947099GY20 LED read ZZZZZZ 1.00 0 $167.00 $167.00 $183.70
N01713116 FUSE-FLAT 5 AMP ZZZZZZ 1.00 0 $2.50 $2.50 $2.75
000979009E WIRE SET ZZZZZZ 6.00 0 $47.00 $47.00 $310.20
000979034E WIRE SET ZZZZZZ 5.00 0 $47.00 $47.00 $258.50
1C0973119B HOUSING ZZZZZZ 1.00 0 $16.00 $16.00 $17.60
8K0971833 HOUSING ZZZZZZ 1.00 0 $19.00 $19.00 $20.90

I'm not sure why the LED light is included, but I'll have a look once I get the car back. It could be that it was damaged by the windscreen repairer.

My car is still with my local dealer, who are putting together the two quotes, the 'mega quote' and the 'splice and dice'. I'll provide further details when they come to hand.

Given that the work is covered by insurance, what path do people suggest that I take? All thoughts welcome!

WelshGas · Oct 5, 2023

barrymw said:
I had my windscreen replaced by O'briens AutoGlass (I'm in Australia) and was informed that the ADAS needed to be recalibrated by a VW dealer. When the dealer looked into it, they found that several of the wires had been severed. The first dealer performed a temporary fix and quoted parts with a total cost of about $800, whereas my local VW dealer is saying that an entire wiring loom is required, that is closer to $21,000!! They are also proposing to splice the wires near the ADAS, solder, heatshrink, etc and correct the fault that way. According to my local VW dealership, both approaches are approved by Volkswagen, however one is major works, the other is localised. There are pro's and con's to both, hence reaching out to those in the know!

In terms of the first quote, the parts to be ordered were as follows:
7C0947099GY20 LED read ZZZZZZ 1.00 0 $167.00 $167.00 $183.70
N01713116 FUSE-FLAT 5 AMP ZZZZZZ 1.00 0 $2.50 $2.50 $2.75
000979009E WIRE SET ZZZZZZ 6.00 0 $47.00 $47.00 $310.20
000979034E WIRE SET ZZZZZZ 5.00 0 $47.00 $47.00 $258.50
1C0973119B HOUSING ZZZZZZ 1.00 0 $16.00 $16.00 $17.60
8K0971833 HOUSING ZZZZZZ 1.00 0 $19.00 $19.00 $20.90

I'm not sure why the LED light is included, but I'll have a look once I get the car back. It could be that it was damaged by the windscreen repairer.

My car is still with my local dealer, who are putting together the two quotes, the 'mega quote' and the 'splice and dice'. I'll provide further details when they come to hand.

Given that the work is covered by insurance, what path do people suggest that I take? All thoughts welcome!

Personally I would go for the cheaper repair. A replacement wiring loom would cover the whole of the dashboard, a lot of connections, a lot of dismantling and a lot of potential for further damage.

vbk1975 · Oct 5, 2023

barrymw said:
I had my windscreen replaced by O'briens AutoGlass (I'm in Australia) and was informed that the ADAS needed to be recalibrated by a VW dealer. When the dealer looked into it, they found that several of the wires had been severed. The first dealer performed a temporary fix and quoted parts with a total cost of about $800, whereas my local VW dealer is saying that an entire wiring loom is required, that is closer to $21,000!! They are also proposing to splice the wires near the ADAS, solder, heatshrink, etc and correct the fault that way. According to my local VW dealership, both approaches are approved by Volkswagen, however one is major works, the other is localised. There are pro's and con's to both, hence reaching out to those in the know!

In terms of the first quote, the parts to be ordered were as follows:
7C0947099GY20 LED read ZZZZZZ 1.00 0 $167.00 $167.00 $183.70
N01713116 FUSE-FLAT 5 AMP ZZZZZZ 1.00 0 $2.50 $2.50 $2.75
000979009E WIRE SET ZZZZZZ 6.00 0 $47.00 $47.00 $310.20
000979034E WIRE SET ZZZZZZ 5.00 0 $47.00 $47.00 $258.50
1C0973119B HOUSING ZZZZZZ 1.00 0 $16.00 $16.00 $17.60
8K0971833 HOUSING ZZZZZZ 1.00 0 $19.00 $19.00 $20.90

I'm not sure why the LED light is included, but I'll have a look once I get the car back. It could be that it was damaged by the windscreen repairer.

My car is still with my local dealer, who are putting together the two quotes, the 'mega quote' and the 'splice and dice'. I'll provide further details when they come to hand.

Given that the work is covered by insurance, what path do people suggest that I take? All thoughts welcome!

I agree with @WelshGas

i have just had a look at the wiring diagrams and the parts list you have provided.

i think they have probably cut through the rain sensor wiring and forward camera wiring. (3 way connector for Rain Sensor and 8 Way for Rear View Mirror (inc Forward Camera))

The number of Repair wires above is 11, so they will only have to make 11 repair joints. This is a well documented process in the VW workshop manual. The one slightly more complex repair will likely be to the CAN wires (vehicle network) these are a pair of wires that are twisted as pair, again this is well documented repair, they just need to stagger the repairs so they can maintain the twist neatly (The accuracy of twist isn‘t super critical ) They are replacing the overhead console, so they must suspect that has been damaged as well. I would just ask them to take pictures and make sure this is the only damage. (Airbag wiring is not something that normally gets repaired or extra measures are taken, but this isn‘t relevant to your case)

Whilst changing the whole harness might seem a more robust fix, in reality the harness is the first thing to go in during the build of the van and is installed by production workers who will be installing 100s a day so know exactly how to twist it and clip it. In order to change the harness elements the van will need to stripped back, with fixings and items removed. Then the old harness needs to be removed with every connector disconnected and then remade. My honest feeling is that you will end up with a van that just isn’t as quiet and refined as it was and with the potential of other electrical gremlins should one of the connectors get damaged or not installed absolutely home.

I would ask the garage to confirm very quickly that all is ok when they do the local repair, just in case there is a hidden consequence of the damage, i only say this as i am a little surprised about the need to change the overhead console, but this might be due to physical damage not electrical.

A

barrymw · Oct 6, 2023

vbk1975 said:
I agree with @WelshGas

i have just had a look at the wiring diagrams and the parts list you have provided.

i think they have probably cut through the rain sensor wiring and forward camera wiring. (3 way connector for Rain Sensor and 8 Way for Rear View Mirror (inc Forward Camera))

The number of Repair wires above is 11, so they will only have to make 11 repair joints. This is a well documented process in the VW workshop manual. The one slightly more complex repair will likely be to the CAN wires (vehicle network) these are a pair of wires that are twisted as pair, again this is well documented repair, they just need to stagger the repairs so they can maintain the twist neatly (The accuracy of twist isn‘t super critical ) They are replacing the overhead console, so they must suspect that has been damaged as well. I would just ask them to take pictures and make sure this is the only damage. (Airbag wiring is not something that normally gets repaired or extra measures are taken, but this isn‘t relevant to your case)

Whilst changing the whole harness might seem a more robust fix, in reality the harness is the first thing to go in during the build of the van and is installed by production workers who will be installing 100s a day so know exactly how to twist it and clip it. In order to change the harness elements the van will need to stripped back, with fixings and items removed. Then the old harness needs to be removed with every connector disconnected and then remade. My honest feeling is that you will end up with a van that just isn’t as quiet and refined as it was and with the potential of other electrical gremlins should one of the connectors get damaged or not installed absolutely home.

I would ask the garage to confirm very quickly that all is ok when they do the local repair, just in case there is a hidden consequence of the damage, i only say this as i am a little surprised about the need to change the overhead console, but this might be due to physical damage not electrical.

A

Thanks @vbk1975 and @WelshGas . I dropped into the dealership early to discuss, as over the phone the consultant was using words like "solder" and "shrink wrap", which was one reason why I was getting nervous with the repair. After speaking with the senior tech, he was basically saying as the same things about staggering the joints and renewing the pins, etc. The junior consultant was embellishing the work involved a bit too much. In terms of the overhead LED, I believe it is an anomaly with the initial inspection. The local dealer couldn't find any issue with the overhead console. I have also had a look and everything functions as expected and there doesn't appear to be any visible damage. It is a bit concerning when two dealerships come up with different resolutions, albeit only slightly different.

vbk1975 · Oct 6, 2023

barrymw said:
Thanks @vbk1975 and @WelshGas . I dropped into the dealership early to discuss, as over the phone the consultant was using words like "solder" and "shrink wrap", which was one reason why I was getting nervous with the repair. After speaking with the senior tech, he was basically saying as the same things about staggering the joints and renewing the pins, etc. The junior consultant was embellishing the work involved a bit too much. In terms of the overhead LED, I believe it is an anomaly with the initial inspection. The local dealer couldn't find any issue with the overhead console. I have also had a look and everything functions as expected and there doesn't appear to be any visible damage. It is a bit concerning when two dealerships come up with different resolutions, albeit only slightly different.

I can’t see an electrical linkage to the overhead unit. The two fuses that could have blown when the wires got chopped don’t appear to effect the overhead module. The rain sensor LIN bus is also shared with the Tilt sensor behind the overhead module, that would have set a missing module DTC. But i am just speculating as to their rational for suggesting the overhead module needed replaced . Glad your dealer has talked you through it !

Hopefully it will be quick and get you back out in the van

Good Luck

A

PeteS · Oct 6, 2023

I agree with others on here that the repair of the loom is the best option. Removing the wiring loom is a major job. I have done it on a 1983 Golf GTi and the was very simply compared with a car today.
At work I have used solder splices which make an excellent repair soldering the wires, gluing them together and then sealing them. The only problem in your case might be that they cut the wires straight across so a staggered joint might not be possible without splicing in some more wire. If possible I would try and limit the number of solder joints in the can bus wiring.
I wonder what the windscreen tech was thinking cutting into the wiring. I would have thought that the Loom was designed to be unplugged in the case of a vehicle needing a replacement windscreen.
Hopefully you get the van back soon.