Help in Oswego, NY?

[Erich Zimmerman]

Hi All,

We just moved to the Oswego, NY area and we're trying to find someone knowledgeable about MK4 Jetta TDIs. My son had the injector pump replaced in Hartford on his Jetta before he came home from college, and now it runs like crap. It idles really rough, the CEL is on and the glow plug light is flashing. These were NOT on before he had the pump replaced. I ran the codes and only a "upper quality limit reached" code comes up.

I called the mechanic in Hartford and asked the guy if he replaced the timing belt and the water pump while he had them off and he said, "uh no, the belt looked good so I just put it back." It probably has ~150,000 miles on it since I replaced it last time.

The mechanic we took the car to thinks the injector pump timing is off; but didn't have Vag-com so he had to order the cable for his laptop. Anyone near Oswego that we can go to to have this fixed?

Thanks,

Erich

 

[hskrdu]

Flashing GP light is a more serious warning than others. Timing belts may last a long time- but the rollers and parts in the pathway do not, that's why it's a 80-100k service (or every 5-6 years). It sounds like the previous mechs didn't really know TDIs, so check the guru list (which is often outdated), and avoid shops who no longer thave a TDI expert.

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It's too bad it's not still near Hartford, Mike McCann is right across the border.

 

[Erich Zimmerman]

Thanks hskrdu! I forgot about the list of recommended mechanics. I'll check that now. My son goes back to Hartford in ~2 weeks so I'll reach out to Mike McCann if we can't figure this out by then.

 

[hskrdu]

Happy to help. Mike Hevster is south of you (near Port Jervis), but it's not a quick trip from Oswego (81 to 86 or 81 to 84). Honestly, the biggest concern is getting the car someplace given the age of the components (plus the TB was removed and IP reoplaced, but timing not done?). Obviously towing can be pricey, but the more cautious members here might suggest not even running the engine until a proper TB job has been completed- that all the parts in the system, plus water pump and thermostat, etc. (See one of the trusted vendors for a good complete kit). If he's gonna keep the car, it's worth investing in Ross Tech VCDS so that you won't have to rely on others as much, and 3-4 uses pays for itself vs dealer fees.

 

[Erich Zimmerman]

Agreed. The mechanic in Oswego seems generally competent, but busy and a 1-man shop. First thing he said when I described the issue was something like, "He put in a new injector pump; but didn't replace the timing belt/parts and water pump? Why wouldn't you replace them while they're off?" He knew enough to know he needed a VCDS to set the injector timing, so perhaps he knows his stuff. He has at least one Jetta (his wife's MKV), so fingers crossed for now. I'll post how this turns out. From the map it doesn't look like anyone close to Oswego so I can hopefully add this shop (Jim's Automotive) to the list this week. For all I know he's doing research on TDIclub now. Let's hope.

 

[hskrdu]

There's that one Euro place in Waterloo, but I have no experience with them. When I lived in central NY I used a VW place near Cazenovia, but I wouldn't trust them with a TDI.

Good luck, I'm sure it will work out ok.

 

[BobnOH]

Agreed. The mechanic in Oswego seems generally competent, but busy and a 1-man shop. .......................................

Good mechanics are always busy, be patient.