Is It Worth Buying a CHEAP, OLD VW Touareg?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 ส.ค. 2024
- The Touareg WAS one of the worst VWs when launched. Expensive to buy, common VW electrical issues, And tons of other common VW issues. Now you can buy a cheap Touareg and make it an off road monster. I bought this cheap VW touareg and here are all the common VW Touareg issues mine has. Some of the Touareg issues we will fix, other not so much LOL
Thanks to @Deutscheautoparts for some of that sweet off-road footage.
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The content of this video is available for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for the professional advice of a mechanic who has personally inspected your vehicle, nor does it create a relationship of any kind between the Humble Mechanic and you. Every situation may be different, and the Humble Mechanic does not make any warranties, whether express or implied, as to the accuracy, fitness, or applicability of the information or automotive parts portrayed in this video to any project and makes no guarantee of results. The Humble Mechanic and any sponsors of this video will not be liable for any damages related to personal injury, property damage or loss of any kind that may result from the use or reliance on this video and/or any automotive parts represented in this video. You are using the information and automotive parts portrayed in this video solely at your own risk.
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Im not sure how many more Touareg videos I will do. LOL lot depends on the reaction from this one. The last T-reg video flopped HARD HAAHHA
@@VroomNPew Pay attention to the part about towing. Im running into a few issues I haven't figured out yet.
Charles, you should trash this on the rally and also keep it for the daily commute if you like
Got a q7 same bit nice 170k miles and its brilliant only thing thats annoying is the panaramic roof gutters tubes come apart and leak 👍👍👍
@@HumbleMechanic I don't know what this trailer adapter that you showed is all about but if we are talking bulb detection with no smart communication then you need to match the current draw for each bulb on the trailer plug. That means basically putting resistors across your LED bulbs. Checkout how people put LED turn signals on older cars that have those mechanical clicky relays, it's the same principle. When the trailer lights module doesn't see the 1-2 Amps current draw but instead some 0.1A from your LED lights, it assumes that bulbs are gone.
@@VroomNPewgreat tow car thats why i wont get rid 👍👍👍
I've had a 04 Touareg (V8) for 5 years now, and I knew little about cars let alone Touaregs back then. Today I have enough knowledge and understanding to post advice here, lol. So here's what I think-
1) Mechanically, 1st Gen Touaregs are respectably well built suvs. My 04 had some issues, but that is to be expected for the first year of any car. 2006's have plenty of those issues resolved. (Note: T's built in 2004-2006 are called *T1* Touaregs and those built in 2007-2009 are *T2* , but they're both considered 1st generation. 2010 and onwards are 2nd Generation.)
2) The engine in the T1's is a Multi Port Fuel Injection engine, which means that it doesn't suffer from carbon-buildup-on-valves issue the way engines with Direct injection do. IMO it is a very well made/designed engine. As long as you change the oil every 5000 miles and do timing-chain/water-pump service every 80,000 miles, it will last a long time. The one failure point on these engines that my mechanics don't want to mess with, is the seized actuator arms on the intake (discussed in the video).
3) The transmission, transfer case, differentials, etc, also are high quality. They perform very well, and with regular service they don't fail. Altogether, the drivetrain is great and tough enough to not only take it off-roading, but also tow 7700 lbs (which is a lot for a vehicle of this physical dimensions).
4) I wish I could say these nice things about 1st Gen's interior. The interior is so bad that you'll be better off just taking it to an auto-interior shop and have them rebuild the entire interior from floor to ceiling.
5) As for electrical issues, if you encounter those, take your Touareg to a VW technician. If he cannot fix those, he shouldn't be calling himself a VW technician. But before you do that, make sure to check the battery. *The Touareg's electrical system is quite sensitive to a weak battery, way more than other cars are. You have to almost obsess over making sure that the battery stays fully charged at all times.* Also, even a high quality battery would need to be replaced every four years. If the electrical issues happen despite you having a good battery, only then take it to the technician.
So should you buy a 1st Gen Touareg? Before I answer that, realize that even a 2009 model is 14 years old today, so there will be plenty of issues to resolve. IMO you should get a V10 Touareg only if A) you tow 4000+ lbs on a regular basis, *and* B) your auto-repair skills are on par with professional mechanics. If you do not meet both these criteria, do NOT get a V10.
If you live in the midwest plains and you don't tow much, a V6 Touareg is sufficient. I live in the Chicago suburbs and I knew within a year that having this suv was overkill. Why does one need low-range transfer case in the plains? The only reason I've kept this suv is because I like the ride.
If however you live in hilly areas, or if you tow (but you're not an auto-mechanic) then you should get a V8 Touareg. The car has some features built in that automatically provide extra power when needed, and that makes towing or driving on inclines/declines a pleasure.
my friend group all have touaregs. two t2 3.6's, 1 t1 v8 w/air ride, and mine and another friends t3 tdi. I owned a V8 w/air, and a t2 3.6, prior and honestly the 3.0L TDI in my t3 out performs even a v10 when towing or just driving normally. its such a wicked engine. the t3 isn't as hardcore offroad as the older ones, but it can still do everything the older ones can, just with an issue of clearance and damaging a more expensive vehicle if you run into something. The 2013+ 3.0L TDI is the best engine in any touareg in north america in my opinion.
Disregard everything the OG poster said. I'm an engineer and had an 06 with very low miles and full extended warranty. We went through 12k in warranty repairs before dumping it.
Now I'm a Toyota owner and can confidently say thus doesn't hold a candle to a Toyota or Honda.
EUROPE must have some nasty environmental laws that sabotage these cars with eco friendly parts that destroy themselves.
For example: The coating on the buttons wears off very fast.
The protective shielding on the wiring also disintegrates (never seen that before).
There's a notorious problem with the drive shaft carrier bearing. It will disintegrate after 4-6 years. The replacement is a new drives haft! They do make aftermarket kits to retrofit your axle bearing to a serviceable unit but it's $1200.
I have 40 year old Toyota that still have the original carrier bearing and rubber! Wtf VW.
If you want a car that will leave you stranded this is the car for you.
@@LibLibertyLibertarian Funny, I worked at Toyota from 2016 until last year. They're phenominal appliances. If I recommended my mother a vehicle, it would be a toyota or lexus. But no, a comparable 4runner from 2006 is not going to outgun a Touareg. Especially since the touareg was made to do it all. The 4runners powerplant falls on its face on the highway, it's not a good tow vehicle, and a Touareg will outshine it offroad when both are similarily equipped. Figured that out when we took our rigs and my other friends GX470 out to the trails right quick. And well if that were true across the range, then my 7 examples of mine and my friends touaregs would've fit your experience, but aside from one leaking air hose on my air ride, and an alternator on my 260k 3.6L, none of our touaregs have had major faults. And I've had my TDI for 6 years now, and the ones prior I had anywhere from 2-3 years. Like I say, you either get a good Volkswagen or a bad one. No in between. They can be nightmares, which is why I don't recommend them to people who don't know anything about cars. But to those who dont mind wrenching and learning, the euro suv's like touareg, cayenne, ML, Range rover, etc. are a total world above anything from Japan. Save for a Land Cruiser, but at that price point, it better be able to compete with them...
Whats that bad about the interior? Seems about par or a bit better than most other cars of its debut year...
@brandonfriesen5389 your comparing a v10 diesel to a I4/v6 4 Runner? Keep in mind that you're only shining a light mostly on the power plant benefits. These vehicles spend 99% of their life doing errands around town. On top of that, the 4 Runners aftermarket support far exceeds that of the VW, so even if what you say is true, it could easily be compensated for. On top of this the Toy will bring you home from the trail while the VW could easily leave you stranded.
On top of all this, we must consider the resale value. The VWs are so cheap because they break down, are complicated to repair, and expensive parts. You dump money into the VW to turn it into an off-road beast you'll never get your money back. You will out of the Toyota or a Jeep.
"just because you paid 3 grand it doesn't mean that you're fixing and maintaining a 3000$ car" words to live by!
One of my running jokes with any luxury car brand is “The only thing that costs more than a luxury car, is an out of warranty luxury car.”
A tough pill to swallow, but I'm glad I did.
The purchase price is the entry price!
YES TO TOUAREG CONTENT!!! these have such a special place in my heart
Why?
This should definitely be turned into an off-road build
im thinking turn it into razer blades and brillo pads lol
My .02 is for a "channel build" aka Pull all the suspension, hit the entire underside with a pneumatic needle gun to get the worst of the rust off, fix the bits and bobs that you pulled, hit the whole underside with some rust remover and then with some bed liner spray....and start the off-road conversion.
I would like to see you address the rust with dry ice cleaning. This would make for an awesome video.
Yh my dad used to do that
RIP💔
Keep up the Touareg content! Both this one and the 2015 TDI! The Touareg market is huge and we all would love to see more content about all things Touareg.
Also you should definitely lift this one 👍🏻
I've had mine going on 12 years. Its been reliable and not much has gone wrong other than your average maintenance stuff. I LOVE MY TREG!!! Going to be keeping an eye out for videos on this project. Especially for that JXB center support. Best wishes to you with the Touareg! I know you'll have some fun with it.
i picked up a 3.2 liter touareg for 1000 bucks. one owner fully maintained 137k miles no rust. i love it. minor cosmetics lift gate doesnt stay up and headliner sag but its been a great car handles phenomenally. had to replace the mass a/f and a set of toyo tires im only about 2k into and ive put over 10k miles on it. great deal. i missed my 2008 rabbit that was totaled so i had to have the treg. one thing im not liking is the whine that i think is coming from the front diff bearings. it goes up with speed and not engine rpm
yea Charles overpaid, I buy these for $800-$1500 in this kind of condition
@@I6N54lol you sound like you've bought a lot to start a dealership. Do you really buy a bunch? Charles's purchase price is fair in this market.
Love it; bought an almost identical spec back in 2019, having been a long time German car enthusiast and figuring it'd be as easy to maintain as my B6 Audi. Then realized the base engineering of the platform was 90% Porsche and way more compilated. I will say that the more often it was driven, the more reliable it was. Leaving it sit would bring out the gremlins. The JXB carrier is great. Suspension overhaul after 140k of PA salt was a nightmare. Cat pipe flex sections are trash and the cheap ebay replacements are worthless (Magnaflow fits great but are $1400/set). Sunroof drains... ugh. Someone should come up with a sunroof delete panel kit for them. When it's working, man what a great platform. Smooth as glass at 90mph on the highway (and cranking out 13mpg at 3000 rpms), handles great on backroads, way more than any 5000lbs SUV has any right to.
Bought a 2006 3.2 VR6 Touareg 5 years ago... for $1000. Runs like a champ after refreshing the front suspension, replacing the thermostat & housing, crossover pipe and fixing various electrical gremlins.
The LED load resistors work good for the trailer light issue, need 3 in total (left signal, right signal and running light), I’ve got all my trailers wired up with them. The T1/7L is quite a shock coming from mk4’s, especially paired with the v10.
I tried load resistors but they got literally burning hot.
@@kw57rx8dr.9 they should get warm but not burn-your-trailer-down hot. Another option is wire in little peanut bulbs, it doesn’t take much of a load to work.
I already did the light bulb idea after I burned my fingers on the stupid resistors and they were definitely hot enough to burn the trailer over a period of time, as I posted and that worked fine.@@JoshsJettas
Have a 2007 V10 Diesel.. 250+K drive every day!! Love it. It has a bunch of achievement lights on the dash so I know it's well seasoned. Great video.
Oh Charles I really hope you create a series on this, I adore my Touareg and a couple of my friends have some too. I know my way around them fairly well, but I can always learn more. I really hope you make more videos on it, either repairing, offroad building, etc. TFL's Tough T series was a complete success for them and seriously grew their audience. People are interested in these things, they are a gem of an SUV. They look like every other mall crawler, but they are just overbuilt to an insane degree where they can compete with a half ton pickup for towing, a buttoned down sedan for highway bombing, and a jeep for offroading. Awareness of that is spreading, and I think you could accelerate it even more. Here's hoping we get to see more!
I'm a masochist... I have all porsches and VW.
I've been looking at 2nd gen Touregs / Cayenes as a tow vehicle for over a year now.
Keep the T reg content coming!
I had a 2006 with the V6 and it was built like a tank. Great off road SUV for your purpose. It was hard on gas, tires and breaks.
I would love to see the timing belt, timing chain, and intake manifold runner control repairs! Then maybe the lift kit, and go PLAY!!!
Paul did a video on fixing the peeling buttons with aftermarket stickers. You could probably do something similar but take it to the next level by painting the black pieces that are really bad. As for the suspension, as you remove/replace stuff, I'd take that opportunity to de-rustify things. I'm looking forward to seeing what you do with it - I hope you do some videos on it!
There’s a video on TH-cam somewhere of a company that specialises in Ferrari sticky buttons. Full on re-coating and laser etching of the buttons. For VW stuff there are a lot of switches and buttons out of china and they are the same across multiple VW vehicles.
To fix the trailer lights I installed an enclosed box on my trailer out of an outdoor electrical box and installed regular light bulb sockets with bulbs in line as resistors and now it works perfectly as designed.
Australian VW dealers offered a genuine inline plug to solve this issue. Worked well on both my old Touaregs.
We bought a 2010 Touareg TDI with the V6 It’s been a wonderful car, other than some emissions sensors going out we’ve had 0 issues. Very reliable and nice driving car
Did you buy it new or used?
I hope this one gets more views!! i have an 04 V8 similar to this one. I LOVE taking it offroad! Mine is called "Murph" (short for murphys law, cause everything that could break in that car, broke, LOL; from chain tensioners to valve body to kessy draining the battery. it currently has 226,000 miles! so they can go forever once things get figured out!. Oh and if you still want to use the factory amp, there are 3 wires (ground, left and right) that would need to connect to the front and back of the speakers in the after market harness. Looking forward to learning more tricks from you!
Mine had 280,000 miles and the engine still ran strong, but the immobilizer finally did it in.
I was a VW service writer when these hit the pavement, gawd the issues they had, even when new. I can see why people held onto them despite the issues, because when they work, they are excellent luxury offroaders. I admire you and your channel a lot, Charles.
You’re one of the OGs that remember those days too. Haha
Get about 6 cans of black fluid film and go to town on the undercarriage. Will hide all the rust and prevent it from getting any worse in the future. Pro tip, wait till you complete all the repairs because working on the car after you spray is a mess.
You can replace all the buttons with ones from an 08+. They don't peal and get nasty. Your headlight range control issue is most likely a failing headlight harness either inside the head light or just behind it. You can also swap the cluster with a fancy one if you like, its plug and play no immobilizer built into it. I tow with mine all the time and i have LED trailers, i use the LED adapter you showed. If you didn't want to use the adapter you could wire the trailer lights directly to the tail lights like aftermarket hitches do. Only the factory hitch ties into the canbus network. Fun fact, if you lock the Touareg with a factory hitch plugged into a trailer and you unplug the trailer, the alarm goes off.
This Reg is almost identical to the first car I bought for myself, they were pretty cheap back in 2016 too lol. Had it for a year before I gave it to my parents and it’s been in the family ever since. Last I heard it’s at 180,000 with no issues but a worn front diff. Love these cars!
As a new VW apprentice I dread seeing a Touareg on my work order
I totally get that! How are the customers on these today? They use to be a nightmare. Now to be fair, they paid a TON of money for them back in 04-06.
Just make sure its not a job for the starter motor 😬😬😬
When you do the fuel filter and there's forbidden glitter inside...
@@HumbleMechanic They are all insane, especially the TDI owners. Not so much for how they act but because they'll get a quote for $6000 and approve it in the blink of an eye.
@@CallOfDuty1458the TDIs are reliable though no?
Well if you decide to off road it with a lift kit, etc then that removes much of the rust issue LOL
I was looking at touaregs a few months ago, so it'd be interesting to see a deep dive into them so I could know what to look out for - optional equipment, issues with said equipment, problem areas, livability, availability of replacement parts, maintenance intervals, etc
As always, keep up the awesome work Charles 👍
My biggest pet peeve with my treg is that in heavy rain when the water puddles and you run through it, it comes up over the front end and inundates the front windshield, that is a big problem if you have the auto wipers on and they don't respond quick enough to the water covered windshield when you're at speed and completely blinded.
I would definitely enjoy a build series👍
My dad had one of those his front bumper was held together with ducttape i loved that car
2 years ago, I bought a ‘08 with 73k miles in California. It’s been ok after paying a small fortune 😅 to clean out the intake, all the drainage lines and replace some parts under the hood. It would have been a steal for a mechanic I’m sure. Eventually it will be my off-road, dogmobile. After having trucks most of my life, I do enjoy the turn radius.
Maybe can get the frame and under carriage sand blasted to get all the rust off. Then to wipe it down clean and then primer and paint it. Then spray whatever is real good so it don't rust much or at all anymore.
Bought an '07 V8 steel springer in 2019 with only 67k miles and it was in great shape... Pre-frontend makeover but post-V8 update, so I have the BAR not the AHK. Soft touch button problem was apparently fixed by then. No towing package so I put in a Curt powered 3-to-2 trailer light converter. No issues with LED trailer lights and the bulb check doesn't have any say in the matter... It stays plenty busy anyway with those bunk-ass taillight assembly electronics you gotta wire brush every 3rd Wednesday. Otherwise, one of the most reliable cars I've ever had, which I realize is not necessarily the norm. I've had it across the country and back twice, off-road enough that I really need skid plates, lots of 3-wheel action, lots of open-diff-Wrangler-killer fun... This thing doesn't get stuck unless you're REAL insistent upon doing so, and I only have the center diff lock. Lots of trail WTF from onlookers. No lift and mild tires that still allow burning down interstate sections at an insane rate in perfect, smooth, quiet comfort. Love mine.
The Curt 57003 adapter worked on my 2005 touareg. Also double check settings in VCDS to make sure the trailer module is being read correctly. I assume it is but its something to check.
Great Video! I hope you do more. I miss my Touareg! I had a 05 V8 in Colorado Red with air suspension. The biggest frustration I had with it was finding a shop to do the flex pipes without pulling the motor. My local VW dealer did it without pulling the motor.
I went to 27 shops before I found someone willing to do it. Now one of them is bad again. Glad I'm moving somewhere with no inspection or road salt
My local VW dealer charged me 6 hours labor to do the job. I was shocked when they agreed to do the job. Every other shop wanted at least $1500 or they refused to do it.
How did they do the job without pulling the engine??
I asked the same question. The mechanic at my local VW dealer was able to do it. The only thing service told me was that this guy was a Touareg expert and he came up with a way to do it without pulling the motor. I was very happy because it saved me a lot of money. Still paid $650.
Awesome! I got one a few months ago. Same spec! I put a set of Wrangler DuraTracs on it. I have the eurowise lift in a box, but it offroads sooooo well, I don’t know if I am going to bother. Also I installed that same xtrons head unit. It’s working well. After 3 stick amplifiers, I found that if you tear the CANBUS chip off the board, they work again!!!
Can’t wait for more videos on this!!!
I am so excited for this because there has been a ton of these popping up for sale near me. I will pay serious attention to it. I believe i messaged you a few times about these. So i hope to get to see this serious all the way the trough
OMG I can't believe that this is an old crusty oldskool car. I remember when they were new and expensive status symbols. Time flies by...
I say flip it and get a non-crusty example and some 33’s on it, do some light off-roading and camping or make it a chase truck for a rally car build
I earned a VW Tech badge last summer while fixing my Sisters Boyfriend first Gen 2004 V6 Touareg 😂. He took it to multiple shops and none of them could fix the issues and just gave up on this beast. It had multiple check engine codes and overheating, but mainly it couldn't pass smog. Anyhow I worked each problem out and used your channel amongst others for fixes. The Vacuum lines on these vehicle's tend to split at every joint and without proper smoke testing good luck finding them. I had to replace pretty much all the main Vacuum lines which does require you to remove the cowl to get too. It had a "New PCV" that was Chinese junk installed by one of the shops that was a bust from the jump. There was oil in the sparkplug holes causing misfires so replaced the valve cover gasket. Replaced all the fluids including a complete trans flush. The electrical issues were solved by replacing a bad alternatator and getting a new battery since these suckers are sensitive when it comes to the proper amount of pixie juice. Lastly one of the ghetto shops he took it too spliced wired a replacement main radiator fan with a used AUDI fan from a car something her Boyfriend didn't tell me SMH so when I was trying to find the part with the part number off the fan I was going in circles 🤬 Anyhow once I replaced it with the correct Heavy Duty fan for towing she runs like a 🏆. One thing is for sure these things are overbuilt rugged tanks especially the suspension great for off roading. If you maintain them with quality parts they should last you a long time👍🏻
This VOLKSWAGEN TOUAREG is just ABSOLUTELY AWESOME , i'm super pumped to see a restoration of it , WHAT A BIGG W :) !!!!!!!!!!!
Traler fix: make an adapter harness with resistors in-line. Look up led flash resistors. Use a male on one end, female on the other, and you can remove it when not needed, and use it on other cars. You're welcome.
I think you would have done much better buying a Cayenne for $4500. I see plenty of clean examples here in Texas for very cheap. Keep up the great work.
It's the same car
@@XxmatixX6videosdiariosdenadavI believe they know that. Same SUV, but the Porsche is definitely nicer.
@@klwarhouse Depends on what you mean by "nicer". I mostly prefer the Touareg except that you cant get the same engine power as in the Porsche.
The 1st generation Touareg is the best one. I am super excited to watch your videos fixing this car. Finally, I have 2 Touaregs and I am very happy with them. The petrol one is 3.2, I changed the timing chain and the oil pump, runs like a dream, the other one is 3.0 TDI, changed all gaskets and seals in the valley, runs great. Thank you Charles for bringing the videos. Cheers mate
FULL RESTORATION
That’s because the system is looking for a resistive load. I had to get one of those seven pin harness adapters with a built-in resistor mode, since the Torregon, the Cayenne from his arrow are pretty much exactly the same.
CURT 57003 this is what I got and works.
1. The button peeling only affects the pre-2006 models. Later models have revisioned coating, that will not peel and will actually look perfect even after 15+ years.
2. The LED trailer needs an adapter with extra resistors - or you can add the resistors or extra (hidden) bulbs yourself to the trailer lines to work properly.
3. Check the bulk head drain holes at the top of the front wheel well behind the liner, because that likes to clog up, then water pools in the plenum chamber area and overflows into the cabin, and can cause a lot of issues. Similary the A/C drain tube also tends to clog up, so, check also that in the passenger footwell area.
Sorry, 2007 still has peeling issues, still love this suv, but so many items in this video are so true.
2:05 those cost like 200 from the dealer, the metal repair kit doesn’t replace a torn bellows or ball (worth checking) you can get them for around 70 as a Porsche brake component I believe.
I bought one with the air suspension and rear locking diff a few years ago with 80K one owner and about 20 pounds of maintenance records for $5K in San Jose, CA. No issues since and I've made it into an off roader with Eurowise suspension upgrades and winch mount, and added an APEX 12K synthetic winch. I also added larger tires, have a full size spare that ratchets to the roof, and other modifications. I did the timing job myself and added a bunch of improvements. Zero issues, except for a mystery warning light for a bulb that is probably either, a.) going out or b.) housing has corrosion or something. It's been awesome. I am adding a second fullsize battery to where the original donut spare is soon but this is an awesome and comfortable rig for sleeping in on climbing trips and it gets me everywhere! I've put about 5K into this car when you look at the tires, the timing, all the parts I decided to replace or upgrade it with, etc, but for $10K and a car that has done 50K more miles with zero issues, I don't think you can find a more dependable, reliable, or capable vehicle. Just be sure you know what you're getting into and have no issues working on a VW/Audi/Porsche yourself! I also own a B7 Audi S4 manual that I've tuned and tuned. I love the challenge but these are complex machines that you can master and reap the rewards! Just pay attention, and be attentive, and do your homework!
Love these, oil and solvent mix, spray on rusty bits, drive down dusty dirt road, repeat once a year, no problems.
Love the Treggy content…..I’m glad you mentioned about the trailering issue with the lights. I think I’ll keep looking for a T3.
The t3 is so good! I have a v6 TDI. It’s my wife’s daily
@@HumbleMechanic Hopefully I can find a decent one for a decent price. Want one to tow my MK8 GTI to National Autocross events across the country and as a 4th car.
Inline load resistors work really well for the bulb issues.
That’s likely what I’ll do. Or something like that. The adapter I got is easy to open.
i have a Touran from 2005, with the same trailer issue, mine has a westfalia trailer control module (can bus controlled) I found a jäger controle module, also with can-bus, very easy to swap, and no coding needed, if not changing from 7pole to 13 pole as I did
I've had 3 Touaregs now. 04 V8 pretty much identical to this one, 2012 Hybrid, and now a 2016 TDI. I love the TDI the most, but miss my v8. It sounded so good. I would do an exhaust, maybe a small lift with some slightly bigger tires, and call it a day on this one. Eventually that rust will start causing you to replace things so thats when you should start the upgrades. That's my methodology on my Golf R and Touareg. If I have to replace something, its getting an upgrade if it exists.
Have the same exact spec; own it, love it, whenever needs repair, I am on it (almost every week:D)
Please more toareg videos!! I want one so bad but still expensive here in Norway....
I wanna see more of the tuareg.
Good video Charles
I used to have a 2010 Touareg TDI. The powertrain was amazing, so was the ride and handling for such a heavy SUV. It nickel and dimed me with little things in the interior that kept breaking but the powertrain was bulletproof. I also used to have a L322 Range Rover which felt like a much older car vs the Touareg even though they were both developed around the same time and sold around the same time. The Touareg felt about a generation ahead of the Range Rover in terms of driving dynamics.
oh man this truck is a complete love hate relationship I have a 08 v8 as a toy. where do I start, kessy module drains battery when the resistors go caput, engine out to replace starter, chugs gas, eats tires and goes through brakes. But when its running right I LOVE IT! also for you folks with 04-07 tregs with peeling buttons go find a junked 08-10 and take all the climate controls, all the buttons ect since VW switched to plastic vs rubber in 08
For Touareg content it would be nice to see more repair and upgrade stuff. Changing NoX sensors, cleaning the intake of carbon deposits, changing out worn bushings and such. Now it’s about keeping these vehicles maintained like the high level SUV’s they are.
I have 2005 and is a Amazing car all works not perfect but have gone way above my expextatios. I use mine as dailyand overland rig 200,000+ and running smooth as almost new.
Can’t wait to see how this one turns out
Would love to see an effective way to refurbish the soft touch button stuff.... not the "sharpie it" or "put a sticker on it"... but is there a way to actually reproduce and bring it back to like new?
There is, but its expensive from what I know. Import a panel from a breaker in colder climate?
To address the led light trailer issue just wire some incandescent bulbs in the trailer wiring as resistors and place them in a box, job done, you may need to avoid the trailer towing module for this to work really well and just wire it directly to the rear tail lights.. The oil filter has the drain plug in the housing for that reason, open it first and drain the oil in front of the sub frame then remove the housing once it's empty. I am just in the midst of refurbishing one that I transplanted a used motor and transmission and due to time and funds availability it has taken me about 6 years and I finally just got it out of my garage the day my 2017 mini decided it wanted to hemorrhage antifreeze all over my driveway with only 58,000 miles. The Treg still has some issues, sadly mostly electrical but slowly working them out. This SUV was waaaay ahead of it's time technologically though and still there is not many if any that give anything close to the features and performance these have and the V8 if you keep up with maintenance and timing belt changes is near bullet proof with an ample amount of power out of a small V8 with the VVTI, I tow a 22ft Searay cabin cruiser with no problem and the AWD is a problem solver pulling it out of water, especially on a slick, algae covered boat ramp at low tide and then there's the locking diff if you have any problems, I just kick it in and avoid them altogether. It always gets head turns, people can't believe it is that strong because it says VW on it. My first Touareg has 218,000 miles and ran like a bat out of hell still until it got hurricane Ian treatment a couple years ago. The rehab I just got on the road has broken down twice once for a fuel pump and once a few days ago with a broken shift bushing which got really complicated because of safety features, both times within a week and once right in my driveway (the fuel pump) went to start it to go pick up my wife from work and it wouldn't start, the other time as I shifted to back into my driveway, if you have to have break downs you can't beat that timing on either. Ironically as if planned by VW my 99 V6 GTI did the same thing, never left me stranded. I just corrected the shift linkage bushing today, $10 part, I should have started by looking under the truck first, but began tearing down the center console first and caught myself midway and looked under and there it was, quick, easy, cheap fix.. I have many vids of my rehab but have not yet posted, no time to edit and post, but one tip I have for the soft touch interior is remove the part and strip down the old sticky nasty junk where there is no icons with mineral spirits or maybe acetone if something more serious is needed, and then respray with several coats of black plasti-dip and it comes out looking and feeling like new and is just about as durable too. IMO they used something very similar originally.
I'll keep mine as long as I can, it's my protest against electric and smaller bore cars, trucks and SUV's of today, I don't drive it that much but it is also comfort and style inside and out which is why I've given it a rehab though parts are getting more and more scarce.
I love your Touareg content!
Thank you! if you are in any Touareg groups, please give it a share. I want to keep making content around it.
@@HumbleMechanic Done
I tow with a 2004 V10 TDI. I love it. I just use a plug adapter for trailer LEDs. Sometimes I get a dash warning light, other times I dont. But it works.
I'm in for some good Touareg content! Yes, they are EuroTrash to maintain... But also very hard to beat capability wise even against later model new cars!
Classic VW car from the 2000s. Bubbling interior plastic, crayon smell, over-engineering, but sophisticated styling that was a step up from Hondas but a notch down from Audi. I miss my 2008 Passat VR6 Lux.
NAILED IT
100% in for a timing belt video...I drive an S6 with the same engine.
Off-road build for sure! Not just overlanding, either. I wanna see this thing rock crawl!
As soon as you removed the belly pans it 100% looked like a Pennsylvania vehicle. My Corrado's subrame looked similar this year and that sits in the garage for 9 month a year lol
Hope the brake lines aren't all rusty crusty!
Love the VW, Lots of great content can be had on this machine!
I had one. Everything complicated worked perfectly. Everything stupid, broke. The front passenger seat was stuck in the full forward position. The back seat folded down and never went back up. So my 5 seater only had two usable seats.
I bought my 2004 Volkswagen Touareg V6 from $1000 in Seattle. The car would go into safety mode and wouldn’t let you go past 15 mph and I had to drive an hour and a half back home but if you babied it the right way it would drive fine. The next morning I take it to the mechanic and after a full inspection, he said the only issue was water in the spark plugs and the car to this day with 250,000+ miles still runs and drives and has a reliable vehicle. The mechanic visit was only $251 and from there on out no parts have been replaced basic oil change services and one coolant flush.
Please keep posting on the Touareg's. They are slowly gaining a cult following among the off-road community, thanks in part to your videos. You need to warn people that ownership can be addicting. The first one we bought was a 2004 air-sprung V8 for my son. Compared to my highly-modified 2004 Land Rover discovery, his Touareg is better built, better featured, far better on road and with the exception of some rock crawling, far better off road. We then found and immediately purchased a 2008 V 10 TDI for towing a horse trailer for only $7000 from a former Tesla engineer. I am now looking to purchase a 2-owner 2005 V8 with 87k miles for myself for over-landing and sell the discovery. I really enjoyed the Land Rover off-road community. It will be interesting to see if the Touareg crowd are as eclectic and easy-going.
I know this isn't a TDI but it would be really interesting to see some videos on the 7p TDI. pretty sure you own one right? Common problems, tuning and modifications, etc. I just got one a few months back and the more information the better. Love it, my favorite VW I've ever owned (aside from my 78 Miami Blue rabbit Wolfsburg edition)
I bought a 540i e39 for $3000 last month and I’m a vw tech so it’s gonna be a fun project
In Washington state we got these suvs going for 1000-3000
It’s a great project, fix it. I want to start one too. Like you said it’s a $80000 suv for $3500-$5000. Most of the suspension is due for an update so fox or kings suspension would be perfect for an off road project. Great vids, lots of vw teachings. Thank u man
I saw that you worked with "Engineering Explained" working on a Miata. Very cool!
I’m sad Jason sold it. Lol. Love that guy
Fix it Charles! Because we all secretly want one but are afraid of the maintenance on one. Show us that you don’t share our fear!
I’ve definitely thought about buying one to thrash on it in the black hills. 😂
Definitely, if you're going to leave the somewhat rusty underbody be: get the rig oil sprayed to stop what's already there. You can treat/sandblast/repaint bits and pieces of that when you do have to get to refreshing suspension bushings, especially if the role is "beater that will be the tow vehicle".
Just plan those impulse must-be-towed purchases around the tow car being apart to change up parts. :D
I totally get why you're grabbing one, though! Like your ol' B5 Passat, you "grew up" on these at the dealer -- repair familiarity + low base price beats out a new shiny high-dollar vehicle, or a vehicle brand you're a bit less familiar with the quirks on.
Same sorta reason I've stuck with mk4 cars. I'm just insane because I live in the rust belt (so is all of Canada, basically).
If it’s anything like my 2010 Q7, you will need some resistors installed inline with your trailer plug wiring that goes to your bulbs. You can Google what ohm to get.
PA resident here:
That undercarriage is "super clean"!😅
That's not rust, that's character! Greetings from Pennsylvania!
I swapped out the bulbs for LEDs on a 11 Mercedes C Class with bulb monitoring. Phillips make a clip-on ballast that runs in parallel to the bulb itself that provides the resistance that the bulb monitoring is expecting. The errors all went away. Just don’t mount to a painted surface because they get HOT.
Dude, I just got an 05 Touareg V6 for $2200 I fixed some stuff and working like a champ!
Nice
I love the two-rags, fix it up and have some fun with it.
My boss has just traded his wife’s 2011 Touareg v6 hybrid. Very quick but he was just throwing money at it, his other half now has Tiguan R brand new and all the spec you can buy😍. He has a Land Rover defender V8 svt and a daily Suzuki jimny.
Great review. Glad you know VW so well and can keep this one out of scrapper for a few years.That looks only surface rust, if you go off road you will scrape undercar anyway. As you state, parts for luxury German cars stay luxury prices...to keep that smug appeal. At some point a future owner refuses to pay luxury parts, repairs, maintainence. These things are not collectable so they simply disappear from road as throw away. This has been great business model for Germany, who is the wealthest EU state.
put resistors between the trailer wires.. here in holland we have the same shit back the days with led trailers lamps
My dad has a v10 version of this car things a beast but eats tires he hauls with it sometimes dose great
When looking for a used midsize SUV the Toureg 3.6 VR6 was one of the options I considered along with the Volvo XC60 T6. Common sense prevailed and I ended up buying a 2008 Lexus RX350. I love how the Toureg looks but didn't want the pain of having to deal with the usual VAG issues.
No offense to VW/VAG, I also own a 2008 Mk.5 R32 and a 2007 Audi A4 2.0T.
You made the right choice. The Tourag of this generation is for those that NEED its capabilities compared to other cars. Otherwise, look elsewhere.
Man, I wanted the diesel V10 for so many years. I may have to go look one up now lol
No charles i stay away nothing good tourage is nightmare to repair good video
It's low mileage and in pretty good nick. .
Give it the love!
Love the TReg of this era. Pls keep the videos coming.