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The driver side mirror (just the mirror) pops off and is a $20 to $25 repair which can be done by yourself. Be aware that there is a defrost element in the mirror which comes on when the r.w. defrost is activated. See your dealer about this type of problem before asking a person who knows nothing about the car and save yourself a few sleepless nights. Order the mirror, look at the attachment and proceed.
Cars are not typically designed to work underwarer ;-)
Window Falling out > Replace Regulator its a known problem
Starter > Does it squel when its cold out? If yes just remove and apply some grease insode to the moving parts
Bad Smelling AC > Replace Cabin Pollen filter and spray some disenfectant (Lysol) in the blower moter when its on.
All simple fixes.....
The linkages seize, this is a known issue.
Please convince me to be a VW junkie. Thanks.
For your wiper squirters, it REALLY sounds as if you just have a leaking hose between the pump and the windshield squirters.
If your horn is not beeping when you lock the car, then one of the many security sensors is not satisfied that everything is OK. Do not forget that ALL DOORS must be closed including the hood and the trunk. To help isolate which sensor is not satisfied, make sure that each door will turn on the interior lights AND make them go out. If that is OK, then verify that the "trunk open" indicator works when the trunk is open. If that is OK, then the only sensor left is the one on the hood-latch.
Also, do not forget that the "horn beep" when locking is PROGRAMMABLE and may have been turned off...in which case, dont bother checking all the door switches.
This is the biggest issue yet. For 3 days the dealer can not figure out what is wrong with the car other than it is misfiring. Car was bucking and engine light started to flash. Pulled over and had towed to dealer. Spark plugs were fouled and they say it is oil. Can not find oil issue anywhere but with each replacement of plugs they get fouled within 14 miles of driving. Any similar experiences and solutions?
I bought a Civic-Ex three years ago at 70,000 miles and has no power at all starting from 100,000 miles. So even the car looks great, doesn't guarantee it will last for a reasonable period.
I suggest you bring the car to a German car mechanic for inspection before purchase.
Good Luck.
or if it is a lower mileage model that has been driven in an area (city, state, etc...) where the roads are poorly maintained, you might want to have the other shock components (springs, upper shock bushing, bump stops, etc...) checked out as well. If those are bad, then the new shocks won't last very long as they will bottom out at the first severe bump/pothole you encounter in the road.
If ALL the sparkplugs ae oil-fouled, the it is unlikely that oil has suddenly started to leak past the rings on ALL FOUR CYLINDERS all at once. Thus leads is to oil getting into the intake plenum.
You did not mention which engine you have. If it is turbocharged, then most likely the turbocharger seal is allowing oil into the intake.
If your engine is NOT turbocharged, then suspect the PCV (Positive Crankcaase Ventalation) system is allowing oil into the intake manifold.
You could experiment by disconnecting the PCV (oil seperator) from the top of the engine) by removing the hose between it and the intake manifold. PLUG the open nipple to the intake manifold and just run a hose from the oil-seperater down to dangle in the air.
If the above experiment "fixes" the problem and you no longer have plug-fouling, then you have isolated the source of the oil.
boy do i
thanks
we know nothing of warranty transfer ours came with a limited warranty from the dealer. ( 2nd owners too)
What do you consider the "back" of the engine? If you are referring to the side of between the engine and the firewall, there is not very much that can leak oil in that area on the 2.0L engine.
You are wise to take the vehicle to a TRUSTED mechanic and let them look over the entire vehicle. Most oil-leaks are not a big deal... but some are.
Can you throw me some light on the 80k service on 96 jetta. Its a auto transmission, 2.0L 4 cyl engine. Dealer quotes 600 for Timing belt change...don't exactly know how much is it worth....
Any views are welcomed...
Thanks
thanks
I have a 1997 vw jetta with 141000 miles. I was thinking about selling it, so I had it detailed where they washed the engine as well. when I went to pick my car up, it would not start. the owner of the car detail place has a father who is a mechanic who said my car would not start because of a bad ignition coil.
What is confusing to me is why did the ignition coil happen to all of a sudden not work right when the engined was washed. Would washing an engine cause something like this to happen? Does this make any sense? I do not know if I was being taken advantage of or if it was just a coincidence that my ignition coil went bad right when it was washed.
if you have any advice about this I would really appreciate it to help me understand this.
thank you!
If the coil has cracks, it's time to replace it.
The automatic transmission is having major problems. Basically, the car does not want to change gears. If you go to put it in reverse, it keeps moving forward a bit before reversing, which is dangerous for parallel parking and on hills. Same thing with accelerating: I've had it not switch into gear at stoplights and almost gotten rear-ended on several occasions.
I can't just add transmission fluid because of the sealed transmission, and I took it to my private mechanic and he told me to talk to VW directly. I've got an appointment at the dealership for Friday morning, and I talked to someone at VW of America this morning about trying to get it covered under the powertrain warranty - it's been 6 years, but at 36K miles it's ridiculous for the car to be having transmission problems.
Anyone have similar transmission experiences? How long do you think a diagnostic appointment at the dealership will take? Any idea what could be wrong and how much it could cost?
the same thing I think happen to me.
first the red battery looking light came on, then the epc, abs, etc but anyway, my car just slowed down and turned off, what did you do?
generator/red battery looking light come on. after running for a bit, the ABS light then came on and then the EPC light. The car then started to stall and shut off, i had to pull over.
can someone please tell me if they had this experience and hwta may be wrong with it. Please, i just bought the car and its all the money I had saved for a car and now I need to get it fixed and can't afford to be taken advantage of by a mechanic.
thank you.
Thanx for any help,
Cambridge MA
There are pictorial step-by-step diagrams how to do it available on the internet. Do some searching on the internet. (The Edmunds rules do not allow me to put a link to it from here)
Son driving car; stick stuck in 3rd gear. Pushes it out, but then stick is floppy...won't go into any gear but 3rd. He drives home in 3rd gear.
Take car into VW next day. They advise problem as "shift relay lever broken". Needs to be replaced.
As installing noticed that one "relay cable" is bent. Replace both cables.
Once relay lever and cables installed, car will still not go into gear. Advised that problem is clutch. Must have burned out driving in 3rd gear (to home ~11 miles; to shop ~7 miles).
Clutch replaced but car still not engaging....must have damaged transmission. Cannot determine extent of problem....cheaper to replace w/rebuilt transmission.
Help! What started out as a ~$200 fix is now ~$4000, with no guarantee of correction.
Questions:
- how can shift relay break? It appears to be a strong piece.
- can shift relay break cause relay cable to break?
- must you replace BOTH cables if one is broken?
- can clutch burn out by driving in 3rd gear for ~20 miles....attempting not to stop/start knowing there is a problem?
- can relay/cables cause transmission gears to break?
- to solve this problem, did it need to be done incrementally? No diagnostics available?
Bought car for ~$12K in Feb 2004. Now has 52K; worth may $10K operating. But need to put $4K to fix. What to do?
I eventually figured it out on my own, using an eyeglass repair flathead screwdriver to pry it open at the seam... I may have ruptured the gasket a little -- which may end up sucking if I ever drop the remote in the drink -- but it fit back together pretty nicely with only a little deformation of the plastic. The part I gouged runs along the female groove of the half that houses the curcuitry and so is invisible anyway -- when you snap the male half (with the key, proper) back together with it... Dealer wanted me to bring it in and would probably have loved to have charged me 100 clams for a new one!
Thanks
The old part they gave you... can you describe what it looks like? (how big is it? does it have any electrical connectors?)
Not only that, it is unlikely that a "throttle body" could do anything to cause the engine-computer to go bad. A "throttlebody" is not electric in any way.
I bought a 2001 Passat that had no driver's manual. I'm trying to figure out the following:
1. How to change the time
2. How tor reset the radio channels
3. I get lousy radio reception and wanted to know if I should get a new antenna?
Thanks in advance
thanks
I know that it's straight forward, but is there any special tools that I will need?
I will be changing my girls pads at her place, so I will be hauling my tools to her house. I just don't want to be stopping every 5 minutes to go to the parts store for a tool.
Thank you
"The 1.8 turbo engines can have a problem with sludge build-up. It's not so much inside your engine, but the hoses and pipes that run around it, and the oil pump pick-up screen....this fix right now is to see how badly your engine is plugged and either do nothing and switch to synth oil and a bigger filter - or replace the engine and use synth oil and a bigger filter. The turbo eng. just runs too hot - and most people don't know that you should always let a turbo engine cool down after a drive and change your oil frequently."
Any reason or ways to diagnose would be appreciated - it interferes with my fuel consumption!
Klerk