VW TDI timing broke 58,000 miles early, HELP! [UPDATE]

"For Sweden" (rallybeetle) 11/19/2013 at 11:50 • Filed to: HELP, Volkswagen, VW, Jetta, TDI

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The timing belt in my parents' 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI broke at ~62,000 miles. The recommended replacement interval is 120,000 miles. The powertrain warranty expired at 60,000 miles. Any form of recourse? Full sob story below.

For background, this is my parents' third TDI, their fourth diesel Volkswagen, and their seventh VW overall, dating back to a 1968 Beetle.

My parents purchased the Jetta used from a VW dealer a couple of years ago, when it had traveled around ~33,000. It was not CPO, and because it was well within the factory power train warranty, my parents didn't buy a warranty from the dealer. The car's history report didn't show any records of an accident or major engine work.

Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago, and the car will start but won't run. They know the supply pump in the fuel tank !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . It's not their only car, so they leave it sit until they can get around to it. Then, a couple of days ago, they try starting it up again. It runs for a second, then quits. They crank it again, to no effect. They then test the compression and find none.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

They haven't torn apart the engine yet, but no compression is almost certainly bent valves caused by a failed timing belt. The car is outside its power train warranty, and the local VW dealer (there's only one) says VW has no interest in inspecting the car. Furthermore, my parents perform almost all their own maintenance, so while it has been perfectly maintained, every oil change isn't in the car's history report.

My only hope for recourse is the fact the belt failed 58,000 miles before it was designed to. Volkswagen should stand by that interval, but I'm unsure how to convince them to do so. Any ideas?

UPDATE: There was a recall in October 2011, after my parents bought the car, for !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . Not sure if that would have caused the issue, but perhaps recall work would be enough to force a dealer inspection.

505Turbeaux > For Sweden 11/19/2013 at 11:53

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VW had a silent recall/refund on 1.8T's that had this issue. A friend of mine got recouped 3 years after he fixed it. all the money he spent fixing it. It wasnt cheap

RaymondStantz > For Sweden 11/19/2013 at 11:53

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Start at your dealer. As a fellow VW owner, I can attest some dealers are better than others when it comes to being accommodating in these situations. If need be, contact VWoA with your issue and they may offer to reimburse you if you present a good case to them. Check for any TSBs on this particular part as well.

**edit**

Just noticed your dealer is no help. That's ridiculous of them.

RaymondStantz > 505Turbeaux 11/19/2013 at 11:58

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VW loves their TSBs. 2010-2012 TSI engines love to leak coolant everywhere. My GTI had to go in when my water pump took to leaking as well. Very common problem but no recall whatsoever.

dogisbadob > For Sweden 11/19/2013 at 11:58

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If your dealer is being a dick, try VWoA. If that doesn't work, sue the shit out of them, and then use the settlement to buy a Toyota. Or perhaps you may be able to wait until the Mazda 6 diesel comes.

If you still must have diesel power, and cannot wait for the 6, and automatic transmission is OK, then get a Cruze diesel.

For Sweden > 505Turbeaux 11/19/2013 at 12:12

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Interesting. Do you know if it extended to 2.0L TDIs?

505Turbeaux > For Sweden 11/19/2013 at 12:59

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not that I know of, this was the first gen of 1.8t

His Stigness > For Sweden 11/19/2013 at 13:49

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As a few others have said contact VWoA. I've contacted them before when my dealer was being a dick and they're very helpful. Just be calm and reasonable with them but tell them essentially you want the implied warranty honored.

Quattro-luvr, Powered by Datsun & Stinger > For Sweden 11/19/2013 at 13:55

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Yeah, the 1.8T recall was for oil sludge. Our Passat got the recall for it and it was covered.

Since you timing belt broke before the service interval I'd contact VWOA directly if you needed to. So your local deelar wont look at it? That seems pretty stupid of them. That's how they make money!

davedave1111 > For Sweden 11/19/2013 at 14:02

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If a car's out of warranty, it's out of warranty. If it's been properly serviced and is only just out of warranty, though, it's not unusual for the manufacturer to make an offer towards the costs of repair - the proportion will depend on things like condition, how unusual or unpredictable the failure was, how long since the warranty expired, and so-on.

pachood - Cheap rent; fast cars. > For Sweden 11/19/2013 at 15:30

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The fuel line recall is not related, that is going to be related to the #2 fuel line possibly cracking from the vibrations from the injection pulses and leaking diesel. On 99% of cars the line was not replaced, it simply had a rubber vibration dampener installed on that fuel line and sent out the door.

I have never seen a belt break that early on a newer VW. There is a life on them due to time, but thats ~10yr.

Not purchasing the vehicle CPO or doing maintenance with the dealer aren't going to help the case, but I would have it diagnosed by the dealer, then contact VW customer relations about the issue. You should be able to find the number in your owners manual (after you have a solid case including the dealerships diagnosis) and go from there. I can find you that number if need be.

Already a lot of bad info being thrown around here, so take it as you wish. I work with this stuff every day :)
At the end of the day, the vehicle IS out of warranty so the manufacturer has no obligation to take care of the matter. They take a lot into account when looking into a case like this.

nobody > For Sweden 11/19/2013 at 16:56

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!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

For Sweden > nobody 11/19/2013 at 17:01

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That went better than expected.

His Stigness > For Sweden 11/19/2013 at 18:40

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Told you they're helpful. VWoA works really hard to provide unparalleled customer service in their quest for dominance. By going through corporate you'll be able to speak to the right people and get the repair approved then go to your local dealer, or a different one since your local one is being a dick.

jhonster1 > For Sweden 04/08/2015 at 10:13

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I know this is a late response, but...since it sounds like you're here in America...and, since I've worked in both the independent and dealership venues for many years. Here is my advice. I WOULD NOT take it to a VW dealership myself. Only because I know how deceiving some (actually many) dealerships can be. I would find a good Independent VW specialist in your area to take it to to have it inspected. Hopefully you're in California where there is a Bureau of Automotive Repair. Other states have an automotive protection agency at the state level as well. Find out if your state has a Consumer Affairs bureau that can tell you if your state has one. Legally, the liability stands with the manufacturer of the timing belt, and not with VW. Even though VW did install this belt onto your engine, they didn't make the belt. Lets hope the mileage wasn't messed with on your car since it was purchased used. There should be some kind of electronic records to show if the car shows graduating mileage from the time purchased throughout its oil changes up until you got the car. You'll need to find out what failed in the car causing the timing belt to break or loose teeth. If the mechanic finds everything else in the timing belt system looked ok, and the timing belt failure wasn't due to some other kind of mechanical issue w/the motor, then have him document on the repair order that the timing belt itself failed. You will need the repair order paperwork to document this CLEARLY. Then, check with your state to see if you have a small claims court you can sue the manufacturer of the belt in. You will need to find out who the "agent for service" is in your state (or possibly in another state) via your Secretary of State. Usually you can get this information through their internet corporation porthole search. There you can usually just type the corporations name and do a simple search. I went to the California Secretary of State to find Gates Corporation and found 348 entries. So you have to sift through them. Check it out. http://kepler.sos.ca.gov So, I found this information on Gates...since I think that is the O.E. timing belt on these cars.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

So...if you wanted to sue Gates corporation for the repairs on your car, you'd have to file the lawsuit where the damage occurred....and then have them served in Delaware at that address information I provided. You can usually have that states Sheriff have them served properly. So when the court date comes, Gates will need to appear to defend themselves on the issue. Make sure you bring your receipt from the repairs to show you've fixed it and how much it costed. And like I said, MAKE SURE the shop documents CLEARLY that the damage occurred due to the belt failure and NOTHING ELSE. You might even want to ask the mechanic to appear with you and pay him for his time, or you could just subpoena him. I've taken many manufacturers to court and have never lost. Mainly because I'm a certified ASE Master Mechanic....and I'm considered an expert when it comes to automotive repairs, failures and analysis. Most judges usually side on the side of the consumer, because a repair like this wouldn't be a drop in the bucket for Gates (or whichever company makes your timing belt) to absorb. But, you could always take your chances with the dealership as well. But if the dealership comes back with saying that it's somehow your fault or the fault of some other influecing cause...then you're not only going to have the Manufacturer to fight in court, but the dealership who worked on it to testify on VW's behalf. Just my 2 1/2 cents. =))