Ooops they did it again...dealer put additives in oil and fuel

Hello,

at the 40K service the dealer put additives in my fuel and oil.
i called the dealer and they did swear that it was the correct thing to do, since i knew it was not i called VWOA and they said the dealer was wrong, that they will let the dealer know the correct procedure, and gave me a $150 gift check to re do the oil change.

Last saturday i brought my car to the same dealer again for the 50K service, and surprise surprise again i found additives in oil and fuel.
I talked face to face this time with my SA and he did swear it was the correct thing to do. I told him about the 40K service and still he didn't change his mind.
i went home and called VWOA again, they called me back yesterday after the investigation and said that the dealer said they will perform a free oil change if i would like to do so, plus they will give me a gift check to refill my tank.
i said that i don't want to go to that dealer nor any other dealer anymore, that i was unhappy, and asked for an extended warranty for powertrain and exhaust.

they refused to do so since the car is running fine and there are not evidence that there will be any damage to the car, and also because it was a dealer issue and not a car issue which is BS to me.

i asked then what will happen if i have a problem at 60,001 miles, and they said that they will take in consideration the use of those additives if something come up while out of warranty....sure...

I told the case manager i won't take my car to any dealer anymore after this, and he dare to ask why...unbelievable!!!

I'm really considering to sell the car at this point...what do you suggest???

What additives did they use?

571214 VPS oil Additive $9.99
ZVW-340-002 Additive $9.99

Claudio said:

571214 VPS oil Additive $9.99
ZVW-340-002 Additive $9.99

Click to expand...

I dont know what these are.. .but...

most of the time the additives are anti wear additives for the oil and worse it can do, is make the engine last longer, and shorten the life of the converter.

as to the fuel... gas or diesel.. I dont see any problem..

so ... worse case your engine will last longer and you cat will get a coating from the additives... and that will doubtfully happen at anyway as they additives are not enough to do it..

now if they added a cup of sand to the engine................

Why is selling the car on your mind?

Simple fact, Just don't use that dealer anymore. Where in IL are you at? Is there only one dealer around?

Wow. I'd keep pestering them to get something in writing- just in case. Especially with the HPFP issues going on right now.

here's a brochure on the oil additive they used:
http://autoadditives.net/uploads/571214_vps_oil_additive.pdf

and here's the one for the fuel:
http://www.worldimpex.com/parts/genuine-part-diesel-fuel-additive-stanadyne_164135.html

SoTxBill said:

I dont know what these are.. .but...

most of the time the additives are anti wear additives for the oil and worse it can do, is make the engine last longer, and shorten the life of the converter.

as to the fuel... gas or diesel.. I dont see any problem..

so ... worse case your engine will last longer and you cat will get a coating from the additives... and that will doubtfully happen at anyway as they additives are not enough to do it..

now if they added a cup of sand to the engine................

Click to expand...

i'm not sure about it, VW has very thigh specs on what oil to use, and this additive could have changed the chemistry of the oil

dzcad90 said:

Why is selling the car on your mind?

Simple fact, Just don't use that dealer anymore. Where in IL are you at? Is there only one dealer around?

Click to expand...

because this oil additive could have created problem
i have another dealer close, but i really don't want to to go to any VW dealer anymore since they prove that they don't know what they do, even when told.

my main concerne is the lack of knowledge, as i said they SWEAR that adding additives to 09 and up is the correct thing to do

Unless the additive was glass beads, sand, or steel shavings there is a very high likelyhood of no damage being caused if you got the oil changed as soon as you caught the error.

The fuel additive is Stanadyne, which is totally fine and probalby actually beneficial. It's just padding for the invoice.

It'd be great if VW clarified it's position on fuel additives by updating their year 2000 TSB or the Owner's Manual- which if I'm not mistaken says additives are verboten. Until then, I'd use this situation as my out in the event of a subsequent HPFP failure.

tditom said:

It'd be great if VW clarified it's position on fuel additives by updating their year 2000 TSB or the Owner's Manual- which if I'm not mistaken says additives are verboten. Until then, I'd use this situation as my out in the event of a subsequent HPFP failure.

Click to expand...

C'mon, Tom...a bit of over-reaction?

Oil additive doesn't go near the HPFP.

Stanadyne can only help the HPFP.

The action of this dealer is despicable.

I'm not saying the fuel additive will damage the system. I'm suggesting that you get it in writing that the dealership service department used a fuel additive, which (AFAIK) violates the Owner's Manual directions. I only suggest this because of VW's lousy reputation for trying to stick the customer for "mis-fueling" when a CR fuel system fails

I never said the oil additive impacted the HPFP. Oil additives are just a bad idea, period. I'd bet there is a blurb about that in the Owner's Manual as well.

See the following post... hopefully he'll add a scan of the letter he's expecting from VW that should state what he was told over the phone: "VW does not endorse using any additives and that using them will void the warrantee."

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=310195

Yuri

I personally use a tad bit of oil additive every other oil change. I went from having a bit of gunk in the bottom end to a clean on in 2 oil changes using lucas synthetic oil stabilizer. I don't think it's always necessary, but chemistry came back very good both oil changes. I don't think a quality additive is a bad thing.

jimmybling31 said:

I personally use a tad bit of oil additive every other oil change.

Click to expand...

Your car is long out of warranty... they're concerned about the new Common-Rail engines...

Yuri

Just out of interest, check out the Fuels and Lubricants section. Henry B spoke with a VWOA rep who told him that additives will void the warranty, not that that is an issue here. Point is VWOA and all dealerships need to get on the same page.

jimmybling31 said:

I personally use a tad bit of oil additive every other oil change. I went from having a bit of gunk in the bottom end to a clean on in 2 oil changes using lucas synthetic oil stabilizer. I don't think it's always necessary, but chemistry came back very good both oil changes. I don't think a quality additive is a bad thing.

Click to expand...

If you use a good quality oil, and change it in time, you should never have any gunk build up.

Since the additive package in modern oils is very finely tuned, adding somehting in an uncontrolled manner may be detrimental.

I'd agree that the oil additive is a no no.

But I run stanadyne quite regularly and feel good about it.

dzcad90 said:

The fuel additive is Stanadyne, which is totally fine and probalby actually beneficial. It's just padding for the invoice.

Click to expand...

Maybe. Does stanadyne melt styrofoam?

ymz said:

See the following post... hopefully he'll add a scan of the letter he's expecting from VW that should state what he was told over the phone: "VW does not endorse using any additives and that using them will void the warrantee."

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=310195

Yuri

Click to expand...

i made this question to my case manager:
if you find out i was using an oil additive and i have a problem on some parts of the motor that is in contact with the oil, would my warranty be denied?
His answer was: probably yes

tditom said:

violates the Owner's Manual directions

Click to expand...

Much mis-quoted myth. The 2010 manual is absolutely mute on the topic. Don't know about the 2011.

I'd get the oil out pronto. 507.00 oil is pretty specific and I don't see any additives helping the existing additive package out. Plus, everything the additive purports to do, 507.00 already does and then some.

This dealer just wants to make an extra $20 every oil change, that's all.

For less than $50, you can do your oil change on your own using genuine VW fluids and parts.

it is becoming pretty silly: in order to receive the check for the fuel tank they want me to send a copy of the 50k invoice plus a copy of the receipt of the fill up.
i asked why since i'm sure they can get the copy of the service and they know how many gallons goes in my fuel tank and what is the cost per gallon. The person on the phone said i should wait until my tank is empty then fill it and send the receipt...i'm not sure if i should cry or laugh...

Claudio- What does your owner's manual state re. additives?

i don't have it with me right now but i think i read somewhere that they were not recommended, but i can double check when i get home

Claudio said:

i don't have it with me right now but i think i read somewhere that they were not recommended, but i can double check when i get home

Click to expand...

I think that it'll fail to mention a single thing about FUEL additives other than that they're not required. It's very cleverly written in my manual.

Claudio said:

571214 VPS oil Additive $9.99
ZVW-340-002 Additive $9.99

Click to expand...

Interesting. The ZVW-340-002 is Stanadyne, costs $3.85 at Impex. The VPS 571214 is Valvoline Professional Series Oil Additive. There's a UOA for this product at BITOG. Looks like retail price for this product is about $18.00.

In any case, it's possible that neither of these products were added to your fluids. They're the perfect stealership invoice padders as there's no easy way for you to verify that they were actually added. That may be why the SA was so sanguine. "No worries, sir, they won't harm your car as they were never actually installed! Oh, wait...."

Take the repair order and save it. It is on record that these were used incorrectly. Don't go there any more. Change the oil out for the correct oil sans additive. Drive the fuel out. Service as required somewhere else. Drive it. "If" you have an issue, pull out the RO and blame it on VW.

I say if they want a recipet for fuel, fill up your car and some jerry cans, for a total of 25 gallons or so and see what response they have. They want a recipt give em one worth while.

i checked my manuale and it doesn't said anything about fuel additives. however when i asked VWOA they said they are not recommended.
On the other hand the manual says to not use any oil additive bacause it may void the warranty. it also says several times to use only 507.00 oil

Claudio said:

i checked my manuale and it doesn't said anything about fuel additives. however when i asked VWOA they said they are not recommended.
On the other hand the manual says to not use any oil additive bacause it may void the warranty. it also says several times to use only 507.00 oil

Click to expand...

Customer Care isn't as tightly reviewed as the manual. It's absolutely intentional that the manual's only mention of fuel additives is that they are not required for your vehicle. It doesn't say they're not allowed, just that you don't need them. Customer Care should sing the same tune, but a lot of times they avoid the ambiguity and outright say no, because you shouldn't need them.

Oil additives are a no-no in basically every new car. I'm sure they provide some benefit to older cars ran on the cheapest oil available, but for newer cars, you're already running oil with an additive package.