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Mice chewed through two vacuum pipes, which link the turbo on my Passat to a small sensor on the bulkhead. It triggered a flashing coil symbol and an engine management symbol. I blagged some pipe the right size from a local garage but it has reinforcing mesh in the wall and won't slip easily onto the wider ends of the plastic spigots. For the moment the flashing coil warning light has gone out but the engine management light is still lit. The car has come out of limp-home mode though.
My question: does anybody on here work at Halfords or visit often and can they tell me:
Is the Halfords vacuum pipe cord mesh reinforced or just plain rubber?
Do all Halfords branches stock it? It's got an internal bore of 3.2 mm. It's a 28 mile drive to my local Halfords hence the question!
You'd be better off contacting your local factors or somebody like pirtek who specialise in all sorts or hoses and pipework
You might need to warm the tube to help it slip on. Also many ECUs do not automatically cancel warning lights - I am speaking from Land Rover experience, so VW may be more advanced though 🙂 anyway you might try looking up how to cancel Passat warning signs (some ECUs have different on/off sequences, or you might need to buy/borrow a OBD BUS reader to reset it...
My 2c, prob no help at all
Nothing generally wrong with Halfords (they’re quite handy these days) but in this case your first phone call should be to a local motor factors. There’s bound to be one nearby. They usually serve the motor trade, which means they have lots of knowledge and access to the right parts, but I’ve generally found them very helpful to joe public. They can probably look up exactly the right part no based on your reg number.
Pre-stretch the pipe over a metal pin of appropriate size, warm and spray with silicon lube and then push it on with ease.
I can just hear myself on the phone to a motor factor: "Er.. it's the tiny rubber vacuum pipe linking the turbo to the vacuum sensor that goes over the top of a duct where mice can eat it!"
Better off at Halfrauds I reckon. At least I can finger the goods.
Just a second recommendation for having a go at warming the pipe to make it more pliable to slip on. Favoured method here is in some hot water. Little bit of soapy water to further help lube it on.
Worth a try before committing to a trip out.
That sounds like all the motor factor need to know along with registration, they have the benefit of the parts drawing to help pick out the bit you describe.
It's just two three-inch lengths of rubber tubing. I bet you'd pay VW a tenner for them.
That sounds like they've given you fuel hose not vacuum. It's the same O.D but thicker walled so smaller I.D. You can use fuel hose but you need to size up to get the correct I.D.
I don't know about VW specifically but very often you have to clear the code before the light goes of. Sometimes just disconnecting the battery works. You might need an OBD device.
Sometimes just disconnecting the battery works.
Do that on some cars, BMWs for example, and it'll have to be taken to a dealers on a flat bed to make it useable again. My mate did it on his own Beamer, he was the owner of a sizeable garage business and thought it hilarious that just disconnecting a battery could cause so much hassle and expense.
Do that on some cars, BMWs for example, an
Yeah, they have a few things going on. The smart charging system needs to know when you change the battery. The ECU often needs a reaet. How did they solve his? Some you press and hold several buttons on the idrive at the same time. Some you enter a code, which is the sum of the last digits of the VIN.
If your going down that route buy silicone hopefully not as tasty
I can just hear myself on the phone to a motor factor: “Er.. it’s the tiny rubber vacuum pipe linking the turbo to the vacuum sensor that goes over the top of a duct where mice can eat it!”
Just add what car and reg to that and you're sorted. Motor factors are generally great, helpful and you very much let you finger the goods they also smell fantastic.