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Flashing Orange Warning Light - bewildered by threads

Debcel

Debcel

VIP Member
Messages
36
Vehicle
T5 SE 180
We are on the first day of our tour of France and Spain. We were on cruise control at 55 mph when the flashing orange coil light came on but there was no loss of power. We pulled over to investigate and when we started up again the light had disappeared and didn't come back on. I've read up (of course) on the forum and apart from learning about 'limp mode', which was new to me and EGR, I'm still none the wiser as there's lots of conflicting advice. Control panel diagnostics shows no errors. Our 2015 T5 California TDI was serviced by SMG in Cowfold in May. Should we carry on regardless, go to the nearest VW garage or stay in the Champagne area for the next six weeks?? (possibly less expensive than getting a new EGR.)
 
Debcel said:
We are on the first day of our tour of France and Spain. We were on cruise control at 55 mph when the flashing orange coil light came on but there was no loss of power. We pulled over to investigate and when we started up again the light had disappeared and didn't come back on. I've read up (of course) on the forum and apart from learning about 'limp mode', which was new to me and EGR, I'm still none the wiser as there's lots of conflicting advice. Control panel diagnostics shows no errors. Our 2015 T5 California TDI was serviced by SMG in Cowfold in May. Should we carry on regardless, go to the nearest VW garage or stay in the Champagne area for the next six weeks?? (possibly less expensive than getting a new EGR.)
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Drink Champagne for 6 weeks would be a better use of time; you can always get a tow back if things get worse with the van.

That’s my expert mechanical opinion!

If a vehicle goes into limp mode you will notice loss in power when accelerating, big loss of power. The light will generally remain on until reset.
 
I'm guessing that with a European tour, you have some breakdown cover? If so, I would call your recovery firm and get them to dispatch a someone with an OBD II reader. Hopefully they can see any codes stored and give you some options. Or if they find nothing, they can give you some piece of mind to continue. Hope you get some answers and still manage to enjoy your tour. Good luck
 
Stu@rt said:
I'm guessing that with a European tour, you have some breakdown cover? If so, I would call your recovery firm and get them to dispatch a someone with an OBD II reader. Hopefully they can see any codes stored and give you some options. Or if they find nothing, they can give you some piece of mind to continue. Hope you get some answers and still manage to enjoy your tour. Good luck
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Similar happened to us in mountains in Portugal. Dropped into a garage when we could for diagnosis. Turned out to be a sensor which they fixed that day for me. All in about €130.
Keep going and enjoy. If it returns get it checked out - we used a Bosch Service Centre.
 
Ch1pbutty said:
Drink Champagne for 6 weeks would be a better use of time; you can always get a tow back if things get worse with the van.

That’s my expert mechanical opinion!

If a vehicle goes into limp mode you will notice loss in power when accelerating, big loss of power. The light will generally remain on until reset.
Click to expand...
Azteccamper said:
Similar happened to us in mountains in Portugal. Dropped into a garage when we could for diagnosis. Turned out to be a sensor which they fixed that day for me. All in about €130.
Keep going and enjoy. If it returns get it checked out - we used a Bosch Service Centre.
Click to expand...
If it returns? :eek: We will get it checked out today and hope that it's something fixable. We have a long trip ahead. Thanks for the reply.
 
Stu@rt said:
I'm guessing that with a European tour, you have some breakdown cover? If so, I would call your recovery firm and get them to dispatch a someone with an OBD II reader. Hopefully they can see any codes stored and give you some options. Or if they find nothing, they can give you some piece of mind to continue. Hope you get some answers and still manage to enjoy your tour. Good luck
Click to expand...
Thanks for the advice. We will get it checked out today as we have a long journey ahead of us.
 
Ch1pbutty said:
Drink Champagne for 6 weeks would be a better use of time; you can always get a tow back if things get worse with the van.

That’s my expert mechanical opinion!

If a vehicle goes into limp mode you will notice loss in power when accelerating, big loss of power. The light will generally remain on until reset.
Click to expand...
I have to say that was my first thought!
 
Static orange light, carry on, book a check at some point, could be anything.

Flashing orange light, seek help fairly soon.

Red light, seek help immediately.

The only precaution I take now, when a light is showing, is to use roads where it's easier to be recovered. Never needed recovery tho. Use VW Assist if you want to be booked in quickly, a dealership won't rush to fix a static yellow light.
 
Personally I wouldn’t go anywhere without a code reader in the van. They’re cheap and give you an indication as to the situation you’re in!

If you’ve not got one already, you could perhaps order one to a Amazon parcel locker somewhere en route?

I had an orange coil light on a recent trip. Identified very quickly as a brake pedal switch giving intermittent signals.
 
AlistairC said:
Personally I wouldn’t go anywhere without a code reader in the van. They’re cheap and give you an indication as to the situation you’re in!

If you’ve not got one already, you could perhaps order one to a Amazon parcel locker somewhere en route?

I had an orange coil light on a recent trip. Identified very quickly as a brake pedal switch giving intermittent signals.
Click to expand...
Makes sense. We have one at home but not on our travels. I may buy one now though.

This forum is brilliant, I keep buying things other people have, then realise I don't need them.
 
Finding an appointment with a VW garage in France in August proved impossible. We called SMG who were vaguely reassuring and we also spoke with our European breakdown assistance who suggested taking the van for a long run at a consistent speed. The warning light only comes on intermittently and didn't appear for a week. We've since travelled to Corsica via Italy and are now in Spain. One VW dealer didn't handle Campervans and another never got back to us. A local garage diagnosed an ERG problem. We are now heading South and will try and find a VW dealer next week.

We don't seem to be losing either oil or power and diesel consumption hasn't changed. This may be giving us false hope and we could be doing interminable damage to the van.

We will certainly get a code reader once we're back and I will update as and when we get a definite diagnosis.
 
Update: We got an OBD check done which revealed no errors. However, there was clearly something wrong and van finally broke down in Northern Spain where it stayed for ix weeks before being repatriated to UK. SMG Cowfold say they have spent hours trying to diagnose the problem but can find nothing. They advise a new engine at a cost of approx £12000! Have we just been unlucky or is there an unacknowledged problem with turbo diesels. Van is only 8 years old and has 60,000 miles on the clock.
 
Debcel said:
Update: We got an OBD check done which revealed no errors. However, there was clearly something wrong and van finally broke down in Northern Spain where it stayed for ix weeks before being repatriated to UK. SMG Cowfold say they have spent hours trying to diagnose the problem but can find nothing. They advise a new engine at a cost of approx £12000! Have we just been unlucky or is there an unacknowledged problem with turbo diesels. Van is only 8 years old and has 60,000 miles on the clock.
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A new engine seems extreme! If I was the dealer I‘d be highly embarrassed to have to offer that as a fix.
 
Try these guys if you need a 2nd opinion. Based in Haywards Heath. Have an excellent reputation locally:

Mdr-automotive.co.uk
 
Forget VW. They’re parts fitters, not mechanics. They won’t have a clue unless a computer tells them to replace something. Get it to a proper mechanic for diagnosis / repair.
 
Thanks for the advice. A big problem is that the van won't start so we'd either have to get it towed somewhere or try and find someone prepared to go to Cuckfield. I'll contact VW too to see if they have any suggestions.
 
Surely that’s a couple of hundred vs 12 thousand.
Get a garage organised and ask if they know a tow company or speak to another from Google.
E.g
Billy's Vehicle Transport Recovery 24/7 Covered Car Transport Horsham
www.billysvehicletransport.co.uk

Car Transport | Billy's Vehicle Transport | United Kingdom

Professional Car Vehicle Transportation Service Collection & Delivery. Experienced in vehicles/customer handovers. Car Delivery Company. Call For Quick Quote Now. Services: Vehicle Transportation, Car Delivery Service, Car Dealership Transfers. Car Movers
www.billysvehicletransport.co.uk www.billysvehicletransport.co.uk

GCS Engineering

www.gcsengineering.mobi www.gcsengineering.mobi

Both with 4+ Google reviews…
 
Last edited:
Debcel said:
Thanks for the advice. A big problem is that the van won't start so we'd either have to get it towed somewhere or try and find someone prepared to go to Cuckfield. I'll contact VW too to see if they have any suggestions.
Click to expand...
TP Motors is a mobile mechanic based just down the road in Burgess Hill. He has a good reputation:

Tpmotorsuk@+++++.com

Facebook.com/tpmotorsuk/
 
If you give more details of the problem some of the mechanical types here might be able to give you some suggestions.
Will it not now start? Is it in the age range for EGR problems?
 
Now I know why I bought VCDS years ago and have updated it in the past few years to HEX-V2 USB. I always carry a lap-top and the VCDS when out in the camper and as yet never had to use it in anger but it's been useful for many scans and simple code changes for myself and lots of friends.
Having that with me in the situation that the OP found himself would probably have pointed to the cause of the problem and perhaps have resolved it.
 
Lambeth Cali said:
Surely that’s a couple of hundred vs 12 thousand.
Get a garage organised and ask if they know a tow company or speak to another from Google.
E.g
Billy's Vehicle Transport Recovery 24/7 Covered Car Transport Horsham
www.billysvehicletransport.co.uk

Car Transport | Billy's Vehicle Transport | United Kingdom

Professional Car Vehicle Transportation Service Collection & Delivery. Experienced in vehicles/customer handovers. Car Delivery Company. Call For Quick Quote Now. Services: Vehicle Transportation, Car Delivery Service, Car Dealership Transfers. Car Movers
www.billysvehicletransport.co.uk www.billysvehicletransport.co.uk

GCS Engineering

www.gcsengineering.mobi www.gcsengineering.mobi

Both with 4+ Google reviews…
Click to expand...
Lambeth Cali said:
If you give more details of the problem some of the mechanical types here might be able to give you some suggestions.
Will it not now start? Is it in the age range for EGR problems?
Click to expand...
Van is completely dead and won't start. SMG say it's nothing to do with EGR and is a mechanical fault in the engine. Van was struggling up hills and using a lot of oil but no signs of an oil leak. Engine wasn't running smoothly on the last day and there was a constant ticking sound. Ringing around, the repair is likely to be costly if the engine has to be dismantled. Only positive is that a new engine will have a two year warranty.
 
Debcel said:
Van is completely dead and won't start. SMG say it's nothing to do with EGR and is a mechanical fault in the engine. Van was struggling up hills and using a lot of oil but no signs of an oil leak. Engine wasn't running smoothly on the last day and there was a constant ticking sound. Ringing around, the repair is likely to be costly if the engine has to be dismantled. Only positive is that a new engine will have a two year warranty.
Click to expand...
What year is the vehicle?
 
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