VW POLO

VW Polo, VW Golf, VW Jetta, VW Passat, Audi, SKODA, SEAT and other new generation VAG cars are designed with a monopoly in mind. Restated they were designed so that only service agents are supposed to do the servicing and repairs. As of 2008 all new vehicle manufacturers ascribe to the CAN-Bus protocol which is not backward compatible to older ODB II protocols. The notorious VW EPC light, Drive by Wire and Limp mode and won't rev more than 2000 rpm explained here on Volkswagen Polo Highline.

Thursday, January 5, 2017

VOLVO IS NO LONGER SWEDEN'S BEST SELLING CAR

It was just announced that the Volkswagen Golf won car of the year in Sweden for year 2016. And yes, it's the very Scandinavian country where the iconic Volvo brand topped car sales each and every consecutive year for the past 54 years . However, for the very first time in history or Volvo or rather more exactly the same number of years, the German designed and manufactured VW Golf outsold the Swedish manufactured Volvo in 2016. Volkswagen Golf's accounted for almost 6% of all new cars sold, whereas the combined sales of Volvo’s V70, S90 and V90 only constituted a mere 5.7%. But this event of Volkswagen beating Volvo at sales is not entirely unique because it happened once before. Way back in 1962, the humble Volkswagen Beetle knocked Volvo off the top selling spot by outselling Volvo. Be that as it may, Volvo still retains the largest share of the Swedish Car market, sanding at roughly 22 percent, with Volkswagen in a close second position with approximately 16 percent market share.

The smokey Ford Kuga is on fire, literally!

Despite the fallout from its diesel emissions scandal, with its cheating device, Volkswagen AG as a whole is bouncing back, regaining market confidence after their pledge to focus on electric power in the coming years. VW Golf is Sweden's top seller and currently their most popular car. The VW Golf sales are closely followed by VW Passat as the fifth most popular car, followed by VW Polo as the eight most popular car, followed by the Skoda Octavia as Sweden's tenth most popular car.

Volvo has always been known to be a "very safe car" but the Swedes have lost their national pride when Chinese firm "Zhejiang Geely Holding Group" bought the iconic Swedish brand —Volvo — in 2010. This is probably the real reason why Volkswagen is gaining ground in Sweden?

"Talking about safe cars or rather unsafe cars.

The fiery Ford Kuga and the fiery Ford Everest

are probably the unsafest cars

on the roads today".

Ford motor company has contacted all Kuga owners by post, urging them to book their fiery Kuga's into their workshops for a free maintenance check, but not explaining the urgency of the matter. No sooner have they done this, when four more Ford Kuga's burst into flames during the same amount of days. According to Ford, it appears that the issue is limited to their 1.6-litre EcoBoost engine but according to owners somehow their Everest is also affected. About a year ago a Ford Kuga driver was burnt beyond recognition in Durban, and to-date as many as 40 Kuga fiery incidents have been reported.

1) Ford Kuga owner leaps from burning vehicle in Durban.
2) A PE family is in shock when their Ford Kuga burst into flames.

3) Husband and wife watched their Kuga burnt out.

A all new Kuga hot-rod in full glory

Kuga with frostbite after bursting into flames

A fiery Ford Kuga making like a Volcano

Peculiarly most of the burnt-out Kugas are white in colour.

If it wasn't for the Original Ford Kuga Mag, this burnt out stack could easily
have been mistaken for a Volkswagen vehicle.

Virtually unrecognizable but is definitely a Kuga

From Ford to ashes and from Ford to dust.

It looks like a volcanic eruption but it's really a Ford Kuga

Ford Kuga front-end totally destroyed

However owner reports say that Fords bursting into flames is not limited to the Ford Kuga EcoBoost Ambiente but rather prevalent on Ford Everest 3.0 SUV as well. Ford motor company is facing a huge backlash and a potential class-action lawsuit over Kuga fires because Ford Kuga vehicles owners across South Africa are proressively growing concerned over the spontaneously combustion of their vehicles. Yet Ford Motor Company is still trying to dodge burning issue of recalling their Kuga range. The issue that VW went through during its emission scandal is going to be pale in comparison to what awaits Ford Motor Company because there was loss of life. The pics below are just some of the Ford Kugas that were engulfed in flames.

Ford Kuga making like a chimney

A completely Toasted Ford Kuga

A Ford Kuga imitating a cable.

Fortunately, and all thanks to God, that Volkswagen vehicles don't burst into flames as often as Ford Kuga's do. Below are some pics of Volkswagen vehicles that suffered the same fate as the cars above.

1) A Volkswagen Polo on fire in Bo-kaap, Cape Town
2) A Volkswagen Polo Vivo caught alight outside the Punjab National Bank in India.
3) A VW Polo hosed down by its owner.

A VW Polo caught alight on the south bound R102 in KwaZulu Natal

A VW Jetta completely engulfed in flames in Verulam-KwaZulu Natal.

A VW Polo taking time out.

In a certain sense every car is a potential / ticking time bomb, considering it is propelled by highly a inflammable liquid like petrol, or diesel, or LP gas in the presence of engine oil, and other combustible materials like cloth, foam, pleather, rubber, PVC and paint. With a battery powered high current electrical system capable of igniting electrical fires, through arcing or an electrical short circuits acting as a trigger. And Fuel spillage from a burst pipe on a hot engine presenting another trigger amongst others. This can be equated to storing a box of matches with the gunpowder in the same keg, whiles we rolling on it.

However, if safety standards are observed to the hilt, accidents will be reduced to an absolute minimum. Case in point, the Samsung S7 with its overheating and self-combusting properties has causes many a house to burn down and likewise many a car has caused its driver severe injuries some of whom burn to death.

Wednesday, December 14, 2016

VCDS

AUTOMOTIVE DIAGNOSTICS

Over the past few years, I've often referred to VCDS and diagnostic scans in my blogs. For the life of me, it never dawned on me that the vast majority of Volkswagen, Audi, Seat and Skoda vehicle owners have no idea what it is, have never heard of VCDS, let alone know what it does. Some has never even seen a diagnostic scan of their own car. I sincerely apologize for the confusion it may have caused. So the rest of this installment will be devoted to explaining what VCDS is, specifically for the benefit of the masses. But before I do so, I need to sketch a picture as to why car manufacturer are obligated by law to install on-board diagnostic OBD systems into each and every car they manufacture.

As long ago as 1946 the State of California (USA) realized that automotive vehicles significantly contributed to the rising levels of air pollution, and passed legislation to establish 'air quality emission standards for motor vehicles'. It is noteworthy, that the very first Volkswagen emission controlled engine was in fact the 1963 Type I VW Beetle engine. It employed a system known as Positive Crankcase Ventilation (PCV) to control its crankcase emissions. During the 1970's the United States Environmental Protection Agency raised concerns over the general degradation of air quality, though they were especially concerned over the health and environmental impacts of NOx.

NOx is an abbreviation that refers to the entire family of nitrogen oxides, among which are nitrogen dioxide, nitrous oxide, nitrates, nitric oxide and nitric acid . NOx is known to aggravate asthmatics, can cause lung tissue diseases and reduction in overall lung function. When NOx reacts with and sulfur dioxide and other substances in the air, it eventually comes down to earth in the form of acid rain. Acid rain is damaging our vegetation by reducing our crop yields substantially. It also causes our lakes and streams to become acidic which is totally unsuitable to many varieties of fish, shellfish and other aquatic plants and animals. Nitrous oxide emissions also add to the already high level of greenhouse gas responsible for the gradual rise in the earth’s temperature — aka global warming. But that's, just the tip of the ice-berg, because the issue is far worse and is of serious concern. In a nutshell the Federal and State Clean Air Act galvanized the rest of the world in the consciousness to reduce their carbon footprints.

As a follow up to Positive Crankcase Ventilation (PCV) of 1963, various parts of the automotive fuel and ignition systems were modified in an effort to reduce exhaust emissions. New systems were also added while existing systems were modified to reduce fuel tank ventilation system, tailpipe and crankcase emissions. Electronics was introduced and CDI (capacitive discharge ignition) systems made their appearance and overtime technology further transformed the four-stroke internal combustion engine. Carburetors and mechanical fuel injection gave way to hydraulic / electronic fuel injection. Coils, points and condensers gave way to contact-less electronic ignition systems, introduced by Bosch. The Bosch D-Jetronic system was followed by Bosch K-tronic, then the Bosch Digifant. At some point the electronic ignition system and the electronic fuel injection were combined which gave rise to the Bosch Motronic engine management system.

The main objective of an engine management system is to accurately control the fuel flow and the ignition timing whilst keeping emissions to a minimum. Though various other support systems are needed to make the combustion process occur continuously. For example, crank drives the valve-train that operates the valves, the lubrication system pumps the oil to keep the engine from overheating, the cooling system reduces heat of the oil using the radiator and fan, and the electrical system supplies the voltage and current. This allows the engine management system to deliver the exact quantity of fuel, and delivers a spark at the precise moment to match the air demands of the engine — the stoichiometric ratio.

All this technology, with the help of the IEEE, led up to the first generation OBD (On-board Diagnostics) that used Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC) retrieval via blink code. During the successive years further legislation was put into place, meanwhile OBD matured and superseded by the stringently modified OBD-II (On-board Diagnostics 2nd generation) which has been around since 1996. In Europe OBD-II is known as EOBD-II and the emission scandal involving Volkswagen AG since 2014 revolves around them lying about the amount of CO2 emitted by their cars and for fitting a cheating device to some of their both diesel and petrol vehicles, that actually failed its 'readiness test'.

The Readiness test is essentially a group of eight (8) electronic monitors (circuits) that oversees the correct functioning of various emission related components fitted into all modern day cars. Each of these operational test needs to be within the legislated specification. When there is a problem with any one monitor, it will set a binary "1" in the readiness code. If there is no problem or it passes a test, it would set a binary "0" in the readiness code. Even though emission monitoring was the imputus for OBD-II, it wasn't limited to emission monitoring. Since a computer ECU (electronic Control Unit) was needed to oversee the emission monitors, it was expedient to put it to other uses as well, like engine management.

As such, the electronic control unit (ECU) was renamed Engine Control Unit (ECU). The computing power of the ECU was underutilized, since its cost certainly wasn't justified by the 8 menial tasks of emission monitoring, so manufactures started adding bells and whistles and other creature comforts. The ECU increased from a 38 pin version to and 80 pin version in a matter of years. The ECU can store information and has a non-volatile memory where it stores the DTC (Diagnostic Trouble Codes) whenever it detects a problem. The ECU also has another memory where it stores maps of the driver's driving peculiarities which is erased when the battery is disconnected. The driver is also alerted when there is a problem by one or more instrument panel lights that turn on, or start to blink. When this happens a trouble code is stored which can assist the mechanic in solving the problem.

The bells and whistles were so many that their control needed to be grouped and separated and the rest of the control modules were introduced. Hence ECU (Engine Control Module, TCM (Transmission Contol Module), ABS (Antilock Braking System) module combined with EDL (Electronic Differential Lock), ASR (Anti Slip Regulation) and EDL (Electronic Differential Lock), Central Electronics Module, Airbags Module, CAN Gateway Module, Instrument Module, Central Convenience Module, Seat Memory Module, Xenon Module, Auto HVAC Module, Interior Monitor Module, etc...

These modules are also distributed throughout the car, sometimes placed in the most obscure places with very limited access; and all these modules are also networked (interconnected) on a bus system called CAN Bus. Individual modules have also been given some sort of intelligence (protocol) so that they can interface with diagnostic equipment. To simplify, it can be compared to a land line telephone extension that can communicate with the switchboard using internal control codes. Each module has its "own telephone number" with the gateway module acting as the switchboard and when a diagnostic device is connected, it can communicate with the requested module via the gateway exchange.

Having this glut of electronic modules on-board means a glut of sensors and a glut of actuators that accompany them; amongst which are the Engine Crank or Cam Position/Speed sensor, Intake Air Temperature (IAT) sensor, the Throttle position, the Coolant Temperature (CLT) Sensor, the Throttle Valve Control Motor, the cooling fan motor (actuator), the Fuel Pressure Regulator (actuator), the Injectors (actuator), the ignition coil (actuator) and the Oxygen Sensor (O2S) (actuator), to mention but a few.

With all these extra electronics devices that can go faulty or rather will go faulty at some time or the other, they will need to be repaired; and since circuit board level repairs are done at a fairly high level, beyond the abilities of average auto technician, hobbyist mechanical or DIY car owner, module replacement is the only option. In order to determine which component has gone faulty and which module is responsible for controlling it, without some sort of diagnostic device is near to impossible.

So as part of the OBD-II standard, was that vehicle manufactures were obliged to install a diagnostic port in the drivers cockpit area for such diagnostic equipment to interface with the Gateway Module. This port is called the DLC (Data Link Connector). And that's were the VCDS cable plugs into. The VCDS software allows you select your vehicle from a list of VAG vehicles then gives you an option the autoscan. The scan below is a sample of what can be expected, except that if there is a problem with the vehicle, it will be highlighted in red. Were you see 'No fault code found' is where the fault codes will be listed. The P codes can then be analysed / interpreted and the necessary repairs can be carried out.

SAMPLE SCAN

Chassis Type: 9N (9N - VW Polo (2002 > 2010))
Scan: 01 02 03 08 09 15 17 19 25 37 44 45 46 56 76

VIN: AAVZZZ9NZ8U0XXXXX Mileage: 221080km/137372miles
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Address 01: Engine Labels: None
Part No SW: 03C 906 057 AK HW: 03C 906 057 M
Component: BOSCH ME7.5.20 0707
Revision: 21H01--- Serial number: VWZ7Z0G555XXX
Coding: 0000075
Shop #: WSC 31414 000 00000

No fault code found.
Readiness: 0000 0000
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Address 02: Auto Trans Labels: 09G-927-750.lbl
Part No SW: 09G 927 750 GH HW: 09G 927 750 GH
Component: AQ 250 6F 0930
Revision: 00H67000 Serial number:
Coding: 0000072

No fault code found.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Address 03: ABS Brakes Labels: 6R0-907-37x-ABS80.lbl
Part No SW: 6Q0 907 379 AF HW: 6Q0 907 379 AF
Component: ABS 8.0 front H05 0002
Revision: 00000000 Serial number: 00000000000000
Coding: 0002292

No fault code found.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Address 08: Auto HVAC Labels: 6Q0-820-045.lbl
Part No: 6Q0 820 045
Component: Klimaanlage X0850

No fault code found.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Address 09: Cent. Elect. Labels: 6Qx-937-049-C.lbl
Part No: 6Q0 937 049 F
Component: 0009 BN-SG. 2S36
Coding: 17550
Shop #: WSC 31414

No fault code found.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Address 15: Airbags Labels: 6Q0-909-605-VW5.lbl
Part No: 6Q0 909 601 F
Component: 05 AIRBAG VW5 0010
Coding: 12341
Shop #: WSC 31414

No fault code found.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Address 17: Instruments Labels: 6Q0-920-xxx-17.lbl
Part No: 6Q0 920 825 P
Component: KOMBIINSTRUMENT VDO V06
Coding: 00141
Shop #: WSC 31550

No fault code found.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Address 19: CAN Gateway Labels: 6N0-909-901-19.lbl
Part No: 6N0 909 901
Component: 01K1 GATEWAY CAN 2S36
Coding: 00015
Shop #: WSC 31414

No fault code found.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Address 25: Immobilizer Labels: 5J0-920-xxx-25.clb
Part No: 6Q0 920 825 P
Component: IMMOBILIZER VDO V06
Coding: 00141
Shop #: WSC 31550

No fault code found.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Address 44: Steering Assist Labels: 6Q0-423-156.clb
Part No: 6Q0 423 156 AB
Component: LenkhilfeTRW V270
Coding: 10110
Shop #: WSC 31414

No fault code found.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Address 45: Inter. Monitor Labels: 6Q0-951-171.lbl
Part No: 6Q0 951 171 C
Component: Innenraumueberw. 0020

No fault code found.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Address 46: Central Conv. Labels: 6Q0-959-433.lbl
Part No: 6Q0 959 433 E
Component: 67 Komfortgerát 0002
Coding: 00018
Shop #: WSC 31414

No fault code found.

End ---------------------------------------------------------------------

VCDS

VCDS stands for "VAG-COM Diagnostic System" and it is a dongle based hardware cable sold by Ross-tech governed by intellectual property rights. It pairs with Ross-tech's freely downloadable and regularly updated Windows based computer program that interrogate your vehicles on-board modules. However, the software needs to be registered on-line in order to take benefit from the regular upgrades. This software provides a GUI with menus to scan the vehicle, that allows you to view Fault Codes, Measuring Blocks and view VAG-Scope data. It also permits you to clear any Fault Codes, and recode a module after replacing it, log Data to a CSV file, perform Basic Settings and Output Tests. And so much more. It is probably the most versatile tool to tackle any Volkswagen, Audi, Seat or Skoda repairs. Any auto workshop specializing in VW vehicles that doesn't have VCDS is at a loss, even if they have a Launch X431, or TOAD, or Autoboss V30, the MaxiDAS DS708, etc. VCDS is specific to VAG vehicles and personally I'm very impressed with its functionality, and I tip my hat to the Ross-Tech team.

However, the "high price" of their cable has permitted several competitors to compete with them, producing a clone cable that works with Ross-Tech software. I'm not saying that the price of the cable doesn't justify its capabilities but if the price was more manageable for non-USA based VW owners, virtually every VW, Audi, Skoda, Seat owner would feel obliged to invest in said cable; and at the same time Ross-Tech will get rid of all the clone shysters. the same cable and software works admirably of Bugatti, Lamborghini, Bentley, Porsche and for them price is not an issue. Being a US based company Ross-Tech wants payment in USD but the USD to ZAR is currently sitting at 1:14 and I'm certain most VAG car owners paying in another currency that don't convert favorably with the USD may have similar reservations. Enough said, go get that cable!

________________________________________________________________________

VCDS for Volkswagen, VCDS for VW, VCDS for Polo, VCDS for Jetta, VCDS, for Golf, VCDS for Passat, VCDS for Audi, VCDS for Bentley, VCDS for Bugatti, VCDS for Bugatti Chiron, VCDS for Bugatti Veyron, VCDS for Royale, VCDS for Bugatti Garros, VCDS for Lamborghini, VCDS for Gallardo, VCDS for Aventador, VCDS for Huracan, VCDS for Porsche, VCDS for Porsche Cayman, VCDS for Porsche Boxster, VCDS for Porsche Panamera, VCDS for Porsche Cayenne, VCDS for Porsche Macan, VCDS for 2013 Porsche 911,VCDS for SEAT, VCDS for Škoda, VCDS for Caddy, VCDS for Amarok, VCDS for Fox, VCDS for Lavida, VCDS for Beetle, VCDS for Routan, VCDS for Scirocco, VCDS for Up, VCDS for Vento, TVCDS for Tiguan, VCDS for Taureg,

Monday, December 12, 2016

VW 9N HVAC

VW 9N HVAC PROBLEMS

There are hundreds if not thousands of VW owners who have had HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioner) problems, some are still having HVAC problems on a daily basis and those who haven't had HVAC trouble as yet, is sure to encounter them rather sooner than later. These three functions are often combined into a single system in most modern vehicles and VW Polo 9N owners seemed to be more affected by a failing HVAC system than other VW owners in general. If you've noticed your Polo 9N's temperature gauge misbehaving — randomly going up and down — but not reaching the required 90 deg, then you can expect your aircon/heater to go faulty. The problem with the HVAC is the poor quality of the two flat motors that control the flaps. Since the 9N Polo 2002-2009 are now ageing, thus out of warranty, we can expect more HVAC problems. Though in my opinion 9N HVAC problems should still be repaired under warranty, considering a car fan / air conditioner is only used for short burst at a time, a few times per day for roughly three month a year, so its collective millage is a far cry from the ceiling mounted fan at home that in some cases last a lifetime. Those fan motors just go on forever. But these motors don't spin constantly they only do while they open or closing a flap. Something like a throttle control flap motor.

Be that as it may, the need for a working climatic control system is upon us. For those in Europe or living above the tropic of cancer, it is almost imperative that your HVAC works because Winters can get quite cold up there. However, what's worse than getting cold? You guessed it, it's getting hot! In the Southern Hemisphere during mid summer, the inside of a car can reach or even exceed 50 degrees Celcius. That's the kind of heat very few people can handle without a HVAC.

VW Polo 9N Air Heater Vent Flap Positioning Motor Square plug /
oval plug 6Q0 907 511 and oval plug 6Q0 907 511-A

HVAC problem are not limited to the temperature 'Flap motor (P/N 6Q0 907 511) and 'Recirculation Motor (P/N 6Q0 907 511C). There is also a fairly troublesome sensor (G65) attached to the high pressure air hose, on the right side of the engine. The Klimaanlage X0830 /X0840 / X0850 / Control Module 6Q0 820 045 is also notorious for giving up the ghost. When the Control Module goes faulty or goes offline, a VCDS scan often present an 'Internal Control Module Memory Error'. But before replacing the Control Module, check the wiring to and from the Control Module including the Voltage Supply and make certain there is a solid ground connection. The reason for the 'Internal Control Module Memory Error' is because the Gateway control module stored a checksum for all the on-board modules and when a module goes offline, the parity bit will be different from the stored one and presents itself as 'Internal Control Module Memory Error'.

Air flow flap positioning motor V71

The problem with this, is that vehicle owners are temped to change the coding of one or more of their control modules just to see what happens. Very importantly, before we continue, I need to stress if you have an urge to do so, make certain that you have a full printout of all the coding values of all the control modules before changing anything. Failure to do so could render your VW Polo unusable because there is no guide or manual that specifically tells you which bit in the coding does what. Trial and error can brick your car permanently. So take care!

The average HVAC fault can range from a 1 line fault to as many lines in the list below. Normally you would encounter 2 faults, 3 faults or 4 faults, 5 or 6 faults, 7 or 8 faults at a time, all related to the same system. When the HVAC goes faulty, it is common to have hot air blowing that cannot be turned down even though the temp control is set to cold (blue). It is just as common to get no warm air at all, even on maximum hot (red). The cause of the problem is the two motorized flaps in the heater system because both motors (V68) and (V154) are somewhat unreliable and tend to jam intermittently. The one motorized flap controls the heat and the other controls the amount fresh air entering the vents. The only way to fix this problem, is to replace both motors but doing so is a huge job because getting to the heater mechanism requires you to remove the dashboard, steering wheel, the airbags and of course the battery before commencing. It is better left for the VW agent but let me remind you that this repair doesn't come cheap.

Address 08: Auto HVAC Labels: 6Q0-820-045.lbl
Part No: 6Q0 820 045
Component: Klimaanlage X0830 / X0840 / X0850

00705 - Relay for Coolant Fan; Stage 1 (J279)
31-00 - Open or Short to Ground
00819 - High Pressure Sensor (G65)
07-00 - Signal too Low
00819 - High Pressure Sensor (G65)
31-10 - Open or Short to Ground - Intermittent
01271 - Positioning Motor for Temperature Flap (V68)
41-10 - Blocked or No Voltage - Intermittent
01271 - Positioning Motor for Temperature Flap (V68)
30-10 - Open or Short to B+ - Intermittent
01271 - Positioning Motor for Temperature Flap (V68)
29-10 - Short to Ground - Intermittent
01271 - Positioning Motor for Temperature Flap (V68)
28-10 - Short to Plus - Intermittent
01299 - Diagnostic Interface for Data Bus (J533)
79-00 - Please Check Fault Codes
01317 - Control unit in dash-J285
79-00 - read data from memory
01596 - Motor for Outside/Recirculated Air Flap (V154)
41-10 - Blocked or No Voltage - Intermittent
01596 - Motor for Outside/Recirculated Air Flap (V154)
41-00 - Blocked or No Voltage
01596 - Motor for Outside/Recirculated Air Flap (V154)
30-10 - Open or Short to Plus - Intermittent
01596 - Motor for Outside/Recirculated Air Flap (V154)
30-00 - Open or Short to Plus
01596 - Motor for Outside/Recirculated Air Flap (V154)
29-10 - Short to Ground - Intermittent
01596 - Motor for Outside/Recirculated Air Flap (V154)
28-10 - Short to Plus - Intermittent
65535 - Internal Control Module Memory Error
00-00 - -

There are also a few other motors that may go faulty amongst them are V70 (Central flap control motor) ,V71 ( Fresh/recirculating air flap motor) , V107 (Defroster flap control motor) and lastly V2 the fresh air blower motor.

Friday, December 9, 2016

VW CADDY PROBLEM

My business partner recently bought a VW Caddy 1.6L for our Security / CCTV installation business, not the one with the passenger seats inside in the back but the commercial panel van type. It came with the rear swing door lock removed and permanently bolted shut with the rear windows sprayed black. The windscreen mounted rear view mirror was also missing, since it served no purpose because of the black rear windows. Other than that, the vehicle was in pretty good nick, oh! and except for the fact that the black door handles were faded towards white or rather, had faded areas where the vehicle user's fingers rubbed through the coating. This is first for me. I would have though Volkswagen would use black PVC for the actual handle than use white PVC, then coat it black.

Faded VW Caddy door handle.

I've always know "VW door handle" to be problematic since I have had personal experience with both my VW Golf I and VW Golf II. Many of you may relate to the instance when you pulled youe VW's door open and the handle came adrift and you had to stick you finger through the hole in the door and tug a flat metal lever to open it. Subsequently VW changed the style of the door handle or rather it is now properly fixed to the door. However, the Caddy's door handles aren't faulty..... yet, just faded.

Anyway, so after about 12 000 km she developed a engine mis but it was extremely intermittent and therefore difficult to pinpoint. Each mis probably lasted about 3 seconds, it just didn't last long enough to make a proper diagnosis. Unfortunately, my son went to view a VW Tiguan for purchase in another province and took my VCDS with him. So we were flying blind and had to rely on common sense and good old mechanical experience. We speculated that it may be the spark plugs, but then again it could also have been the coil pack or perhaps not. The coil pack would make the entire vehicle shake, so speculation continued until we were alerted by a flickering Electronic Stability Control (ESC) light.

As can be seen, to get to the spark plugs is a bit of a mission.

We concluded that this may have something to do with the rotation of the wheels or perhaps the ABS because if any one of the wheels slipped or shaved against a pavement, causing the ABS to loose count of the rotational wheel pulses, then an error may occur and trigger the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) light. After a day or two, the AFS light also turned on, accompanied by the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) light that now stayed on permanently. Suddenly the Caddy turned into a stubborn mule, it could move forward at a mule's pace yet it didn't matter how much you beat the accelerator, she would just splutter. It was time that we fix her. But since there were two instrument panel light that came on almost simultaneously we needed to look at what was common to both circuits before we started replacing anything. Much later we realized that they were completely unrelated and that both lights turning on simultaneously was purely coincidental. We found that the AFS light was triggered by one of the right front headlight bulbs that fused. We then solved that problem.

View of the purple OBD-II plug and the VCDS adaptor inserted

Thus far we speculated on several things but the logical step was to eliminate the spark plugs — because plugs misfire — and thereafter perhaps the electronic coil. Since the spark plugs are inaccessible unless the intake manifold is removed, we ended up doing just that. The four plugs were removed and we discovered they were of the wrong type, someone had already replaced them before. The ones we removed were the regular single spark type whereas the recommended spark plug for the VW Caddy is the twin spark type. After replacing all four plugs with the twin spark type, the instrument light turned off and the Volkswagen Caddy idled perfectly normal. It really wasn't worth trying to figure out which plug went to heaven because the cost of replacing them was much less than the value of time. When my son finally returned with my VCDS, I scanned the Caddy and dropped it in below per you perusal.

Electronic Stability Control light and the AFS light

As can be seen the malfunctioning items below are highlighted which remained 'Red' on VCDS even after we completed the necessary repairs. We then had to clear the DTC memory for the ECU to be updated because even though the repairs were done, the ECU didn't know. Thereafter their status revered to OK and the Readiness passed, which can be view right at the bottom! The refrigerant pressure problem under Address 08: Auto HVAC remained but the levels are fine so I suspect an electrical problem. Talking about electrical problems, the blower fan was also faulty and didn't work on all setting, so after replacing the series resistor, the blower works just fine. I covered fan blowers in a previous blog but I just needed to add the pic below because the Caddy resistor looks somewhat different.

Chassis Type: 2K (1K0)
Scan: 01 03 08 09 15 16 17 19 25 44 56

VIN: WV1ZZZ2KZ7XXXXXXX

00-Steering Angle Sensor -- Status: OK 0000
01-Engine -- Status: Malfunction 0010
03-ABS Brakes -- Status: OK 0000
08-Auto HVAC -- Status: Malfunction 0010
09-Cent. Elect. -- Status: Malfunction 0010
15-Airbags -- Status: OK 0000
16-Steering wheel -- Status: Malfunction 0010
17-Instruments -- Status: OK 0000
19-CAN Gateway -- Status: OK 0000
25-Immobilizer -- Status: OK 0000
44-Steering Assist -- Status: OK 0000
56-Radio -- Status: OK 0000
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Address 01: Engine Labels: 06A-906-033-BGU.lbl
Part No: 06A 906 033 ES
Component: SIMOS71 1.6l 2V 8720
Revision: --H03--- Serial number: VWZ7Z0F7186813
Coding: 0000071
Shop #: WSC 35110 377 00190

4 Faults Found:
16414 - Oxygen (Lambda) Sensor B1 S1: Heating Circuit
P0030 - 009 - Malfunction / Open Circuit
Freeze Frame:
Bin. Bits: 00000100
Resistance: 16.38 kOhm
Voltage: 2.100 V
Load: 7.8 %

P0301 - 006 - - Intermittent
Freeze Frame:
RPM: 3072 /min
Mass Air / Rev.: 403.3 mg/str
Temperature: 72.0°C
Lambda: 0.0 %
RPM: 2144 /min
Mass Air / Rev.: 92.7 mg/str
Temperature: 73.5°C
Lambda: 0.0 %

P0201 - 009 - - Intermittent
Freeze Frame:
RPM: 640 /min
Mass Air / Rev.: 119.9 mg/str
Lambda Factor: 1.016
Bin. Bits: 00000000

17658 - Fuel Level too Low
P1250 - 000 -
Freeze Frame:

Readiness: 0110 0101
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Address 03: ABS Brakes Labels: 1K0-907-379-MK70.lbl
Part No: 1K0 907 379 P
Component: ASR FRONT MK70 0105
Coding: 0017106
Shop #: WSC 35110 377

No fault code found.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Address 08: Auto HVAC Labels: 1K0-820-047.lbl
Part No: 2K0 820 047 AQ
Component: Climatic PQ35 120 0606
Shop #: WSC 00000 000

1 Fault Found:
00229 - Refrigerant Pressure
002 - Lower Limit Exceeded
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Address 09: Cent. Elect. Labels: 1K0-937-049-21-B.lbl
Part No: 1K0 937 049 AD
Component: Bordnetz-SG H52 2102
Software Coding: 008C4F010004100057000000000000000009B1065C0000
Shop #: WSC 35110 377

1 Fault Found:
00979 - Lamp for Low Beam; Right (M31)
010 - Open or Short to Plus
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Address 15: Airbags Labels: 6Q0-909-605-VW52.lbl
Part No: 6Q0 909 605 AH
Component: 09 AIRBAG VW52 023 2400
Coding: 0012345
Shop #: WSC 35110 377

No fault code found.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Address 16: Steering wheel Labels: 1K0-953-549-MY8.lbl
Part No: 1K0 953 549 AN
Component: Lenksäulenmodul 636 0070
Coding: 0000001
Shop #: WSC 35110 377

No fault code found.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Address 17: Instruments Labels: 1K0-920-xxx-17.lbl
Part No SW: 2K0 920 843 B HW: 2K0 920 843 B
Component: KOMBIINSTRUMENT VDD 1612
Revision: V0003000 Serial number: VWZ7Z0F7117651
Coding: 0016101
Shop #: WSC 04556 996

No fault code found.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Address 19: CAN Gateway Labels: 1K0-907-530-V2.clb
Part No: 1K0 907 530 K
Component: J533__Gateway H04 0020
Coding: 3D01034007007401
Shop #: WSC 35110 377

No fault code found.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Address 25: Immobilizer Labels: 1K0-920-xxx-25.clb
Part No: 2K0 920 843 B
Component: IMMO VDD 1612
Coding:
Shop #: WSC 00000 000

No fault code found.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Address 44: Steering Assist Labels: 1Kx-909-14x-44.clb
Part No: 1K2 909 144 L
Component: EPS_ZFLS Kl.140 H07 1806
Shop #: WSC 35110 666

No fault code found.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Address 56: Radio Labels: 1K0-035-1xx-56.lbl
Part No: 1K0 035 186 T
Component: Radio BVX 016 0023
Coding: 0020200
Shop #: WSC 35110 377

No fault code found.

End.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

00-Steering Angle Sensor -- Status: OK 0000
01-Engine -- Status: OK 0000
03-ABS Brakes -- Status: OK 0000
08-Auto HVAC -- Status: Malfunction 0010 (Suspect electrical fault since the level is correct)
09-Cent. Elect. -- Status: OK 0000
15-Airbags -- Status: OK 0000
16-Steering wheel -- Status: OK 0000
17-Instruments -- Status: OK 0000
19-CAN Gateway -- Status: OK 0000
25-Immobilizer -- Status: OK 0000
44-Steering Assist -- Status: OK 0000
56-Radio -- Status: OK 0000

Address 01: Engine Labels: 06A-906-033-BGU.lbl
Part No: 06A 906 033 ES
Component: SIMOS71 1.6l 2V 8720
Revision: --H03--- Serial number: VWZ7Z0F7186813
Coding: 0000071
Shop #: WSC 35110 377 00190

No fault code found.
Readiness: 1110 1101 (Readiness /faulty condition [above]: 0110 0101)

Friday, December 2, 2016

VOLKSWAGEN e-GOLF

IS IT TIME TO DITCH VOLKSWAGEN?

The year 2016 is fast coming to and end but will always be remembered as the year that Volkswagen AG needed to reverse public perception over the diesel gate scandal that affected some 11 Million vehicles globally during 2015. With it's hands full with public apologies, court battles, falling share prices, Diesel vehicle recalls and general damage control caused by the negative impact to their brand after admitting that they circumvented emissions standards; VW have been somewhat curtailed from their key business of manufacturing cars.

With the uncertainty regarding the future of diesel, especially considering that the mayors of Paris, Madrid, Athens and Mexico City pledged to ban all diesel cars by 2025. And with the ever looming legislative imperative to cut down on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and other harmful gases, automotive manufacturers as a whole have started to seriously invest in electric-powered-car technology.

Volkswagen produced the Volkswagen e-Golf hatchback which is however not a purposely built electric car but rather shares the powertrain hardware of the Golf MK7 MQB (Modularer Querbaukasten) Typ 5G, but fitted with an electric motor in place of its petrol/ diesel powered engine. The e-Golf is in direct competition with other purpose built electric cars from several manufacturer's vehicles, like the Renault ZOE hatchback, Hyundai Ioniq Electric, Tesla Model S hatchback, Tesla Model X SUV, BMW i3 hatchback, Nissan Leaf hatchback and the Kia Soul hatchback. Be that as it may, VW has sold more than 25 000 units worldwide since 2014. The VW e-Golf matches the competition in range, but the the battery management doesn't have an active cooling system which seriously affects longevity. VW hasn't in anyway been innovative nor produced anything new. Their VW e-Golf doesn't offer anything more than the competition already does and certainly amounts to less bang for your buck. Apparently the Renault ZOE hatchback seems to be the pure electric vehicle that's leading the EV race in virtually all categories.

However, VW has always been promoting “Clean Diesel” as an alternative to hybrid and electric vehicles, thus pushing their 2009–2015 Volkswagen Jetta 2.0L TDI, 2010–2015 Volkswagen Golf 2.0L TDI, 2010–2015 Audi A3 2.0L TDI, 2012–2015 Volkswagen Beetle 2.0L TDI, 2012–2015 Volkswagen Passat 2.0L TDI, etc, globally. It has now come to light that not only has Volkswagen cheated on emission testing with the 2.0L TDI engines, but also on the 3.0L fitted in the 2009–2015 Audi Q7 3.0L V-6 TDI, 2009–2016 Volkswagen Touareg 3.0L V-6 TDI, 2013–2016 Porsche Cayenne Diesel 3.0L V-6.

Volkswagen had hardly settled to pay $14.7 billion and announced a buyback schedule, thinking it was putting an end to the Dieselgate scandal when the German weekly newspaper 'Bild am Sonntag' and the 'Wall Street Journal', citing unnamed sources reporting that the California Air Resources Board (CARB) have found new Emissions-Cheat Device / emissions-lowering software on an Audi. Test results revealed that the Audi was emitting less carbon dioxide than it did during normal use, but when the steering wheel is turned more than 15 degrees, this program would shut off, detecting that the test had completed. The Wall Street Journal alleges that Audi management specifically detailed the defeats during their meetings.

This affects all VW owners and by the looks of things, other car manufacturers have surpassed Volkswagen in several categories. Looking at comparisons in Overall, Reliability, Build Quality, Running Cost, Performance, Road Handling, Ride Quality, Ease of driving, Seat Comfort, Practicality, Car Tech, Volkswagen is either doing very badly or in some cases doesn't feature at all. Volkswagen was lying in 10th position on the top 10 selling cars globally but has subsequently been surpassed by Tesla Motor Company, that is a new entry into the car market or rather the EV market.

Fortunately for VW, its subsidiary Audi is still in the race even though it lost 6% in sales compared to the previous year as can be seen on the "Cars Top 10" slide. Porsche is also in the running but there doesn't seem to be stats available as yet. Looking at the three stats sheets above, it can be clearly seen the VW lies 19th for Build Quality, 19th for Running Cost, 16th for Ride Quality but for Overall and Reliability it doesn't even feature. What were we thinking when be bought into Volkswagen? I am seriously thinking of turning my VW Polo into an EV, then I won't have any more engine problems, especially not issues associated with that pesky EPC light and Limp mode home.

Other VW Polos

vw polo highline
swift zdi vs vw polo highline
volkswagen polo 1.2 l highline
volkswagen polo 1.2 l highline d
volkswagen polo 1.2 mpi highline
volkswagen polo 1.2 tsi highline
volkswagen polo highline 1 4
volkswagen polo 1.4 5p. highline
volkswagen polo 1.4 highline 75cv
volkswagen polo 1.4 highline 80cv
volkswagen polo 1.4 tdi highline 75cv
volkswagen polo 1.4 tdi highline 80cv
volkswagen polo 1.6 l highline
volkswagen polo 1.9 tdi highline 96kw for sale
volkswagen polo 6n2 highline
volkswagen polo classic 1.6 highline
volkswagen polo highline accessories
volkswagen polo highline audio system
volkswagen polo highline ausstattung
volkswagen polo highline black
volkswagen polo highline blue
volkswagen polo highline bluetooth
volkswagen polo highline colours
volkswagen polo highline deep black
volkswagen polo highline diesel mileage
volkswagen polo highline diesel on road price
volkswagen polo highline diesel on road price bangalore
volkswagen polo highline diesel on road price in chennai
volkswagen polo highline diesel on road price in hyderabad
volkswagen polo highline diesel price in india
volkswagen polo highline diesel review
volkswagen polo highline diesel second hand
volkswagen polo highline diesel used
volkswagen polo highline diesel used cars
volkswagen polo highline images
volkswagen polo highline india
volkswagen polo highline india review
volkswagen polo highline interior photos
volkswagen polo highline interiors
volkswagen polo highline km 0
volkswagen polo highline mexico
volkswagen polo highline mileage
volkswagen polo highline model
volkswagen polo highline occasion
volkswagen polo highline on road price
volkswagen polo highline petrol features
volkswagen polo highline petrol mileage
volkswagen polo highline petrol on road price bangalore
volkswagen polo highline petrol user reviews
volkswagen polo highline price bangalore
volkswagen polo highline price in chennai
volkswagen polo highline price in mumbai
volkswagen polo highline r line
volkswagen polo highline red
volkswagen polo highline review
volkswagen polo highline review team bhp
volkswagen polo highline specifications
volkswagen polo highline specs
volkswagen polo highline sr
volkswagen polo highline tdi
volkswagen polo highline tyre size
volkswagen polo highline vs gt
volkswagen polo highline vs hyundai i20 asta
volkswagen polo highline vs swift zxi
volkswagen polo highline white
volkswagen polo india highline price
volkswagen polo reviews highline petrol
vw polo 1 2 tsi 105 highline 5d
vw polo 1 6 tdi 105 highline 5d
vw polo 1 6 tdi 90 highline bm 5d
vw polo 1 6 tdi highline
vw polo 1.2 cr highline bsiv
vw polo 1.2 cr highline bsiv price
vw polo 1.2 highline 64ps
vw polo 1.2 highline review
vw polo 1.2 tsi dsg highline
vw polo 1.2 tsi dsg highline optimum
vw polo 1.2 tsi highline eu
vw polo 1.2 tsi highline forum
vw polo 1.2 tsi highline jahreswagen
vw polo 1.2 tsi highline kopen
vw polo 1.2 tsi highline pepper grey
vw polo 1.2 tsi highline r-line
vw polo 1.4 fsi highline
vw polo 1.4 highline
vw polo 1.4 highline gebraucht
vw polo 1.4 highline nasıl
vw polo 1.6 tdi highline gebraucht
vw polo 1.6 tdi highline km 0
vw polo 1.9 tdi highline
vw polo 1.9 tdi highline 74kw
vw polo 1.9 tdi highline 96kw
vw polo 1.9 tdi highline 96kw for sale
vw polo 1.9 tdi highline for sale
vw polo 2.0 highline for sale
vw polo 2.0 highline fuel consumption
vw polo 2.0 highline review
vw polo 2.0 highline specs
vw polo 5 highline
vw polo 50 servo highline
vw polo 60 servo highline
vw polo 6c highline
vw polo 6n highline
vw polo 6n2 highline ausstattung
vw polo 6r highline
vw polo 6r highline ausstattung
vw polo 6r highline test
vw polo 81 kw highline
vw polo 9n highline
vw polo 9n highline ausstattung
vw polo 9n3 highline
vw polo classic 2.0 highline
vw polo classic 2.0 highline for sale
vw polo gp 1.2 tsi highline
vw polo highline
vw polo highline 1 2 tsi
vw polo highline 1 4 tdi
vw polo highline 1.2 tsi
vw polo highline 1.2 tsi 2014
vw polo highline 1.2 tsi 2015
vw polo highline 1.2 tsi dsg
vw polo highline 1.2 tsi test
vw polo highline 1.4
vw polo highline 1.4 16v
vw polo highline 1.4 2010
vw polo highline 1.6
vw polo highline 1.6 tdi
vw polo highline 1.6 tdi dpf
vw polo highline 1.6 tdi dpf 90ps 7-dsg
vw polo highline 2006
vw polo highline 2009
vw polo highline 2010
vw polo highline 2011
vw polo highline 2013
vw polo highline 2013 india
vw polo highline 2014
vw polo highline 2015
vw polo highline 2016
vw polo highline 2017
vw polo highline 90 ps
vw polo highline ablagefach
vw polo highline adac test
vw polo highline ausstattung
vw polo highline automatik
vw polo highline autoscout24
vw polo highline baujahr 2000
vw polo highline black
vw polo highline diesel
vw polo highline diesel 2013
vw polo highline diesel 2014
vw polo highline diesel ebay
vw polo highline diesel gebraucht
vw polo highline diesel india
vw polo highline diesel price
vw polo highline diesel review
vw polo highline diesel review team bhp
vw polo highline dsg
vw polo highline eu neuwagen
vw polo highline executive
vw polo highline facelift
vw polo highline features
vw polo highline for sale
vw polo highline gebraucht
vw polo highline gebraucht kaufen
vw polo highline gebrauchtwagen
vw polo highline india
vw polo highline interior
vw polo highline jahreswagen
vw polo highline kaufen
vw polo highline km 0
vw polo highline konfigurator
vw polo highline konfigurieren
vw polo highline kopen
vw polo highline leasing
vw polo highline lenkrad
vw polo highline limousine
vw polo highline mexico
vw polo highline music system
vw polo highline navi
vw polo highline neu
vw polo highline neues modell
vw polo highline neupreis
vw polo highline neuwagen
vw polo highline nieuw
vw polo highline pepper grey
vw polo highline petrol
vw polo highline petrol 2011
vw polo highline petrol 2013
vw polo highline petrol price
vw polo highline petrol review
vw polo highline petrol team bhp
vw polo highline petrol user review
vw polo highline plus
vw polo highline price
vw polo highline price in chennai
vw polo highline price in kolkata
vw polo highline r line
vw polo highline review
vw polo highline second hand
vw polo highline shadow blue
vw polo highline specials
vw polo highline specification
vw polo highline specs
vw polo highline tageszulassung
vw polo highline tdi
vw polo highline te koop
vw polo highline team bhp
vw polo highline test
vw polo highline tsi
vw polo highline tsi test
vw polo highline tyre size
vw polo highline tyres
vw polo highline udstyr
vw polo highline usado
vw polo highline usata
vw polo highline velgen
vw polo highline video
vw polo highline vs comfortline
vw polo highline vs sr
vw polo highline vs swift zdi
vw polo highline vs swift zxi
vw polo highline weiß
vw polo highline wiki
vw polo highline xenon
vw polo highline youtube
vw polo trendline comfortline of highline
vw polo tsi highline for sale
vw polo tsi highline manual
vw polo tsi highline review
vw polo unterschied comfortline highline
vw polo unterschied trendline comfortline highline
vw polo v highline
vw polo variant highline
vw polo wersja highline

Thursday, December 1, 2016

VW AUDI SKODA SEAT

Can you believe it, Volkswagen cars are produced with cookie cutters! Ok, ok that's exaggerating it a bit. I just needed to stretch this analogy so that you can stretch your imagination. Volkswagen AG (VAG) has use the A04 / PQ24 platform for several of their cars during 2001 - 2015. Hence it turns out that the VW Polo 9N1, VW Polo 9N2, VW Polo 9N3, VW Polo 9N4, the Volkswagen Fox 5Z1,Volkswagen Fox 5Z3, the Skoda Fabia 6Y2, Skoda Fabia Sedan 6Y3, Skoda Fabia Combi 6Y5, the Skoda Fabia-2 542, Skoda Fabia Combi-2 545, the Russian Skoda Fabia-2 572, the Skoda Roomster 5J7, the Audi A2 8Z0, the Seat Ibiza-3 6L1 and the Seat Cordoba 6L2 all share many similar features and electronic modules, engine components, wiring harnesses, if not the same, perhaps even identical. By just looking at the four of them, it is easy to see this, except for cosmetic changes of course. But underneath their outer apparel they are the virtually the same car using the same mechanical and electronic spares.

Volkswagen subsequently revised their vehicle platform naming and identification system, for their ultra-compact (city cars), super-mini cars, compact cars (small family cars), mid-size cars and their full-size luxury cars to numbers that look like PQ24, PQ25, PQ34, PQ35, etc. PL45, PL46, etc, PL62, PL64 etc. For the uninitiated it only brings about more confusion in an already confusing time of information overload.

SUPER MINICARS

"A01" platform for the Volkswagen Polo Mk1,
"A02" platform for the Volkswagen Polo Mk2 - Classic,
"A03" platform for the Volkswagen Polo Mk3- 6N/6KV,
"A04" platform is now known as the PQ24 - all cars listed above,
"A05" platform is officially the PQ25 - for Audi A1, VW Polo (6R) and SEAT Ibiza (6J).

But for now we are interested in the meaning of platform codes like PQ24, PQ25, PQ34, PQ35, etc. PL45, PL46, etc, PL62, PL64 and see how it affects the VW Polo range of cars with regards to spares and repair procedures. When deconstructing the platform codes, we discovered that the nomenclature for PQ24 is derived as follows:-

P - stands for a passenger car platform
Q - (Quer in German) stands for a transverse engine
2 - stands for the platform size or class
4 - stands for the generation
Essentially implying a passenger car platform with a transverse engine, fitted into a supermini of the fourth generation (MkIV).

Meaning, one of the cars mentioned in the heading of this blog installment, since all of them are classified as supermini cars.

Whereas the nomenclature for PL45 is derived as follows:-

P - stands for a passenger car platform
L - (Längs in German) stands for a longitudinal engine
2 - stands for the platform size or class
5 - stands for the generation
Essentially implying passenger car platform with a longitudinal engine, fitted into a mid-size cars of the fifth generation (MkV).

Meaning a Volkswagen Passat (3B) or a Audi A4 (8D), etc.

Whereas the nomenclature for PL64 is derived as follows:
P - stands for a passenger car platform
L - (Längs in German) stands for a longitudinal engine
6 - stands for the platform size or class
4 - stands for the generation
Essentially implying passenger car platform with a longitudinal engine, fitted into a full-size luxury car of the fourth generation

Meaning a Volkswagen Phaeton, Audi A8, or even a Bentley Continental GT, etc.

Platform nomenclature was decided because car manufacturers are determined to get a better return on investment by using the same robotic arms and software programming on their assembly lines / conveyer belts to assemble a host of different vehicles that look similar, with predominantly the components. Also meaning that the space needed to stock parts are greatly reduced because instead of stocking the same part for 15 different models they have to stock just just one.

Case in point is the Joint-venture between Volkswagen and Ford Motor Company for producing the Volkswagen Sharan (7M), SEAT Alhambra (7M), and the Ford Galaxy (7M). Volkswagen also started a Joint-venture between themselves and Daimler AG, to produce the Volkswagen LT range and the Second and third generations Mercedes-Benz Sprinter. In a sense one can just call this badge engineering, because Mazda and Ford have also have had long-term alliances, making cars until their partnership dissolved.