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I have no way of knowing if you are reporting the facts accurately (I don't mean dishonestly, I mean according to how best you remember them), but based on what you posted, and not taking any sides, I would say your engine could not have suffered hydraulic lock from driving through a puddle.
Why not? Because the engine would have seized immediately upon sucking up the water.
What MIGHT have happened is that a slowly leaking head gasket would have allowed water to drip into the cylinder overnight, filling the cylinder with water, where only air and gas should be.
Result, piston comes up when you start the car, runs into wall of water, which it cannot compress, and piston rod bends....this is hydraulic lock.
You should ask for the engine to be dismantled. (cylinder head removed) If the rods aren't bent and/or the head gasket is compromised, it might be on their (VW's) nickel. If the rods are bent, then you have a good claim for insurance (check with your agent FIRST about this!)
I'm just not satisfied with the explanation you heard. Either you missed something or they forgot to tell you something or something is very wrong here.
The dealer says they ran a coolant pressure test and it was fine so there is no problem with the head gasket. But the rods are bent. I don't understand why this is an insurance matter? Shouldn't it be a warranty issue?
If water was sucked up into the engine, you should be able to file a claim with your insurance carrier under comprehensive coverage. You of course will be liable for any deductible. It isn't a warranty issue because there isn't any indication of a defect.
Trust me, once you file the claim your insurer will be out at the dealer checking out the damage and they'll advise you if it's a defect issue.
Good Luck.
Obviously, the dealer doesn't believe your story, so now it's up to him to show you all the water that went into the engine supposedly. If they drain a pint or two out of the oil pan, well then, I might go along with the dealer's version. But if that water contains coolant (in the oil), then I go along with your story.
How do they know the rods are bent by the way? Did they pull the head off?
Thanks
I am confused....any suggestions..?
Good luck.
However our normal mechanic has been doing some research for us and has found a 2004 advisory to dealerships warning intake in that region!!! This may be what we need to battle VW.
I'll let you know. Thanks
1) From reading the discussions, it seems that one of my problems is common: the gasket around the antenna rotted a few years ago and I'm guessing now that my radio gets only really local FM stations and no AM stations it's due to the antenna connection corroding. Dealer wants about 600-700 to fix this. Where can I get parts and a reliable repair in Middlesex county NJ?
2) My ABS and brake lights are on and it looks like its the ABS control module. Is there any more info on if there's a recall on this as it seems to be a common problem?
3) When I shift the car into triptronic mode, it no longer "engages" (the LCD gear display doesn't change and up/down sifts do nothing).. Strangely every now and then under hard accelerations it feels like the cars slips into the next gear (only on down shifts). Any one know if these last two symptoms are related and if you've had a similar repair what did it run. I'm almost affraid to ask the shop as they probably tell me I need a new tranny. :confuse:
Thanks! BTW, great and helpful forum.
I'm going to replace my front VW Monster mats with Weathertechs, as the old style Monster mats developed some cracks and they are not protecting the carpet on the driver's side.
I looked through the manual, and it doesn't say a word about the automatic locking feature.
Any ideas?
Regarding floor mats. A car comes with carpeting. The carpeting is often covered with 4 floor mat carpets. The floor mat carpets are often covered with rubber mats. What's next, clear covers for the rubber mats? :confuse:
Hey, but to each their own. My carpets look like new even after 10 years of ownership on my past cars.
Sounds like you bought this car pre-owner. If you bought from a VW dealer, they should make the adjustment without charge.
If you're not the original owner, then you only get a 50,000 mile powertrain warranty, I believe.
Appreciate the info.
First time on the site with a similar problem. We have a 2001 Passat estate and had the same leak in the front passenger footwell. What I eventually found is that in the glove-box is an airconditioning vent and if this was open it sends in cold air via the aircon even if you have the heater on. This then causes condensation in the glovebox and drips down to the footwell. Once I closed the vent I had no problem for over a year... until today. We had left a heavy map book on the floor in the front footwell and again noted that it was wet. now I don't know if this is true but again I am thinking that it has to do with a condensation problem with us now using the heater. Under the front seat is a vent for the rear passengers which I only presume goes under the front footwell and maybe having something heavy resting on it has something to do with it? I will keep my eye on it and see if it dries up. As I said we haven't had a problem for over a year and there is no drop in the water fluid?
Otherwise a brilliant car.
We have a 2002 Passat 4 motion Tiptronic wagon and was just blessed with the the flooded curse!!! The rain we recieved here in the great northeast was close to 12" in 1 week. The car has been parked under a cheap temp carport since new of 10/01 and never noticed any water or dampness ever...until the snowload brought down the carport last winter and we never replaced it. The summer here was very dry with hardly any rain. During this past storm I drove the car in a down pour and backed it towards the house to unload grocery's from the tailgate. The next day as we headed out I noticed the car had no power. I turned around and headed back home and noticed water coming in from the front passenger front piller and my son said there's a flood in the back seat floor that looked like a wave pool when I went up a hill...I vacuumed out the water and turned on the heat to try to dry it out but the car still had no power and the dash looked like a Christmas tree...I ended up replaceing the TCM that is located under the rug in the "WEATHER PROOF" plastic box located under the passengers feet.The car shifts OK now and the dash is less busy but I'm still getting AIRBAG FAULT on the dash. I'm not sure if I have to have it reset or maybe there's a module that controls the airbag system that also got destroyed by water. If anyone has any answers to this issue please advise and thanks in advance...sorry for the lengthy post.
So, is there no way to prevent this from happening again? Do I have to drive my car only on sunny days?
If this thing goes out again, I'll have no choice but to try and turn off the check engine light and trade it in. what a crock.
Tks Davebird
I just happen to buy a brand new 06 passat.Right from the first week,I started noticing vibrations all over the car,on the steering,the seats,the dash.Everything just vibrates in this car,i went to dealer,they balanced all the wheels,changed all the four wheels,still the same problem.dealer is saying that,this is how vw vehicles drive.Any help will be greatly appretiated,i don;t know where to go and what to test for this problem.
thanks
amit deo
What brand of tire are driving on?
What type of balancing was done? Was it roadforce balancing?
Thannks and let me know!
Are they Goodyear LS-2's? Did your dealer roadforce balance them? It's the only way to reduce the vibration. Conventional balancing (without placing a load on the tire) simply does not work. Tip: get your dealer to roadforce balance them when they are hot (after a 20 min drive). Cold tires are not operating conditions. To balance them when they are cold is a waste of time.
A.D.
I have also experienced the radio staying on. As you stated earlier I think there is some way to change the settings on it, but it also seems like I read or was told that as long as the key fob is within a certain proximity of the car then the stereo will still work. As a matter of fact, I sat down in the car one day and pressed the power/on button on the stereo and it came on while the key was hanging in the house.
The only problems we've had with our car is that the compass will not calibrate and one of the key fobs doesn't always open the trunk. I've followed to the letter the instructions in the owners manual on calibrating the compass, but it still is not working properly. If anybody out there has any ideas on what to do about the compass, I'm open to suggestions.