$447 to replace MAF?

Lightflyer1

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Sep 13, 2005
Location
Round Rock, Texas
TDI
2015 Beetle tdi dsg
Exactly. I have done this before with several cars. I provided the parts (OEM) and they provided the labor. There was no warranty but I was really picky on who I dealt with, that I trusted to do excellent work. We discussed this before hand and had an agreement. I was comfortable with it and so was he. There were no issues and one of them (BMW mechanic) even complimented me on buying all the parts needed and the correct ones the first time. Even jokingly offered me a job ordering parts for them! This is what I mean by knowledge and communicate. I picked an excellent mechanic, ordered first rate parts and worked out an agreement that worked for both of us. The 1999 BMW 328ic was an excellent car when he finished the work.

I had also done this on a limited basis with runonbeer with some of the cars I have owned and flipped.
 
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iamatt

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 5, 2006
Location
Rosharon, Texas
TDI
2014 Jetta 6 Speed manual
Yeah you got screwed hard. Bosch maf like.what 80 bucks and like.you said just mins to change. You should try working on your own vehicle you might be surprised. Most maintenance is really not hard including timing belt.

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Lightflyer1

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Sep 13, 2005
Location
Round Rock, Texas
TDI
2015 Beetle tdi dsg
He didn't get screwed, he got exactly what he approved up front. There is a cost associated with having work done by a mechanic. If you don't like those costs, get the books out and learn. Buy some tools and do it yourself. Parts can be found cheaper pretty easy. But finding the issue and doing the work eludes most people.
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
Yeah you got screwed hard. Bosch maf like.what 80 bucks and like.you said just mins to change. You should try working on your own vehicle you might be surprised. Most maintenance is really not hard including timing belt.

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I probably talk to one customer a day who is chasing a boost failure issue on a TDI. Yesterday one called after he did a timing belt change and thought something was wrong with the belt install. Could be a boost leak, could be a vacuum hose that came off during the timing belt change, MAF could be unplugged. Sure, a MAF is easy to change, but I can't tell you how many customers contact us thinking they've received a faulty MAF. They haven't, but it didn't fix their problem, because the one on the car wasn't faulty. So instead of saving money, they've just wasted it. And they don't want to spend money on VCDS which would help (not totally, but help) them isolate a problem.

Paying shop rates can be a bargain. And if you have a good shop you trust, it provides tremendous peace of mind. Without my local guru I wouldn't be driving cars with as many miles as mine.
 
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oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
We get cars in here every day that the owner's, or a "buddy", has thrown piles of parts (often substandard low quality junk) at a problem that they cannot figure out. And it is often something painfully obvious to someone who is actually familiar with the vehicle in question.

And this is certainly not limited to TDIs, or Volkswagens, or any specific brand. We just had a Mustang in here this week that the owner was trying to figure out why both banks' camshaft timing kept flagging DTCs once the engine was warm. He'd replaced the solenoids, the cam sensors, the crank sensor.. .blah blah blah... never bothered to check the oil pressure. Which was brutally low once warm due to the oil pan that got crushed when someone jacked up the front of the car by the oil pan and caved it in and bent the oil pump pickup in the bottom. Turns out that is also why the engine starts rattling once warm, too. The driveway brake job provided by his brother-in-law and Autozone now provided him with the need of a new engine. :rolleyes:
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
That would be funny if it wasn't sad.

Another example: my son's '02 Golf was suffering low power, archetypal dead MAF systems. I had a known good spare, so during a visit (120 miles away) we replaced it. No improvement. Took the car to mr chill at Kraftwerke, he opened the hood reached back to the wire loom that goes to the MAF, peeled back the insulation, showing an exposed wire. Repaired the wire and the car was fine.

Another: My '99. 5 Golf would constantly blow the 10A fuse that, among other things, powers the starter. Dead car. I carried fuses and replaced them when they failed, which seemed to be random. Took it to Kraftwerke, and he opened the hatch, exposing bare wires that ran beside the hinge. Hatch release is on the same circuit.

Tell me experience isn't valuable.
 

SilverGhost

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 25, 2005
Location
Back in So Flo - St Lucie
TDI
'05 Golf - totaled :(, wife's '13 Beetle - buy back, TDIless
Here is a post explaining the customer relation with auto repair shops. Goes right along with the other saying "If you think a good VW mechanic is expensive, try a bad one"



Jason
 

Ol'Rattler

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jul 3, 2007
Location
PNA
TDI
2006 BRM Jetta
Here is a post explaining the customer relation with auto repair shops. Goes right along with the other saying "If you think a good VW mechanic is expensive, try a bad one"

Jason
Life does have some parallels. Going to a cheap mechanic that will end up destroying your car is a lot like hooking up with a woman that once your in, you realize you should under no circumstance have let her know your name or where you live.

Sometimes life can be a brutal teacher. :D
 

Ol'Rattler

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jul 3, 2007
Location
PNA
TDI
2006 BRM Jetta
We get cars in here every day that the owner's, or a "buddy", has thrown piles of parts (often substandard low quality junk) at a problem that they cannot figure out. And it is often something painfully obvious to someone who is actually familiar with the vehicle in question.

And this is certainly not limited to TDIs, or Volkswagens, or any specific brand. We just had a Mustang in here this week that the owner was trying to figure out why both banks' camshaft timing kept flagging DTCs once the engine was warm. He'd replaced the solenoids, the cam sensors, the crank sensor.. .blah blah blah... never bothered to check the oil pressure. Which was brutally low once warm due to the oil pan that got crushed when someone jacked up the front of the car by the oil pan and caved it in and bent the oil pump pickup in the bottom.

Turns out that is also why the engine starts rattling once warm, too. The driveway brake job provided by his brother-in-law and Autozone now provided him with the need of a new engine. :rolleyes:
On top of that, I'll bet beer was involved. If you are going to do something that requires a high level of attention of detail, even if beer was implied, it does not start getting served until the job is done and the tools are put away. Having your brain in a fog is no way to work on anything. Spending $5,000 plus to save $100, Priceless.

My neighbor re roofed his house with friends and relatives and by looking at the finished product you can sure tell that a fair amount of beer was involved. :D
 
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iamatt

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 5, 2006
Location
Rosharon, Texas
TDI
2014 Jetta 6 Speed manual
Or another classic is spark plugs on Ford engine and half break off at the base. Luckily easy to remove with extractor, but I doubt many people own one. I do lol [emoji23]

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Lightflyer1

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Sep 13, 2005
Location
Round Rock, Texas
TDI
2015 Beetle tdi dsg
Life does have some parallels. Going to a cheap mechanic that will end up destroying your car is a lot like hooking up with a woman that once your in, you realize you should under no circumstance have let her know your name or where you live.
Sometimes life can be a brutal teacher. :D

Cheap (inexpensive) doesn't mean bad just the same as expensive doesn't mean good. Bad mechanics can be inexpensive as well as costly. Same as good ones can be either. It takes some work to find a good mechanic and once you find one, use them when possible. I used to use runonbeer when he was here and I thought his prices were inexpensive comparatively speaking. His services were excellent. His departure and no other known competent mechanic in the area I could trust, influenced my decision to go new as everything would be warranty work at the dealer for the most part. I have had good experiences at two of the dealers here closet to me.
 
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iamatt

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 5, 2006
Location
Rosharon, Texas
TDI
2014 Jetta 6 Speed manual
You sold a car and bought a new one because someone moved from Austin?

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Lightflyer1

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Sep 13, 2005
Location
Round Rock, Texas
TDI
2015 Beetle tdi dsg
I sold my 2003 Beetle tdi after runonbeer (tdiclub trusted mechanic) who had done all my work on the 4 or 5 cars I have owned, moved to the East coast. I bought a new 2013 Passat tdi at the time.
 

ToxicDoc

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 1, 2018
Location
Virginia, US
TDI
2001 Jetta, S7, .216
I read a story that went something like this: customer calls for service on a factory's machine. Tech arrives, tightens one bolt, charges $1000. Customer is furious. Tech hands over bill - tightening bolt $1. Knowing which bolt to tighten $999.
 

SilverGhost

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 25, 2005
Location
Back in So Flo - St Lucie
TDI
'05 Golf - totaled :(, wife's '13 Beetle - buy back, TDIless
I've heard that story. The long version included many other techs trying and failing to fix the machine (in a large ocean vessel). The tech is question is a wise old man with many years of experience.

Jason
 

Lightflyer1

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Sep 13, 2005
Location
Round Rock, Texas
TDI
2015 Beetle tdi dsg
I would think a large ocean going vessel and other such machinery would have sat phone contact with either company experts or mfg experts to solve issues like this. A lot of high dollar items like this will be covered by contracts and not hourly paid individuals. A lot of the time it isn't efficient to trouble shoot to the component level and the whole assembly is replaced with a known good one and they send it back to the mfg for refurbishment. I had a friend in the Navy in avionics. He said all they ever did was pull "boxes" and replace when there was an issue. The "boxes" were sent back to the experts at the factory for repair.
 

iamatt

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 5, 2006
Location
Rosharon, Texas
TDI
2014 Jetta 6 Speed manual
I would think a large ocean going vessel and other such machinery would have sat phone contact with either company experts or mfg experts to solve issues like this. A lot of high dollar items like this will be covered by contracts and not hourly paid individuals. A lot of the time it isn't efficient to trouble shoot to the component level and the whole assembly is replaced with a known good one and they send it back to the mfg for refurbishment. I had a friend in the Navy in avionics. He said all they ever did was pull "boxes" and replace when there was an issue. The "boxes" were sent back to the experts at the factory for repair.
Used to work on vessels and workboats in the o&g. Sat phones are pretty much useless when I used them. On vessel you afro engineer stuff and are pretty self sufficient until you get back to port. And the high dollar dude is sitting there waiting for you to dock if it's really a tough problem.

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iamatt

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 5, 2006
Location
Rosharon, Texas
TDI
2014 Jetta 6 Speed manual
Glad you could call your boyfriend from the cruise. They weren't worth a **** down in Bay of Campeche and Chukchi sea. But yeah 450 bucks for a maf change is ridiculous.

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Lightflyer1

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Sep 13, 2005
Location
Round Rock, Texas
TDI
2015 Beetle tdi dsg
No need for name calling. Don't know what your issue is to resort to that in a conversation.

I have made calls from the Progresso area down in that region with no issues. Also made calls from the Fairbanks and Seward areas with no issues when I lived up there for four years. Sorry your experience wasn't better.
 

Lightflyer1

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Sep 13, 2005
Location
Round Rock, Texas
TDI
2015 Beetle tdi dsg
You are mistaken. My experiences have been about what anyone's has been. Mostly good, some bad. I had an excellent experience with runonbeer while he was here who worked on about 5 or 6 cars I owned over the years and flipped some. I sent at least 5 or 6 people to him who were very happy to find him. I have had excellent experience at two of the VW dealers here. They are expensive but still good service. I have had great experiences with two BMW mechanics/shops here while I owned my 1999 BMW328ci. Not to mention several others at least, including some diesel shops for my trucks and Excursions.

I have also had some crappy experiences with some dealers and independent shops as well.

Don't know why you felt the need to jump in here with that off the wall assumption and frown either. I have many posts here with some of my good experiences with shops and mechanics. I don't believe I have ever posted a negative experience at all. Just because I posted the shop could have done more if they chose to, to reduce the cost of the repair, doesn't mean I have any problems with shops or mechanics. As I said previously the OP agreed to the repair before hand so it is on him, not the garage. But it was within their power to save their customer a couple of hundred dollars if they chose to.
 
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