Golf Mk6 2011 Bluemotion 1.6 TDI. - Fumes inside car

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Mon 2 Oct 2017 12:51
Golf Mk6 2011 Bluemotion 1.6 TDI. - Fumes inside car - DC88

Hi, I have a problem with a smell of fumes inside my Golf. I had my garage check it over and they can't find a problem. The main details are:

1. The fumes give me a sore throat if I drive a lot on one day

2. If I close all the vents and switch off the fan there are no fumes in the car

3. I just had a full service and timing belt change

4. My garage has checked the exhaust and it looks fine

5. My garage can’t find an oil leak

6. The car has only done 36k

7. It passed the MOT emissions test

Has anyone seen sometihng like this before? Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Dan

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Mon 2 Oct 2017 13:23
Golf Mk6 2011 Bluemotion 1.6 TDI. - Fumes inside car - Cyd

Have you cleaned the aircon and replaced the cabin filter?

Also check the aircon drain.

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Mon 2 Oct 2017 21:43
Golf Mk6 2011 Bluemotion 1.6 TDI. - Fumes inside car - G0llings

Those symptoms sound identical to the problem I had on my 2010 1.6TDi and the VW dealer diagnosed it immediately. Smell of exhaust coming through the vents in to the cabin. It was horrendous if in slow moving traffic and not so bad if on the move.

Anyway, a clamp which connects the exhaust and turbo had failed allowing exhaust fumes in to the engine bay and then in to the cabin.

You could see the soot collecting on the silvery covering on the bulkhead behind the engine. VW replaced the turbo clamp and it fixed the problem. I was sceptical at first that this was the problem as I would've expected there to be a blowing exhaust type sound.

Edited by G0llings on 02/10/2017 at 21:47

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Mon 2 Oct 2017 22:06
Golf Mk6 2011 Bluemotion 1.6 TDI. - Fumes inside car - DC88

Thank you kindly - you're a lifesaver!

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Tue 3 Oct 2017 07:33
Golf Mk6 2011 Bluemotion 1.6 TDI. - Fumes inside car - G0llings

If you want to try to confirm if it is the same problem, then with the engine running and the bonnet up, put your head over the back of the engine and see if you get the same smell - it'll be really strong if it is.

The independent garage i bought the car from didn't have a clue and was back there three times before I went to VW. It was a fairly reasonably priced repair, too (£99, but that was about 4 years ago - it was actually done under warranty though as I'd only had the car for a few weeks).

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Tue 3 Oct 2017 14:59
Golf Mk6 2011 Bluemotion 1.6 TDI. - Fumes inside car - DC88

I've run the engine and I can't smell the fumes around the back of the engine bay and I can't see a build up of soot.

Also, even with the engine off the smell still comes the the air vents when they are turned on. So the problem seems to be in the air system. I'll pull out the pollen filter and see if that is normal.

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Tue 3 Oct 2017 21:55
Golf Mk6 2011 Bluemotion 1.6 TDI. - Fumes inside car - DC88

I pulled out the cabin filter and it smells really bad. I'll put in a new one tomorrow.

Edited by DC88 on 03/10/2017 at 22:15

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Tue 3 Oct 2017 23:10
Golf Mk6 2011 Bluemotion 1.6 TDI. - Fumes inside car - RT

The cabin filter needs replacing every two years - but often omitted by workshops - more frequently if anyone suffers from asthma, COPD or breathing difficulties.

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