"McMike" (mcmike)
11/10/2014 at 08:27 • Filed to: drivewaymechanic, tutu153
0
8|
"McMike" (mcmike)
11/10/2014 at 08:27 • Filed to: drivewaymechanic, tutu153 | 0
| 8 |
Ran when parked.
My friend gave up. This was his wive's old car and he held on to it for his kid. She just got her license, and now it won't start.
Why do I care? I worked on it before, and I guess I get a little attached to things I fix. I helped with some !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , and with the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! /water pump last year (OMG, what a pain in the ass that was)
!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!
We charged the battery yesterday, and it won't start. He borrowed my code reader, and immediately put it on craigslist. Latest update - the car was rolling all the windows down whenever he walked away from it. Apparently, either something with the fob or a switch in the driver's door lock cylinder really, really wants the windows down.
He said he got like, 20 replies on the ad yesterday. These B5.5 Passats must have a lot of spendy parts in them to get that kind of response to a "Ran when parked" ad.
505Turbeaux
> McMike
11/10/2014 at 08:30 |
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Did he wait long enough for the immobilizer to reset (15 min I think)? This could cause it. Of course if the battery has a dead cell that would be hard...
my 98 GLX Jetta that had all of 50K on it loved to open all the windows and the sunroof when it rained, then close them tight when it was dry. And of course the A/C didnt work
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McMike
> 505Turbeaux
11/10/2014 at 08:38 |
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I started sending him forum posts to help him troubleshoot some of the issues, and he replied with, "Putting on Craigslist"
*drops mic*
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505Turbeaux
> McMike
11/10/2014 at 08:41 |
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ugh, hate to see that. I am always sad to see a car I bled on given up on like that. Of course you could say, VW will you please make a car that doesnt die electrically after the warranty is up?, but that might be asking for a bit too much.
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McMike
> 505Turbeaux
11/10/2014 at 09:03 |
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That Passat was pretty fancypants for its time. Lots of the little electronic shit that makes me nervous.
I had to reset their radio about once every other year. I even made my own removal tools and kept them in their glovebox.
When I read about the windows going down because of a failed switch in the door I was like, WTF?
What a shitty, shitty failure to have to deal with.
THIS is why I drive old shit.
Boxer_4
> McMike
11/10/2014 at 09:52 |
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It almost sounds like it's the Comfort Control Module (CCM) causing the problem. The CCM controls a lot of systems including the windows, climate control, and the anti-theft system. I believe the module is in the driver's foot well. The module can get corroded or outright die if they get damp or wet, which can easily be caused by a clogged sunroof drain (for example). That would explain all the windows consistently rolling down, and possibly the no start issue, as I seem to remember that several relays for things like the fuel pump go through the CCM because of the anti-theft system. I've also heard of the wires leading up to the CCM becoming damaged, especially the wires from the doors, causing issues.
We had a B5.5 Passat wagon (01 1.8T) before, and it was a fun car. However, it just didn't last. We had several smaller issues, but the final straw was the transmission controller suffering an intermittent failure.
BoulderZ
> McMike
11/10/2014 at 11:10 |
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That's a deal for folks who have the wiring schematic and are handy with a multimeter. Granted, that's not most people, but that's a car I'd take a look at as a quick-turn project or for commuting/winter use. Hope it gets some new life, either resurrected or via parts donation.
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McMike
> BoulderZ
11/10/2014 at 11:12 |
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Yeah. They aren't good with PM, I sure wouldn't want it.
I usually just came to the rescue when it failed safety inspection or broke.
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BoulderZ
> McMike
11/10/2014 at 11:34 |
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It's really odd how many people just basically don't do PM. When I was service manager at a bike shop I'd see it all the time. And they were otherwise nice, smart folks. For some reason the whole take-care-of-your-gear-and-your-gear-takes-care-of-you thing is lost on tons of people, even couched in the very real money-saving terms. Baffling. I have some neighbors who are just letting the shingles peel off their roof during storms. Even the worst houses around here are about $400k. Letting a leaky roof destroy it rather than fixing it (or even replacing at full cost) is foolishness defined. People are weird.