Jeff Strachan
Veteran Member
It is with a heavy heart that I must post this. Not sure why I waited so long, perhaps I was hoping the problem would go away.
Some of you may recall I had the Wett chip installed this summer at their office in Indiana. I then drove on to Montreal and back to Colorado. Shortly after I got home, the turbo blew, with about 10K miles on my '00 Golf. The dealer where I bought the car replaced it under warranty. I did, however, tell them about the chip. The service guy said 'ok', just take it out before you leave the car with us, which I did, in their parking lot.
I tried in vain to determine the cause of the failure. The final word from the dealer was that it was a defective turbo, and he also stated that they get 1 bad one in 10. I thought this was an absurd statement and passed it off as uninformed. I still suspected in the back of my mind the Wett chip may have somehow been involved, so I didn't put it back in.
Just over a month ago I installed the TT exhaust upgrade. For those who say this does nothing without also adding a chip to change the fuel map, I beg to differ. There is more snort at the higer revs, even on a stock engine. Agreed, the chip is the single most bang for the buck, but the exhaust does do something.
Ok, I'm sidetracking. About 3 days after installing the exhaust I experienced a 2nd turbo failure. This left me stranded on the way home from driving my son to school. Fortunately a friend was driving by and drove me home.
I called VW roadside assistance and (4 hours later) had the car towed to the closest VW dealer. It is still there.
After a few days of hearing nothing from the dealer I called them. They were waiting to hear what VW had to say. The discussions I had with the tech and the service manager were all innuendo, but apparently not only was the turbo blown, but a new engine was also going to be required. When I asked if this is all covered under warranty, would I get a rental car, I continued to receive the same response: 'we have to wait to hear from VW'.
Over a week later I again called the dealer. I was informed that the VW regional technical field 'expert' had examined my vehicle and determined the ECM had been tampered with.
I went on to profess that the chip was not in the car when it blew up. Agreed that at one point a chip had been in there, but not since the turbo was replaced the first time under warranty, just 1200 miles previously! I asked for the name of the regional service 'God', did he inspect the ECM, what faults were thrown, etc.? The dealer tech that I was talking to told me that the regional guy noticed the ECM mounting bracket was bent. He pulled out the ECM but couldn't get it open. He also noted there was 'excessive' silicone sealant on the edges of the ECM. His final analysis was that it was 'tampered with' and thus the dealer was not to proceed with this work as warranty work.
I then spoke to the service manager and he told me there was nothing he could do - this regional tech guy makes the call. I asked how much all this would cost and he said ~$8500. I asked for this reginal guy's name and his phone number. He gave me his name, but I was not allowed to contact him directly. He told me he would have this guy call me. I called VW's customer service (ha!) line. They said they were aware of my situation and were waiting to hear what the regional field guy says. The next day they say my case is closed. The reginal field tech has the final word on determination of cause of failure, and what is or is not considered warranty work. And, all contact with this person must be through the dealer's service manager.
I call back the service manager, but he was out. I leave a message and tell him 'Harold' never called me back. I then started investigating Lemon Laws in CO, Magnuson-Moss, etc., etc. I called the BBB and started a case for arbitration. I continued to try to get in contact with this field rep through the service manager. No go. I recieved a package from the BBB but they want info that I don't have - work orders, etc. I want these too! I call the dealer again and ask that they fax all the stuff they have on my car. (Remember, this is NOT the dealer that I bought the car from, or the one that replaced the first turbo.) After a couple days they finally faxed me a bunch of stuff.
The hand-written scrawl on the work order reads "ECM Has been tampered with High Performance chip. Warranty Engine and Turbo repair is declined." Signed by Harold Gomez, Volkswagen of America.
I fill out the claim and send the 'package' back to the BBB. That same day VWoA calls _me_, noting that I've started making noise with the BBB. They reiterate that the field rep has the final word. I go on to tell her that the chip wasn't in the car but I realize I'm just talking to myself. Yes, I'm going to arbitration through the BBB autoline. Only today was I able to send the requisite paperwork back to them to make this official. This was all a week ago last Tuesday.
A week ago last Thursday I got a call from the service manager telling me (again) that Harold will definitely call me that day. He didn't. He called me the next day. Talk about defensive, arrogant, etc. "You wanted me to call you? What do you want?" I confirmed he never opened the ECM. "I didn't want to break it", he said. I knew for a fact that the Wett chip wasn't in there, and also have the VAG results from the dealer that ZERO faults were thrown. This guy keeps ragging on me that his word is *the* word. He didn't have to test the box because the mounting bracket was bent. "We've tested that chip and know it causes problems." What chip, I asked. "The ECM was tampered with." He mentioned something about 'our lawyers', blah, blah. I wish I had recorded the conversation to send to VW to show them how their field reps talk to their customers. This was a wasted conversation, but insightful to me just to hear what kind of... person I was dealing with. I thanked him for calling back and he then hung up on me.
I've also contacted Kelly at Wett about this. At that time (right after it happened) she was on her way to Germany and said she would bring this up with Frank. I asked if they can come up with some data that proves the chip did NOT cause this problem. She hasn't gotten back to me.
So, that's where I am. I expect to hear from the BBB and/or VW next week.
Jeff.
(Driving winter vehicle now, '87 Samurai. Ugh!)
Some of you may recall I had the Wett chip installed this summer at their office in Indiana. I then drove on to Montreal and back to Colorado. Shortly after I got home, the turbo blew, with about 10K miles on my '00 Golf. The dealer where I bought the car replaced it under warranty. I did, however, tell them about the chip. The service guy said 'ok', just take it out before you leave the car with us, which I did, in their parking lot.
I tried in vain to determine the cause of the failure. The final word from the dealer was that it was a defective turbo, and he also stated that they get 1 bad one in 10. I thought this was an absurd statement and passed it off as uninformed. I still suspected in the back of my mind the Wett chip may have somehow been involved, so I didn't put it back in.
Just over a month ago I installed the TT exhaust upgrade. For those who say this does nothing without also adding a chip to change the fuel map, I beg to differ. There is more snort at the higer revs, even on a stock engine. Agreed, the chip is the single most bang for the buck, but the exhaust does do something.
Ok, I'm sidetracking. About 3 days after installing the exhaust I experienced a 2nd turbo failure. This left me stranded on the way home from driving my son to school. Fortunately a friend was driving by and drove me home.
I called VW roadside assistance and (4 hours later) had the car towed to the closest VW dealer. It is still there.
After a few days of hearing nothing from the dealer I called them. They were waiting to hear what VW had to say. The discussions I had with the tech and the service manager were all innuendo, but apparently not only was the turbo blown, but a new engine was also going to be required. When I asked if this is all covered under warranty, would I get a rental car, I continued to receive the same response: 'we have to wait to hear from VW'.
Over a week later I again called the dealer. I was informed that the VW regional technical field 'expert' had examined my vehicle and determined the ECM had been tampered with.
I went on to profess that the chip was not in the car when it blew up. Agreed that at one point a chip had been in there, but not since the turbo was replaced the first time under warranty, just 1200 miles previously! I asked for the name of the regional service 'God', did he inspect the ECM, what faults were thrown, etc.? The dealer tech that I was talking to told me that the regional guy noticed the ECM mounting bracket was bent. He pulled out the ECM but couldn't get it open. He also noted there was 'excessive' silicone sealant on the edges of the ECM. His final analysis was that it was 'tampered with' and thus the dealer was not to proceed with this work as warranty work.
I then spoke to the service manager and he told me there was nothing he could do - this regional tech guy makes the call. I asked how much all this would cost and he said ~$8500. I asked for this reginal guy's name and his phone number. He gave me his name, but I was not allowed to contact him directly. He told me he would have this guy call me. I called VW's customer service (ha!) line. They said they were aware of my situation and were waiting to hear what the regional field guy says. The next day they say my case is closed. The reginal field tech has the final word on determination of cause of failure, and what is or is not considered warranty work. And, all contact with this person must be through the dealer's service manager.
I call back the service manager, but he was out. I leave a message and tell him 'Harold' never called me back. I then started investigating Lemon Laws in CO, Magnuson-Moss, etc., etc. I called the BBB and started a case for arbitration. I continued to try to get in contact with this field rep through the service manager. No go. I recieved a package from the BBB but they want info that I don't have - work orders, etc. I want these too! I call the dealer again and ask that they fax all the stuff they have on my car. (Remember, this is NOT the dealer that I bought the car from, or the one that replaced the first turbo.) After a couple days they finally faxed me a bunch of stuff.
The hand-written scrawl on the work order reads "ECM Has been tampered with High Performance chip. Warranty Engine and Turbo repair is declined." Signed by Harold Gomez, Volkswagen of America.
I fill out the claim and send the 'package' back to the BBB. That same day VWoA calls _me_, noting that I've started making noise with the BBB. They reiterate that the field rep has the final word. I go on to tell her that the chip wasn't in the car but I realize I'm just talking to myself. Yes, I'm going to arbitration through the BBB autoline. Only today was I able to send the requisite paperwork back to them to make this official. This was all a week ago last Tuesday.
A week ago last Thursday I got a call from the service manager telling me (again) that Harold will definitely call me that day. He didn't. He called me the next day. Talk about defensive, arrogant, etc. "You wanted me to call you? What do you want?" I confirmed he never opened the ECM. "I didn't want to break it", he said. I knew for a fact that the Wett chip wasn't in there, and also have the VAG results from the dealer that ZERO faults were thrown. This guy keeps ragging on me that his word is *the* word. He didn't have to test the box because the mounting bracket was bent. "We've tested that chip and know it causes problems." What chip, I asked. "The ECM was tampered with." He mentioned something about 'our lawyers', blah, blah. I wish I had recorded the conversation to send to VW to show them how their field reps talk to their customers. This was a wasted conversation, but insightful to me just to hear what kind of... person I was dealing with. I thanked him for calling back and he then hung up on me.
I've also contacted Kelly at Wett about this. At that time (right after it happened) she was on her way to Germany and said she would bring this up with Frank. I asked if they can come up with some data that proves the chip did NOT cause this problem. She hasn't gotten back to me.
So, that's where I am. I expect to hear from the BBB and/or VW next week.
Jeff.
(Driving winter vehicle now, '87 Samurai. Ugh!)
