blown engine?

[coqui]

Help! I have a 2004 1.8 turbo conv that I have really enjoyed. I have regular maintanence and the car is in very good shape. My oil light/alarm came on 2 months ago and I took it to the dealer who said I needed an oil change and a new filter. That was done. On Sat the oil light alarm came on when the car went above 1500 rpms. The dealer is telling me I need a new engine (6K). He said that perhaps changing the oil pump would fix the problem but he is not guaranteeing that and the chances are I would need to replace the engine anyway. Could the engine have gone bad that quickly? Should I try the oil pump replacement? The car has 74k and I am not planning to fix it if it needs a whole new engine. Is it worth anything as is? Thank you for any input.

[digitalputty]

I would get a second opinion IMO.

Good luck!

[70autostick]

Its not blown,however,dont run it!!It might be a faulty pump,sender,ect.Im sure,with the proper tools,you may be able to fix it yourself,piece by piece until you knock out that gremlin.Good luck with it

[70autostick]

Or maybe a pressure relief valve..?Ive never heard of an issue dealing with one in a NB,but in my 1970 bug,the oil light came on when it got lodged in the case,so i lubed it up and out she came....oil light was off..might be a waste of time,but when juggling 6k,id check into it.

[D2Beetle]

Something is smells fishy here... NB goes to dealer for oil warning light, dealer says all that is needed is oil change. NB then goes back to dealer for oil warning light, dealer now says you need new engine.

What is wrong with that picture?

[ched454]

I would try to find an independent garage specializing in VW to measure the oil pressure but often low oil pressure means the oil pump going bad especially with only 74K miles.

[coqui]

thanks for your informative responses. I too think it odd that the dealership has immediately jumped to "new engine" time since the car still runs, albeit, a little loudly. I will take it to a private repair facility for a second opinion. If the 2nd opinion is the same I will let everyone here know if they wish to buy the car as is since it is in very good condition otherwise.

Any specific things I should pass on to the second place? Again, thanks for taking the time to respond.

[ched454]

It will only be an educated guess until the oil pan is dropped and the pump inspected. They may quote you a price to do at least that much diagnostic work so you know the extent of the repair. Its not too common for an oil pump to fail at 74K but not unheard of. More typically, a foreign object either blocks the intake tube or gets past the intake screen and is ingested into the pump. The pump itself is only a few hundred dollars but the labor could be pricey.

[coqui]

Dear ched 454,

You were absolutely spot on with the idea that it could be the tube, as opposed to the oil pump, or a broken engine. Very scary that I was told I needed a new engine when a $20 part is the problem. I guess it is time to find a good VW mechanic in my area.

[noR]

I wouldn't mind seeing the screws turned on that dealership by a VW regional rep. I think you have 2 receipts with the same problem and 2 VERY different answers.

The dealersihp should probably be held somewhat responsible for the 'bad call' or for the 'exaggerated repair'.

[ched454]

Originally Posted by coqui

Dear ched 454,

You were absolutely spot on with the idea that it could be the tube, as opposed to the oil pump, or a broken engine. Very scary that I was told I needed a new engine when a $20 part is the problem. I guess it is time to find a good VW mechanic in my area.

Well maybe.... obviously you'll have to have it investigated but the engine will definitely become permanently damaged (and quickly) from lack of lubrication if the car is driven with low oil pressure. It just may be premature to condemn the engine at this point.

[alexvilla]

Originally Posted by noR

The dealersihp should probably be held somewhat responsible for the 'bad call' or for the 'exaggerated repair'.

lol ... but they should.... steelership SUX!!!!!!!! that is why i do everyhting myself

[vibelife]

Where do you live? I know of 2 in my area I trust...

[The Cheat]

do you run synthetic oil?

if not, replace the pump (and SWITCH).

if so, replace the pump.

these oil pumps SUCK, 80k is a common failure point, especially if regular oil is used.

to echo the others, where are you located? i do service calls in the new england area, and if you're in ct, i can almost guess the dealer if so...