Problem! Argh!

[MyerShift]

So, I guess this may be the part where everyone says something like, "I told you so!" but I have a problem regarding the Rabbit, and was wondering what you all think about the situation.

The other night (a bit after 7pm) I was on my way home from work and stopped at a light here in Coldwater. I happened to catch a whiff of burnt oil or the like and of course assumed it had come from another car. But, pulling away from the stop, the clutch take up and response was suspiciously mushy.

Later on in the evening out with friends, we all noticed the smell, and upon coming to a stop, smoke came from under the hood!

We found a liquid (very light golden colour) softly dripping down from up in the engine compartment.

The next day on the way to work, the engine would "free rev" in any gear with more than a light application of throttle and the clutch was still, oh, blech in its operation.

Later in the day I called and had it flat bedded to the nearest VW dealership (which is forever away in Ft Wayne).

Today, they called me and tried telling me I had take the car "Off Road" because of the rocks up, in and around the undercarriage apparently.

I said, "Excuse me, but no I have not taken my car off road. I do drive on the many dirt roads in the area and that is it."

I mean come on, am I not supposed to drive on freaking gravel roads?!

So, I was wondering what everyone thinks about this situation as I am very stressed and of course getting pissed about it now as well.

Edited November 25, 2008 by MyerShift

[A Horse With No Name]

Get a lawyer at this point, maybe. I wonder what that clutch is going to cost...it won't be cheap.

A Co worker needed a Clutch put in a Hyundai Tibron, it was going to be two grand, and he gave the car back to Hyundai motor credit.

I LOVE VW products, but yeah, they can be tempermental.

Chris

[MyerShift]

Ha! Interesting thing regarding this is that I've told a couple people that I may have to seek legal action.

[Brougham-Holiday]

Trade it in on an Astra.

[Intrepidation]

Should have stuck with a Chrysler :wink:

Seriously though, that sucks that the clutch seems to be going...had to replace the Prizm's 2 years ago...retards didn't even do it right the first time.

Edited November 26, 2008 by Dodgefan

[ocnblu]

How many miles are on this Rabbit? I don't know of any car company that warrantees the clutch lining, as it is a wear part. What exactly is the diagnosis? Is there some other part of the system that has malfunctioned?

[The O.C.]

So, I guess this may be the part where everyone says something like, "I told you so!" but I have a problem regarding the Rabbit, and was wondering what you all think about the situation.

The other night (a bit after 7pm) I was on my way home from work and stopped at a light here in Coldwater. I happened to catch a whiff of burnt oil or the like and of course assumed it had come from another car. But, pulling away from the stop, the clutch take up and response was suspiciously mushy.

Later on in the evening out with friends, we all noticed the smell, and upon coming to a stop, smoke came from under the hood!

We found a liquid (very light golden colour) softly dripping down from up in the engine compartment.

The next day on the way to work, the engine would "free rev" in any gear with more than a light application of throttle and the clutch was still, oh, blech in its operation.

Later in the day I called and had it flat bedded to the nearest VW dealership (which is forever away in Ft Wayne).

Today, they called me and tried telling me I had take the car "Off Road" because of the rocks up, in and around the undercarriage apparently.

I said, "Excuse me, but no I have not taken my car off road. I do drive on the many dirt roads in the area and that is it."

I mean come on, am I not supposed to drive on freaking gravel roads?!

So, I was wondering what everyone thinks about this situation as I am very stressed and of course getting pissed about it now as well.

Interesting......

When I had my 2003 Mazda6 V6 company car, the clutch went out at 26,000 miles......then again about 20,000 miles later.

The first time, it was repaired under warranty, even though Mazda gave me a hard time about it saying clutches are "wear" items and aren't covered under warranty.

Then, it went out again at 40,000 miles and they weren't going to cover it. I had to threaten legal action because, I'm sorry, a clutch that goes out that soon and that often is NOT operating normally....

(Not to mention the fact I've driven stick/clutch cars all my life and never had problems.....84,000 miles on my Skyhawk on the original clutch.)

Well guess what? Tadd-dee-daah.......after the second clutch replacement at 40,000 miles, Mazda issued a service bulletin for faulty inner clutch workings (I don't remember what parts were failing....) I was VINDICATED!

(Ironically, ONLY problem I EVER had with the Mazda in 51,000 miles of driving.)

[AAS]

Is the problem the clutch, or the oil dripping into it? If it's the oil leak, then that should be under warranty, right? Where is the oil coming from?

[A Horse With No Name]

Sounds like it could be a clutch slave cyl. or clutch master cyl.

Good luck, and keep us posted!

Chris

[MyerShift]

Thank you all so much. I will indeed keep everyone posted.

The Rabbit has 26000 miles on it, and the clutch only gave me problems right before I noticed that awful burnt oil smell.

[Intrepidation]

26,000 is way too low for clutch wear like that.

[AAS]

Thank you all so much. I will indeed keep everyone posted.

The Rabbit has 26000 miles on it, and the clutch only gave me problems right before I noticed that awful burnt oil smell.

So... where's the oil leak?

[MyerShift]

So... where's the oil leak?

Well, I am unsure as to its exact location but it seemed to be coming from too far "up" in the compartment to be caused by rocks or whatever they're trying to feed me about it.

[regfootball]

why is that when car mags test VW's, none of this happens.

Yet, I know of at least 3 people that swear they will never come close to touching another VW ever again.

[MyerShift]

Also, as an update, they told me it was the transmission fluid that was leaking out and down and burning off. It is a stick car, so perhaps that would explain why it's not pink/red of course.

[ocnblu]

My '92 Golf had a stupid problem when I first got it... when it rained, the fanbelts squealed like crazy from water splashing up from the road. A Technical Bulletin revealed it needed a simple, plastic splash shield attached at the frame rail/lower radiator support to prevent the issue. Your problem seems similar, in a way. I am pretty sure they have gravel roads in Germany at VW's Proving Grounds. If gravel causes a problem like this, it should be considered a problem with their pre-production testing and engineering, not your fault, from what you've told us. I'll be waiting to hear a more complete splanation from your VW dealer. Edited November 27, 2008 by ocnblu

[BuddyP]

That sucks! Not sure what to tell ya. Did you take it to Voderman? That's right down the street from work.

[MyerShift]

Yes, it's at Vorderman's.

And, I will update as I receive "information" and what I will do in response.

[Sixty8panther]

No "I told you so" here dude, I hope you have the best of luck with this mess.

VW is what it is, still certainly better than Toyota or most any Japanese car.

[A Horse With No Name]

No "I told you so" here dude, I hope you have the best of luck with this mess.

VW is what it is, still certainly better than Toyota or most any Japanese car.

I would agree. The VW is kinda a soulful car, and not a crap-box like an average Toyota.

Still want a GTI even with meyershifts problems...like I said I think it is a slave cylender and will be easily fixable.

Chris

[MyerShift]

Hello Everyone!

I want to say thank you all so much for your input, opinions, and concern.

I do have fantastic news though... it WILL be covered under warranty, so no $500+ repair bill for me and I suppose that I will keep this fun little car for sometime to come although it has SERIOUSLY made consider an Astra or even... a Dodge Caliber.

Today after picking up my management book for McDonald's (I am also nearly ServSafe Certified- so that means I know what it takes for safe food!) I was told that they had found rocks in places that they'd "...never even seen them before..." and some of them were nearly egg sized. This does, quite frankly, surprise me that it happened at all but I am just glad I won't have to resort to anything exceptionally drastic or harsh.

For my car, I ought to be able to pick it up by sometime around Wednesday next week, so I am still hitching and begging for rides to work and what not although my mother has been great and has allowed me to take her black 2003 Chevrolet Trail Blazer LT (only 14,400 miles!!!) to work yesterday and tomorrow. Although I am no truck fan (since I don't have a need for one yet) I was quite surprised by how refined it really is to drive although it feels like a bloody tank after a small German car. So, after finally driving a GMT-360, I have to say I do believe I would find the SAAB version most appreciable out of all of them.

Thanks again so much everyone!

Edited November 29, 2008 by MyerShift

[A Horse With No Name]

Glad to hear it worked out well. Caliber would not be my first choice of a car to replace the Rabbit.

The Audi 5 Cyl. in the Rabit is quite robust, you may very well be able to pay the car off and drive it forever, almost. Even with the cost of repairs, it may still be much cheaper than buying another car.

Chris

[MyerShift]

Of course.

[regfootball]

i don't get why VW can't supply a non growly semi smooth non turbo four with good mpg and adequate power as a base rabbit motor here in the US. aluminum, even, one that can maintain combustion.

[Intrepidation]

Glad to hear that it'll be covered under warranty!

[MyerShift]

Glad to hear that it'll be covered under warranty!

Me too!

And I also agree that VW should be able to offer a decent 4-cylinder engine in this segment without a turbo or being a turbodiesel.

[Cory Wolfe]

Sorry to hear.

I'm 600 miles away from hitting 80k in the Jetta, having put over 11k on it thus far. It's still problem free. My only costs have been for tires and other relatively minor items (not to mention a few accessories I felt inclined to buy).

[A Horse With No Name]

Glad to hear its working out well, Viper.

Chris

[MyerShift]

So, I am FINALLY getting my car back tomorrow.

Three damn weeks later and having to hitch rides EVERYWHERE. I am so irritated. But thankful I'll have wheels again.

There is a much bigger chasm between no car at all and a Hyundai Accent then said Accent and a Ferrari.

[A Horse With No Name]

This is why I've always tried to own multiple cars.

Chris

[MyerShift]

This is why I've always tried to own multiple cars.

Chris

Well, I am still a poor man, lol.

Hellooooo aged Dodge Aries for me!

[A Horse With No Name]

Actually, you could own a second car cheaply...

Chris

[MyerShift]

Actually, you could own a second car cheaply...

Chris

Aye. I shall consider it. It would be nice to have.

[Intrepidation]

Have a multi-car fleet is very good to have, as you never know when one may break down or need to be serviced for more than a few ours. Since you own a pretty new car this is less likely to occur but it does and unfortunately has for you. Certainly a cheap beater like an Aries, Spirit, Shadow, Cavalier, older Jetta, etc. would be something worth considering, especially since an older car is cheap to insure and you get pretty good deals insuring multiple cars. Hell you could even go hunting for a cheap classic...then you have a cool old toy that can double as backup.

[regfootball]

the insurance industry needs to revise coverage policies so that your insurance costs aren't so high for extra vehicles.

[A Horse With No Name]

Besides...with a cheap car...living in Michigan...two words....ICE RACING!!!!

Chris

[CARBIZ]

the insurance industry needs to revise coverage policies so that your insurance costs aren't so high for extra vehicles.

:rotflmao:

Reg, you crack me up! Insurance industry revise their policies? So there rates can go DOWN? Put down the bong, Reg. They only look for excuses to put them up! My rate went up $18 a month in September, and when I queried my agent he sniffed, "general increase." WTF?

[Intrepidation]

That reminds me, I go some happy news from my insurance companyf or once...it went down $110. Yay.

[A Horse With No Name]

I insure two cars, full coverage with towing, rental car, glass breakage, etc, $250 deductable, no deductable for glass breakage, new car replacement, etc...

For $104 per month. Yay to being married, having kids, and living in rural Ohio.

Chris

[Intrepidation]

I insure two cars, full coverage with towing, rental car, glass breakage, etc, $250 deductable, no deductable for glass breakage, new car replacement, etc...

For $104 per month. Yay to being married, having kids, and living in rural Ohio.

Chris

I hate you

I have been paying $320 a month for basic coverage for 1 car.

It's now down to $210 but it's still a lot v_v

[A Horse With No Name]

I thought you and Jessi Chan were toing to get the F out of Craphole Lawrence, mAssachusetts?

Chris

[Intrepidation]

I thought you and Jessi Chan were toing to get the F out of Craphole Lawrence, mAssachusetts?

Chris

That is plan, we're stuck here for now though.

[MyerShift]

Besides...with a cheap car...living in Michigan...two words....ICE RACING!!!!

Chris

HaHA! Fantastic!

Gosh, I suppose if I were looking for a "beater" it would be an old K-based Chrysler vehicle or a Buick Skyhawk. What can I say, I have this dementia for loving cars from the 1980's.