VW Dealer and GWC Warranty..a bad combo!

BlueJay83

Active member
Joined
Sep 23, 2006
Location
Delaware
TDI
'10 JSW, '84 Land Rover D110 Pick Up
Six weeks ago, I sold my old tdi and bought a 2010 JSW tdi at a NJ VW Dealer near work. The car had 105k miles, appeared to be well cared for, and the dealer added a GWC 90 day warranty.

Three weeks ago, while parking, my DSG trans wouldn't go into Reverse..in Drive it stayed in 1st gear..and I'm and hour from home. No gear indicators are shown on the dash (D, R, N, or P). I shut it off and restart, all is back to normal. I drive home.

I take it to my local VW dealer in Delaware, GWC Warranty in hand. They evaluate, then tell me that the Mechatron Unit (MU) needs to be replaced. They call GWC for an Inspector. Inspector comes the next day, disagrees with VW and recommends that I go to one of 3 transmission shops that he recommends.

I hold off for a few days, head back to work in NJ. I decide to get another opinion at the VW dealership who sold me the car. They also say the MU is bad, but that GWC will not cover the repair. Service Mgr says that "we can work something out."

I'm steamed; they probably knew that the car had issues since they inspected in upon trade-in. They sold me a warranty that doesn't support the problem, and now they want $2200 for a MU. The Service Tech also says that it needs a timing belt and DSG Service..$1400 more dollars.

Having had 2 VW diesels prior, the last one with 285k miles, I figured that these buggers have a solid powertrain..the 105k miles on it didn't bother me too bad. Before buying, I asked the sales person if all of the services were up to date, mainly if the timing belt had been replaced. I was told that all was up to date and "there was no timing belt on this motor." I am an Idiot for not validating that..but in my head, the next engine made after my 2003 Golf tdi is the PD..which had a chain..so I believed the salesperson.

This mess I've gotten myself into may not end well for me, but if anyone has any advice, I'd be more that happy to hear it!
Thanks,
Brad

Brad in Delaware
302-377-4479
 

bhtooefr

TDIClub Enthusiast, ToofTek Inventor
Joined
Oct 16, 2005
Location
Newark, OH
TDI
None
Just for reference, VW has never sold a 4-cylinder diesel in North America with a timing chain.
 

Roshermoore

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 5, 2009
Location
East Texas
TDI
2009 JSW DSG sunroof
120 K miles

Also, timing belt is not due for replacement on 2010 model year until 120K miles per maintenance schedule.

So, "all was up to date" as far as the timing belt is concerned.
 

BlueJay83

Active member
Joined
Sep 23, 2006
Location
Delaware
TDI
'10 JSW, '84 Land Rover D110 Pick Up
Thanks very much for the feedback and info. Very easy to lose the game face (and level head) when dealing with unreasonable people.

I have a feeling that this dealer in NJ, Trend VW, never called GWC Warranty after looking at my car, since nobody from GWC contacted me. Once I get my car back, I'll certainly take it one of those transmission shops for evaluation back in Delaware (as you said, it can't hurt at this point..much cheaper for me if they agree to actually fix it).

What burns me, is that their service department is offering me services that I don't need:
- timing belt change (the car has 108k miles on it now..not near 120k yet)
- transmission service (which would be done with replacement of the Mechatronic Unit anyway..might have to pay for a filter)

I'll keep you all posted.
Thanks again,
Brad
 

Lightflyer1

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Sep 13, 2005
Location
Round Rock, Texas
TDI
2015 Beetle tdi dsg
I don't mean to pick on you but most of this seems to be your issues. A VW dealer sold you a high mileage car that was in running shape. You failed to get it inspected by someone who knows these cars and failed to get written records of services previously performed. You also failed to investigate the service requirements/needs/times of the vehicle. You also didn't follow the advice of the GWC inspector. Every dealer service department I have ever been to tries to sell services. It is up to you to be knowledgeable about what is and isn't required and what may be a good idea and a waste of money. Every warranty company will try and get out of doing any repairs that they can, if they can. I have a hunch you didn't thoroughly read the warranty either. From your post it seems you haven't contacted GWC personally. Get a level head and start working on a resolution to your problem. Failed mech units on the some of the earlier cars have been a known issue for some time. Even owning VCDS and scanning it yourself may have clued you in to some issues. If the belt snaps at 115k miles are you going to blame them as well? Used cars are just that. Anything can happen the minute you drive off the lot. I hope you get this worked out to your satisfaction. Check the link in my signature below for the trusted mechanics thread. You may be better off finding and using one of those mechanics rather than the dealer.
 

BlueJay83

Active member
Joined
Sep 23, 2006
Location
Delaware
TDI
'10 JSW, '84 Land Rover D110 Pick Up
Thanks for your blunt input, but all excellent points. I've been looking for a worthy replacement for my '03 Golf tdi for a year..clearly hadn't done my homework on details (that's where the Devil is, as they say). I've worked it out with the service department at said VW dealership and they are installing the Mechatronic Unit at cost..something the inept transmission shops couldn't do (2 of the 3 shops admitted that they didn't work on DSG transmissions..or never had..sort of expected that too).
For the record, I spoke with GWC on several occasions, in two states. The only constant was pure deception on their part (should have seen this coming..you never get what you pay for anymore). The warranty provided by the dealer was a tool to sell the car..of course!
After a lot of forum research (what a great place the tdi Forum is!), I've downloaded discussions, information and workshop manuals to join you all in the new millennium. Next I plan to get a VAG-COM reader and get smart on systems. I've been putting this off for years, but now it's time.
Thanks again for your collective input.
Brad
 

Lightflyer1

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Sep 13, 2005
Location
Round Rock, Texas
TDI
2015 Beetle tdi dsg
Make sure you ask for all of the old parts. The mech unit may be salvageable. There is a thread here about where to buy the parts and what is needed to replace them. Solenoids IIRC.
 

Steve Addy

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 7, 2002
Location
Iowa
TDI
97 Mk3
Make sure you ask for all of the old parts. The mech unit may be salvageable. There is a thread here about where to buy the parts and what is needed to replace them. Solenoids IIRC.
Bet they tell him he can't have it, they need it for core so they can resell it to some repair place who will 'remanufacture' it and then resell it again.
 

Lightflyer1

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Sep 13, 2005
Location
Round Rock, Texas
TDI
2015 Beetle tdi dsg
If you buy a brand new part there is no core charge. I have never heard of one on new parts any way. If you buy a rebuilt part there may be. Get the parts. Too expensive to let go and may come in handy later. Who knows.
 

Steve-o

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 13, 1999
Location
Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA
TDI
2003 Jetta Wagon
What burns me, is that their service department is offering me services that I don't need:
- timing belt change (the car has 108k miles on it now..not near 120k yet)
Not to pile on, Brad, but the car is not so far away from a TB change. And there's no guarantee the TB lasts 120K miles, either. Not long ago I had to replace my "100K" timing belt a few months early because it was fraying. It could happen. Yeah, I expect a service department to try to drum up business (you can always say 'no'), but without a qualified inspector looking at the belt, it would be hard to say it was service you didn't need.
 

leicaman

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Dec 24, 2004
Location
Sheboygan, Wisconsin
TDI
2015 Golf TDI SE, 2005 TDI GLS, RIP
The timing belt interval can change due to a variety of factors. I had mine replaced 30k early when I had a leaking water pump a few years back. If there is a doubt replace the belt. Lots cheaper than the alternative.
 
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