Recent content by Alchemy

  1. Alchemy

    VW-less

    After 17 years of owning VW's (3 of them and 400k+ miles) we are no longer a member of the VW family. TDIclub.com has been a tremendous source of information and consolation, especially when we owned a B5.5 variant. To quote Kramer... 'I'm out...'
  2. Alchemy

    any info/opinions on 2005 GLS TDI wagon

    When you say GLS TDI are you talking Passat or Jetta? I had a 2005 Passat GLS TDI Wagon and there are a significant number of issues with these vehicles including Balance Shaft Module (BSM) Oil Pump Drive, Automatic Transmission failures, rust on the front wheel wells at TDC, alternator pulley...
  3. Alchemy

    Buy Back Spreadsheet - Track our buyback status

    For Those Who Have Scheduled Buyback Appointments... Are you picking the earliest day possible, or a day that is convenient considering that a replacement car is necessary? Ours is sitting in the driveway as it has been for the past three months. Uploaded notarized documents yesterday and...
  4. Alchemy

    Electrical Gremlins - Windows, Power Locks, Sunroof

    So the source of the issues was quickly tracked down by the dealer, here is their story. Several of the modules ground to the same place and the nut on the stud was not tight at all. It appears that at the factory they cross threaded the nut, and it did not run on the stud very far. Backed it...
  5. Alchemy

    Electrical Gremlins - Windows, Power Locks, Sunroof

    Good Evening Everyone, New to this forum as until recently I spent my time over in the B5 for the last 235,000 miles. Our 2012 JSW recently went stupid on me and the windows, sunroof and power door locks all stopped working at the same time, along with any warning chimes. Scanned with VCDS...
  6. Alchemy

    What would you replace your TDI with????

    BMW 328d xDrive Wagon. Of course, I wouldn't even have to think that if VW would wise-up and offer a 4-Mo Passat TDI wagon in the states.
  7. Alchemy

    2005 Passat TDI Wagon

    Have any of the expensive front suspension components been replaced yet? That will be another 2k in the next few years. That plus the balance shaft, as-is this sounds like a $7500 car.
  8. Alchemy

    Front Axle

    Pretty straightforward. You will need I believe a 17mm allen wrench and a really long cheater bar. http://www.myturbodiesel.com/1000q/b5/CV-boot-broken-replacement.htm Good Luck Ben...
  9. Alchemy

    Front Axle

    +1 for Raxles. Great product and service.
  10. Alchemy

    I need humble opinions

    That would be the residuals of your balance shaft module / oil pump chain tensioner. You now have to replace the BSM with the geared unit, or delete. Might be best to trailer it to a rough neighborhood for servicing.
  11. Alchemy

    2005 Passat TI Wagon - Reflections After 221,705 Miles

    2005 Passat TDI Wagon - Reflections After 221,705 Miles Well, after 9 years and 221,705 miles I have sold my Passat TDI GLS Wagon to a fellow TDI Club member. A week removed from the sale, I can say that I already miss the wonderful tracking and the absolute solid feel of the vehicle, something...
  12. Alchemy

    For Sale - 2005 VW Passat TDI Wagon - Oshkosh, WI

    Thanks for the kind words and purchase Lewis, I know it is in good hands. TDICLUB.com is a great resource and community, and it makes me feel good that the Passat is now in the hands of a fellow TDI club member who appreciates the 'unique' attributes that all VW's have.
  13. Alchemy

    Dog Barriers in JSW WITH PANO

    Joe, you are exactly right about the rattle, I had the same problem. Fixed it by pulling the tubes out and wrapping the ends of the adjustable sections with one layer of electrical tape. This eliminated the metal-on-metal contact of the telescoping tube. Rattles fixed.
  14. Alchemy

    Dog Barriers in JSW WITH PANO

    Try this one, I used it in our 2005 Passat Wagon, and it has now migrated to the JSW. Used on the back seats it is perfect (the picture below appears to be with it on the front seats). Here is a link for purchase on Amazon...
  15. Alchemy

    For Sale - 2005 VW Passat TDI Wagon - Oshkosh, WI

    Sale is pending, thanks for looking!
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