2002 Turbo S clutch, coils & "check engine"

[SirTurboS]

My Turbo S has almost 99k miles. For the past 6 months or so, I've been driving gently with a worn/slipping clutch. About 2 weeks ago I took the car to a local mechanic to have the clutch replaced. This mechanic has worked on my car numerous times over the past few years. Supposedly, he replaced my clutch.

The day before I took the car in to get the clutch replaced, the engine also started running very poorly--as if one cylinder was not functioning properly (...likely an electrical problem, I thought). In an effort to make the "Check Engine" light go off (and to get my car inspected in NY state), and since the car was also running poorly, the mechanic also replaced one coil and all of the spark plugs.

When I picked up the car on Friday, the check engine light was finally off. The car ran well for about 15 miles, then the check engine light came on again! Since I've been dealing with this "Check Engine" light for months, I had a meltdown when the light came back on again after all these repairs and only 15 miles of driving!

I took the car right back to the mechanic, very upset. He connected a diagnostic device to a wire underneath my dashboard. He's used this device many times on my car; it sends a wireless signal to his office computer, then he gets fault code info, apparently. He said the fault was in a different cylinder--so probably another bad coil. This motor has one coil for each cylinder and he only replaced one. The coils are about $80 apiece.

According to the mechanic, if the check engine light is on, I cannot pass the state inspection. I got a $135 ticket in July for not having a valid inspection sticker; I had not gotten the car inspected in June because I couldn't afford the expensive ($1200) clutch repair; I needed to get the clutch replaced in order to get the check engine light to go out.

After all this work--MY CLUTCH IS STILL SLIPPING!!! WTF is going on?!?! Did he install the wrong clutch? I assume this is not the case, since he's supposedly a veteran VW mechanic.

If anyone out there can help me understand what is happening or has happened with my car, I would really appreciate the analysis. I'm taking the car back to the mechanic tomorrow morning and want to have some idea of what is going wrong. I've been going to this mechanic for years; he's known locally as an honest mechanic. I don't have any money for further repairs after spending $1300 on clutch, coil, tune-up, etc. The mechanic, generously, has offered to make the *next* repairs--letting me pay as soon as I can.

Thank you for any info/advice.

[Smileybug]

You should get in touch with VW in regards to the coils. There has been a recall issued recently for many of them.

[SirTurboS]

Smileybug:

Thank you for the tip. What's the process for contacting VW? Phone...and lousy customer service? I've read online about infamously horrible VW customer service...

[Smileybug]

You can call your closest dealer and ask them about it. You should be able to give them your VIN and they can tell you if the recall applies to your car.

[NewBeetleMechanic]

Originally Posted by SirTurboS

My Turbo S has almost 99k miles. For the past 6 months or so, I've been driving gently with a worn/slipping clutch. About 2 weeks ago I took the car to a local mechanic to have the clutch replaced. This mechanic has worked on my car numerous times over the past few years. Supposedly, he replaced my clutch.

The day before I took the car in to get the clutch replaced, the engine also started running very poorly--as if one cylinder was not functioning properly (...likely an electrical problem, I thought). In an effort to make the "Check Engine" light go off (and to get my car inspected in NY state), and since the car was also running poorly, the mechanic also replaced one coil and all of the spark plugs.

When I picked up the car on Friday, the check engine light was finally off. The car ran well for about 15 miles, then the check engine light came on again! Since I've been dealing with this "Check Engine" light for months, I had a meltdown when the light came back on again after all these repairs and only 15 miles of driving!

I took the car right back to the mechanic, very upset. He connected a diagnostic device to a wire underneath my dashboard. He's used this device many times on my car; it sends a wireless signal to his office computer, then he gets fault code info, apparently. He said the fault was in a different cylinder--so probably another bad coil. This motor has one coil for each cylinder and he only replaced one. The coils are about $80 apiece.

According to the mechanic, if the check engine light is on, I cannot pass the state inspection. I got a $135 ticket in July for not having a valid inspection sticker; I had not gotten the car inspected in June because I couldn't afford the expensive ($1200) clutch repair; I needed to get the clutch replaced in order to get the check engine light to go out.

After all this work--MY CLUTCH IS STILL SLIPPING!!! WTF is going on?!?! Did he install the wrong clutch? I assume this is not the case, since he's supposedly a veteran VW mechanic.

If anyone out there can help me understand what is happening or has happened with my car, I would really appreciate the analysis. I'm taking the car back to the mechanic tomorrow morning and want to have some idea of what is going wrong. I've been going to this mechanic for years; he's known locally as an honest mechanic. I don't have any money for further repairs after spending $1300 on clutch, coil, tune-up, etc. The mechanic, generously, has offered to make the *next* repairs--letting me pay as soon as I can.

Thank you for any info/advice.

Take it to the dealer, ask for a complete vehicle inspection. Tell the service manager you only want an estimate on what needs to be repaired.

Take a copy of that back and show a copy to your "mechanic", demand your money back. I can tell you he might know about the old VW's, but the one you drive is so much more advanced then the old ones.

The clutch should be scarry tight. If it is not, he did not do something right.