23rd Apr 2008, 13:57
Handbrake failure to hold on hills is common if you don't pull on it hard enough. This car has rear discs, and when they cool down they shrink slightly, thus releasing the brake. Give it an extra click or two.
Clutch judder is very common due to flywheel; mine was replaced under warranty. Also ensure your oil is topped right up. Mine improved after a service prior to being replaced.
Also steering rack on early models suffered from steering judder.
1st Aug 2008, 06:53
Further to my comment of 15th Jan 2008, 08:23.
14000 miles on the clock now and the hand brake is still working correctly, so the VW dealer made a good diagnosis.
With regard to the clutch judder that some others report as common; I can say my Touran (1.9 S manual, 57 plate) does not have this problem on steep hills or anywhere.
2nd Aug 2008, 09:09
I have a 2004 Golf TDI and I had problems with my clutch shuttering when starting - I convinced the dealer to take a look at my clutch and turns out - the flywheel had worn oddly which in the end (because they refused to take a look at it.) Caused my whole clutch system to need to be replaced. I would strongly suggest getting this repaired before your warranty runs out.
14th Aug 2008, 17:53
I live in Bulgaria and bought a french 2.0 dti sport touran 2005.
I noticed at 55000km a slight clutch judder which when reading the web VW says it is normal for that to happen.. today 100km later (two weeks) the clutch collapsed and set fire to the underneath of my car with only 10 seconds warning. IS this normal for a Touran??? Luckily a couple of Bulgarian people passing in there cars helped me put the fire out which has melted all the underneath plastic and protection. I would recommend that if you notice the slightest clutch judder on your Touran get it sorted asap.
30th Dec 2008, 11:22
Early model Tourans were recalled to replace the tandem fuel pump bolts. Failure of these bolts on diesel engines did lead to a number of fires like that described above. I had mine replaced in 2004/5 when the recall was issued and I saw pictures of a "flamer" on the net.
The clutches come equipped with a Dual Mass Flywheel (DMF). The job of the DMF is to smooth out any engine/transmission vibration at low revs. They are either of Luk or Sachs origin. Severe or increasing vibration means the DMF, clutch and release bearing will need to be replaced. This is not cheap and is an obvious warranty issue. So it is not true that appreciable engine vibration is normal, I'm sure all VW dealers have a good idea of workings of the DMF.
Some people regard DMF's as fitted to most diesel cars these days, not just VW as only marginally fit for purpose, and are the subject of much debate.
11th Feb 2009, 05:28
I had a clutch replaced on my 06 Touran a month ago at 23000 miles, ever since then the clutch smells when the car is stuck in traffic, yesterday smoke came out of the bonnet after being stuck in traffic for less than 5 minutes. Has anyone else heard of this?
20th Apr 2009, 11:33
I have a 2006 Touran 2.0 TD SE that I bought 2nd hand in August last year with 29,000 miles on the clock. So far, under warranty, I have had the following failed items replaced (Now has 41,000 miles & the warranty expires on Friday of this week :( ).
1. ABS system - complete replacement
2. Cruise control fix & stalk replaced
3. Switch to open boot replaced
4. Fuel temperature sensor replaced
5. Driver's door handle re-fitted (coming lose)
6. Dash box cover re-fitted (not flush)
7. Nut covers for alloy wheels replaced (delaminated)
Prior to this I had a Passat TDi that I ran for 8 years & never needed any work done on it.
Is this a normal level of repairs, or should I be concerned that I've got a "Friday Afternoon" job?
Ken, Northumberland
22nd Jul 2009, 14:37
I bought a Touran SE in spring 2005. In winter 2007 the whole ABS system had to be replaced. Shortly after this I experienced clutch judder and was told this is normal - IT is NOT! This is a symptom that the dual mass flywheel is breaking up. 18 months later I had to pay VW £1300 to replace the flywheel and clutch, so be warned! Today the turbo broke. This Touran has had to have £1000 of major repairs per year for every year of its life.
18th Sep 2010, 09:48
I purchased a VW Touran on 1st August 2007, always had VW Golfs before and my wife has a VW Polo. I needed a bigger car, and thought I would stick with Volkswagen, and purchased a Volkswagen Touran from a well known VW dealer.
The vehicle was great for the first couple of months, then I noticed wear on the inner tyres. I had them replaced, and within another 5000 miles the wear was back. Returned to the dealer to be told the camber on the vehicle was out, and this could have caused by hitting a pot hole. Never recalled hitting one, but I accepted this. Four wheel alignment was done by VW, and within 3 months I was having the same issue again. VW refused to accept that it was a fault on behalf of the vehicle's manufacturing.
During the winter of 2008, I started the Touran and found it pumping out fumes from the front of the car, some of which was also entering the Touran. Took it straight to the VW dealer, and was told they couldn't find a fault. This happened each day, and I videoed it and took photos and back to the VW dealer, and was told it was a well known fault on the auxiliary heater and that they would replace it. Replaced under warranty. Two weeks later, the same fault, several times back and forth to the dealer, and eventually it appeared to be fixed.
Early 2009, the ESP light had come on, and I had taken it to the VW dealer, and they advised that it was the ABS/ESP, which required replacing and it would cost £1500, and that my mileage was now to high to cover it under warranty. Further investigation appears that this is a common fault with the Volkswagen Tourans, and the dealer and VW themselves don't want to accept it.
After spending £19000 on a Volkswagen Touran and having bad customer service. I don't RECOMMEND PURCHASING ONE!
18th Sep 2010, 10:51
I'd raise the ESP issue with VW directly (call their customer services number). Escalate it to the Chairman if necessary. Unless your mileage is galactic, I'd expect them to make you an offer.
My 05 Golf GTI (over 5 year old) had the same ESP issue, and I was refused cover initially. Once I raised the issue with VW, even though the car was out of warranty and over 5 years old, VW offered to reduce the charge to £600, which I accepted. To be fair, I had low mileage, and a perfect service record, but the fault doesn't seem to be mileage related. I suspect with a newer car, if you were to push hard, you could get VW to do better than £600, but with my car being over 5 years old, I thought £600 was acceptable.
This fault seems to be common across all the recent Golf based models (the Touran is based on the Golf), and there's even a Facebook page for this problem.
Worst case, you could take the dealer to the small claims court under the Sale of Goods Act, but I doubt it would ever get that far.
See these links for more about the problem.
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=176599647076
http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=66972
http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/137289-ABS-control-unit-failure/
Steven Jackson
steven@carsurvey.org
CSDO Media Limited
P.s. I'm the person who runs Carsurvey.org, but never mentioned this to VW, so I didn't get any special treatment.
19th Mar 2008, 12:44
Have a VW Touran 1.9 TDI 2007 model year with 4,500 on the clock. I am experiencing worrying clutch judder problem. The dealer says that it is normal, although on a hill start it is really awful. The dealer agrees but says they are all the same. I have tried another one and it was indeed much the same with a really heavy judder (and harsh). Hardly of merchantable quality, or fit for the purpose. Now I am hoping VW have a fix, and am awaiting a response to a letter to VW Milton Keynes.