chet_mcwhittington
Member
Hey folks, long time lurker...new memeber. I need the sage wisdom of the forums so I finally registered. I had a 2009 TDi Sportwagen that i sadly turned in at the start of 2017. I had racked up over 300,000 miles on it with not a problem.
I bought a new golf hatch but it sucked, so when my dealer started selling used 2015 Sportwagens this summer I grabbed one. An S model with 45,000 miles on it. I have an hour and half commute everyday plus occasional trips to GA. The car never sits for long in 3 months since purchase I have put around 15,000 miles on it.
This week when I went to head to work every warning light imaginable came to life and the car wouldnt start. Brake warning and Parking warning as well as tire pressure and ESC. I fiddled around for a bit but nothing. I used VW roadside to tow it to the nearest dealer (not the purchase dealer) who began to try and figure out the problem. First they replaced the shifter mechanism...nothing. Then they checked the battery ( which i did and it was perfect) ... nothing. Finally after about 400 bucks worth of diagnosis time they found that a rodent had eaten the wiring harness behind the battery. A quote of nearly $10,000 was then given to me. There are no rodents small enough to do that in my area...I live in Baltimore we only have cat sized rats. My purchaaing dealer said that the cars had been stored on a lot for a while..but didnt seem to think that could be the issue. They are basically washing their hands with car saying its my fault. And that I must now call my insurance company and likely have the car totaled.
I'm at a loss...neither dealer seems to think months of sitting in field could lead to rodent damage. Has anyone heard of any other issues like this? I searched around but didnt see anything. Any suggestions about my possible moves forward would be welcome. My wife is taking a cab to get our son to school so i need to figure soemthing out.
Thanks and sorry for the extreme length.
I bought a new golf hatch but it sucked, so when my dealer started selling used 2015 Sportwagens this summer I grabbed one. An S model with 45,000 miles on it. I have an hour and half commute everyday plus occasional trips to GA. The car never sits for long in 3 months since purchase I have put around 15,000 miles on it.
This week when I went to head to work every warning light imaginable came to life and the car wouldnt start. Brake warning and Parking warning as well as tire pressure and ESC. I fiddled around for a bit but nothing. I used VW roadside to tow it to the nearest dealer (not the purchase dealer) who began to try and figure out the problem. First they replaced the shifter mechanism...nothing. Then they checked the battery ( which i did and it was perfect) ... nothing. Finally after about 400 bucks worth of diagnosis time they found that a rodent had eaten the wiring harness behind the battery. A quote of nearly $10,000 was then given to me. There are no rodents small enough to do that in my area...I live in Baltimore we only have cat sized rats. My purchaaing dealer said that the cars had been stored on a lot for a while..but didnt seem to think that could be the issue. They are basically washing their hands with car saying its my fault. And that I must now call my insurance company and likely have the car totaled.
I'm at a loss...neither dealer seems to think months of sitting in field could lead to rodent damage. Has anyone heard of any other issues like this? I searched around but didnt see anything. Any suggestions about my possible moves forward would be welcome. My wife is taking a cab to get our son to school so i need to figure soemthing out.
Thanks and sorry for the extreme length.