My Car

I took my car in to Lindsey VW today and they called to tell me my coolant had something other then coolant in it. They said it was a very dark brown and should be pink. $200 to flush system - took 5 flushes to clean. The problem is that I have only ever taken my car to Alexandria Volkswagen, even for oil changes. So I called them. They told me it sounded like oil was leaking into the coolant and a bunch of parts would need to be replaced (though everything would be under warranty still). I asked Lindsey and they said it was not an oil like substance in the coolant.

I am scared to take it back to Alexandria in case they are at fault - but have never used Lindsey before either. If there is an oil leak in the coolant, a few days should show oil in the coolant. Should I go to a third party next week and see if there is indeed a oil leak?

 

preface: I'm a Jetta owner, 2002 1.8T GLS w/ Sport Lux Package.

If you mix G12 (the pink coolant that VW's use) with the yellow or orange stuff, it turns brown and gets thick. Have you (or anyone else) ever topped off your coolant with anything other than a 50/50 mixture of G12/distilled water? NEVER use anything other than G12(pink) and distilled water in there...the stuff you buy at WalMart or Advance that says 'Works with all coolant types' is crap...it'll sludge up G12.

I doubt it's oil in your coolant, they're pretty isolated systems and unless there was a crack in the engine block or water pump there would never be any reason they'd come in contact. If your block is cracked, then you're screwed.

Lindsay seems to be good people, I had mine in for service the other week and they did a nice job. Stay away from Stohlman/Fairfax/Alexandria.

 

Preface: I have a 2002 Passat GLS

I had Lindsay do my 50,000 mile and they did a good job. I especially like how they washed the car and had it indoors for me to pick up at the end of the day. I agree with brim that it sounds like the VW coolant mixture (G12) was mixed with another type. I've had no problems with my coolant and have had a VW (Fairfax: Bad service, won't go there again) dealer do all of my main 10,20,30,40,50 services.

Lindsay is the new VW kid on the block. They know that a bad service rap will kill their business. All my dealings with them have been positive and I would recommend them to any existing/future VW owner.

 

If you think that you have a blown head gasket (that would be why oil is in the coolant) you can have them use an exhaust gas analyzer to sniff inside the coolant tank. If it senses anything, then you probably have a blown gasket.

Gregg

 

I have only ever taken my car to one dealership so I have not topped off anything. Of course, that dealership while admitting that I have a solid record there, is trying to tell me it's oil. Lindsey is saying no way it's was something else. I am taking my car back in a week to Lindsey and they will check the coolant to see if there is any mysterious oil leak.

If it was a foreign substance - Alexandria should pay the $200 it cost me to flush the system out - but I bet I would never get them to pay. I hate liers! It makes me really angry. Thanks for the input.

 

Good luck getting a dealership to pay for anything. I doubt it will help, but call VWoA Customer Service and file a complaint against them (if it turns out to be their fault, which I don't see any way of proving).

On a side note, the mixing antifreeze problem is quite a common one...I find it odd Lindsay is saying they don't know what it is, unless it's legitimately something else.

 

Who did your 40k and how much did it cost? 50k is a minor one (oil, cabin filter, rotate tires, etc) but the 40k has a bunch of crap. I do all my own service except for the big ones, so I'm trying to get an idea of how much I'm about to get bent over for (I'm at 36k).

 

You could take it to Fairfax VW on rt. 50 by 29.

 

They're horrible too. Their good parts/service guys left and came to Lindsay.

 

Here is my suggestion.

Test #1
Open radiator cap and if possible squeeze upper coolant hose and look at the fluid in the light. Look for sheen looking fluid, kind like oil and water mixed together. If you see anything thats kinda sheen in the water (coolant), then it's mostly likely oil and that means headgasket leak.

Test #2
Start the car and warm up the car to normal operating temp. Have someone press the gas a little and watch the tailpipe for white smoke. Don't confuse this with condensation. Smell for anything that smells sweet like coolant.

My suggestions.

-Teak

 

This morning my MIL indicator light came on....now there was a recall for this awhile back and I had that fixed. I also tightened my fuel cap because I know sometimes this can cause a problem. So now I have no idea what is going on with my car and it's at 47,900 and warranty is up at 50,000. I am at work in arlington so I am hoping I can make it to Lindsey after work today.

 

As long as the MIL isn't flashing, you're ok. What year and engine is your car? There is a recall for coil packs on 2001-2002 1.8T engines and the MAF sensor is also prone to failure. It's probably just a misfire on one cylinder on a cold morning.

If the MIL is flashing, call roadside assistance and have it towed (although, they'll only tow it to the nearest VW dealer, I believe).

 

It's not flashing. Though I had the problem with MIL and coil failure before, whole car shook - light flashed so I know I had coil replacment. They were suppose to replace all 4 coils but they may have just done one... it's a 2002 Passat.

I will take it back in to where I just had $400 work done. It's odd it "happened" a day after I picked it up.

 

Brim, I have a 2001 1.8T Passat. Don't know if its the same for the Jetta, but I did all of the 40k myself except for the "check timing belt" warrenty-CYA. Ordered the parts online. Stealerships wanted about $400 to do it. If you can do an oil change and replace cabin filter, you can do this one.

 

Yah, VW's service intervals are based on the engine rather than the model of car.

I can probably do everything myself, but I'd rather take it to the dealer for this one just to get it in the books so in case something screws up, they can't hold me liable for 'not getting it serviced at scheduled intervals' and void my warranty.

Where do you get your parts from? I get my parts/pieces from Impex and oil (Pentosynth from Germany)/performance stuff from ECS Tuning.

 

Is the MIL the same thing as the check-engine light (CEL)? Sorry, I'm not familiar with VW's. hberg, email me if you want to use/borrow my OBD scanner...

 

It is.

VW's don't use typical scanners, they use a VAG-COM. Really nice interface.

 

But don't they have to at least be compliant with OBD II for 1996+ models?

[Update: ...I did some quick reading at http://www.ross-tech.com/vag-com/faq_1.html#vsOBD-II...yeah, VAG-COM seems pretty cool...I guess it's essentially an extension/enhancement to what OBD & OBD scanners provide]

 

I do remember that there was a recall on the coil packs on the VW/Audi 4cycl. I believe there's 4 individual coil packs for each plug/wire. And I remember VW had a hard time stocking these at the dealership. I was looking at the Audi 1.8t until I heard about this and the front suspension issue.

Still love the Audi RS6. Someone at my last job has one.

-Teak

 

I had an 02 Passat and had one of the coils go on me (before the recall). You would definitely know it's a coil because you'd notice the following...The car wouldn't have it's normal acceleration, and the smell of sulfur is overwhelming. You wouldn't be able to drive it. I don't believe a light even came on when it happened.

I've had horrible experiences with my Passat, and sold mine just about a year ago. Our family has owned many VW's over the years, but it seems like VW has been more interested in delivering quantity than quality in recent years. It's a shame. They have no understanding of customer service.

But I digress...The only other advice (as others have already stated) is don't go to Stohlman or Fairfax. They are terrible.