[V8] Visit to the dealer today to troubleshoot...

[Roger Woodbury]

I am beginning to try to track down the annoying little things with the '90
V8.  They are the ABS which will need to be fixed prior to May; the cruise
control, the heated seats, the rear window defogger.  I went to the dealer
because they have the old "gizzie box" that plugs into the system and then
reads out by little lights, the area that the 90 V8 has issues.  This is not
a sophisticated diagnostic tool but it is the best that is available for
some of the things on this car.  

First of all, I found out that the dealer still employs the mechanic who was
type trained on the V8 when it first came out. That's a pretty good thing.

Secondly, I found out that the problems with my car are pretty much as
suspected, which means that they will largely be eliminated by labor and not
technology.

First, the cruise control will require a new control module.  

Secondly, the ABS  is no closer to being resolved than before I went to the
dealer, with one major exception:  I found out one more thing that could be
wrong and cause loss of the ABS. The problem is either a ground someplace,
one of more wheel sensors or maybe the ECU.  Seems the dealer way back along
the dawn of time had a V8 with inop ABS and the problem was located in the
ECU where corrosion had resulted in a section of circuitry burning out and
even burned a hole in the board itself.  Fixed the ECU, fixed the ABS
problem.  

Thirdly, the heated seats are probably not working because of a wire issue
in the loom or perhaps a ground under one of the seats.  Power in and out of
the switches, so the problems is AFTER the switches.

Forth, the rear window is probably not repairable as there is power in and
enormous resistance which would indicate a failure in the wiring of the
defrost unit itself most probably.  Going no further with that one right
now.

So, I am intend to source a cruise control module from the used market.  A
new one is $480 or so and I do not want to do that right now.  Maybe I can
borrow a known good ECU and try that along the way.

Right now, the V8 is having new tires, and after Thanksgiving, the car and I
are going on a long road trip to Tennessee, North Carolina and southern
Virginia.  After that we'll see what is next.

Incidentally, the dealer whom I have known for two generations now, handed
me the keys to a left over that they had.  First time in a Toureg for me,
and better still, it was a left over, 2006 V10 turbodiesel LOADED Toureg to
boot.  Great big car, great big engine.  No thanks: I don't want one as it
seemed to be just toooooo much of everything for my taste.  Original sticker
was over 70 large and they will be putting it up on eBay soon at something
in the fifty grand range.  Total miles on the car after my flogging this
morning is 497.  

Roger