MK7 Engine Failure - Advice Please

[Wes1]

In another thread Low coolant warning I documented the events leading up to the current disaster. In a nutshell, an apparent oil cooler failure mixed oil and water and had me paying the dealer nearly $1900 for repair. The dealer admitting to having to do it twice for some unspecified "valve problem" that I believe occurred while they were road testing the car. Subsequently, while grocery shopping, the car first seemed to be down on power and then while driving home it started developing nasty noises that indicated serious internal issues. I was climbing a hill with no possibility of pulling over but when I creasted I killed the engine and coasted down to a pullout and called AAA. At no time did I ever have a check engine light.

The dealer now says that a cam bearing failed (First he said main bearing) and debris from that caused major topside damage. The car is well out of warranty but he pulled the service records (I bought the car at this dealership and they have exclusively serviced it) and said that I had done everything right and they would approach VW for assistance. I said, "Good luck with that." He insisted that they had a lot of pull with VW and he expected they would replace the engine.

His next call came and the story is totally different. In summary, they're saying this is all on me and I need a new $18K engine or they could shop for a used one and "work with me", what ever that means. My contention is that they screwed up and ran the engine without oiling to the topside and setup the failure.

We are supposed to have a sit down meeting on Monday. I would love to hear the thoughts from this expert group so I have some insight and ammunition.

 

[tigeo]

There is nothing you can really do here unfortunately...how can you prove anything? It's certainly possible that the lubrication issue originally hosed the bearings. No idea how you can really do much here. An indy shop and a used engine is the way to go and will be much cheaper.

 

[scrllock]

You likely damaged the bearing before the dealer saw it and you're well out of warranty. I would look for a used longblock and find a cheaper mechanic to swap it out and flush your cooling system. There's basically a zero chance VW will do anything but give you a slight discount on labor, which will still cost you a lot more than an independent shop.

 

[Wes1]

Thanks guys. I realize I'm on shaky ground. My service advisor and I have a pretty good relationship and he was pretty sympathetic at first but probably got slapped by his boss. I'll see what they come up with next week. My SO really likes this car and doesn't want to drive my G8 so I have to drive her around until this is resolved.

All things considered, I'm thinking about just replacing it and getting whatever salvage value there is. They've cheapened up the interior of new ones and after the issues with this one and the dealership I'm disinclined to buy again from them. I've located a 2020 Autobahn with only 8K miles on it for $30K at another dealership, unfortunately 150 miles away, so it's hard to kick the tires. Carfax looks good but it's from IL via MO and I worry about salt damage. (I'm in AZ, we have '55 Chevys running around with the original paint.)

Frankly with the driving I do and at my age, I should be buying an EV, except they're outrageously priced.

 

[PerceivedShift]

I suppose you can keep an eye on the Alibaba thread

 

[Wes1]

What was the resolution?

Painful. But as I said at my age I don't work on cars anymore. After a lot of fits and starts, the dealer came up with a "refurbished" 48,000 mile engine, warrantied for 1 yr/12K for $7900. Labor was $1400 and with incidentials, the bottom line was $9850.

Now the suspension is rattling like the can of marbles sound the blown engine made. They're telling me that one bad strut is the only problem (they were both replaced under warranty at 50K). I can't believe that is the only issue, but that's a topic for another thread.

 

[mbmb]

This is painful to read. I think your mechanic is taking advantage of you.

 

[johng.wissig]

Painful. But as I said at my age I don't work on cars anymore. After a lot of fits and starts, the dealer came up with a "refurbished" 48,000 mile engine, warrantied for 1 yr/12K for $7900. Labor was $1400 and with incidentials, the bottom line was $9850.

Now the suspension is rattling like the can of marbles sound the blown engine made. They're telling me that one bad strut is the only problem (they were both replaced under warranty at 50K). I can't believe that is the only issue, but that's a topic for another thread.

Check the subframe bolts. I had a collision and the body shop didn't tighten them correctly and they soon came loose.

 

[ITGUY]

Why would you pay 10k for an refurbished EA888 motor installed? 8k is an almost built motor. Why was a milage even said if it was (sounds fishy) refurbished? You are being taken fella. stop going to the stealership.

 

[scrllock]

If you don't have a usable core, 8k will get you a built motor, but not necessarily get it into the car. If you want a low mileage newer motor, they're getting pricey. The $4500 DLRA I bought a couple years ago now goes for $6k+, without dealer involvement.

My guess is the dealer does something simple like replace injectors/plugs, does a compression/leakdown test and then considers it good enough for a year on stock power.