[redacted] garage in Randolph, Maine: a place to AVOID

Abacus

That helpful B4 guy
Joined
Nov 10, 2007
Location
Relocated from Maine to Dewey, AZ
TDI
Only the B4V left
I am writing this for 2 reasons:
1) to rant, and
2) so if people do a search they'll find this and have more knowledge with which to base their decisions.

I met a nice older couple at a restaurant, in their late 60's or so, with a mint '96 B4. When I mean mint, it has almost no clearcoat peeling, 136,000 original miles, and no rust since it's never seen a Maine winter (they snowbird to Florida and have the B4 setup with a tow bar). In chatting with them about it the owner said power would drop off occasionally when he tried to pass and the clutch stayed down sometimes so he'd have to pull it back up with his foot. I mentioned Herm to him, as I always do to people who need a reputable TDI mechanic, but he seemed disinclined to take it to him and wondered if I could just take a look at it since I seemed to know a lot about them. I explained I wasn’t a mechanic, just an enthusiast that did my own work, and he was fine with it. He said it was at an independent garage (locally, known for working on VW's and TDI VW's) for a timing belt this summer and he wanted a lot of money to fix the other issues, so he decided to just live with them since they didn't drive the car that much.

It'd been a few weeks before I could get to it (new metal roof, car work of my own, rebuilding my brother's B4, death in the family), but I finally went to look at it last night. When he moved it into his barn, I noticed it started hard and ran rough, with more smoke than it should have had. The clutch pedal did stay down when I tested it, so I immediately went to the clutch slave and bled it, and the nastiest fluid I have ever seen came out. When I asked him about it, he said it was original. No problem, I bled it with new fluid and plan to bleed the whole system, explaining it should be done every 2 years. The clutch now seems to work fine, but I brought a spare slave & line with me anyway, and will replace them and the master if it continues. The clutch return spring is in place and working normally. They told him the reason it was staying down was the throwout bearing and that he’d need a new clutch. Strike 1.

For the low power issue, I immediately went to the ECU and pulled it apart, found the hose with a hole in it and changed it. No more limp mode, but I have a spare N75 ready just in case. They said it needed a new ECU. Strike 2.



Next I mentioned the smoke to him and asked him to start the car so I could put the Vag-Com on it. I noticed the coolant temp sensor unplugged and inquired about it. He said the car wouldn’t start without it in these temperatures and that he just lived with it that way. I plugged it back in to get the timing graph and found it worked fine, so I looked closer and found a broken wire on the back of the OOD (Orb of Death). Easy to miss and misdiagnose, so they get a pass on that one.

But when the car was up to temp, the timing was off the graph, severely retarded. I pulled the top timing belt cover and found this:



Yep, Mark & Pray. The worst part was the oil all over the inner cover, which was coming from the cam seal they obviously never changed. Thankfully the oil was only on the cover and under the cam pulley and not all over the new belt, since it didn't have that many miles on it. Checking over the idler roller, I found rust on it, indicating it wasn’t changed with the belt, which was thankfully a Dayco. So I checked the date on the timing belt tensioner and it had a code of 50/99. That’s right, it was manufactured in 1999, so they never changed it. Strike 3…you’re out!



I told him he’d been ripped off on this timing belt job and the car was a time bomb. He said he had another vehicle to drive, which was good. So now I have an order in for the timing belt components, the serpentine tensioner, and cam seal. I’ll redo the system and make sure it’s right.

Checking the car over further, I also changed out the leaking fuel return hoses to stop the dripping diesel fuel. How they missed this is or why they would let it continue is beyond me. The hoses looked very old, as were the vacuum hoses, and these is no way they just started leaking that much fuel. The guy is not without being able to change the vacuum hoses, so I’ll put it on a list for him. I noticed when he got something out of the rear of the car he went to the opposite side, so I asked about his door handles. He said one didn’t work, so I showed him the roll pin issue and he was amazed at how simple it was to fix. He didn't know it had a cabin air filter (yuck!), so he'll order that along with the other parts. Overall he was impressed with how easy things seemed to be to work on, and he worked on his diesel tractors and (mint) '41 Chevy all the time, but he'd heard how hard these cars were, so he never did anything himself.

I had always heard good things about the garage in Randolph, but after this mess, I will no longer recommend them for anything. There is no excuse for work this shoddy.
 
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Abacus

That helpful B4 guy
Joined
Nov 10, 2007
Location
Relocated from Maine to Dewey, AZ
TDI
Only the B4V left
No thanks, I have a day job already and have enough to do between keeping the wife happy and repairing my own. It's why I usually refer people to Herm, I just don't have the time and am only good at the Mk3's anyway.
 

GTiTDi

TDIClub Enthusiast, Macht Schnell! Vendor , w/Busi
Joined
Oct 18, 2010
Location
3 Spruce st Wareham, gateway to Cape Cod Massachus
TDI
'91 GTI CJAA swap,'02 Jetta wagon ALH swap, '03 GTI 1.8T rally car, '03 Sprinter 3500
No thanks, I have a day job already and have enough to do between keeping the wife happy and repairing my own. It's why I usually refer people to Herm, I just don't have the time and am only good at the Mk3's anyway.
Too late! You are already becoming more and more of a B4/A3 guru whether you like it or not lol! ;)
 

VeeDubTDI

Wanderluster, Traveler, TDIClub Enthusiast
Joined
Jul 2, 2000
Location
Springfield, VA
TDI
‘18 Tesla Model 3D+, ‘14 Cadillac ELR, ‘13 Fiat 500e
Well done! You probably saved these people a major headache on the middle of I-95.

-1 for (redacted, under new ownership)!
 
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Mcgink

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 15, 2004
Location
South of Boston MA
TDI
I-Red,"The Passat formerly known as Harlequin" 97 B4, a non VW GTDI too
No thanks, I have a day job already and have enough to do between keeping the wife happy and repairing my own. It's why I usually refer people to Herm, I just don't have the time and am only good at the Mk3's anyway.
I was wondering if you had a day job. I don't know how you have the energy to do all of the Automotive work that you accomplish in addition to a day job and a "Honey do List".

It was a great thing that you did to help that couple out. NJOT :cool:
 

Abacus

That helpful B4 guy
Joined
Nov 10, 2007
Location
Relocated from Maine to Dewey, AZ
TDI
Only the B4V left
I can't imagine having to see stuff like this every day.

Update: the car is finished and the owner is very happy, so much that he gave me a nice tip because he thought I didn't charge enough and went way above and beyond what he expected.

I was wrong about the timing belt tensioner, it did not say 50/99 like I first thought. I was looking at it in a mirror and could not see the whole thing in the picture I posted. Here is what it looks like off the car:




And here is a closeup of the date code:



Yep, that really says "50/95" on it. It was the original tensioner that came with the car, which now has 136,791 on it. So he was hosed by the last TWO timing belt changes, the first one completed by a stealership.

Amazing...

And the broken wire off the back of the OOD wasn't the curplit. I tried tracing down the wire that was causing it after repairing the one that was broken and couldn't find it initially. Yes, I cleaned the OOD grounds before I put them back on. It was actually nice working on a non-rusty B4 for a change, everything comes apart nice and easy.




But I wasn't going to let it go and finally found the problem, which was in another location:




And a closer look:




Here is everything exposed, note the funky factory ground crimp (brown wires, click on picture to enlarge):




I also changed the serpentine tensioner, which I'm sure was original, and it stopped his belt bounce. I set the timing right on the money, slightly above the middle line, and he was amazed at how much smoother the car sounded. I replaced his N75 and added a jumper wire to his headlight relay so now his low beams will stay on with his high beams. I also found the clip that holds the coolant temp sensor plug in place, it was in the driver's door pocket, so I'll put that back on my spare harness 'just in case'.

He said he will never again set foot at the local VW garage or at O'Connor VW in Augusta, who did the first timing belt many years ago since they failed to change the tensioner and the cam seal, which was starting to wear a pattern in the cam.
 
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Ifixit

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 13, 2011
Location
Waitsfield, VT
TDI
97 B4 Passat GLX TDI Wagon & 99 Golf & 05 Passat 4motion Manual & 04 Audi A4 Avant
Nice job mark!
Unfortunately I see this stuff all too often as well.. Pretty easy to make people happy..
Know your vws and do it right!
Guess your keeping busy.. That's good
Hope your well
Nick
 

migbro

Veteran Member
Joined
May 19, 2010
Location
Lincoln, Mass.
TDI
2003 Golf GL
I noticed when he got something out of the rear of the car he went to the opposite side, so I asked about his door handles. He said one didn’t work, so I showed him the roll pin issue and he was amazed at how simple it was to fix.
Good job.

The driver side rear door on my '03 Golf won't unlock and won't open. I haven't researched this yet but thought I'd ask - is the roll pin issue B4s only?
 

tdidieselbobny

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 4, 2005
Location
Stafford,NY (WNY)
TDI
'03 Galactic Blue Jetta TDI, '15 Silk Blue Golf Sportwagen TDI
Damn! Good job- sucks you pay people GOOD money,and they screw you over. How many neighbors you have? You should start hoarding wrecked B4's and parts for all the work you do on yours..... did you kindly mention to the older couple IF they ever get rid of their Passat,you want first dibs;)? Sounds like you don't have time for your REAL job with all the work you seem to do on your B4's(and relatives):p.....
 

Abacus

That helpful B4 guy
Joined
Nov 10, 2007
Location
Relocated from Maine to Dewey, AZ
TDI
Only the B4V left
Migbro, I have no idea on the A4 since I do not have one. Sorry I can't be of help.

Bob, I did the job at his house and often travel to other people to work on their cars. I have a bunch of parts to work on mine, and they have needed a lot of work since all were pretty well neglected, but many of the parts have been used so I'm always looking for more. I usually pass the parts along as well, to those in need and not just those who want them. Some parts I'll keep for myself, but if I have a spare, I'll offer it up.

The owner actually offered to sell me his Passat but I declined. I called yesterday to make sure it was still going OK and he said he was very happy with the car again and won't be selling it anytime soon, I think he was just frustrated with it due to the shoddy workmanship from other garages and the car not running right. He did his Italian Tune-Up and said he'd been missing the car for awhile now. They hardly drove it since it didn't have any power and smoked a lot. He told me he now grins again when he drives it. I get satisfaction from people not only treating their cars right but appreciating them as well.

It may have spawned a lead on a B4 TDI, however, I'll have to see how it turns out. His son, with whom I was talking during the belt change, supposedly has one out behind his house with a snapped timing belt and he wants to get rid of it. I'll follow up later after the holiday. Since it's a complete car, I know a few people still looking for one and I'll offer it up to them first. I have enough for me to do now and don't need to add a rebuild in the mix.

Oh, trust me, I definitely have a day job, and it rears its ugly head at times too. It's much different working on these cars, so it sort of gives me a reprieve since it's something different. It's like when I used to build lobster traps after work, it was great and a needed supply of extra money to pay off the divorce. Working on one of the B4's all the time is the price I pay for (supposedly) knowing what I'm doing when others don't. I never claim to be a mechanic or have all the answers, and tell people right up front if it's something I may be able to help on. I always seem to get the call anyway since in the land of the blind the one eyed man is king. Another friend is driving down to PA for his very first B4 TDI this weekend, so there will be another one in the mix. All total there are our 3 B4's, 2 B4's my brother's have, 5 A3's and 4 B4's that I have worked on locally. Thankfully it's not all the time and a few of the owners are somewhat mechanically inclined. More and more people ask me about them, however, assuming I'll be their mechanic. I always tell them, "If you're not going to do your own work, you can't afford one", but they never seem to hear it. Oh well, you can lead a horse to water....

But I seriously need to come up with a rate if I'm going to be doing the work like I have been. There's being nice and then there's being reasonable. I'm leery of any hidden rules that come with charging for work though.
 
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Abacus

That helpful B4 guy
Joined
Nov 10, 2007
Location
Relocated from Maine to Dewey, AZ
TDI
Only the B4V left
Thanks, got it.

The post said this, for all who are wondering:

lowefishme said:
Hello my name is Jerry and I bought [the independent VW garage referenced above] and was wondering if you would remove you post due to the fact Jason no longer rents a bay at [here]...he has been gone since September 2016... I don’t work on vw much... I specialize in Subaru, Toyota.. I would appreciate if you would remove this post as it does not pertain to me ... if you have any questions feel free to call me XXX XXX XXXX thanks.
Thanks for the PM, Jerry.

Since my experience is historical and available for others as a learning tool, I am disinclined to erase it, but will add this as an addendum for those who do a search. Thank you for letting us know, and good luck with the garage.

I did edit out the former name from the post and the title so it should not come up in a search.
 
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