A buddy of mine recently tweeted something about rodent damage to his car, and it being expensive to fix, and that
reminded me to get off my duff and put up this post recounting my brush with automotive mouse damage earlier this
year. Mice like confined, dark, warm areas and cars are just full of those. Some of the worst stories involve mice
chewing through air filters in the airbox, and the debris then getting sucked directly into the engine and causing
internal engine damage. Obviously expensive, but then also a very obvious problem. At the other end of the critter
damage spectrum is wiring damage. One one hand, a damaged wire or connector can be easily fixed (ok, so perhaps
your mechanic would ding you with replacing an entire wiring harness, which could be expensive, but technically you
can splice to repair the damage for very little cost), but on the other hand the symptoms can literally be anything
and the root cause of the problem can be extremely time consuming to find, often requiring special equipment. If
your mechanic spends all day chasing down electrical gremlins, that is already quite a repair bill just in labor.
And often, since many shops are under such pressure to fix a car and get it out the door, the job will involve swapping
out a lot of parts that are actually fine, further adding to the repair bill (the extra labor and, if the shop is
trying to pull a fast one, they may even charge you for new parts that weren't necessary). Let us take my latest
mousecapade as an example, and along the way we shall consider how things might have gone down, had I taken the
car to a shop.
This story involves my Mk5 R32. Our neighbors across the street, wonderful folks, have a son who is a real gearhead
and worked as a mechanic for a while. He appreciates cars, and I know he loves R32s. He was stationed out west
and when I heard he was coming home for a visit I thought to myself "Wow he hasn't seen the R32 yet... I bet he'd
like to take it for a drive". So he and I got to chatting outside one day and I told him he was welcome to take
her for a spin if he'd like... of course, he took me up on the offer. We both got in, I gave him the rundown on
how the DSG works, how to switch off the traction and stability control, etc. He went to start the car... and nothing.
Dash lights on, but no attempt made by the starter to turn over the engine. I said "buckle your seatbelt, this car
might have one of those safety interlocks" (I was pretty sure it didn't, but this was my hopeful thinking). He
buckled, tried again, and the engine roared to life... then died after a split second. Now the dash was lit up like
a Christmas tree and again the engine wouldn't turn over. This guy felt just awful, because he knew all too well
how I must have been feeling at that moment, and even though he must have known deep down it was luck of the draw
rather than anything that was his fault, he still felt like he had broken my baby.
During some previous work I had noticed a mouse nest underneath the raintray cover, that I had removed... so I
immediately started to suspect some kind of rodent damage. Keep that in mind, that if that hadn't already been in
my mind this whole thing could have drawn out even longer. This
is the first CAN bus car I've owned, so I had to get an updated version of Ross-Tech's interface to be able to read
all of the controller modules. While I was waiting for the new interface to arrive, I spent a bunch of time physically
inspecting all the wiring I could get to. I tore down the rain tray and engine bay enough to inspect all the wiring and
connecotrs there, I removed the bellypan to inspect everything unerneath the car, I stripped everything out of the dash
to inspect as much as I could of the wiring in the dash and footwells, and I stripped out the rear luggage compartment to
inspect everything in there. Absolutely no sign of any infestation, everything was squeaky clean. It took several days
of free time to do all that. When my new vag-com interface arrived, I hooked it up and did a scan. There was an unmanageable
number of faults logged, across all of the different modules,
with no apparent rhyme or reason to them. I saved them, cleared the system, then attempted to start the car again.
The engine fired up ran well. The check engine light was on and the traction control and all wheel drive were disabled.
I performed another scan and this time got a much shorter list of faults, most of them complaining about the controller
for the Haldex AWD module being offline. The Haldex unit is about $800, if you catch a deal on one... I certainly
was not looking forward to replacing it. But with the wiring having been inspected, I was starting to come to the
conclusion that it must be the Haldex unit. They are notorious for going bad, especially in areas like New England, where
the climate accelerates corrosion around the connector, eventually working its' way inside the module itself. I
inspected the connector on my module, and it was beautifully clean. Let's pause for a moment and consider what a shop
might have done if they were working on the car. They would have started with a system scan, of course, although the
car would have needed towing to the shop because it was immobile to start with. Right away you've paid for towing, and
for diagnostics scan. They would have been faced with the wall of fault codes and then would have either cleared them
and re-scanned (as I did), or just gone ahead and assumed that the problem was the Gateway controller module (the common
link between all the CAN bus modules), and either replaced it or spent a lot of time troubleshooting it. They might have
even replaced it, re-scanned, found that most of the codes were gone, and thought that they had legitimately fixed part of
the problem. We're well over $1500 here so far (the gateway module is very expensive, difficult to get to, and requires
special equipment to code to the rest of the system so that it will function properly), and nothing has actually been fixed
or diagnosed yet. Now, faced with codes mostly pointing to the Haldex controller being offline, they might have been
diligent enough to at least check for a good ground at the Haldex module plug, as bad grounds are also a common problem.
In my case, the ground checked out fine. To test the CAN bus signal wires would take something better than a common
multimeter, I sure didn't have the means to test them. At this point a shop could very well justify replacing the Haldex
module, which is a bit of a pain if you don't either have some special or modified tools, or drop down the rear drivetrain
a little bit. Even once they found that the replacement module didn't make any difference, they could easily avoid the
hassle and cost of swapping the parts back out by simply charging the customer for a new module anyway. Most customers
wouldn't know any better than to throw up their hands and curse Volkswagen's ineptitude over the supposed failure of such
an expensive part. Two things were holding me back from ordering a new Haldex module. First, of course, was the price.
Second, was the fact that there were some other seemingly unrelated fault codes that I'm sure popped up at exactly the
same time. And I wasn't about to spend $800+ on a part when coincidence was part of the equation. I had other symptoms
and fault codes logged that turned out to be caused by my own foolishness... I had placed one of the big power distribution
fuses in the engine bay back in the wrong spot when I was doing that first round of inspection and troubleshooting, and that
was causing my fresh air blower, sunroof, and headlight washers to stop working (and throw associated codes, of course).
Even with that addressed, I had a strange beahavior with my fuel guage. It would only read up to, but not beyond, halfway.
With a full tank of gas, the gauge would stay at half full until the actual level dropped below half, and then it would read
the correct amount. There were no faults stored that seemed related to the fuel sender. How could that be related to the Haldex
module going down? Electrically, they had nothing directly in common. It was about this time that someone replied to a
thread I had started over on the Ross-Tech forums, suggesting that I take a look under my back seat. This fellow said that
the R32 has two fuel pumps and two fuel level sending units. On one side of the car, the wiring for that fuel pump and sending
unit physically runs right next to the wiring going to the Haldex control module. That sounded fantastic to me, so I took up
the rear seat and removed the cover plate for the pump on the passenger side... everything looked perfect. Under the cover
plate on the driver side, though, was an entirely different story. Here is what I found:
Some little furry friends had made a nice, cozy home in there complete with all the terrible tasting licorice they could eat.
Both wiring harnesses had been chewed through, there were only a couple of wires hanging on by a strand or two of copper.
The little rascals didn't even have the courtesy to leave me enough wiring out of the connectors to splice back in. They had
chewed most of the wires right up into the back sides of the connectors, so that I was faced with un-pinning each connector, uncrimping
each pin, then re-crimping it onto a freshly stripped wire. A few of the wires I was able to solder, barely. Here again, once
a repair shop had found this damage, they would not have wasted their time with a repair, they would have ordered whole new wiring
harnesses. It looks like to replace those harnesses you'd have to drop down the fuel tank and the whole rear end a little bit, so
I'm sure it would be a few hours of labor on top of the already steep cost of the harnesses themselves. Had a shop started with that
seemingly unrelated fuel gauge quirk as the basis of their investigation, then they would have quickly found the real source of
the problem. But worst case a customer could have been easily gouged for both replacement harnesses, replacement CAN bus gateway
module, and replacement Haldex module (the new ones do not come with the Haldex clutch solenoid, so a new seal kit for that would
be necessary also) as well as a couple of days labor (if they had burned most of a day chasing down the wiring and getting
nowhere, as I did). This could have been a $4000 repair bill. It took a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, but I got through it
without paying any cash and everything has been working perfect since then. The exposed copper wiring, where it had been chewed
through, was corroded enough that I think the mouse (or mice) had been there for quite some time.
In summary, what appears to have happened was when the last of the wiring for the Haldex module finally let go (or was chewed through),
it must have spiked the CAN bus signal lines and caused all the other modules to momentarily lose their grip on reality. I'm pretty
lucky none of the modules were damaged, I think.
For the morbidly curious, here is my scan after clearing the initial set of codes from "the incident". This was the set of relevant
codes:
Saturday,30,May,2015,16:24:30:15884
VCDS Version: Release 14.10.2 (x64)
www.Ross-Tech.com
Address 01: Engine Labels: 022-906-032-BDB.lbl
Control Module Part Number: 022 906 032 KR HW: 022 906 032 GP
Component and/or Version: R32-DQ-LEV2 G 1098
Software Coding: 0000178
Work Shop Code: WSC 01279 785 00200
VCID: 65CB9A1FAC5FCA09FD9-8030
No fault code found.
Saturday,30,May,2015,16:24:48:15884
VCDS Version: Release 14.10.2 (x64)
www.Ross-Tech.com
Address 02: Auto Trans Labels: 02E-927-770.lbl
Control Module Part Number: 02E 300 011 CC HW: 02E 927 770 AD
Component and/or Version: GSG DSG 082 1405
Software Coding: 0000020
Work Shop Code: WSC 04940 001 00001
VCID: 52A151C3CDD14DB188B-8007
No fault code found.
Readiness: 0000 0000
Saturday,30,May,2015,16:21:23:15884
VCDS Version: Release 14.10.2 (x64)
www.Ross-Tech.com
Address 03: ABS Brakes Labels: 1K0-907-379-MK60-A.lbl
Control Module Part Number: 1K0 907 379 AB HW: 1K0 907 379 AB
Component and/or Version: ESP 4MOTION MK60 0102
Software Coding: 0021128
Work Shop Code: WSC 01279 785 00200
VCID: 72E1F1436D912DB168B-8027
3 Faults Found:
01312 - Powertrain Data Bus
014 - Defective - Intermittent
01315 - Transmission Control Module
004 - No Signal/Communication - Intermittent
01324 - Control Module for All Wheel Drive (J492)
004 - No Signal/Communication
Saturday,30,May,2015,16:21:53:15884
VCDS Version: Release 14.10.2 (x64)
www.Ross-Tech.com
Address 08: Auto HVAC Labels: 1K0-907-044.lbl
Control Module Part Number: 1K0 907 044 BS HW: 1K0 907 044 BS
Component and/or Version: ClimatronicPQ35 120 1111
Software Coding:
Work Shop Code: WSC 00000 000 00000
VCID: 79F3C66F30E75EE9291-802C
2 Faults Found:
01316 - ABS Control Module
004 - No Signal/Communication - Intermittent
01314 - Engine Control Module
004 - No Signal/Communication - Intermittent
Saturday,30,May,2015,16:22:17:15884
VCDS Version: Release 14.10.2 (x64)
www.Ross-Tech.com
Address 09: Cent. Elect. Labels: 3C0-937-049-30-H.lbl
Control Module Part Number: 3C0 937 049 AJ HW: 3C0 937 049 AJ
Component and/or Version: Bordnetz-SG H54 2202
Software Coding: 668F8F214004150047140000001400000008730B5C000100000000000000
Work Shop Code: WSC 01080 444 59251
Additional Info: 1K1955119E Wischer 050102 021 0501 1K0955559AF RLS 140907 046 0204
VCID: 71E3FE4F689716A9911-8024
6 Faults Found:
02092 - Enabling Heated Seat
009 - Open or Short to Ground
Freeze Frame:
Fault Status: 01101001
Fault Priority: 5
Fault Frequency: 1
Reset counter: 67
Mileage: 177485 km
Time Indication: 0
Date: 2005.09.13
Time: 31:63:63
Freeze Frame:
ON
Voltage: 13.40 V
ON
ON
OFF
OFF
OFF
00924 - Relay for Headlamp Cleaning System (J39)
009 - Open or Short to Ground
Freeze Frame:
Fault Status: 01101001
Fault Priority: 4
Fault Frequency: 1
Reset counter: 67
Mileage: 0 km
Time Indication: 0
Date: 2005.09.13
Time: 31:63:63
Freeze Frame:
OFF
Voltage: 12.40 V
OFF
ON
OFF
OFF
OFF
01321 - Control Module for Airbags (J234)
004 - No Signal/Communication - Intermittent
Freeze Frame:
Fault Status: 00100100
Fault Priority: 2
Fault Frequency: 1
Reset counter: 99
Mileage: 177484 km
Time Indication: 0
Date: 2005.09.13
Time: 31:63:63
Freeze Frame:
ON
Voltage: 11.90 V
ON
ON
OFF
OFF
ON
01314 - Engine Control Module
004 - No Signal/Communication - Intermittent
Freeze Frame:
Fault Status: 00100100
Fault Priority: 2
Fault Frequency: 1
Reset counter: 99
Mileage: 177484 km
Time Indication: 0
Date: 2005.09.13
Time: 31:63:63
Freeze Frame:
ON
Voltage: 11.90 V
ON
ON
OFF
OFF
ON
00466 - Control Module for Steering Column Electronics (J527)
004 - No Signal/Communication - Intermittent
Freeze Frame:
Fault Status: 00100100
Fault Priority: 2
Fault Frequency: 1
Reset counter: 99
Mileage: 177485 km
Time Indication: 0
Date: 2005.09.13
Time: 31:63:63
Freeze Frame:
OFF
Voltage: 12.35 V
OFF
ON
OFF
OFF
OFF
01309 - Power Steering Control Module (J500)
004 - No Signal/Communication - Intermittent
Freeze Frame:
Fault Status: 00100100
Fault Priority: 2
Fault Frequency: 1
Reset counter: 99
Mileage: 177484 km
Time Indication: 0
Date: 2005.09.13
Time: 31:63:63
Freeze Frame:
ON
Voltage: 11.90 V
ON
ON
OFF
OFF
ON
Saturday,30,May,2015,16:22:43:15884
VCDS Version: Release 14.10.2 (x64)
www.Ross-Tech.com
Address 0F: Digital Radio Labels: 8E0-035-593-SIR.lbl
Control Module Part Number: 8E0 035 593 H HW: 8E0 035 593 H
Component and/or Version: SDAR SIRIUS H06 0080
Software Coding:
Work Shop Code: WSC 00000 000 00000
VCID: 2E592533B9294951CC3-807B
1 Fault Found:
02635 - Tuner Not Enabled/Activated
000 - -
Freeze Frame:
Fault Status: 01100000
Fault Priority: 7
Fault Frequency: 5
Reset counter: 190
Mileage: 172695 km
Time Indication: 0
Date: 2000.00.00
Time: 18:48:00
Saturday,30,May,2015,16:23:03:15884
VCDS Version: Release 14.10.2 (x64)
www.Ross-Tech.com
Address 15: Airbags Labels: 1K0-909-605.lbl
Control Module Part Number: 1K0 909 605 AB HW: 1K0 909 605 AB
Component and/or Version: 6T AIRBAG VW8R 034 8000
Software Coding: 0013908
Work Shop Code: WSC 01269 785 00200
Additional Info: 1K0959339G BF-Gewichtsens. 007 0007
Additional Info: Geraet 00200
VCID: 6CDDEF3B4FB5FB41A27-8039
1 Fault Found:
01312 - Powertrain Data Bus
014 - Defective - Intermittent - MIL ON
Saturday,30,May,2015,16:25:40:15884
VCDS Version: Release 14.10.2 (x64)
www.Ross-Tech.com
Address 16: Steering wheel Labels: 1K0-953-549-MY8.lbl
Control Module Part Number: 1K0 953 549 AQ HW: 1K0 953 549 AQ
Component and/or Version: J0527 036 0070
Software Coding: 0012122
Work Shop Code: WSC 01279 785 00200
Additional Info: XXXXXXXXXXX E0221 002 0010
Additional Info: Geraet 00200
VCID: 0103AE8F58370629611-8054
No fault code found.
Saturday,30,May,2015,16:23:44:15884
VCDS Version: Release 14.10.2 (x64)
www.Ross-Tech.com
Address 17: Instruments Labels: 1K0-920-xxx-17.lbl
Control Module Part Number: 1K6 920 974 D HW: 1K6 920 974 D
Component and/or Version: KOMBIINSTRUMENT VDD 1216
Software Coding: 0007203
Work Shop Code: WSC 01052 444 68459
VCID: 356B0A5F5C7F7A898D9-8060
2 Faults Found:
01315 - Transmission Control Module
004 - No Signal/Communication - Intermittent
Freeze Frame:
Fault Status: 00100100
Fault Priority: 2
Fault Frequency: 1
Reset counter: 99
Mileage: 177485 km
Time Indication: 0
Date: 2000.00.00
Time: 01:02:16
01312 - Powertrain Data Bus
004 - No Signal/Communication - Intermittent
Freeze Frame:
Fault Status: 00100100
Fault Priority: 2
Fault Frequency: 8
Reset counter: 99
Mileage: 177484 km
Time Indication: 0
Date: 2000.00.00
Time: 12:06:41
Saturday,30,May,2015,16:24:06:15884
VCDS Version: Release 14.10.2 (x64)
www.Ross-Tech.com
Address 19: CAN Gateway Labels: 1K0-907-530-V3.clb
Control Module Part Number: 1K0 907 530 L HW: 1K0 907 951
Component and/or Version: J533 Gateway H07 0052
Software Coding: ED831F075003020000
Work Shop Code: WSC 01279 785 00200
VCID: 30653B4BA31D5FA1DEF-8065
4 Faults Found:
01312 - Powertrain Data Bus
014 - Defective - Intermittent
Freeze Frame:
Fault Status: 00101110
Fault Priority: 1
Fault Frequency: 1
Reset counter: 255
Mileage: 177484 km
Time Indication: 0
Date: 2000.00.00
Time: 12:06:43
01315 - Transmission Control Module
004 - No Signal/Communication - Intermittent
Freeze Frame:
Fault Status: 00110100
Fault Priority: 2
Fault Frequency: 1
Reset counter: 99
Mileage: 177485 km
Time Indication: 0
Date: 2000.00.00
Time: 01:02:18
01324 - Control Module for All Wheel Drive (J492)
004 - No Signal/Communication
Freeze Frame:
Fault Status: 01100100
Fault Priority: 2
Fault Frequency: 1
Reset counter: 59
Mileage: 177485 km
Time Indication: 0
Date: 2000.00.00
Time: 00:11:57
00466 - Control Module for Steering Column Electronics (J527)
004 - No Signal/Communication - Intermittent
Freeze Frame:
Fault Status: 00110100
Fault Priority: 2
Fault Frequency: 1
Reset counter: 99
Mileage: 177485 km
Time Indication: 0
Date: 2000.00.00
Time: 00:00:01
No response from AWD controller (address 22)
Saturday,30,May,2015,16:27:12:15884
VCDS Version: Release 14.10.2 (x64)
www.Ross-Tech.com
Address 25: Immobilizer Labels: 1K0-920-xxx-25.clb
Control Module Part Number: 1K6 920 974 D HW: 1K6 920 974 D
Component and/or Version: IMMO VDD 1216
Software Coding:
Work Shop Code: WSC 00000 000 00000
VCID: 356B0A5F5C7F7A898D9-8060
No fault code found.
Saturday,30,May,2015,16:27:35:15884
VCDS Version: Release 14.10.2 (x64)
www.Ross-Tech.com
Address 37: Navigation Labels: 1K0-919-887-MFD2.lbl
Control Module Part Number: 1K0 919 887 G
Component and/or Version: Navigation 0050
Software Coding: 0000101
Work Shop Code: WSC 01279 785 00200
VCID: 3D7B127F644FA2C9459-8068
No fault code found.
Saturday,30,May,2015,16:27:49:15884
VCDS Version: Release 14.10.2 (x64)
www.Ross-Tech.com
Address 42: Door Elect, Driver Labels: 1K0-959-701-MIN3.lbl
Control Module Part Number: 1K0 959 701 M HW: 1K0 959 701 M
Component and/or Version: Tuer-SG 006 120A
Software Coding: 0001077
Work Shop Code: WSC 01279 785 00200
VCID: 3875036B4B6D87E196F-806D
2 Faults Found:
00466 - Control Module for Steering Column Electronics (J527)
004 - No Signal/Communication - Intermittent
01321 - Control Module for Airbags (J234)
004 - No Signal/Communication - Intermittent
Saturday,30,May,2015,16:28:09:15884
VCDS Version: Release 14.10.2 (x64)
www.Ross-Tech.com
Address 44: Steering Assist Labels: 1Kx-909-14x-44.clb
Control Module Part Number: 1K1 909 144 M
Component and/or Version: EPS_ZFLS Kl.141 H08 1901
Software Coding:
Work Shop Code: WSC 00000 028 00001
VCID: 356B0A5F5C7F7A898D9-8060
No fault code found.
Saturday,30,May,2015,16:28:30:15884
VCDS Version: Release 14.10.2 (x64)
www.Ross-Tech.com
Address 46: Central Conv. Labels: 1K0-959-433-MAX.clb
Control Module Part Number: 1K0 959 433 CT HW: 1K0 959 433 CT
Component and/or Version: KSG PQ35 RDK 052 0221
Software Coding: 139006885103281B0904058FB0080A04889C00
Work Shop Code: WSC 00000 785 00200
Additional Info: Sounder n.mounted NGS n.mounted
Additional Info: IRUE n.mounted
VCID: 040DA79B472513014A7-8051
1 Fault Found:
00466 - Control Module for Steering Column Electronics (J527)
004 - No Signal/Communication - Intermittent
Freeze Frame:
Fault Status: 00100100
Fault Priority: 4
Fault Frequency: 1
Reset counter: 99
Mileage: 177485 km
Time Indication: 0
Date: 2000.00.00
Time: 00:00:01
Saturday,30,May,2015,16:28:45:15884
VCDS Version: Release 14.10.2 (x64)
www.Ross-Tech.com
Address 47: Sound System Labels: 3C0-035-456.lbl
Control Module Part Number: 1K6 035 456 B HW: 1K6 035 456 B
Component and/or Version: 08K Audioverst. 0006
Software Coding:
Work Shop Code: WSC 00000 000 00000
VCID: 2B5F2C278A3B3C79EBD-807E
No fault code found.
Saturday,30,May,2015,16:29:02:15884
VCDS Version: Release 14.10.2 (x64)
www.Ross-Tech.com
Address 52: Door Elect, Pass. Labels: 1K0-959-702-MIN3.lbl
Control Module Part Number: 1K0 959 702 M HW: 1K0 959 702 M
Component and/or Version: Tuer-SG 006 120A
Software Coding: 0001076
Work Shop Code: WSC 01279 785 00200
VCID: 3973066F70679EE9691-806C
2 Faults Found:
00466 - Control Module for Steering Column Electronics (J527)
004 - No Signal/Communication - Intermittent
01321 - Control Module for Airbags (J234)
004 - No Signal/Communication - Intermittent
Saturday,30,May,2015,16:29:20:15884
VCDS Version: Release 14.10.2 (x64)
www.Ross-Tech.com
Address 55: Headlight Range Labels: 1T0-907-357.lbl
Control Module Part Number: 1T0 907 357
Component and/or Version: Dynamische LWR 0003
Software Coding: 0000004
Work Shop Code: WSC 01279 785 00200
VCID: 74EDF75B178523817A7-8021
1 Fault Found:
01312 - Powertrain Data Bus
014 - Defective - Intermittent
Radio, address 56, Stuck on "CAN init..." while buttons 02, 18, 1a, and 16 enable/disable, and radio in car repeatedly turns on and off. Eventually received error dialog "VCDS: Session Unreliable", "Too Many Communications Errors to Continue!"
Saturday,30,May,2015,16:32:06:15884
VCDS Version: Release 14.10.2 (x64)
www.Ross-Tech.com
Address 65: Tire Pressure Labels: 3C0-959-433-65.lbl
Control Module Part Number: 1K0 959 433 CT HW: 1K0 959 433 CT
Component and/or Version: RDK 0450
Software Coding: 0100101
Work Shop Code: WSC 01279 785 00200
VCID: 040DA79B472513014A7-8051
1 Fault Found:
00625 - Vehicle Speed Signal
008 - Implausible Signal - Intermittent
Freeze Frame:
Fault Status: 00101000
Fault Priority: 4
Fault Frequency: 1
Reset counter: 99
Mileage: 177484 km
Time Indication: 0
Date: 2000.00.00
Time: 12:06:42