Looking After Your Phaeton
Phaetons are a real feat of engineering however they’re not without their flaws. These are some regular checks we recommend to keep your Phaeton reliable and to avoid unwelcome surprises.
Plenum Chamber Drain
One of the most common killers of Phaetons is water damage to the KESSY Module (immobiliser) in the front passenger footwell. The main causes of water ingress to any Phaeton variant is via the plenum chamber which can become blocked with leaves/ debris and lead to water entering the cabin.
We recommend clearing and checking your plenum chamber drains once every six months, particularly before winter or periods of heavy rainfall.
This can be done by removing the plenum cover, removing any accessible leaves/ debris by hand, before pouring a few litres of water down the plenum to ensure it is draining out under the car quickly.
If the water is taking a long time to drain, or not draining at all you should attempt to clear the drains as quickly as possible.
Our recommended method is to use a plumbing drain coil and to poke around into the middle under the HVAC unit until the water drains freely. Some trial and error is required as it is not possible to see the drains with the HVAC unit in place.
Sunroof Drains
Additional to the plenum chamber drains, if equipped you should also check that your sunroof drains are flowing freely.
In the gulley of your sunroof is a small drain hole in each corner feeding into pipes leading down the A-Pillars and C-Pillars of the car. When blocked, these pipes can also lead to water ingress into the cabin.
To test, pour about half a litre of water into each corner of the sunroof gulley and observe. If the water is flowing away slowly or pooling this indicates a blockage.
Now check the outlet ends of the drains, situated in each corner below the windscreen at the front of the car and in the wheel arches at the rear.
The water should flow out of the rubber outlets quickly however these are prone to blockage. You can squeeze the tip of the outlet to enlarge the hole to clear debris. If this is not sufficient you can also attempt careful insertion of a slotted screwdriver blade into the hole to remove debris.
In cases of stubborn blockages, rodding may be required however caution must be exercised when doing this to avoid parting the pipe connections within the cabin.
Check Carpets for Moisture
For additional peace of mind that water is not entering the cabin, you can pull back the passenger front carpet from the bulkhead. Reach your hand underneath and check for any water/ dampness.
Phaeton carpets are up to 6 inches thick in places for noise insulation, however the foam construction soaks up and stores moisture under the visible carpet unbeknownst to the driver.
If the carpet is found to be wet, it will not dry if left in the vehicle. Therefore it must be removed and allowed to dry over the course of at least a week.
Power Steering Line Corrosion
As the cars age, an increasingly frequent failure we are seeing is loss of power steering due to fluid leaks. The main cause is corrosion of the flow-pipe from the power steering pump to the steering rack, situated in the near side front wheel-arch.
Once a year, we recommend checking the condition of this pipe, particularly at the union between the pipe and the rack. If the pipe appears in good condition, we recommend applying a protective grease to the area to prevent corrosion, particularly when the roads are salted in the winter.
If the pipe appears to be heavily corroded and/or there is evidence of leakage at this point, a repair should be carried out at the earliest opportunity.
Volkswagen no longer make the replacement pipe so the preferred method of repair is now to use custom hydraulic hose repair sections, connected to the intact sections of pipe by means of compression fittings.
A comprehensive guide to carry out this repair has been prepared by POUK and is available for download from our resource library.