tool rental for CRUA

Mark Evich

Member
Joined
Feb 28, 2022
Location
Los Angeles, CA
TDI
Golf Mk7 CRUA
Hi everyone,

been following the forum for a while, but never got to register.

After a serious mishap with the belt tensioner on my Golf MkVII (basically, the arm on the tensioner broke, was an OEM part ordered online), I'm now having an issue with a possibly bent valve. My mechanic will have to remove the head, and asked that I buy/rent the correct tools.
Is anyone in LA or even in the US able to rent out some/one of the following?

- Pry Lever P# (80-200)
- Hose Clippers (VAS6362) ( those are pathetically expensive - idk if that's how it's supposed to be)
- Crankshaft lock (T10490) - this one is pretty cheap

Mainly hunting for the two top ones - lever and clippers.

Thank you!
 

J_dude

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 9, 2020
Location
SK Canada
TDI
2003 1.9l “Jedi”
Why would you be buying tools for your mechanic? Isn’t that his responsibility?

Also there is a list of trusted TDI mechanics on the forums here, you may want to check that out.
 

Cuzoe

Veteran Member
Joined
May 24, 2017
Location
Los Angeles
TDI
MK7 Golf S
I'm not adding anything to the advice given already... but a mechanic asking you to get tools they don't have is not how things should work. It doesn't necessarily mean they are incompetent, but they are not experienced or resourceful.

I could grant the crankshaft lock is a special tool (albeit one I would want a mechanic working my TDI to already own). But the pry bar and hose pliers are things every mechanic would have. Maybe not the VAG part number but a quick search yields pictures of the actual tool. If a car mechanic doesn't have these... they can't be my car mechanic, plain and simple.

I work in aircraft maintenance and we service 30+ aircraft makes. Although we have millions of dollars in tooling, there are certain tools we (the company) have not purchased because the ROI just isn't there. These are the $20,000+ tools used to do an inspection on an outdated aircraft that is only due every 10 years. When a customer requests a job/inspection we look up the procedure/needed tooling and we source any tool we don't have... usually a rental from the OEM but sometimes a rental from another facility that works on said aircraft more often.

It is communicated to the customer, before committing to the job, that we don't have tooling x and what the rental costs will be. They then give us the approval/go ahead to rent the tool for that job, or choose to have the work done elsewhere.

At the same time, if we fail to properly look into a procedure and don't realize we're missing a tool to complete a job we've already committed to doing, that's on us. We're eating the cost of getting the right tool. We can only pray the tool isn't crazy expensive or that it's available to rent.
 

Nuje

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Feb 11, 2005
Location
Island near Vancouver
TDI
2015 Sportwagen; Golf GLS 2002 (swap from 2L gas); 2016 A3 e-tron
Ummm...yeah. If your "mechanic" (a) doesn't have a decent set of hose clamp pliers yet; and/or (b) wants you to provide a tool as common as that for him/her....
I'd be shopping for a new mechanic.

(BTW, no doubt those $150 snap-on hose clamp pliers are nice - as all Snap-on stuff is - but you're probably better served with cable-actuated ones like these for less than 25% of that price.
And a pry lever?! What mechanic doesn't have a pry lever?! And that 80-200 (from Google) seems to be aimed at removing the side-mirror glass, so....???)
 

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.
buying tools for a mechanic...
RUN. dont walk.... RUN AWAY and make sure to post some bad reviews letting people know....

also dont call this person a mechanic. that is not a mechanic...
a mechanic is someone who is paid for the services and expertise to services cars. you hear every mechanic say thing same thing..... "this is my resume" *points to tool box*

if you went to a baker and had to buy them some cooking ware... a tree trimmer a chainsaw... or a uber driver a car.. or a doctor a stethoscope.... you get the idea..
 

1854sailor

Resident Curmudgeon
Joined
Aug 10, 2004
Location
Westerly, RI
TDI
2015 Golf SE SportWagen, 2015 Golf SE Hatch Back.
So, "...the arm on the tensioner broke,,," after your "mechanic" installed it?
 

Mark Evich

Member
Joined
Feb 28, 2022
Location
Los Angeles, CA
TDI
Golf Mk7 CRUA
Hi everyone,

thanks for your answers.

Just to clarify - not trying to defend anyone, but I barely gave context - he only asked me to get these tools since he was gonna repair the engine after this failure for free, even though he believes it was a faulty part, not his installation fault. I've done a number of repairs with him, and he never ever asked for any tools, including when he was replacing the water pump and TB. Everything seemed to work great between us up until the point where this happened - great prices, attentive services, no problems after him servicing the car, etc. (he did basic oil changes and always got 507 spec oil, changed drive belt, fuel filter (he made sure to bleed the system with the right software etc.), - no issues with any of these).

Also, since I posted this, he already said he will source the tools himself. It was mostly my proposal to him since he proposed to work on this for free, and only asked if I could help out on tools and parts.

Again, my point is not to "defend" the mechanic, and rather to give some context.

The parts have been referenced for my specific engine (CRUA), and the tensioner was Gates, which, as far as I know, is OEM.

I've already started the claim with Gates on this, but I would like to attach some pictures and see if you'll have something to say based on what you see - how probable is it that something was done wrong during the installation?

The car drove fine for a few dozens of miles after the service, the only thing I noticed right off the gate was 19-20 MPG vs my usual 35-36 in the city.
I didn't hear any unusual noises, nor did care behave weirdly. But then after a few days of driving, engine made a very dreaded noise, so I immediately stopped the car.

When the mechanic took out the part, he confirmed that he didn't over or under tighten anything, nothing was loose or positioned in the wrong direction.

please check out the pictures I attached - what would y'all say about this? Thanks...

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KnHmj4cvQtPyyDEb85lNnjnuQEJxMpBp/view?usp=sharing
 
Last edited:

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
It is more a case of, were the tools used (and used properly) when the belt was installed.

Here are all the tools required to set that belt:


And here is what the complete OEM level kit looks like:


And I am pretty sure that is a Litens tensioner in there, not Gates.

Closer pic:


You can clearly see the VW/Audi logo on it, and the stylized "Litens" on it, and of course the 'MADE IN CANADA'.

So it certainly could have been the use of substandard parts, or it could have been improperly installed, or a combination of both.
 

Mark Evich

Member
Joined
Feb 28, 2022
Location
Los Angeles, CA
TDI
Golf Mk7 CRUA
Hey y'all,

just want to give an update. The car is now fixed and running better (well, at least MPG wise) than before the repair.

I also wanna say that everyone on this forum was damn right - my previous mechanic kept pushing it back and back and back, messed the camshaft housing up, and bent some valves.... to his honor, he agreed to cover all of the parts (including expensive camshaft assembly from VW, since you can't buy a housing only) AND the labor of a new mechanic - Fred from Artesia, I'm sure you guys know him. So at least he took full responsibility.

Fred came and did the whole job - and I'm talking putting the head back on, camshaft, timing... in 2 days. Could be even faster if it was not for the mess left behind by a previous guy. Lesson learned - only trust the car to the person who knows my kinda car and comes with tools and skills.

Thanks everyone for chiming in - glad I listened to the advice y'all gave me. Back on the road now!
 

Mark Evich

Member
Joined
Feb 28, 2022
Location
Los Angeles, CA
TDI
Golf Mk7 CRUA
Well, not exactly, because rn I sent it to VW for DEF line replacement under warranty, but it's a minor thing compared to what I went through lol
 

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.
honesty and covering the mistakes made .... HUGE
if it happened to me i would still recommend them to others but not for those who have cars not in the service that mechanic knows. being able to cover stuff like that shows not only the professional side but also the success of the mechanic because that is within the cost of business for him.
glad it all worked out.....
 

Cuzoe

Veteran Member
Joined
May 24, 2017
Location
Los Angeles
TDI
MK7 Golf S
Could you share contact info for Fred from Artesia (via PM if that's his preference)? My car is only approaching 60k but I've been thinking about getting the timing belt/water pump done based on age.

And I've been quite worried about where/who would do it, because it won't be me 🤣.
 

Mark Evich

Member
Joined
Feb 28, 2022
Location
Los Angeles, CA
TDI
Golf Mk7 CRUA
Oh my bad!
Naaaah ain’t no secret!
here you go:
+1 (562) 922-5247

And his Yelp page:
 
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