V6 Passat Recall (inc R36)

[Buck]

I ordered my 09 R36 Estate which I picked up just after Christmas with a tow bar... When I asked why it cost so much ($1800 from memory) the dealer advised that the wiring needs to be fitted from near the front of the car and then fed through to the back. This is why they suggested it was better to be done at time of manufacture than have a third party do it post delivery.

Not sure how true this is but I took their advice and haven't had any problems using the trailer with it. In fact it identified some problems with my trailer lights on the MFD when I first used it which was good.

I don't have the reverse camera so perhaps this is linked to the problem you have. I do have the auto tailgate though, and have noticed that this doesn't work when the trailer is hooked up. Note the trailer wouldn't get in the way of the door - if it opened.

[PowerHungry]

Hi Buck, I have spoken with the dealers again today to get an update on things. They are still corresponding with VW in germany which make progress slow due to the time difference, as VW australia are unable to provide a solution. VW germany have been able to provide additional codes. The problem is that because one of the control modules won't shut down (there are about 30 in total), then none of the control modules will shut down. Its a bit like how a crying baby keep everyone awake all night. This results in the battery being depleted within 2 days if the car isn't used. They are working there way through the control modules now, as well as waiting for Germany to get back to them. They feel it's due to the reversing camera/towbar combination and hopefully some correct codes might sort things. This should also fix the issues when the trailer is plugged in.

btw my auto tailgate doesn't open either when the trailer is plugged in, I guess some sort of safety feature, that happens to be a bit annoying.

[passatpout]

[QUOTE=Buck;287024]In fact it identified some problems with my trailer lights on the MFD when I first used it which was good.
QUOTE]

Mine did the same thing - came up with a permanent trailer light fault warning on the dash. After having a look at Euro wiring specs, and comparing to Aussie, Euro wiring feeds each side's tail lights separately, Aussie is common supply. The adaptor leads made up by the dealer/VWA only feed the tail lights from one side of the Euro supply on the car - hence it kept telling me that the left hand tail lights weren't operating, although visual check on everything showed 100% functionality of the trailer lights.

I'm now tossing up whether to rewire the trailer to suit the 13-pin connection on the car (and buy some more plugs from e-bay etc), or just to keep hassling the dealer until they realise they need to put about 2 inches of wire within the loom to bridge it out.

After mentioning it to them the other day whilst the gearbox was being checked (again), they said that they were going to replace the trailer light control module....

[Buck]

I got the same error but in my case I new I had a fault. The trailer lights all worked but when an indicator came on the brake/park lights blinked with them.

I was happy to live with this for generally short trips in the past but when the R36 came along and the MFD error message kept yelling at me I had little choice but to investigate. Like you I have a 7 pin connection on the trailer but this was fine ... I just had to ensure the base of the globes on the trailer were not in contact with each other (also changed one globe) and the MFD then gave me the all clear . I was impressed.

[PowerHungry]

I should get my car back today. They have found that the trailer/towbar module needed to be rewired, and so it now works and allows the rest of the electronics to shut down. So hopefully no more flat battery issues. They are also have a couple more codes to try and see if these correct the issue with the reversing sensors when a trailer is plugged in. I'm lookng forward to getting it back, the diesel golf loan car is just not the same to drive, plus the trip computer tell me I have about 40km left till the tank is empty.

[PowerHungry]

Have my car back, and everything works! They found the correct code to fix the reversing sensor issue when the trailer was attached. I now get a nice picture of a car with trailer on the sat nav display. When I reverse the camera work so I can see the trailer.