VW Dealer changed my timing belt and now series issues

[IndigoBlueWagon]

What did they diagnose as the cause of the stalling? And what about the oil in the fuel?

Your car requires an oil that meets VW's 505.01 spec. 505.00 is for older TDIs. Most people prefer to use a 505.01 thats a 5w40 instead of 5w30, as they believe it will help extend camshaft life. There are non-VW certified oils that folks have had good luck with as well.

 

[RT1]

They believe the a/c compressor was drained as it had no freon at all. ***?

Ah yes. A variation on theft by deception. You pay for a "new" ac system and the dealer "installs" a new AC system by adding the freon he removed to your old one. 505.01 5w-40 is the correct oil every 10k. 5w-30 is too light. I personally like Pentosin but I don't think it really matters as long as the oil meets the 505.01 spec. (the ".01" makes a difference 505.0 is not for PD's)

You had a bad dealer experience so at least you know not to do that again. Drive more, worry less.

 

[ATR]

Sooooooo. I had my car towed to German Car Depot in Hollywood, FL because there was not an approved mechanic anywhere near me. The mechanic there cleaned the EGR system of the carbon buildup and put freon in the a/c unit. He said the a/c was completely free of freon. They believe the a/c compressor was drained as it had no freon at all. ***?

I got my car back yesterday and it no longer has the hesitation or almost stalling issue when I would come out of or go into 1st or 2nd gear. She runs just fine, but I am paranoid now that something is going to happen to the engine, seals, head gasket....

I asked about the oil and the new mechanic said to use 505 oil. I would really like to know if that is the oil I should be using and I will do more research here in the forums. But for now she is running and I can't imagine getting another car. I love my TDI! Thanks everyone for all your input, I really appreciated the community spirit and help.

I'd contact the Better Business Bureau and VWOA regarding the disservice you received at that dealership. Sounds like they really attempted to pull the wool over your eyes. Don't know if it was a dishonest tech or a service manager pushing to get more money into the service department. Be sure to keep ALL the paperwork for the services that were done to your car at both places.

I wouldn't be too worried about the engine and such. It sounds like it's pretty much fixed now.

Regaurding the engine oil question. You have a Pumpe Duse engine that requires VW as 505.01, 506.01, or 507.00. 5w40 will work best for the hotter climate of Florida.
My Turbo Diesel has a great list of recommended oils for use with that engine here:
http://www.myturbodiesel.com/wiki/engine-oil-list-for-tdi-diesel/

You have to scroll down a bit, but look for "Pumpe duse TDI engine oil list".
They cover the basics very well there!

 

[Ol'Rattler]

The BBB is a complete waste of time. They have absolutely no teeth when it comes to complaints, and if you noticed, they are called the Better Business Bureau, not the Better Consumers Bureau and the one time I dealt with them, they told me basically I could just go Eff myself.

 

[ATR]

In that case the OP should put reveiws on the dealership's facebook page, yelp reviews and google reviews to start. I still say the BBB is worth a shot as well.

 

[fruitcakesa]

I took my old 12V Cummins Dodge to an indy shop for some repairs and after 2 weeks of no contact and being put off by the desk guy, I called the Vermont Secretary of State's office and explained my predicament. They sent a letter to the shop that said he and I should come to a fair solution. If not, they would proceed with an investigation and deal with it accordingly.
The indy got back to me ASAP and we worked it out. He was definitely spooked and it made the difference in getting results.
Different situation but perhaps it will help get you some satisfaction.

 

[n1das]

The dealer probably reused instead of replacing the one-time use engine mount bolts which MUST BE REPLACED with new bolts and now the OP also needs to worry about the engine falling out after the bolts break a few thousand miles later. Dealers are notorious for reusing these bolts instead of replacing them because they don't normally stock them. The bolts are stretch (torque to yield) bolts and can be safely used only ONCE. Using a TTY bolt is a method for setting and holding a specified amount of torque on the bolt. The method works but the gotcha is this method is only good for ONE use of the bolt. These bolts are marked "always replace" in the service manual.

Get the car to one of the TDIclub GURUs on this site who can straighten thing out and do the TB change correctly.

Good luck.

 

[Dimitri16V]

Relax with those stretch bolts . There are only 2 that bolt the mount to the frame
The engine bracket aluminum threads failing is the issue . And bolts will break when they are not tightened enough

 

[n1das]

Relax with those stretch bolts . There are only 2 that bolt the mount to the frame
The engine bracket aluminum threads failing is the issue . And bolts will break when they are not tightened enough

Waaaay back with my 02 Golf TDI years ago, the engine mount bracket (ALH engine) had aluminum threads pouring out from the bolt holes during the 2nd TB change at 160k miles (80k interval). The engine mount bracket had to be replaced. The bracket was replaced during each timing belt change thereafter since it showed it couldn't be trusted for longer than 1 TB change interval. The engine mount bracket added around $100 to the TB job but was well worth it IMHO.

Good luck.

 

[vwmk4]

The dealer probably reused instead of replacing the one-time use engine mount bolts which MUST BE REPLACED with new bolts and now the OP also needs to worry about the engine falling out after the bolts break a few thousand miles later. Dealers are notorious for reusing these bolts instead of replacing them because they don't normally stock them. The bolts are stretch (torque to yield) bolts and can be safely used only ONCE. Using a TTY bolt is a method for setting and holding a specified amount of torque on the bolt. The method works but the gotcha is this method is only good for ONE use of the bolt. These bolts are marked "always replace" in the service manual.

Get the car to one of the TDIclub GURUs on this site who can straighten thing out and do the TB change correctly.

Good luck.

If it was my TDI I would take a road trip to your nearest TDI Guru listed here on the club sight.
I'd NEVER trust a dealer to service my cars. Believe me they can't even do an oil and oil filter job, CORRECTLY.

 

[Dimitri16V]

If it was my TDI I would take a road trip to your nearest TDI Guru listed here on the club sight.
I'd NEVER trust a dealer to service my cars. Believe me they can't even do an oil and oil filter job, CORRECTLY.

What he said ...dealers that hire sales people as service advisors are not to be trusted with your car or your hard earned money