you are most welcome, Mr. B. that trunk latch problem has been mentioned many times by other owners, but my 06 hasn't shown the problem, probably it has the newer part. (Apparently VW has a newer part for replacing the old part. here's some info from fred's tdi forum: parts counter says 4F5827505D is the current version. $64.25 online. $75 or so at the dealership.) Reportedly the problem can be cured by disassembling the latch and lubing it every few months. Or by replacing with the newer part...
You can peruse their "Brake Sets" and customize which pads/rotors you wish to include in the set you order. It is not really all that expensive... about $120 per axle for high-quality stuff.
Personally, I went with "zimmermann" rotors and "ATE" pads. With this combination, my Jetta feels like it has air-brakes... VERY powerful stopping.
If you *insist* on ceramic-based pads, you can chose the "Akebono" pads.
To answer your questions about ceramic-based pads.... the main thing is that they put off less brake dust. The dust they do create is not black like other pads.... it is more greyish. This tends to keep your wheels looking cleaner between washings.
The first step with new rotors/pads is to season the rotors. This entails thermo-cycling the rotors over several days.... allowing FULL and COMPLETE cooldown between heatings. This removes internal stresses from the metal and should guarantee that you will not suffer from rotor warpage. ALL pads need to be seated into the rotors. The physics of seasoning the rotors is really a tranferrance of a very thin layer of pad-material to the rotors.
After seasoning the rotors, the pads can be dealt with. Breaking-in pads is essentually allowing the pads to wear down enough to fully conform to the contours of the rotor. Some folks call this part "letting out the smoke". It entails VERY hard braking to get the pads smoking. This burns off residue from the manufacturing process. After every hard stop... drive for at least 20 minutes to allow cooldown. (warning--cheep rotors will warp during this process)
If the rotor-seasoning and pad-breakin is done correctly and carefully, you will be rewarded with many years of VERY strong brakes with no warpage or other issues.
The choice of sensor is soley based on what your car has installed from factory. The front-left-inner pads would have the sensor if it is installed. It is easy enough to turn the steering fully to the left, shut off engine and reach in to feel if there are wires attached to the inner-pads.
Do not forget to get a supply of DOT4 brake-fluid so you can replace the fluid and purge the ABS brake system. This absolutely MUST be done every 2-3 years on every car....lest you are asking for expensive ABS brake problems down the road.
I'm having a similar problem. I have an 07 Jetta with a 5 speed. No matter what gear I'm in once it revs up to 3,000 rpms it loses power. It just started happening today. Both my engine light and EPC light are on. It's idles real rough. It sucks too because the car was just in the shop two weeks ago. I'm going to have it looked at this week.
Obviously, your engine-computer has dropped into "limp mode". This "limp mode" purposefully reduces engine-capabilities to protect the catalytic-converter from overheating due to excessive fuel in the exhaust system.
You need to resolve the problems so the trouble-lights are extinguished.
Go to an Autozone and get the codes read and submit that information here so we can help you further. It might be a Mass Air flow Sensor. Easy to replace.
I have a 2008 Jetta with approximately 20,000 mi. According to a VW dealership and the maintenance book, it is time to get my engine air filter and pollution filter changed. Should this definitely be changed @ 20,000mi? If it depends on certain factors, what are these factors? I know high air pollution could affect frequency of change, and I've also read that humidity may play a role as well. Second question, the dealership wants to charge me somewhere between $150-200 for changing these 2 filters. If I change these myself, does that effect the warranty of my Jetta? Where are these filters located in my car? Is there a good website illustrating how to change them because the car manual is no help in this regards? Thanks!
Not sure in what climate zone do you live but both filters are easy to change and that will not void warranty. Keep the receipts and mileage, when you have installed them.You can buy them both on various websites.
Engine oil filter - make sure you get P/N that ends with "E" - that one costs a bit more but it has a "pre-filter" for cold and humid climate zones (an extra layer of fiberglass mesh).
Factors that may affect earlier filter changes: Frequent drives in dusty or sand blowing conditions, air pollution, humidity, smoking (in the car), heavy rain or snow conditions.
I cannot give you an advise on location of these filters because I have a 2009 Jetta Tdi Wagon and you may have them at a different location.
Are you sure the $150-200 is not for a 20,000 mile maintenance package, rather than just for the filter changes?
Last time I checked, my dealer was charging $40 for one and $50 for the other (don't remember which was how much). The engine air filter should definitely be changed in accordance with the manufacturer recommendation.
With the pollen or cabin filter you can pretty much do what you want, that filters the air going into the passenger compartment, so it does not have any affect on warranty coverage. If you don't change this, it may eventually start to cause the air coming in to the car to smell bad. I had ours changed at 2 years and 17K mi, but it looked pretty clean so this time I'll go at least 3-4 years or maybe leave it go until we get to 50 K mi (assuming we do not start noticing any smells).
To answer your question about "Affecting the warantee"...may I suggest you read the documents which (by law) came with your vehicle. More specifically, the "Magnuson–Moss Warranty Act" allows any PM (Preventive maintance) work to be done by ANYONE without "Affecting the warantee".
Obviously, the person who does the work needs to be competent. Use correct parts, oil, components, tecniques....etc.
Even if someone messes up changing the cabin filter.... VW cannot claim that affects the warantee on the engine or the unlimited-milage corrosion warantee. Bottom line is that there is not much one CAN do to "Affect the warantee". The warantee is not a all-or-nothing propasition.
If you chose to do work yourself, simply keep the receipts for the parts you purchase as proof. I assume you realize that you may need some tools and skill to do the work yourself. (Torx, hoseclamp pliers...etc)
------ To answer your question about a website showing how to replace the filters... YES there are several complete with color photos.
I too have a '02 Jetta and for awhile it has smellied like cat urine. My leak began on driver side front floor. Yesterday I noticed that the passenger sides, front and back were aturated. My car has been smelling like cat urine for awhile. Back floor mat has mold on the underside of it. Does anyone have any ideas on where it is originating from?? We checked the sunroof runoffs, gonna blow them out in case of debris. Also have a problem with it starting in rainy weather, any ideas!!!
If you get a response, I sure would like to see it. My '02 Jetta leaked during a rain storm and it took almost a year to get the smell out. I was told the drains get clogged and the exterior water runs in to the floor of the car. VW dealership said they couldn't find anything wrong. Also, I believe the air filter might have something to do with maintaining the smell.
I suggest you get a portable dehumidifier, let it run inside the car overnight with all wet surfaces exposed. Once the car is completely dry, go to a car wash, run it through and then inspect the previously wet areas to see where the water seeps in... get a liguid metal tube/paste and seal the area, where the water comes in.
I have done it many times with various convertibles that I owned in my lifetime. It worked like a charm!
Alternatively, you can have this done by any good professional auto body shop.
The dealer will not help you in this matter unless the car is under warranty and if so, they will do the same and/or subcontract this to a reputable auto body shop.
if it's not blocked sunroof-drains causing the issue, it could be a misplaced plastic water-barrier in the door closest to the side which gets the most water. This was the case for a 2006 NB. It took 3 visits to the dealer for them to fix it.
The way they correctly diagnosed it was by removing all the rugs and THEN driving the vehicle through a carwash, with two technicians searching for the leak.
Yes - the car wash "strikes" again ... that is a good way to find water leaks.
As far as problems starting a car in wet weather, if it's a gasoline engine, check the spark plug wires and distributor - and replace wires and distributor cap, if applicable. The usual suspects....
I know it was a while ago, but, I had a 1991 Jetta which was plagued with problems. All of my friends owned Honda's and did not have any problems. Therefore I purchased a Honda Accord in 1996 and had only 2 minor repairs on it after 250,000 miles. I still have the car and it runs like a dream. I'm guessing I have about 4 more years left on it. By the way, it's a 5 spd and I haven't replaced the clutch yet.
So I'm having a problem now with the car thinking the door is still open when it's not and it beeps constantly, driving me nuts. I also can't lock the car with the remote, because once again the car thinks the door is open and won't lock it when it's open. I have no problems unlocking the car with the remote or popping trunk with remote and all other doors will lock with remote but drivers door does not.
Is there a sensor in the door that I can replace? How about a fuse? Any ideas?
There are 3 micro-switches burried within each door. The 3 switches are mounted on a circuit board which is screwed to the latching-mechanism.
It is not trivial to fix. If you are adventurous , there are instructions on the internet complete with photos. Be prepared to disassamble the entire door and remove the glass too.
Any idea what the average cost would be to have this problem fixed?
Is there an easy way to disengage the beep? I don't mind locking the door with the key, but I want to get rid of the beeping if this is going to be a high cost fix.
I have a 2001 VW Jetta Wolfsburg edition, 5-speed, 1.8 liter turbo and for the last couple of weeks I have been battling the "Vanishing Anti-freeze". I checked it and it was low so I filled it (naturally) but about a week week and half I am checking the car again and the anti-freeze is again low so I fill it.....this goes on for a few weeks and I am totally baffled I CAN'T FIGURE OUT WHERE THE HELL ITS GOING!!!!! There is nothing on the ground (I went as far as putting a clean piece of cardboard under the car to check for leaks) there are no anti-freeze pools in the engine anywhere so I am at a loss. Does anyone have any idea where it is going or what I can do to correct it. I also had the engine cleaned and flushed last June and I am not sure how often that needs to be done. Thanks for the help.
Your radiator may have a hair pin hole and the coolant evaporates, before you can see it leaking or before it drips on the ground. You can get an aftermarket radiator sealer liquid and that may cure the problem.
the coolant reservoir on some of these cars has a known-issue where it develops a small crack , and the coolant leaks into the wiring-harness. it's brutally expensive to fix - I hope this has not happened to your car! various web sites have photos of exactly where/how to look for this problem.
Clutch on Hondas (as well as VW) should outlast the car iteself...the technology is so advanced that clutch does not have to be changed at all nowadays....I've read it somewhere not long ago....
We have a 2000 Jetta VR6 in our shop that has us all totally confused. The power windows were inop when we got it in, and we found the LF door window motor missing and the switch (driver's door which controls everything) inop. We replaced the parts, and everything works perfect, at least it did for about 5 minutes or so, at which time that window and switch quit working. We have found however that we need but to unplug the motor plug and reconnect it and the window and switch works fine for about 5 minutes. We even disconnected the battery for about 30 minutes once and it started working again, for about 5 minutes (notice the pattern here?).
There are some "safety features" built into the window-regulators. If one of these "safety features" kicks in , the windows may stop working for awhile, they will auto-reset at some point (I never bothered to figure out if it is time-based .. or what)
Since the onboard computer keeps a log of all these occourances (windows, doors, heated-mirrors...etc), I would suggest you use a VagCom to help you diagnose the issue.
Okay, I've been searching for days for some direction. I have a 1998 Jetta K2 2.0L. Replaced the crank sensor, new plugs and wires, new distributor, and new coil. Car ran for a week and stopped. No spark from ignition coil. Replaced ignition coil with a new one and it ran for two days and wouldn't start again. Once more, no spark from ignition coil. What should I check for at this point? I've read where it might be the ignition switch. Is there anything else I should check. Definitely no spark from coil at this time. Also, the CEL came on and the codes indicate a misfire on #3 as well as no activity on oxygen sensor1. Before buying an new o2, what can be done to correct a misfire since wires are new? :confuse:
I HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. THESE ARE GREAT CARS BUT WAY TOO MANY ELECTRICAL ISSUES. IT IS WITHOUT A DOUBT ONE OF THE NICEST CARS FOR THE PRICE BUT ONE THING LEADS TO ANOTHER WHEN SOMETHING GOES WRONG. THEY ARE BUILT TO BE FIXED ONLY BY THE DEALER !!! GOOD LUCK, ALWAYS THE AUXILLARY FAN GOING BAD.
The A/C went out on my 2001 VW Jetta last September and, since it was the fall/winter months, I decided to wait until now to fix it. So here's the problem: Air still blows out of the vents, but it's not cold. I recharged it last weekend at Autozone but that it didn't work. So I figured out my compresser keeps kicking on and off about every 10 seconds. The condenser fan doesn't spin and I'm not sure what would be causing it. Anybody know anything about A/C?
VWs do not have AC compressors that "kick on and off"... instead they use variable compressor which adjusts its output to EXACTLY what is needed for the situation. This keeps engine-loading to minimim and you do not fell that funky sensation every time the compressor kicks in (like most other cars)
If your compressor is kicking on and off... then I would suspect that it may be overcharged and one of the safety-sensors is kicking it off. (then it resets in about 10 seconds)
In any case, it would be pretty easy for an experienced AC technition to diagnose your problem. First thing would be to hook up the guages to know exatly what is going on withiin the system. A good tech can tell EXACTLY what the problem is within a couple minutes by just looking at the guages.
Without guages, you should be able to carefully feel the AC plumbing with your hands to tell if the compressor is working. (pipes should be proper tempartures)
I just went through having a jetta that would not start if it sat for a day. It was determined it was not in the electrical but the fuel system by using a bit of starter fliud in the intake the engine would start and run. I checked all the fuel pressures and everthing was fine. I then disconected the temp sensor and jumpered the terminal. The car started and ran well. Changed out the sensor $40 after market and working fine. Thought other back yarders would like to know of this. Wish i would have done this quick check first
I had a similar problem few years back on my Range Rover. Exactly the same remedy - replaced the temp. sensor in the air intake air assembly and the car would start fine.
Anybody else have a 2008 Wolfsburg Edition with the 2.0T? We now have 30,000 miles on it. This thing is about to drive us crazy. We have had it back to the dealer twice (would be more often if it wasnt so inconvenient) for the above mentioned problems. The guy at jiffy lube asked me the other day about the "surging" as he pulled it into the bay to change the oil. We have been told twice by the dealer that they have re-programmed the transmission and this is normal behavior. I am pretty sure that if this car had been this annoying on the test drive I would have never have bought it. Anybody know the correct fix for the problem? Thanks.
I have a 1995 volkswagon Jetta GL III that i recently had to change the timing belt, because of the extra marks on the pulley i put it 180 out and when i went to start it there was a loud backfire and this plastic thing on the top of the motor towards the back exploded. After that i bought a new plastic thing and did the timing right the car runs great for about 5min when cold only then looses power, but seems like it gains some back at exactly 4000 rpm. SO my question is what part could be harmed by a backfire
I don't think I am going to have any problems with this, but want to be educated, so I am looking for general advice on issues to watch out for in getting my Jetta repaired from a collision. I have a 2004 Jetta that was in a minor collision (I hit the car in front of me in slow-moving traffic). I have an appointment with a body shop that has a really good reputation locally. I have the estimate from the independent appraiser that my insurance company hired.
Is it normal for the appraiser to look at your car externally only and not get under the hood? The appraisal was done while I was at work, so I was not present and the appraiser said he did not need to look under the hood. My insurance company, Amica, which I've had good experience with, said they can adjust the estimate later if the body shop finds something when they get into the car or they can start a new claim if additional repair is unrelated.
Even though the collision occurred at a pretty low speed (the other car was a van, and had no damage), my Jetta seemed to get pretty banged up. The hood seems to have gotten misaligned and I am unable to close or open it from the position that it is in. The front of the Jetta is showing damage and is somewhat impacted in.
From what I understand of the appraisal, it is talking about a front bumper cover "assy" (operation: overhaul), remove/replace front bumper cover, refinish front bumper cover, remove/replace front bumper cover molding, refinish front cover molding, remove/replace grille, refinish grille, align hood panel, etc. Parts and labor estimate is a total of approximately $1700. Hourly labor rate is $85 an hour (seems low? I'm in San Francisco.)
One particular question I have is about the paint. The accident seems to have caused the paint to "fracture" is the best way I can describe it. So it looks like if you leave it alone, eventually it is going to peel off in thin long strips. A friend had to get a Camry repaired from an accident, and after the repair, the paint eventually did peel off in long strips like that, so they seem to have not done a proper job in repainting it.
Also, is it normal to make the estimate and make the repairs "based on the use of crash parts supplied by a source other than the manufacturer of a motor vehicle"? (The body shop already ordered the parts.)
Thank you for any advice that you have. It is really nice to be able to use this form.
Body shop labor is much less than auto repair labor. Actually, $85 seems high to me, but that's probably due to your high cost location. It has been a few years, but I recall $40-50 being the body shop labor rate around here.
It is normal for the insurance company to try to skru with you and try to get out of it cheep. DO NOT SIGN ANYTHING until you are completely satsified with the repairs.
Another thing to consider... Dont forget that your VW has a 10-year/unlimited milage corrosion warantee... if you do not use VW parts... that warantee will be null and void.
Well - here we go again. At 13K miles my front remote door lock module is "acting up" (2009 Jetta Tdi Wagon) - sometimes it locks and sometimes it doesn't - when using key FOB button.
The part is officially called "latch" ( VW part # 3B4-839-016-AP). I had one already replaced on my rear right door back in January this year.
Made an appointment for this Saturday and the dealer has to "special" order this item and in a week or so it will be replaced under warranty.
Seems that VW did not solve these pesky little electrical problems that they have all the time.
Checked again into when (and if) Subaru will introduce their diesels to US market but it does not look bright as they do not have the automatic transmission for their diesel engine (they only have manual - 3rd year in Europe running). Problem is the high torque of their diesel engine that has to match the automatic transmission. New transmission is not even in the pipes in their R&D.
Yep, your timing belt is starting to shred and will shortly come apart trashing your engine. Take it to the shop IMMEDIATELY. I've actually tried to get a class action suit against VW because their timing belts break long before even the recommended "check" date.
Here's my experience so far. I drive a 2008 Jetta Wolfsburg Edition with 2.0Turbo and DSG transmission. Currently at 46k miles.
The following have been repaired or replaced under warranty.
At 40k the engine intake manifold failed. FYI a new intake manifold plus installation is over $400!
Electronic gremlins such as the alarm going off unprovoked eventually traced to an improperly installed engine wiring harness.
Excessive wind noise from driver door caused by bad rubber seal.
Various ill fitting interior panels replaced.
I received a letter from VW extending the warranty for the DSG transmission to 100k. According to VW certain DSG units may be susceptible to early clutch wear. So far I haven't had this problem.
All service & maintenance performed by the dealership. That said I am very pleased with the car so far but time will tell
Another "petty" electrical problem on my 2009 Jetta Tdi Wagon at 14 K miles.
Front passenger door's remote lock malfunction. P/N 3B1-837-016-CG (officially called "latch" on VW part's fiche) has been "special" ordered by local VW dealer and will be installed under warranty.
For all you out there who do not hear horn click when you lock your car with key remote.
The fabric that VW has used to cover the ceiling in my 2006 VW Jetta is starting to separate. I'm hearing that I would need to replace the ENTIRE ceiling and it would be very expensive. Have any of you VW owners experience this? If so, what was your solution? Did you indeed replace the entire ceiling? Did you have VW do the job? What was the total cost? In my case, it's only a small area that has started to separate. I'm hoping there may be some solution which would not involve replacing the entire ceiling piece.
I've had that done on another car (also an import) and I found that if you use an outside upholstery shop they can do it for less than half the price.
Actually, the dealer normally subcontracts this job to an upholstery shop anyway.
I my case, I brought my car to the dealer to get an estimate and then took it out. Then I took my car to a local upholstery shop close by and I heard some worker there saying: oh, we have seen this car here before!
An upholstery shop normally buys the OEM VW lining anyway. Also, VW dealer usually doesn't have the experience to do the job.
Comments
that trunk latch problem has been mentioned many times by other owners, but my 06 hasn't shown the problem, probably it has the newer part.
(Apparently VW has a newer part for replacing the old part. here's some info from fred's tdi forum:
parts counter says 4F5827505D is the current version. $64.25 online. $75 or so at the dealership.)
Reportedly the problem can be cured by disassembling the latch and lubing it every few months. Or by replacing with the newer part...
You can peruse their "Brake Sets" and customize which pads/rotors you wish to include in the set you order. It is not really all that expensive... about $120 per axle for high-quality stuff.
Personally, I went with "zimmermann" rotors and "ATE" pads. With this combination, my Jetta feels like it has air-brakes... VERY powerful stopping.
If you *insist* on ceramic-based pads, you can chose the "Akebono" pads.
To answer your questions about ceramic-based pads.... the main thing is that they put off less brake dust. The dust they do create is not black like other pads.... it is more greyish. This tends to keep your wheels looking cleaner between washings.
The first step with new rotors/pads is to season the rotors. This entails thermo-cycling the rotors over several days.... allowing FULL and COMPLETE cooldown between heatings. This removes internal stresses from the metal and should guarantee that you will not suffer from rotor warpage. ALL pads need to be seated into the rotors. The physics of seasoning the rotors is really a tranferrance of a very thin layer of pad-material to the rotors.
After seasoning the rotors, the pads can be dealt with. Breaking-in pads is essentually allowing the pads to wear down enough to fully conform to the contours of the rotor. Some folks call this part "letting out the smoke". It entails VERY hard braking to get the pads smoking. This burns off residue from the manufacturing process. After every hard stop... drive for at least 20 minutes to allow cooldown. (warning--cheep rotors will warp during this process)
If the rotor-seasoning and pad-breakin is done correctly and carefully, you will be rewarded with many years of VERY strong brakes with no warpage or other issues.
The choice of sensor is soley based on what your car has installed from factory. The front-left-inner pads would have the sensor if it is installed. It is easy enough to turn the steering fully to the left, shut off engine and reach in to feel if there are wires attached to the inner-pads.
Do not forget to get a supply of DOT4 brake-fluid so you can replace the fluid and purge the ABS brake system. This absolutely MUST be done every 2-3 years on every car....lest you are asking for expensive ABS brake problems down the road.
You need to resolve the problems so the trouble-lights are extinguished.
Engine oil filter - make sure you get P/N that ends with "E" - that one costs a bit more but it has a "pre-filter" for cold and humid climate zones (an extra layer of fiberglass mesh).
Factors that may affect earlier filter changes:
Frequent drives in dusty or sand blowing conditions, air pollution, humidity, smoking (in the car), heavy rain or snow conditions.
I cannot give you an advise on location of these filters because I have a 2009 Jetta Tdi Wagon and you may have them at a different location.
Last time I checked, my dealer was charging $40 for one and $50 for the other (don't remember which was how much). The engine air filter should definitely be changed in accordance with the manufacturer recommendation.
With the pollen or cabin filter you can pretty much do what you want, that filters the air going into the passenger compartment, so it does not have any affect on warranty coverage. If you don't change this, it may eventually start to cause the air coming in to the car to smell bad. I had ours changed at 2 years and 17K mi, but it looked pretty clean so this time I'll go at least 3-4 years or maybe leave it go until we get to 50 K mi (assuming we do not start noticing any smells).
Obviously, the person who does the work needs to be competent. Use correct parts, oil, components, tecniques....etc.
Even if someone messes up changing the cabin filter.... VW cannot claim that affects the warantee on the engine or the unlimited-milage corrosion warantee. Bottom line is that there is not much one CAN do to "Affect the warantee". The warantee is not a all-or-nothing propasition.
If you chose to do work yourself, simply keep the receipts for the parts you purchase as proof. I assume you realize that you may need some tools and skill to do the work yourself. (Torx, hoseclamp pliers...etc)
------
To answer your question about a website showing how to replace the filters... YES there are several complete with color photos.
I have done it many times with various convertibles that I owned in my lifetime. It worked like a charm!
Alternatively, you can have this done by any good professional auto body shop.
The dealer will not help you in this matter unless the car is under warranty and if so, they will do the same and/or subcontract this to a reputable auto body shop.
This was the case for a 2006 NB. It took 3 visits to the dealer for them to fix it.
The way they correctly diagnosed it was by removing all the rugs and THEN driving the vehicle through a carwash, with two technicians searching for the leak.
As far as problems starting a car in wet weather, if it's a gasoline engine, check the spark plug wires and distributor - and replace wires and distributor cap, if applicable. The usual suspects....
Is there a sensor in the door that I can replace? How about a fuse? Any ideas?
It's a 2000 Jetta VR6
It is not trivial to fix. If you are adventurous , there are instructions on the internet complete with photos. Be prepared to disassamble the entire door and remove the glass too.
Is there an easy way to disengage the beep? I don't mind locking the door with the key, but I want to get rid of the beeping if this is going to be a high cost fix.
various web sites have photos of exactly where/how to look for this problem.
Since the onboard computer keeps a log of all these occourances (windows, doors, heated-mirrors...etc), I would suggest you use a VagCom to help you diagnose the issue.
GOOD LUCK, ALWAYS THE AUXILLARY FAN GOING BAD.
So here's the problem:
Air still blows out of the vents, but it's not cold. I recharged it last weekend at Autozone but that it didn't work. So I figured out my compresser keeps kicking on and off about every 10 seconds. The condenser fan doesn't spin and I'm not sure what would be causing it.
Anybody know anything about A/C?
If your compressor is kicking on and off... then I would suspect that it may be overcharged and one of the safety-sensors is kicking it off. (then it resets in about 10 seconds)
In any case, it would be pretty easy for an experienced AC technition to diagnose your problem. First thing would be to hook up the guages to know exatly what is going on withiin the system. A good tech can tell EXACTLY what the problem is within a couple minutes by just looking at the guages.
Without guages, you should be able to carefully feel the AC plumbing with your hands to tell if the compressor is working. (pipes should be proper tempartures)
Wish i would have done this quick check first
Worst case - Piston hit valve and physical engine damage occoured.
I don't think I am going to have any problems with this, but want to be educated, so I am looking for general advice on issues to watch out for in getting my Jetta repaired from a collision. I have a 2004 Jetta that was in a minor collision (I hit the car in front of me in slow-moving traffic). I have an appointment with a body shop that has a really good reputation locally. I have the estimate from the independent appraiser that my insurance company hired.
Is it normal for the appraiser to look at your car externally only and not get under the hood? The appraisal was done while I was at work, so I was not present and the appraiser said he did not need to look under the hood. My insurance company, Amica, which I've had good experience with, said they can adjust the estimate later if the body shop finds something when they get into the car or they can start a new claim if additional repair is unrelated.
Even though the collision occurred at a pretty low speed (the other car was a van, and had no damage), my Jetta seemed to get pretty banged up. The hood seems to have gotten misaligned and I am unable to close or open it from the position that it is in. The front of the Jetta is showing damage and is somewhat impacted in.
From what I understand of the appraisal, it is talking about a front bumper cover "assy" (operation: overhaul), remove/replace front bumper cover, refinish front bumper cover, remove/replace front bumper cover molding, refinish front cover molding, remove/replace grille, refinish grille, align hood panel, etc. Parts and labor estimate is a total of approximately $1700. Hourly labor rate is $85 an hour (seems low? I'm in San Francisco.)
One particular question I have is about the paint. The accident seems to have caused the paint to "fracture" is the best way I can describe it. So it looks like if you leave it alone, eventually it is going to peel off in thin long strips. A friend had to get a Camry repaired from an accident, and after the repair, the paint eventually did peel off in long strips like that, so they seem to have not done a proper job in repainting it.
Also, is it normal to make the estimate and make the repairs "based on the use of crash parts supplied by a source other than the manufacturer of a motor vehicle"? (The body shop already ordered the parts.)
Thank you for any advice that you have. It is really nice to be able to use this form.
Thanks!!!
Janice
found some current data:
http://www.autobodyonline.com/industry/laborrates.cfm?rfsh=306106110
It is normal for the insurance company to try to skru with you and try to get out of it cheep.
DO NOT SIGN ANYTHING until you are completely satsified with the repairs.
Another thing to consider...
Dont forget that your VW has a 10-year/unlimited milage corrosion warantee... if you do not use VW parts... that warantee will be null and void.
The part is officially called "latch" ( VW part # 3B4-839-016-AP). I had one already replaced on my rear right door back in January this year.
Made an appointment for this Saturday and the dealer has to "special" order this item and in a week or so it will be replaced under warranty.
Seems that VW did not solve these pesky little electrical problems that they have all the time.
Checked again into when (and if) Subaru will introduce their diesels to US market but it does not look bright as they do not have the automatic transmission for their diesel engine (they only have manual - 3rd year in Europe running). Problem is the high torque of their diesel engine that has to match the automatic transmission. New transmission is not even in the pipes in their R&D.
The following have been repaired or replaced under warranty.
At 40k the engine intake manifold failed. FYI a new intake manifold plus installation is over $400!
Electronic gremlins such as the alarm going off unprovoked eventually traced to an improperly installed engine wiring harness.
Excessive wind noise from driver door caused by bad rubber seal.
Various ill fitting interior panels replaced.
I received a letter from VW extending the warranty for the DSG transmission to 100k. According to VW certain DSG units may be susceptible to early clutch wear. So far I haven't had this problem.
All service & maintenance performed by the dealership.
That said I am very pleased with the car so far but time will tell
Front passenger door's remote lock malfunction. P/N 3B1-837-016-CG (officially called "latch" on VW part's fiche) has been "special" ordered by local VW dealer and will be installed under warranty.
For all you out there who do not hear horn click when you lock your car with key remote.
Actually, the dealer normally subcontracts this job to an upholstery shop anyway.
I my case, I brought my car to the dealer to get an estimate and then took it out.
Then I took my car to a local upholstery shop close by and I heard some worker there saying: oh, we have seen this car here before!
An upholstery shop normally buys the OEM VW lining anyway. Also, VW dealer usually doesn't have the experience to do the job.