Egglatina Update - Problem Resolved!

[ClaireW]

Here's a recap of what happened, and how it was resolved.

The day I bought my car, the check engine light came on. I took it to a dealer, who informed me that my Beetle had a Passaat engine in it which was giving error code P0411. It should be noted that this engine replacement was not noted on the Carfax report I paid for.

I called the dealer I bought the car from and told him that although I had signed an as-is acceptance, he was obligated under California law to provide an accurate odometer reading, which he had not done. Also the K-wire (for diagnostics) had been disconnected so an accurate smog check could not have been done. (Basically, I cornered him)

To his credit, the dealer offered to refund the money, let me choose a different car from his lot or to make the repair. Since I was very pleased with the car otherwise, I decided to choose to have the repair done, even though this means that I really do not know how many miles are on my engine.

Tracking down the cause of a P0411 error can be a long process. We would try one thing, drive the car about 60 - 100 miles and when the computer came back online, it would immediately produce the error code again.

Ultimately, the problem turned out to be the combination valve. It was replaced along with a mass air sensor and a whole bunch of hoses that were early attempts at fixing it.

There was a huge improvement in how the car ran. It ran good before, but wow, this made a big difference. It has more power and idles very quietly. I've driven it over 400 miles now and the check engine light is staying off. *whew!*

[Smileybug]

I'm still confused how a Passat engine wound up in the car...I think they are completely different from the NB 1.8T. What is the engine code, do you know?

Glad the car is running so well now!

[ClaireW]

As I understand it, the Passaat 1.8L turbo and the Beetle turbo are more or less the same engines. There was some comments to that effect on the earlier posts. I am not a mechanic, so I can't really help with info on the differences.

Since the engine replacement was not reported to Carfax, my guess is that it came out of a wrecked Passaat and this was done in someones backyard. What is strange is that the car was listed as a fleet vehicle on the Carfax report and it seems odd to have a major repair go unreported on a company vehicle.

No, I don't have an engine code. I could locate it and find out what the mileage was when the original Passaat was wrecked (guessing here) but if the engine was rebuilt, it doesn't tell me much. If I am understanding this correctly, it would all be speculation.

Fortunately I won't be in a position to have to resell this car. I live in such a mountain area and put so many miles on my cars in such a short time (Daily commute is over 60 miles) that I will keep it until it is belly up with all four tires in the air.

[Smileybug]

Passat engines are mounted longitudinally, so they are mounted front to back, rather than side to side. I don't think swapping in a Passat motor is all that easy.

Do you have a pic of the engine bay?

[Zann]

Timing belt broke, engine imploded, a repair shop got their hands on a similar VW engine and the rest is history.

[ClaireW]

Here's a photo of the engine bay:

[Smileybug]

Did a VW dealer tell you it was a Passat engine? That looks like a NB or maybe even Jetta 1.8T. All pictures I see of Passat engines they look a tad bit different, and again, are mounted the other way (front to back). I guess its possible though.

[ClaireW]

Yes, it was a large, reputable VW dealer that has been around this area for ages, so I'm assuming what they told me was correct. Although the information was relayed via the lady working in the service department, so I guess it is possible that there was a miscommunication on which type of engine it is. The repair order said it was "the wrong engine" and did not specify brand.

If it is not clearly a Passat engine, I guess I had better locate the engine number so that I can at least know what I have and make sure that it gets the proper maintenance.