Good Day! Just in the last few weeks, occassionally, the cooling fan continues to run after I shut the car off. I know some companies design this in. My 05 S Type has never done this until just recently. I can turn the ignition back on (run but not started) for 5 - 10 seconds, turn it back off and the fan will slow to off. Some sticky relay?? Any thoughts would be helpful.
Thanks

 

I had the same problem on my 03 Stype 4.2L. The thermostat was the problem on mine. I changed it out and fan works fine.

 

rkh3,

Talk a bit about that Phaeton you have. How long have you had it, how many miles on it, what service has it required, how difficult has it been to find a shop that can service it, etc. I rarely see one around here. I know that VW didn't come close to selling enough Phaetons to keep them in production past 2006 or so, but I've also heard that they are spectacular vehicles if you can keep them in good repair. They are essentially a Bentley platform, correct?

 

Jon....You knew I'd pipe up.....The Phaeton is essentially a re-skinned Continental/A8. It actually retailed for more money than the Audi...The Bentley Continentals also share components with both the A8 and the Phaeton... There are two different chassis codes that I've heard about, the D1 that is steel and is the Phaeton and Continental and the D3 that is all aluminum and is the shell of the Audi....And here is another Bentley connection, because the interior of the car is essentially hand built. Since VW didn't really have the expertise in that area they brought in people from Bentley to show them how it's done..What is almost as impressive as the car is the factory where it's made. It is known as the "glass factory". It was purposely built to make the Phaeton. Here is a Car and Driver article about it... http://www.caranddriver.com/features...actory-feature

Also, the Phaeton is still made and sold in Europe. http://www.volkswagen.co.uk/#/new/phaeton/

There were plans to bring it back to the US but I think it tanked....

Ummm...Think I like it??? I've always liked that car..I've always laughed at the need for a badge in this country....

Another car I really like for it's engineering courage is the Hyundai Genesis lineup..Both the coupe and sedan..Mainly the V8 sedan...

 

Jeff,

I don't know enough about the Phaeton to know whether I like it or not, but it has always intrigued me. I actually spent several hours doing an on-line Phaeton hunt in my neck of the woods back in the December holiday period, but I couldn't find any (other than wrecked ones) within 50 miles of me. It's reputation is that it is expensive as the dickens to maintain and that because of its lack of sales success here in the U.S., most VW dealerships don't even have a tech trained to service it. I don't think I'd be willing to buy one (even if I could steal one for $20 grand that was originally a $90 grand car) due to the difficulty and cost of maintenance and parts....

Regarding the Genesis, I've been telling some of my Lexus forum buddies since the recession brought us all to our knees nearly two years ago that the Genesis is going to steal significant business from Lexus, BMW, and Mercedes. From a new car perspective, the Genesis may very well be the best bang-for-the-buck semi-performance sedan on the planet. Hyundai really elevated their game with that car. Around here, used ones listed for sale are snapped up within hours....

 

I'll make it breif, I feel like a hijacker....

I had the great opportunity to drive a Pheaton back when the Akron dealer had one. It is a great machine. If i had one..It would go to an Audi dealer for service..But that is just me...Yea on the Genesis..Any that show up in the used market are retaining their value as well..I think they will hurt Lexus and Infinity first..It will take a while for it to impact the Mercedes, Audi, BMW crowd....

 

My cooling fan runs a good deal of the time, always has on my 'o3 STR. I did have to replace the thermostat housing about 30,000 miles ago, but the fan still runs.

I know that there is a 'low temp' thermostat out there as well, probably because the STR's run hot alot of the time...

 

Hey Jon, Jo's information is pretty accurate. It is a pretty unique and uniquely different auto with several technological patents (at least for this one in '04) 4 zone climate control and a heating/cooling massaging seating system that has shown up on MB's etc. We have had it a little over a year having stumbled upon it at a MB dealership. A couple of years ago I discovered a "W12" in the parking garage where I work. Intrigued, I did some research to only to learn of its pedigree and uniqeness. The W12 6.0L (ours is 4.2L 8 cyl) is essentially two V6's joined in a way that it makes a "W" That's the easiest way I can describe the 12 cyl although that could be an over simplification. Amazing car as it is long, low, (with the ability of adjusting it lower from the drivers seat) absolutely spacious inside. A 6'+ person can sit in the back seat and cross their legs. I believe the only two features this car doesn't have oddly enough are reverse sensors and adaptive cruise control. It is marvelous on the highway and that's really what it was made for. I have no idea what type of high end marks the 4.2L will attain but one afternoon while entering the interstate, the I passed the 100mph before i made the end of the entrance ramp. I can only imagine the W12.
A couple of finicky repairs thus far (knock on wood) is the TPMS. Sometimes has a real mind of its own regardless of what is actually in the tires. We run nitrogen and have not seen any fluctuation whether the system tells us something else or not. The rain sensing wipers early on also had a mind of their own. They didn't want to wipe no matter how hard it rained, then go like hell when dry and sunny. Both were modules and both were covered by warranty. I would recommend the warranty.
It's actually my wifes car and it was so unique because no one sees many around anywhere and certainly in Columbia, Missouri. The closest dealer is Kansas City (approx 130 miles) and the Svc Director said she has 8 that come in from surrounding states.
It has 60k miles and cosmetically is gorgeous with the exception of the rims that were scored by a local tire installer (National chain) that had a ding a ling install our Serenity's.
All in all, a nice ride!
Thanks for asking.

...and to 390HP Type R, Thanks for the Tstat suggestion!!
Ron

 

Thanks much for the details about your Phaeton. Glad to hear you're happy with the vehicle. Hope it doesn't get too expensive to maintain....

 

I don't know but on my 2005 STR the fan stops when the engine is turned off and always has. I am in a hot part of the country too. Still original thermostat at 55K miles. I have changed the coolant when I changed the DCCV.
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My 2006 S-type also does this infrequently. I didn't realize it was an issue, thought it was some sort of advanced management function. Took it to the mechanic for the 32,000 Km routine check-up and it didn't catch the mechanics attention (though I didn't mention it to him because I didn't realize it was an issue). Mechanic said it was the best maintained car for a 2006 that he had experienced.

There has been a time or two, where I have been sitting in the car (reading, sorting paperwork, waiting for the wife etc), having recently turned the ignition off and even removed the key. I might sit there 5 minutes and then the fans will turn on for about a minute or two, then shut off again.

Is this an issue?

Cheers

John

 

If hot enough (but I have NOT seen any actual temperature figure), the engine cooling fan is supposed to run after ignition off.

It won't usually be a thermostat problem if the above fails to happen because the thermostat does not feed any signals to the PCM (or any signals anywhere else). Instead, the ECT sensor would be my #1 suspect. You can monitor ECT using OBD or through ETM (aargh, acronym page where are you?).

A faulty thermostat can of course be a problem. The PCM wouldn't exactly "know" it was a faulty thermostat (no signals from the thermostat) but MAY (if the software can do it) figure out that wrong temperature response suggests a thermostat issue. I've no idea if such software is in the PCM but I'd guess not.