[Closed] Molgrips' car #5 - fixed...

It was just a sensor??

(congratulations btw)

You'd not sold it ? Jeeez, that's a level of patience I can't even begin to grasp.

you must really love that car.

well done though. admire the tenacity even through all our pisstaking 😉

i'd sell it pronto.

Molgrips' car #5

^I'm going to resist reading all that^, wait until Molgrips' Car 6 comes out then buy the box set.

good effort! i don't think i would have had the patience.

did you happen to document the whoel sorry tale with photos - it's worth sticking it down somewhere because you might help out some other poor sod who is struggling.

good to hear it lives again, can't quite believe this saga has run on for so long.

This saga is going to run for longer than "rate my brickie"

Anyone taking bets on what goes wrong next?
I'll put a fiver on an injector failing.

Anyone taking bets on what goes wrong next?

Someone bashes it in supermarket car park & insurance company write it off.

The second my car makes an strange noise it's gone. Well done for saving that one.

Currently thinking of chopping in the i30 for something newer because it's only got a year and a bit of warranty left 😕

Anyone taking bets on what goes wrong next?

Cambelt I reckon - probably because I failed to retension it properly or damaged it somehow refitting that sensor.

good effort! i don't think i would have had the patience.

Thanks - this stuff is basically my job, only with computers instead of cars.

admire the tenacity even through all our pisstaking

This, many, many times.

Cambelt I reckon - probably because I failed to retension it properly or damaged it somehow refitting that sensor.

Oh ffs, SPOILER ALERT!

I have to say, after 18 months of looking at flashing warning lights and non workingness, it feels pretty damn good to have it all running tickety boo. I even drove down to London the other week just to drive. Regretted it, mind.

Great effort and single bloody mindedness coupled with a thick skin and a tenacity

You will go far.

I can't quite believe why you took the dash out, that alone is a massive job. Have you got a box of bits and screw clips left over??

Bet you have. 😆

Was your Daughter greatfull of the pee stop?

I can't quite believe why you took the dash out, that alone is a massive job. Have you got a box of bits and screw [[b]i]and broken[/i][/b][u] clips left over??

Told you that the gearbox would sort itself out when the engine issues were fixed. Good on you for keeping at it though.

I can't quite believe why you took the dash out, that alone is a massive job. Have you got a box of bits and screw clips left over??

Well of course I sorted and numbered all the steps and fixings as I went.. lol... I did pretty well actually - I ended up missing two of the standard torx bolts, having nothing left over. I broke a few of the plastic fixings on the trim, which always seems to happen on VW (but not Toyota - they design trim to be actually removeable it seems).

I know that VW have had reliability problems, but it is really interesting taking things apart to that level because you can see how well thought through everything is. They've used standard bolts for certain levels - all the trim is the same, then the structural bits behind are a different fastener, and the methods are consistent. It really helps. Even the trim clips that I broke - to be fair, that was my fault, you're meant to use a special tool rather than just yank them.

As a bonus I dynamated the floor whilst I was at it which didn't make a huge difference; but I also lubed up all the panels with silicone spray as I reassembled, which did. As I said on the other car thread, the interior is in amazing condition - looks new after 8 years and 100k. I also found out how easy it is to take the front and rear seats out - worth doing to give everything a good clean I reckon.

This pic is after I'd started putting some of it back...

[img] [/img]

Was your Daughter greatfull of the pee stop?

No, bloody false alarm!

Christ almighty!! Fair play.

Bloody hell 😯

Career change ??

Fair play Sir, top effort !!!

That Daughter of yours needs to drink more water then 😆

If that camshaft sensor is in the same place as the BKD engine, it's a bit naughty to get to. Water leaks are a nightmare to find, it's one of those groan jobs when they come in at work.

Just one tip on ANY VW water ingress leaks to the cabin........check the condition of your roof rail mount rubber seals! Took me ages to find out that my middle roof rail mount seals had given up the ghost allowing rainwater to travel in and along the inner panelling where the captured bolts are all the way to the top of the windscreen and the water would pool in the headlining by the ffront interior light as well as filling up foot wells. Black mastic screen sealant under all the roof rail mounts bolts etc cured it. But nothing was going to cure the corroded roof panel from years of running multiple bikes on the roof rack!

Camshaft sensor - remove EGR valve and inlet manifold flap revealing a void longer than your fingers with a small rubber cover at the end concealing a hole in the inner camshaft cover. Then from the otherside unclip the main bit of camshaft cover, loosen the cambelt, tie some string around the connector of the sensor, pass the string through the hole then pull it through whilst wiggling from the other side. JUST enough room.

Re leaks - loads of hits online about sunroof train tubes blocking up, well I've got no sunroof, or roof rails.

Fair play Sir, top effort !!!

Thanks 🙂 I was saving this post up until after I'd finished, to cut down on pisstaking.

Well done mate good effort. For what its worth when I'm tensioning belts I always pick a point halfway on the longest run between cogs and set the tension so I can just rotate the belt at 90 degs. Not very scientific I know but I don't have a tensioning guage and it's never let me down. Yet! Read that in a really old Haynes manual when they were proper workshop manuals, think it was for an Audi 80.

For the belt tension, I just eyeballed the tensioner and saw where it was lined up, then I put it back in the same place. Tension seemed similar, in terms of deflection. I had to make my own tool to do this though.

I had forgotten about that twisting tip - thanks. However I'm not sure that it'd work on this car since it's a DOHC and rammed with pulleys and cogs - prob not enough to twist.

I should mention Haynes actually - I bought the manual, and it was a massive help with the interior stuff so big up Haynes. Still a good purchase even on a modern car.

So does this mean you'll be able to overtake better and not lose your place in the queue?

Good work by the way.

Turned out that the steering wheel does not in fact locate itself in the right position when you put it back on, and I'd put it back on at a crazy angle.

😆

To laugh at? No. What car/year/model is it?

SELL.

Not selling it now. What's the point?

I could understand if it was some sort of classic car, but isn't it a Passat ?

[i]to cut down on pisstaking. [/i]

Another triumph of hope over experience 😉

Fair play to you for doing all that - how many hours do you think it took?

I'd have been worried about getting a face full of air bag taking the steering wheel off and the dash out.

Whats the point? At somepoint you will cut your losses. The problem is when will the cost prove terminal and you sell as spares or repair?

Its a money pit. Sell now whilst its working, against logic - sometimes certain cars appear to Friday-afternoon jobs. Whereas others require nothing but tyres and consumables.

Get it PX'd before it becomes folly.

When you only get 25days holiday a year why spend three of those in a garage, countless hours online/on the phone looking for causes/cures nevermind the actual money cost.

Excellent conclusion,for the moment,well done

I am genuinely impressed. How long did it take to strip the dash out and re-assemble?

Also, do you need a special tool to get the steering wheel off? My Golf needed a special socket and the steering wheel bolt was only rated for a handful of changes after which it needed replacing.

Well done Molly, full marks for tenacity - I'd have set fire to it about 4 threads ago. Very impressed with the spannering too.

Not sure I'd agree with you hora - if it's a lemon and you've spent hours and £££'s putting it right it could be worth keeping. Who's to say he wouldn't buy another lemon?

Well played sir!

Glad you got it up and running. Hopefully it'll now run perfectly for years! I have to admit though, I'll miss these threads if so! 🙂

At somepoint you will cut your losses.

Hora, you seem to be of the opinion that if something goes wrong with a car then that means more will go wrong with it. This is not necessarily true. A car is not a single thing, it is a collection of mostly independent components. A camshaft position sensor has a fixed probababilty of failure - it makes no difference if it's fitted to a new BMW 5 series worth £40k or an old banger worth £300.

And let's just be clear about this - the main problems were caused by an accident and a clueless mechanic. Again things that could happen to any car, new or old. The camshaft sensor was a genuine fault, but hardly outrageous in a 100k car. The leak was just one of those random things.

When you only get 25days holiday a year why spend three of those in a garage, countless hours online/on the phone looking for causes/cures nevermind the actual money cost.

Money. If I'd have sold it full of water and non running, how much do you think I'd have got for it? How much do you think I'd have had to put in to get like for like back? How much do you think it would have cost to pay some other bloke with a spanner to throw parts and it and look for leaks?

Who's to say he wouldn't buy another lemon?

And this, exactly. Given how readily people seem to want to sell dodgy cars, it's far better to keep this now working car I reckon.

How long did it take to strip the dash out and re-assemble?

Not all that long really. The whole leak fixing project took ages, mostly because I only spend an hour or two here and there and waited for the next rain to see if it was leaking. I was at first reluctant to take off the dash but once I bought the Haynes and found the instructions in there I though I'd have a go. It really wasn't that hard in the end. Just removing lots of bolts and bits. Reassembly only took a fairly relaxed day including a couple of false starts where I'd left things out.

Also, do you need a special tool to get the steering wheel off?

You need a four-square bit, like a 12 pointed torx thing, which is actually a standard tool just uncommon. There are a few on the car and apparently popular on other German cars so I bought a set of ebay for £20 ish.

I'll miss these threads if so!

Don't worry, there'll be the saga of how I attempt to get money back out of this cowboy mechanic.. no email reply so far.

Don't worry, there'll be the saga of how I attempt to get money back out of this cowboy mechanic.. no email reply so far.

I'd just send a letter before action - (search STW for examples), it's highly likely to get him to cough up.

molgrips, can you remimd us of the what happened way, way back- the accident, mechanic involvement, etc?

Yeah I wrote a letter with details of my intended claim. Emailed it at first for simplicity, I'll re send recorded delivery if he ignores it.

Cody - original issue probably due to rear ender 2 years ago causing a small leak into the boot. Water entered trailer control module and built up causing lots of odd electrical issues and things like brake lights staying on and the car not shutting off. I called a mobile mechanic who eventually took my engine ecu to a specialist electronics place. He claimed that they told him there was water ingress, but they denied this saying that he's insisted on a new unit despite them telling him the original unit was fine. The replacement ecu was not the right hardware version which caused egr and gearbox problems.

Well done.

I traced a leak on my wifes MK4 golf a few years back and although satisfying when it was finally fixed, it drove me mad. I thought I had fixed it 7 or 8 times only for it to get wet again when it next rained.

In the end I took the seats out, lifted the carpets, lined the floor with blue paper towel and got inside while the wife and kids sprayed the car with a hosepipe. The neighbour came out to ask if we were OK 😳

Yeah I was lucky - it was raining constantly, and when I stripped back to the bulkhead I was sat in the car and it was pissing it down, so I saw the trickle of water immediately!

I'd say that cars a keeper from now on. You know it inside out and hey, if it goes wrong again it'll become easier to fix since you've learned such a lot about it.
If the engine pops, pop a new one back in (or reconned one) easy enough.
I'd disagree about a money pit. Most part of this project has been about faults and learning to fix them with an inquisitive nature, seems logical.
As for dumping it in an auction to get rid, that just passes the problems onto someone else, think of what would happen if a person who really needed a car, had little cash so went to an auction only to buy a heap? I’d not live with myself if that happened.
As for your Mechanic, suggest you persevere, be patient though.

Just goes to show what ingenuity gives you I say.

Is amazedballs.

Thanks folks 🙂 best thing about it is knowing I was right about the ECU. As was whoever else up there said about the engine faults causing the gearbox issue.

well done molgrips, you've come out the rabbit hole victorious

you've come out the rabbit hole victorious

Out of warrenty, so to speak.

Sell it. Sell it now, before the next installment.

I'll second the keeping of the car, if you buy second hand, you nearly always are buying a car that someone's got fed up with and are getting rid of it for a reason!

I keep mine till they are totally defunct, it's the only way of getting value out of them. Cars are only made of bits and pieces from suppliers, the same bits go wrong with most of the cars, sensors, injectors and electrical connections in the majority of cases.

Well, I suggested letting VW fix several months ago. And Moley insisted that wasn't an option because the chimp with a multimeter said he could fix it.

Don't say I didn't say I told you so.

Well, Scott, that's not quite how it happened.

Had I taken it to VW in September 2012 then maybe it would have been fine. However, once I knew it was the ECU I knew I'd have to have VW fix it anyway - at that point there was no need to take it to VW and have them spend hours figuring out what I already knew. The chimp with the multimeter (actually he didn't even have one, he was a chimp with a code reader) hadn't touched the car since November 2012 or so.

Anyone taking bets on what goes wrong next?

If you guessed wheel bearing then congratulations! 🙂

I admire your persistence, Molgrips. It's so boring these days; new car, five-year, all-in service contract, whatever happened to the adventure of going anywhere?

I used to be a fan of bangernomics and kept my last Peugeot until it was 21. Looking for replacements I realised there were so many things I couldn't fix with a multimeter and a box of spanners it was time become part of the system.

Wheel bearings are difficult these days, just expensive as it's usually the whole hub assembly that needs swapping.

It's no different now, Ed. You just need the computer and to know how to use it. After you've identified the issue it's just spanners and stuck bolts and skinned knuckles just like the good old days 🙂

Re the bearing - I was prepared for a nightmare and having to buy presses and pullers, but in this car the bearing is pressed into a carrier which bolts on. £70, so a bit more expensive than some perhaps but not outrageous. It's been 100k miles so I can hardly blame it.

Those VW rear bearings can just shear off, so its wise to get them done promptly when they start going!

I can't believe how many people are willing to pay £200 a month for a car which is also depreciating by about £200 a month too!

£70 for a bearing is nothing.

It's the front btw.