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Oh but it is. Buddy was service advisor for VW for a while. The bills to fix the touareg TDIs were impressively high. NC doesn't do anything with the emissions of a diesel. They just do the safety check. The sniffers are only setup for gas cars.
I own a 2010 Touareg TDI. It is rated at 7700 lbs towing. I used it for several years to pull my very heavy open steel trailer with race car. I calculated the total weight at over 6000 lbs. It towed like a champ. No power issues, and surprisingly given the short wheel base of the Touareg, no stability issues either. I no longer use it as a tow vehicle as I've fortunately been able to move on to use of a trackside services company which provides transportation services.
As for repairs, I bought the vehicle new, and up til about 80k miles there were zero repair issues. Fortunately I bought the 100k extended warranty from Fidelity. First, the high pressure fuel pump grenaded, causing damage thought the entire fuel system, requiring replacement of many components. The value of that repair was around $15k according to the dealer tech. Interestingly enough, VW covered the repair so Fidelity was not involved. I subsequently received a letter from VOA stating that VW was extending warranty coverage on HPFP to 120k miles.
The second major issues at around 98k miles (fortunately just before expiration of my warranty) was an exhaust leak which was permeating the cabin making the vehicle tough to drive without windows open. Try doing that during July in Florida! It literally took almost a year of several missed diagnosis's and needless repairs followed ultimately by my threat of a lawsuit sent to corporate higher ups in the Napleton auto group for them to really get serious about figuring this out. They reached out to other dealers around the country and finally found one in Nevada which had experienced a similar exhaust leak situation on a Touareg. Thankfully their diagnosis of crushed injector seals proved to be accurate, and I'm now once again happily enjoying the Touareg with 116k miles on the odometer.
So would I buy another Toureg? Had you asked me before this exhaust leak fiasco, my answer would have been a resounding yes. However, after getting insight into the training and knowledge level of service department techs at my local VW dealers in the wake of this situation, I'd now probably say no. It is an awesome tow vehicle and a superb daily driver though, so with an extended warranty and a healthy dose of patience, it might be worth it.
I see a few guys towing enclosed with a Q7 tdi, aren't those only rated at 5,500 lbs? I had ruled it out and been looking into a gl450 instead because of the 7,500 lb rating. do I have bad information? would love the Q7 if it would do the job, currently pulling an open Trailex but may want to move up to a 20' aluminum enclosed so fully loaded would be looking at around 6,100 lb +/-
The Q7 is a great tow vehicle. This belongs to one of our owners and he is extremely satisfied with it's capabilities. He took it to the parade and had no issues. He even won the 356 Full Preparation Class and People's choice.
OP here. Things have unfolded such that I'll bite the bullet and tell all. It's a LONG story. I'd be grateful for any straight up advice. Pls don't judge if I don't take it. I'm a bit emotionally attached to my tow rig.
In 2009 I aided/abetted the demise of my Honda minivan (10 yrs purgatory). The replacement was The PIG: 2009 MB R320CDI 4Matic. I've now put 158k miles on it. Diesel engine runs 700 mil on a single tank of gas, tows the Trailex and SM like its a feather. 25-27 mpg without towing, 15-22 w tow. It's honorably served me/our family of 5 (3 kids, 2 dogs and spouse) with EVERY shred of its capability. By which I mean it has towed moving trailers, my Trailex and SpecM over 20000 miles in ONE year, and provided its share of Atlantic trips, Disney trips and over river/woods Gramma Midwestern trips.
In Feb 2016 The Pig developed a problem hauling the race rig. Had to replace the transfer case ($5600 OEM part, not inc labor.) BIG hit becoz the KBB is 11.5 K. When I picked up the vehicle from the shop, I noticed the spare tire well was half-full of water and I asked the tech what to do. He says "Ah! No problem we can take care of it after you get back from Ohio" but then says "if you drain it you'll lose some weight so do it if you can..." Well, I don't do it because that would (I thought at the time) involve removing the tow hitch bolts which I don't want to mess with before I tow it 800 miles.
So I pack up and load the trailer and don't worry about it. The next day, as I drove the rig to MidOhio w MORPCA engine kicks into limp mode, and all sorts of errors lighting up on the dash. Eventually it starts driving normally, Arrive at MidO no problem.
Unload at track get dinner etc. Next morning it won't start. I hitch a ride to track w my buddy and try to get Mercedes roadside program to send assistance. Three attempts at that were unsuccessful (bad contractors locally, no fault of MB, who were exceptionally helpful and kept trying). By this time the doors won't unlock and the battery's deader than a door nail. It's snowing and sleeting so I don't try to drain out the water from the tire well.
I leave the car at the hotel and fly home, meanwhile MB gets it towed to Columbus dealership who call me the next day and tell me the car is A TOTAL LOSS due to the drowned signal acquisition module and fuse box (located in the tire well). Eventually, it is towed to Auto Assets (Chip Vance's shop) and they ver kindly babysit it til I return 10 d later. At that time, Eddie tried to jump start it and it comes to life!!! But: AC wipers turn signals SRS horn and a buncha other stuff doesn't work.
No matter! I drive it to track and rely on the generosity of my buddy to jump it daily to and from track. It manages to limp me back home, an 8 hour drive takes 16 hours.
Once home I DIY replace the battery (it's a 6 hour labor, sits under front passenger seat, I gotta cut out carpeting etc). Now the car starts but all the errors still on the dash, still no AC, turn signals etc. I replace ALL the fuses (it has 4 fuse boxes). No dice
Finally: Take it to My tech (YES that same tech!) who swears he can fix it. AND HE DOES!!! Did so by taking apart the fuse box and SAM and using tons of elbow grease. Charges $1300 labor inc tax.
Since then I've put another 1200 mi on in 5 days (anot Midwest trip). Friends and well wishers say: Sell it now while you can!!! They're right. Spouse and Tech say: It's well sorted out now, keep it! Just do a change of transfer case fluid annually, drain plugs opened I'm do?
Ayesha, sounds like the MB has served your family well. It may continue to do so for the foreseeable future. (Although those electrical gremlins are always going to be in the back of your mind as you head out to Gramma's place in the dead of Winter.)
If it were me, I would take this opportunity to free up its future and move on to something that will continue to meet your family's needs.
Good luck,
Gary
It may really depend on how clean the water was. The problem with many electronic assemblies is they are not water proof, yet they will not dry out on their own. It is easy for the water to get in, especially if submerged, and tough for the water to get back out. I suspect what your last mechanic did was disassemble everything and dry it out. He may have replaced parts with used parts.
I would ask him what he did and ask for a prognosis. He saw the damage and was able to fix it. What would concern me is latent damage from corrosion. This goes back to how clean the water was. It is important to understand where the water was and exactly what got flooded. I would price out the components that went underwater on the used market. Ebay is likely a good place to start. That's what your downside is going to be if the repair doesn't hold.
Don't let the write off estimate from the dealership scare you. For one, it was new parts. For another, I'm sure the dealership charges a premium for those parts. A little shopping around could tame that number quite a bit.
Before this happened it sounds like the vehicle was doing well and you liked it. It may be worth hanging on to. Diesels are not cheap.
read every thread on this forum. wanted to do a diesel, but only would use the truck for towing a 24' Haulmark (about 7500#). Decided to go with a truck rated for more capacity than I needed (F250 - 10K capacity) and went gas to cut down on purchase price and maint cost. could not be happier.
yup passing power on highway is limited. but I towed Atlanta to MD averaging 70-80 and it was SOLID. did not get thrown around when the big trucks passed and did not feel like the tail was wagging the dog. I looked into Diesel, but purchase price was MUCH higher and maintenance was more brainpower than I wanted to invest. found one truck and a friend told me to go to Powerstroke.com and find a shop that had a mechanic would would know how to check the truck out. do I think that's a must? no, but why do I want a truck that could really need a specialized mechanic if my goal is to use the truck 10-15 times a year. nope. Gasser is fine for me. I wanted something I don't have to think about for a change. let me devote the wrench time to the car. got a 2011 F250 for $11.9K. more than happy with it. pulled about 1500 miles in the last 6 weeks.
Seems like lots of folks are specifying diesel engines, at least those buying GMs. I placed an order for a diesel Sierra back in May. I was told at the time it would be 4-6 weeks before delivery.
When 6 weeks rolled around I was told 6-7 weeks and at 7 weeks, 7-8 weeks. I'm on week 9 now and it turns out the reason it's taking so long is a shortage of diesel engines. GM is splitting
the remaining engine inventory between GMC and Chevrolet on a first come first serve basis.
I took the opportunity with the delay to add one more option; The fifth wheel package. Includes a welded in cross brace under the bed along with a bed mounted plug for the electricals. This
way if I decide to go with a GN style trailer, all I need is the ball and hooks. The bed is pre-drilled braced and capped.
At this rate there's a good chance I'll be getting a 2017. GM shuts the production lines down August/September to retool for the new models
read every thread on this forum. wanted to do a diesel, but only would use the truck for towing a 24' Haulmark (about 7500#). Decided to go with a truck rated for more capacity than I needed (F250 - 10K capacity) and went gas to cut down on purchase price and maint cost. could not be happier.
yup passing power on highway is limited. but I towed Atlanta to MD averaging 70-80 and it was SOLID. did not get thrown around when the big trucks passed and did not feel like the tail was wagging the dog. I looked into Diesel, but purchase price was MUCH higher and maintenance was more brainpower than I wanted to invest.
My decision making went kind of the same way, but for different reasons. First off, diesel is very nice but there is no doubt it is hella expensive - both to buy and maintain. Diesel generally means 3/4 ton domestic pickup or SUV - these ride a lot more trucky than 1/2 ton vehicles.
I needed a newer family truckster sort of vehicle that in addition to hauling the toy to the track could also serve for family vacations and trips to Home Depot. Ended up with a 2010 Ford Expedition EL. It is a large, extremely comfortable vehicle that tows my 4500lb open trailer and car load adequately. Yes, passing power sucks, but it does quite well at 70MPH and 80MPH is okay if the road is flat. Oil changes are cheap, the 5.4L V8 doesn't have the issues of the earlier Tritons. A like for like condition F250 diesel would have cost nearly double. It has plenty of wheelbase, and while the independent rear suspension makes it sensitive to tongue weight, it also gives it that luxury car ride when not towing, which is 80% of the time. It's ride is just incredible - better than my Jag.
With the cruise set at 70, it gets 12.7 MPG towing and a bit over 19 MPG on its own. This is where towing at 80 kind of sucks - the towing mileage drops to about 10 MPG.
A side benefit of driving a gasser is if I have extra fuel for the M3 at the end of the weekend I can just dump it in the truck for the trip home - I never worry about buying too much gas for the track car.
07-03-2016, 08:49 AM
