morgan
Ready to race!
- Location
- Renton, WA
- Car(s)
- Mk7.5 GTI
Just want to keep a journal of what happened.
Year: 2016
Mileage: 45,000
Transmission: DSG (not tuned)
Location: Seattle suburbs
Tune: Cobb Stage 1 in 6/2019. MAPerformance Stage 1 in 12/2019.
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Any engine problems before the failure: No
Driving style: Spirited without racing on the street or track
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10/08/2020: CEL came on. Scanned with Carista. It showed P0303 - misfire in cylinder 3. Reset the CEL.
10/13/2020: While driving off the highway, EPC and CEL and came on. Carista scan found P0303, P0304 and P0300, showing multiple cylinder misfiring. Car hesitated and sputtered but still drivable. Towed car to a shop I know and got more information:
Diagnostic codes for misfiring on cylinders 3 and 4. Monitoring shows cylinders 3 to be primary problem. Testing shows problem not due to ignition system. Compression test shows 170 psi on all cylinders except #3, which shows 80 psi. Cylinder leak down test show 80% compression loss into crankcase suggesting piston failure. Due to the possibility of cylinder head damage as well as the piston, recommend replacing the long block engine assembly.
The shop stopped the estimate at $8000 just for the parts. It doesn't have the tools needed to proceed with repair.
10/20/2020: Towed the car to the dealership for second opinion and attempted to get repair covered under the 5 yr/60,000 miles powertrain warranty.
10/21/2020: Dealer confirmed the findings of the first shop. Due to the damage of the piston, all faults were assigned to the Cobb tune. Powertrain warranty claimed denied. Engine needed to be replaced.
10/23/2020: Dealer provided the cost for replacing the engine to be $20,000 labor and parts, including replacing the turbo. Service advisor assumed the value of the car at next to nothing.
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How to move forward?
I still owe $16K (3 yrs) on the car. Don't have the funds to pay it off. The car apparently values at nothing now. It doesn't make sense to repair it.
Year: 2016
Mileage: 45,000
Transmission: DSG (not tuned)
Location: Seattle suburbs
Tune: Cobb Stage 1 in 6/2019. MAPerformance Stage 1 in 12/2019.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Any engine problems before the failure: No
Driving style: Spirited without racing on the street or track
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10/08/2020: CEL came on. Scanned with Carista. It showed P0303 - misfire in cylinder 3. Reset the CEL.
10/13/2020: While driving off the highway, EPC and CEL and came on. Carista scan found P0303, P0304 and P0300, showing multiple cylinder misfiring. Car hesitated and sputtered but still drivable. Towed car to a shop I know and got more information:
Diagnostic codes for misfiring on cylinders 3 and 4. Monitoring shows cylinders 3 to be primary problem. Testing shows problem not due to ignition system. Compression test shows 170 psi on all cylinders except #3, which shows 80 psi. Cylinder leak down test show 80% compression loss into crankcase suggesting piston failure. Due to the possibility of cylinder head damage as well as the piston, recommend replacing the long block engine assembly.
The shop stopped the estimate at $8000 just for the parts. It doesn't have the tools needed to proceed with repair.
10/20/2020: Towed the car to the dealership for second opinion and attempted to get repair covered under the 5 yr/60,000 miles powertrain warranty.
10/21/2020: Dealer confirmed the findings of the first shop. Due to the damage of the piston, all faults were assigned to the Cobb tune. Powertrain warranty claimed denied. Engine needed to be replaced.
10/23/2020: Dealer provided the cost for replacing the engine to be $20,000 labor and parts, including replacing the turbo. Service advisor assumed the value of the car at next to nothing.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
How to move forward?
I still owe $16K (3 yrs) on the car. Don't have the funds to pay it off. The car apparently values at nothing now. It doesn't make sense to repair it.
- My gut reaction is to tow the car home. Store it while I pay off the loan. Deal with it three years later (or when I have money for a payoff). Even if I get to sell the GTI for a good price, I'd still have to come up with the cash to cover the difference.
- We have another car - a 2017 Audi A4 - to drive.
- If it is at all possible to take care of the $16K loan balance, I would consider a creative solution to trade in both the GTI and the A4 for another car. But the initial calculation seems improbable.
- Reach out to VW America to plea for some assistance, i.e. higher value for the GTI. Show loyalty to VW since we purchased a Golf (no longer have it) in 2016 and a GTI in 2018 (and an Audi in 2019 if they care).
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