PLEASE HELP - GREENBELT VW IS SCREWING ME OVER!!!

[chrissev]

Used (working) ones are not as easily attainable as one would think and I just can't go on a chaise to save a few bucks.

Try Frisco auto parts:  call (416) 736-9595 ask for Henry.  I'm pretty sure he has some.  
 

after spending nearly $3500 on a $5000 car...I can finally drive a reliable car.

wow, man, that's a lot of dough for an 11 year old car with 210,000km on it.  For $8500 you could almost get a new car (I think the entry price right now for a brand new econobox is $10,000).  Just to p*ss you off further, and because I love playing devil's advocate (or at least, letting people know things they'd rather not know), old high mileage diesels that leak oil, generally do so because they have a lot of blow by past the rings, and the crankcase gets pressurized, pushing the oil out.  This is because diesels operate at positive pressure (ie, they always suck in as much air as they can get) and have no engine vacuum.  Turbo diesels are particularly bad for this because of the added psi that the turbo pumps into the cylinders.  Maybe get your mechanic to do a quick compression test on your engine before you spend too much more money.  You might get a shock.  A diesel engine with good rings usually won't leak any oil, even if some of the seals are questionable.  Exception to this is the valve cover gasket, which almost always leaks at the back.

[stevenrossi]

Used (working) ones are not as easily attainable as one would think and I just can't go on a chaise to save a few bucks.

Try Frisco auto parts:  call (416) 736-9595 ask for Henry.  I'm pretty sure he has some.  
 

after spending nearly $3500 on a $5000 car...I can finally drive a reliable car.

wow, man, that's a lot of dough for an 11 year old car with 210,000km on it.  For $8500 you could almost get a new car (I think the entry price right now for a brand new econobox is $10,000).  Just to p*ss you off further, and because I love playing devil's advocate (or at least, letting people know things they'd rather not know), old high mileage diesels that leak oil, generally do so because they have a lot of blow by past the rings, and the crankcase gets pressurized, pushing the oil out.  This is because diesels operate at positive pressure (ie, they always suck in as much air as they can get) and have no engine vacuum.  Turbo diesels are particularly bad for this because of the added psi that the turbo pumps into the cylinders.  Maybe get your mechanic to do a quick compression test on your engine before you spend too much more money.  You might get a shock.  A diesel engine with good rings usually won't leak any oil, even if some of the seals are questionable.  Exception to this is the valve cover gasket, which almost always leaks at the back.

Ouch - that hurt. You know, Im sure it's got great compression still for the simple fact that it starts PERFECTLY in even the coldest weather. Infact, before any of this happened - there was a day here where it was minus 30...and I had forgotten to plug in either the 2001 TDI or my 1994 TD and I tell ya, they both didn't start, but after 30 mins of plugging them in, the TD roared right up, yet the TDI needed another 30 mins. Even my mechanic says i've got good compression just because it starts right up every time.

[stevenrossi]

Well Fellas...I got the car back. I've got the oil turbo and BOY is it cooked...about 2MM of play in the shaft and oil leaking everywhere. I'm having it inspected by a professional who will write a report fo what damage has been done to the turbo and from there, i'll take it to the legal systems.

Thx Guys!

Steven Rossi
Toronto Body Parts
New Parts, Used Prices
(416) 473-8197
[email protected]

[chrissev]

Ouch - that hurt. You know, Im sure it's got great compression still for the simple fact that it starts PERFECTLY in even the coldest weather. Infact, before any of this happened - there was a day here where it was minus 30...and I had forgotten to plug in either the 2001 TDI or my 1994 TD and I tell ya, they both didn't start, but after 30 mins of plugging them in, the TD roared right up, yet the TDI needed another 30 mins.

Weird.  I live in the same place you do, and my jetta has started every day with no plug in.  And it is 18 years old (albeit, freshly rebuilt engine).

Even my mechanic says i've got good compression just because it starts right up every time.

so did my 79 diesel rabbit, and it had 1/2 the compression it should have had.  I knew something was wrong because of all the oil leaks.  Couldn't keep the oil in the engine.  Patch one leak, it came out somewhere else.  I ended up venting the crankcase so I could drive it without going through so much oil, but it still burned quite a bit.  Do yourself a favour and check your compression.  It will cost 4 new heat shields (very cheap) and is totally worth it so at least you know the condition of the engine.  Diesels pretty much always start.  My Jetta, with no compression at all in one cylinder and 1/4 of what it should have had in the other three, would still start and run if it was cranked over for a while.  That was before it was rebuilt.  It had 350,000km on it at that time.  No power and lots of black smoke, but it still ran perfectly.

[stevenrossi]

Ouch - that hurt. You know, Im sure it's got great compression still for the simple fact that it starts PERFECTLY in even the coldest weather. Infact, before any of this happened - there was a day here where it was minus 30...and I had forgotten to plug in either the 2001 TDI or my 1994 TD and I tell ya, they both didn't start, but after 30 mins of plugging them in, the TD roared right up, yet the TDI needed another 30 mins.

Weird.  I live in the same place you do, and my jetta has started every day with no plug in.  And it is 18 years old (albeit, freshly rebuilt engine).

Even my mechanic says i've got good compression just because it starts right up every time.

so did my 79 diesel rabbit, and it had 1/2 the compression it should have had.  I knew something was wrong because of all the oil leaks.  Couldn't keep the oil in the engine.  Patch one leak, it came out somewhere else.  I ended up venting the crankcase so I could drive it without going through so much oil, but it still burned quite a bit.  Do yourself a favour and check your compression.  It will cost 4 new heat shields (very cheap) and is totally worth it so at least you know the condition of the engine.  Diesels pretty much always start.  My Jetta, with no compression at all in one cylinder and 1/4 of what it should have had in the other three, would still start and run if it was cranked over for a while.  That was before it was rebuilt.  It had 350,000km on it at that time.  No power and lots of black smoke, but it still ran perfectly.

I will, for sure, have my compression professionally checked. I mean it starts perfectly all the time (by the 1st rotation) and it doesn't blow much black smoke at all, in fact...I’m pretty sure that it doesn't at all. I mean I’ll have it looked at and all I can do is PRAY to the lord that it doesn't need a rebuild. From what I hear, these car's turn over back to "0" on the odometer after just 300 000KM, my mechanic speculates that It's actually got 510 000KM on the engine as opposed to just 210 000. I know that it's been in an accident for sure and that most of the parts in the car aren't what originally came in that car (combination switch, rear hatch, rear door...etc). I'll have the compression tested. If its low on any of the cylinders...I’m just going to pretend its not there and stop investing cash into this car. I'll keep you all posted.

*Fingers Crossed*