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beware VW turbo repair scham



 
 
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  #11  
Old May 26th 05, 03:54 AM
Magnulus
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> wrote in message
oups.com...
> I have. 'Round these parts, diesel is never more than $0.05 above
> premium. If the battery pack needs replacing every ten years (8 was
> the figure I last read) that's $500/year that has to be made up.
> Where's that savings, again?


Diesel where I live (Florida) is much less than premium, but a little more
than regular unleaded. Of course, the price of diesel also varies alot
more than gas. The best place for price is a truck stop, or one frequented
by fleet vehicles (there's one near here, alot of garbage trucks and vans
stop there to fuel up, that's where I go).


Ads
  #13  
Old May 26th 05, 07:07 AM
Old Wolf
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Ken wrote:
> I took it to the local dealership and the problem was diagnosed
> as a faulty turbo that would cost $1,500+ to replace. I was
> dumbstruck. There went all the fuel savings for the life of
> that car and more.


You bought a turbo car in order to save fuel ?

> However a second opinion from a local non-VW mechanic suggested
> that the essential problem was a defective waste gate valve
> on the turbo. After many hours of searching it was apparent that
> Garrett (the maker of the turbo) and/or Volkswagen had made sure
> that replacing this valve was not possible.


> Obviously they wanted to sale a $1500 turbo rather than a lousy valve.
> So they get my perfectly good turbo, clean it up, paint it, replace
> the valve and resale it for $1500.


You just said it can't be replaced. So how can they replace it and
re-sell it?

> What a racquet!!!


You can play tennis with it?

>In my book this thievery.


Go to a mechanic who specializes in turbos.
Even if you don't want to fix that valve, you could disable it
and install an external wastegate.

  #15  
Old May 26th 05, 09:46 AM
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>For me, I have bought my last Volkswagen. <

I hate to say it but I agree. I've owned several old Beetles (going
back to a '58) and also a '98 Beetle (gasoline, non-turbo, five speed)
which I leased when it first came out -- it was a hot item like the
Mini was recently. I only got up to 70K miles on it, not long enough to
experience serious drivetrain issues, but during those three years it
went through FIVE headlights, two driver's-side window switches, the
rubber headliner strip coming unglued, and the rear electric hatch
switch failing. Even today when I see a new Beetle driving past me with
one headlight working, I'm reminded to stay away from the brand until
they work on their supplier issues. To be fair, I did have a lot of fun
driving the car.

> At about 65000 miles there were only a series (5 or more) check engine light episodes <


This is where black electrical tape can come in handy. You place a
small piece of tape over the "check engine" light. Voila. I've done it,
and I've been through more cars than I can count.


>wheel well liners and front air dams tearing off on roll stops<


Same thing with the new Beetle. I considered having it lifted an inch
or so, but wasn't worth the trouble.

>I took it to the local dealership and the problem was diagnosed as a faulty turbo that would cost $1,500+ to replace. <


Is it possible to simply remove the turbo and run it as a normally
aspirated car?

I do give you credit for getting the diesel though...they do get better
mileage and the only unfortunate thing is that VW put a turbo on it
(apparently to boost power, since diesels are known for being a bit
lackluster in low-speed acceleration.) Diesel fuel is also cheaper than
regular in most places.

  #16  
Old May 26th 05, 03:38 PM
Daniel J. Stern
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On Thu, 26 May 2005, N8N wrote:

> > Yes. VW couldn't make a reliable *popsicle stick* if their life depended
> > on it.

>
> Not this again...


Yes, this again.

> When properly maintained (and they're really not that finicky) VW's are
> VERY reliable cars.


*IF* you happen to randomly get a good one. If you don't, no amount of
"proper maintenance" will make it reliable.
  #19  
Old May 26th 05, 04:30 PM
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Daniel J. Stern wrote:
> On Thu, 26 May 2005, N8N wrote:
>
> > > Yes. VW couldn't make a reliable *popsicle stick* if their life depended
> > > on it.

> >
> > Not this again...

>
> Yes, this again.


Right - any opportunity to bash VAG is a good opportunity...

> > When properly maintained (and they're really not that finicky) VW's are
> > VERY reliable cars.

>
> *IF* you happen to randomly get a good one.


I would suggest that getting a bad one is the random event. One need
not be a blind brand loyalist about everything (this applies from the
opposite direction as well), and even a VW fan can recognize that this
random chance is greater with VW than with Toyota.

> If you don't, no amount of
> "proper maintenance" will make it reliable.


A lemon is a lemon, no matter who makes it. But for most things, once
a VW is fixed, it stays fixed. VW diesel vehicles did not get a
reputation for being reliable and durable from some slick marketing
campaign.

And yes, I do realize your one experience with owning VW was with some
car made 16 or so years ago, and that it colors your perceptions. I'll
tell you, my experiences with VAG have been much more pleasant and much
less expensive than my brother's experiences with Dodge products. But
heck, over 20 years of owning VAG products, what do I know? I guess
all those cars were just "good luck" on my part? He's really ****ed
off about his Odessey minivan and it's crappy auto trans, and his
repair bill for that barely-out-of-warranty "Honda-reliable" will
exceed what I've paid to repair all of my VAG products for the last
four years. Which doesn't include the rental cars so that he can get
back and forth to work.

E.P.

  #20  
Old May 26th 05, 04:31 PM
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Old Wolf wrote:
> Ken wrote:
> > I took it to the local dealership and the problem was diagnosed
> > as a faulty turbo that would cost $1,500+ to replace. I was
> > dumbstruck. There went all the fuel savings for the life of
> > that car and more.

>
> You bought a turbo car in order to save fuel ?


Yes - when you're not on-boost, the car gets the same kind of mileage
as cars of similar displacement. When you need power, the engine will
have output like a car of larger displacement.

The wonders of turbocharging.

E.P.

 




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