ChrisTids

We bought our first Roomster in 2014, a 1.4 TDI Roomster 3 with 110K miles on the clock> The Roomster was never very highly specified but the 3 had things like a glass roof etc. Apart from some typical VAG electrical issues in the drivers side and passenger doors it cost very little to run and clocked up 160K miles until it was written off almost 2 years ago, it was a big shunt and we walked away from it thanks to the basic strength of the bodyshell. The replacement is a 2011 Roomster SE petrol TSI. The trim levels changed when the Roomster had a slight facelift in 2010/11 so the SE isn’t at quite the same level of trim as the 3, at the time I would have liked a SE + as this has trim levels more akin to the 3 but nothing was available at the time. Having said that we happily drove around France in the heat of last summer clocking up 1500 trouble free miles. The only bits of buying advice that I can give apart from checking that all the electrical items are working including the door locks is that the rear brake callipers start to not work properly, if this is the case don’t mess about with them and just replace the units. Also check for rust around the rear number plate lights, not an issue on our first but has been an issue on our second.

When our boot failed to unlock I don’t remember of the boot light failed at the same time although it does work now, I guess it may depend on the wires that have been damaged. https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/497263-sencom-tailgate-loom-repair/?tab=comments#comment-5579133

I bought a set of pads for my 2008 TDI and was supplied with the type in the link above (providing the photo is correct) and they were incorrect. It is best to check if the pads fitted to the car have the spring slips on the back. I am not sure if I would trust a £20 shock but that is up to you. If the shocks have never been touched, I would be tempted with new hardware and bushes, there is nothing worse than finding in the middle of the job that something is too far gone to reuse.

I would start with the rear brake calipers, if the handbrake adjuster has been used to make the handbrake work effectively it would point to the rear brakes binding on.

Thanks for this, I didn't know that this a feature. It could well be what happened.

Yesterday my wife left the Roomster in a carpark and when she came back all four windows had dropped down on their own to about halfway. This is obviously quite a security risk and very disconcerting. I suspect a damaged driver’s door to body wire, but I am looking for any other thoughts and suggestions.

It sounds like the issue we had with our first Roomster, in the end it needed a new lock/catch. I am not sure what you have done to try and get the door open, but I found if had the engine running I would sit in the car, lock the doors using the interior locking button then unlock the doors whilst simultaneously pulling latch on the door in question. In the end the novelty had worn off so I replaced with a new imported unit for around €120 (about €100 less than dealer prices) only for the car to be written off a few months later.

I have the same rust issue on my 2011 Roomster, disappointing as there was no rust on the 2008 Roomster that it replaced. I would think that mechanically removing the tailgate wouldn’t be an issue however in theory the wiring would need to be removed from the old tailgate before it is removed from the car and put into the replacement tailgate. However, I would be tempted to cut the loom between the main body and the tailgate and either crimp the wires back together or use a repair kit. Given the age of the car unless the loom has been repaired it is likely that the loom is damaged at that point any way.

Looking through this thread, it seems the issue could be battery or earthing related.

According to the owner’s manual, if that amber light flashes it means that the corner following lights are faulty, it apparently it should sound an alarm at the same time, I wonder if someone has disconnected the sounder.

Most of the glass ended up outside of the car, nothing triggered the security camera overnight and the alarm didn’t go off. Anyway, thanks to Autoglass who came out on Tuesday and replaced the glass in less than an hour.

Looks like the rear window smashed all on its own, accordingg to Autoglass, they have fitted 150 rear windows to Roomster's in the last 6 months, given that the Roomster has relatively low numbers this suggests that this is a relatively common problem?

Yes, it is quite common fault. I would start with pulling the rubber boot between the door and car body and inspect the wires for damage, if the wires are OK then you may need a new latch mechanism.

CrimeaRiver had a set for sale back in June but checking the listing they have been sold.

I found it easy, you just need to take your time and double check that the correct wires are being used. The only problem was the missing wire. The gas strut needs to be removed (just the top bracket) for better access and a crimper is needed, a rachet type is preferable. I cut 15 or 20mm out of the damaged wires as the copper would have work hardened in that area, the loom was very easy to push back into the body and tailgate. I would hope that the connections will never come apart but if they were to do so I would be able to just pull the loom back through the hole as the original loom is still rapped together.

I’ve recently used the Sencom 888913 repair kit and the new pipe has push connectors that are held together with heat shrink sleeving. I used the kit as all of the wires in the loom were damaged in some way the only thing that was still intact was the washer pipe. https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/497263-sencom-tailgate-loom-repair/

This isn’t answering your question, however if you haven’t already I would start with inspecting the loom between the car body and the tailgate for damaged wires.

If the body work of our 2008 160K mile 1.4 TDi was anything to go by I wouldn’t worry too much about the tin worm in older Roomster’s.

Has anyone had any experience with the SenCom 888913 Tailgate loom repair kit? I’ve fitted one this afternoon and whilst overall it was a good kit, I didn’t spot that there was one wire missing, I should have checked before chopping through the wires. Fortunately, I had some automotive wire of the correct gauge but still irritating. The kit from Amazon via Germany was £27 as opposed to around €50 directly from SenCom’s website.

As the S didn’t have parking sensors as standard (not sure if they were even on option) it does seem likely a bumper from an SE or above has been used. It is worth checking that the crankcase breather is still attached, if it isn’t it is worth replacing as it will stop oil smells getting into the cabin and a film of oil over the engine bay. You don’t need to dismantle anything to check just follow the pipe and see if it is still attached to the engine. https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/484634-12tsi-crankcase-breather-hose-one-way-valve-replacement-guide/?tab=comments#comment-5440973

Thankyou for this guide, used it this evening to change my car's valve.

Changed the valve this evening, it clearly it had failed sometime ago. Unfortunately the broken part was no where to be seen presumably ingested into the engine sometime ago.

Thanks for that post Xman, it looks like I need a new valve.

In March we bought a same mileage and age 1.2 TSI as yours and it does seem to use oil, I would say at about the same rate.

What engine is it?