Was stuck in snow, now car shakes between 25-35mph

joesaiditstrue

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 10, 2019
Location
Illinois
TDI
2013 Jetta Sportwagen 2.0L DSG
Day after I was stuck in some snow (managed to drive out after 30 minutes of fighting with Drive/Reverse (6spd DSG), car started shaking at low speeds (between 25-35mph).

took it to Midas, asked them to look at it. they called me back saying I had half a gallon of water inside the front driver's side tire (????), a roofing nail in that same tire, and front passenger side tire out of balance. they did not do an alignment. they said they didn't find any bands broken in the tires

whatever, paid them, picked up the car, felt like it was back to normal. decided to do my due diligence and drive around for about a half hour to make sure it was fixed, and slowly the shaking returned. again, only between 25-35mph.

the shaking is barely noticable if the car was sitting for a few hours in the cold weather. as I drive the car (warming up the engine/wheels/bushings/etc), the shaking becomes more and more apparent

the shaking is vehicle speed dependent.

the shaking happens at any RPM/gear as long as I'm in that specific speed range (25-35mph)

car shifts normally, no abnormal noises anywhere.

no shaking at all at idle, or past 35mph (I've taken the car up to 60mph with no shaking)


I don't want to dump a ton of money going down a rabbit hole. what would you guys recommend I have done next? alignment + tire rotation?

also, no CEL+codes. engine temps are fine, oil was recently changed, DSG service still has another 15-20k to go. odometer is at 120k so timing belt is coming up soon per my manual (says 130k)

also, for my peace of mind, based on the information I've put here, can you eliminate any possible catastrophic problems such as transmission/engine/DMF?
 

CleverUserName

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Oct 25, 2014
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NorCal
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2014 OZ Cruze CTD & 2010 JSW 6MT & 2017 GMC Canyon CCLB ATX 2.8 Duramax
The water in tire story sounds like BS.

If it's only speed dependent and not related to RPM it is usually one of 6 things.

Wheel/tire Balance
Abnormal tire wear or alignment
Bent wheel
Bad wheel bearing
Damaged or failing CV axle
Drive shaft (does not apply with FWD cars)

I had a similar issue with my truck when it was new. Vibration at speed over 75 mph. Paid for a tire balance which did nothing. Took it in for a recall and asked them to check the alignment of the driveshaft and CVs for cause of vibration. They said it was from the A/T tires which was normal.

I recently had the tires replaced with a set of BFG K02 and it completely solved the problem. So the issue was with the crappy Goodyear OEM tires or the wheel balance which should have identified the problem 4 years earlier.

The manager at Big-O said they had a hunter road force balance machine however I don't think this was true as none of the BIG-O tire shops I called years later had one. I believe he lied to me as they are expensive. Likely did nothing or just a standard wheel balance.

A good RFB should be able to identify a bent wheel or tire balance issue.
 

joesaiditstrue

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 10, 2019
Location
Illinois
TDI
2013 Jetta Sportwagen 2.0L DSG
Thanks so much for the early morning response to my thread/questions. People who take the time to help others for free are a rare breed

What would you recommend my next course of action be? Should I go back to the same shop, or take the car to Firestone? I figure since they deal with mostly wheel/tire stuff, they might be more qualified? VW dealer is 30 minutes away

Again, thanks for your help!
 

CleverUserName

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 25, 2014
Location
NorCal
TDI
2014 OZ Cruze CTD & 2010 JSW 6MT & 2017 GMC Canyon CCLB ATX 2.8 Duramax
Thanks so much for the early morning response to my thread/questions. People who take the time to help others for free are a rare breed

What would you recommend my next course of action be? Should I go back to the same shop, or take the car to Firestone? I figure since they deal with mostly wheel/tire stuff, they might be more qualified? VW dealer is 30 minutes away

Again, thanks for your help!
Well I'd contact Midas to tell them it's not fixed and ask if they actually used an RFB machine. Since they gave you a story about water in a tire I'd be suspicious about anything they are telling you. Water can not migrate into a tire filled with air, it's not possible.

A true 4 wheel RFB will identify any tire or wheel issues. An alignment check is usually free at most alignment shops.

After that a mechanic will need to do an inspection with troubleshooting and it will get expensive to figure out what is causing it.
 

Tdijarhead

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Nov 10, 2013
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Lawrenceville PA
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2003 TDI Jetta Daughters Car, 2001 TDI Beetle, Wife’s car, 2005 Golf TDI Mine, all 5 spds
Snow and ice usually accumulate on the backside of aluminum rims during an event where you are stuck in snow. I would assume that the tire store removed/cleaned all of the snow off. If there is still snow or ice on the backside of any of your rims it will cause an unbalanced condition on that wheel. The easy way to fix that is park it overnight in a warm garage.

Beyond that, depending on how you were stuck, bent rim or damaged tire, is the most likely cause. Try moving the front tires to the rear and the rear to the front and see if the shake changes or goes away, checking for snow and ice buildup on the interior/backside of the rim while you’re doing that.
 

DivineChaos

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Jul 27, 2019
Location
Minnesota
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mk6 jetta sportwagen tdi
I've gotten so much ice pack inside the barrel of my rim that I knocked the weights off. I've also had a failing tire that the band shifted just enough to cause an imbalance but not enough to be perceptible. Do you still have those cheap Eco tour tires on that Volkswagen put on?
 

joesaiditstrue

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 10, 2019
Location
Illinois
TDI
2013 Jetta Sportwagen 2.0L DSG
I've gotten so much ice pack inside the barrel of my rim that I knocked the weights off. I've also had a failing tire that the band shifted just enough to cause an imbalance but not enough to be perceptible. Do you still have those cheap Eco tour tires on that Volkswagen put on?
no these are super cheap Kemco $68/tire Walmart special haha
 

ZippyNH

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 22, 2015
Location
Southern NH
TDI
2015 JETTA TDI SE
Did you get stuck in the snow after loosing control? Like a roadside berm? Or just a high center, etc straight ahead? Sometimes people forget rims get bent in an impact. Same for alignment....
On a serious note, if you can let it sit in a heated garage overnight...let the packed snow and Ice melt off....IMHO it would be MY first step to eliminate the possibility of ice/snow being packed someplace.
Then if it still does it...get it up on a lift, and start looking...
 

TurboABA

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Jul 24, 2010
Location
Kitchener, ON
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RIP-2010 Jetta 6spd 2014 Touareg Execline
If what you're saying is true and it only happens in that specific speed range, it has to be a harmonics issue.... you have something that's loose and\or busted and it only resonates under those specific conditions.

All other things mentioned should present themselves at other times too.

ROTFLMAO @ water in tire..... I'd always use that shop for all my repairs going forward! :rolleyes:
 

pipesta

Well-known member
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Mar 15, 2020
Location
Chicago, IL
TDI
'14 JSW TDi 6MT
Where in IL are you? Happy to take a look for you or swap some wheels around if don't have the means. I'm in Arlington Heights. F Midas lol. I'd be asking for my $$$ back if they gave me a BS line about water in the tires. I'm betting you have some snow/ice packed in the barrels of the wheels or somewhere in the drivetrain.
 

joesaiditstrue

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Joined
Dec 10, 2019
Location
Illinois
TDI
2013 Jetta Sportwagen 2.0L DSG
we had 57'F weather yesterday, all the snow and ice on the car was completely melted off. now of course we have another 6 inches of white surrounding my car
 

CleverUserName

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Oct 25, 2014
Location
NorCal
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2014 OZ Cruze CTD & 2010 JSW 6MT & 2017 GMC Canyon CCLB ATX 2.8 Duramax
I had a damaged wheel bearing from hitting a pothole on the freeway at 90+ mph in my 2009 Jetta.

It would cause a low speed vibration that would rattle the loose change in my center console and then go away at higher speeds.

After you rule out the tire/wheel/suspension cause I'd check the wheel bearings next.
 

joesaiditstrue

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Dec 10, 2019
Location
Illinois
TDI
2013 Jetta Sportwagen 2.0L DSG
Might be completely unrelated, or related, looking for help/advice

Yesterday and today I noticed that the car was stumbling a bit (Did it once yesterday, did it once tonight). This is a completely separate symptom from the shaking that occurs while driving. After accelerating from a stop, the car would hesitate a bit. I would press down a bit more on the throttle and the car would drive normally afterwards.

After experiencing the issue again tonight, I ran a scan (OBD2) and it's throwing a P1006

Torque Difference Cylinder 3: Limit Value Exceeded

I've read that this could be as simple as an injector replacement, or it could be catastrophic (compression related).

Given that my car has been shaking while driving (only within 25-35mph range), do you think the two issues are related? I'm going to have the car towed to the VW dealership just to be safe and have them look at it

I'm hoping that it's a case of two separate issues (suspension causing the shaking/injector causing the low speed hesitation)

If the engine is dying, I'll have to let the bank take the car :( I can't afford to fix something like that unfortunately.
 

joesaiditstrue

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 10, 2019
Location
Illinois
TDI
2013 Jetta Sportwagen 2.0L DSG
Also, any chance this could be covered under the extended warranty? The P1006 code

Car just ticked over 120k, I bought the car at 79k, so I'm the first owner since the modification. Here's the VW page information about my specific car:

In addition, and concurrently, the Extended Emissions Warranty runs for 4 years or 48,000 miles (whichever occurs first) from the date of modification or first dealer resale post-modification. Your vehicle was modified on Jun 27, 2018 and 79,816 miles. Please see your VW dealership for additional information on the vehicle's post-modification dealer re-sale date.
If I'm understanding that correctly, my car maintains the extended warranty until June 27, 2022?
 

06bluebeetletdi

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Sep 30, 2012
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Middlesex, NC
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'14 Passat TDI SEL and '13 Beetle TDI
I’d start with checking the intercooler pipe on the passenger side for water with the stumbling. As far as your warranty, should be 6/26/22 or 127815. 4 years or 48000 miles whichever comes first.
 

joesaiditstrue

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 10, 2019
Location
Illinois
TDI
2013 Jetta Sportwagen 2.0L DSG
I’d start with checking the intercooler pipe on the passenger side for water with the stumbling. As far as your warranty, should be 6/26/22 or 127815. 4 years or 48000 miles whichever comes first.
Every winter I experience 1 hard crank no start, but I eventually get it to turn over. This recent issue which is pulling the P1006 is a little different, the car will be driving fine all night and then I'll accelerate from a stop and it'll refuse to accelerate normally until I give it more throttle, like I'm forcing the car to use more fuel

It did this a couple months ago while I was sitting in a parking lot waiting for a delivery (Doordash). Car was running, had it in park. Car idled fine for 15 to 20 minutes. Put it in drive and start to pull out and the car stutters and almost died on me. Managed to get her going, went home. Next day, first start, hard crank no start. Took a couple minutes to get her started, and then she's been fine ever since two days ago

You think it's intercooler icing and not fuel injector on cylinder 3?
 

06bluebeetletdi

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Middlesex, NC
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'14 Passat TDI SEL and '13 Beetle TDI
It wouldn’t hurt to check, my beetle would stumble under hard acceleration the summer prior to my last frozen intercooler.
 

joesaiditstrue

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 10, 2019
Location
Illinois
TDI
2013 Jetta Sportwagen 2.0L DSG
If anybody was curious what was causing my wobble/shake:



He said the bearing side pretty much fell apart while he was taking it off the car
 

Mongler98

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Mar 23, 2011
Location
COLORADO (SE of Denver)
TDI
98 Jetta TDI AHU 1.9L (944 TDI swap in progress) I moved so now i got nothing but an AHU in a garage on a pallet.
If anybody was curious what was causing my wobble/shake:



He said the bearing side pretty much fell apart while he was taking it off the car
Ah


Its supposed to come out like that... so the boot ripped? Is the issue gone? Those bearings look intact to me...
 

joesaiditstrue

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 10, 2019
Location
Illinois
TDI
2013 Jetta Sportwagen 2.0L DSG
the inner boot was ripped bad, the outer boot had a small tear in it. but the bearings were shot inside that triple-knuckle/whatever you call it, I can pop those 3 wheel shaped bearings in and out of position

And yeah the wobble/shake is completely gone. next repair is to see how much it's gonna cost to get my DMF replaced as it's chattering when the weather warms up
 

Mongler98

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 23, 2011
Location
COLORADO (SE of Denver)
TDI
98 Jetta TDI AHU 1.9L (944 TDI swap in progress) I moved so now i got nothing but an AHU in a garage on a pallet.
FWIW I have gotten stuck in snow and what not. Got a help getting out..m ice and or crud and rocks frozen to the inside of the wheel... sounds and feels BAD....
 
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