Cold Start Issues 2.5 TDI (Fog Lights)

Hello fellow enthusiasts,
I've had this strange feeling for a while that something might be wrong with my AKN.
So, if the engine is cold (colder than 5°C), I do it a favor and let it warm up properly.
Specifically, twice, and also for a longer duration than the preheating indicator suggests.
Despite that, it's still a pretty decent fog machine, and it emits a bright, light blue color.
'I already went to the friendly service center. They adjusted the ESP, and everything else seems to be okay.'

Okay, I had already resigned myself to it, but...
This morning, I completely forgot to put the preheating additive in the fuel (it was -5°C).

The engine arrived quickly, ran smoothly, and produced hardly more smoke than usual.

Something doesn't seem right .

or what?
Thomas.

Hi!
Does it actually glow? Have you measured the current (preferably for each bulb individually), or the total current inductively? If you can access the individual bulbs but don't have an ammeter, is it possible to check it using the headlight bulb method?
Does the interior lighting become noticeably dimmer when the headlights are turned on, and brighter during the pre-glow phase?

Quote:

... everything else is fine.

Who is saying this? You, after checking yourself, or the dealer? If it's the dealer, I would double-check everything myself. You might also want to check the temperature sensor to make sure it's reading the correct values.

Best regards,
Dirk.

This morning, I paid attention to the interior light, but there's absolutely no change.
I'll measure it today.

My trust in my friend has reached another low point .

I took the device back to the store, under the warranty.

Now, with the second complaint, they noticed it.
that 4 out of 6 glow plugs are not in working order.
Bekomme 6 neue. Morning.
Let's see what we can't do after that .

... that 4 out of 6 glow plugs are not working correctly.

Hello!

I'm very surprised that four glow plugs have already failed at 111,000 km!

This morning, I checked the interior light, but there's absolutely nothing happening.

Even with only two working glow plugs, you should still be able to see something in the interior with the interior light on.

I would like to have the removed glow plugs given to me so I can inspect them and verify if there are actually four that are defective. I'm starting to think your mechanic is trying to pull a fast one on you.

I would also like to take a look at your old glow plugs. Are the tips possibly broken off? This could indicate impinging combustion flames, which would suggest faulty injectors. However, even at 111,000 km, they shouldn't be worn out, especially not all four at once. But it would be a good idea to check them just to be sure.

Are you sure the car has 111,000 km on the odometer? Something doesn't seem right... either the mileage or the error codes.

Regards,
Private.

'The odometer reading matches the service record, and the previous owner confirms this.'
It seems that this is okay. At least something .

I'm just going to believe my friend when they say that the [food/drink] was too watery.
den Fehler beim ersten mal zu finden. Well.

But the issue with the spray pattern is now worrying me.
Of course, I wasn't shown the candles.

Hello!
The odometer matches the service record, and the previous owner says the same.
It seems that this is okay.
It doesn't necessarily have to mean anything!
Here's the translation:

'Firstly, service books are sometimes 'tampered with.' This unfortunately happens occasionally when a car dealership wants to resell a trade-in vehicle (with or without a mileage that has been altered by the previous owner) without proper service book maintenance. Further investigation may be necessary if the service book does not include a receipt number for each service. If a receipt number is present, it is highly likely that the service was actually performed. To verify this, a copy of the receipt can easily be requested from the dealership using the receipt number.'

'The car dealership records what they read from the odometer in the service booklet. Using relatively inexpensive software available on eBay, almost any digital odometer can be easily adjusted multiple times (assuming some basic technical knowledge). So, if the previous owner consistently exceeded the mileage intervals between inspections by 10,000 km and then reduced the odometer reading by 10,000 km before bringing the car in for inspection, they would still have a complete and seemingly accurate service history.'

Asking the previous owner is a good idea, but if someone tampered with the odometer, it was probably him. But I wouldn't assume that right away. I favor the following explanation:

I'm just going to believe my friendly colleague that they were too inexperienced to find the error the first time.

I also believe that, perhaps they exaggerated something in the error description. I can imagine that, for example, only the fuse for the glow plug system was blown. And that the dealer admits to not finding such a simple error... Well, they might get creative and invent completely nonsensical errors. But those are just my speculations...


But the thing about the spray painting is now worrying me.
I obviously wasn't shown the candles.
A competent Volkswagen technician should notice something like that during the disassembly process and, if necessary, point it out to you!

Regards,
Private.

I have the car back.

ASR is working again, the window lifter is working, and the rattling from the rear seat is gone.
And it's starting to preheat again now.
It's still a bit foggy, but it's nothing compared to what it used to be.
I think it's normal for a car with 113,000 km on the odometer to produce a little smoke on a cold start, right?
It disappears after about 3 seconds and then runs smoothly and quietly.

I'm satisfied so far.