Tag Archive for: vw problems

Top 5 Failures 1999-2005 MK4 Golf, Beetle and Jetta

Today we are back talking about more failed VW parts. We are going to look at the top 5 most common failures of MK4 Golf, Beetle and Jetta. I grouped the Golf, Beetle and Jetta together because they are on the same platform. Think of them as the same car, with a different body attached. That means they all share very common failures. Also remember two things, these are not the only failures for that generation VW, and talking about these failures does not make them bad cars. When you have 7 years of a car, there are bound to be some things that go wrong.

Sponsor Of The Day
Today’s show is sponsored by Deutsche Auto Parts. They are the VW and Audi parts experts. They have great prices and awesome service. Plus they work really hard on a ton of VW DIY videos. Paul and the fellas at DAP are awesome. When you are shopping for VW Parts Online be sure to check them out.

Join me today as we break down the MK4

  • The MK4 is 1998(ish)-2005(ish) Golf, Beetle, Jetta
  • MK4 window regulator failures
  • MK4 Brake light switch failures and recall
  • MK4 Catalytic Converter failures, and warranty extension
  • MK4 Coolant temperature sensor failures
  • MK4 Suspension bushing failures
  • A quick list of more MK4 failures
  • How VW Coolant Temp Sensors Fail
  • and more

Trouble viewing? Watch “Top 5 Failures 1999-2005 Golf, Beetle and Jetta” on YouTube.

As always, your questions and comments are welcome.
Please post them below. If you would like to suggest a part of a show like this, email me Charles(at)HumbleMechanic(dot)com. Thanks again to Deutsche Auto Parts for being such a great sponsor.

Don’t forget to follow me at:

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What It May Take To Fix The DieselGate TDIs ~ Podcast Episode 104

We have talked about the VW scandal a lot lately. It has basically consumed all of my time at work, and on the podcast. But as more information comes out, we can start to look at what the fix for these TDIs will be. Today we are going to look at the 2 repairs that will most likely happen on the 3 generations of TDIs. We have talked about what happened on VW Diesel Scandal AKA DIESELGATE ~ Episode 97 

Join me today as we breakdown:

  • Most of this information is based on the hearing with
    Mr Horn CEO of VWofA
  • Cars with Adblue injection will get software only
  • Cars currently with no Adblue system will get hardware and software
  • What parts are needed to add a diesel exhaust fluid treatment
  • Where these systems may be installed
  • How long the repair may take
  • The lack of time frame
  • and more

Trouble viewing? Watch “What It May Take To Fix The DieselGate TDIs ~ Podcast Episode 104” on YouTube.

As always I love to hear your thoughts. Please post them in the comments section below. If you have an idea for a show you can email me, or use the contact me form! Don’t forget to follow me at:

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Podcast Episode 16 Volkswagen Reliability a Problem, or Is It Perception

Happy Monday everyone. I hope that you all had a great weekend. Today on the Automotive Podcast we have a great yet touchy topic. Is VW reliability a problem, or is it perception. I had written a blog post years ago about this very topic. It is one of the most commented on posts on the blog. You can check it out at VW reliability problems.

I understand that there are a lot of folks that have very strong feelings about this exact topic. I also know that many folks have experienced the pain of having a huge repair bill on VWs. But you can take the VW out of the conversation, and input any other manufacturer. That is right, people have big repair bills with Toyota too. I also realize that there is truth to the issues that VWs have. I am a dealer tech, I see it all the time.

Today on the Automotive Podcast we discuss:

  • Why this topic came back up
  • VW ranks 5 from the bottom on J.D. Power
  • Why I “promote” VW as a brand? I DON’T!
  • My affinity for the brand
  • VW are not the right car for everyone
  • What fuels the problems car manufacturers have
  • Buy what you like, and expect problems
  • The story about my CR-V
  • A salesman wants you to by their brand
  • We can substitute VW for any other car brand

Well that wraps up Episode 16. I know that I may have hit close to home with many of you. Feel free to post your comments below. Remember this is not me standing on a soap box. It is a community.

Be sure to check out and follow at:

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Episode 8 Common Car Repairs and Patten Failures

Happy Monday everyone. Today on the automotive podcast, we are talking about Common Car Repairs and Pattern Failures. This topic came in from Brain on YouTube.

As a dealer tech, this is really the world I live in. Not only do we see tons of broken VWs, we see the same VW problems over and over. Now, I pick on VW a little in this show. But that is simply because those are the cars I fix. Every car brand has the same type of issues, and we talk a little about how that happens today.

Show Notes:

  • What is a pattern failure
  • Why do pattern failures happen?
  • Evolution of Diagnostics with common car repairs and patter failures.
  • My history of VW common repairs
    • 2.0t A/C compressors
    • VW window regulators
    • VW Door latches
    • VW ignition coils
    • TDI High Pressure Fuel Pumps (HPFP)
    • 2.0t Cams and HPFP
  • Common VW problems very by region
  • Importance of knowing what common repairs your car has.

If you are having trouble viewing, watch Common Car Repairs, and Pattern Failures on YouTube.

Thanks for taking the time to watch. For those of you that have asked, I have almost worked out the audio only versions. I will be sure to let you know when you can subscribe on Itunes!

As always, your comments and questions are awesome. If you have a common car repairs story, please share it with the rest of us. Also, feel free to share this video(or any of them). I really do appreciate that.

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p0171 system lean

Shop Shots Volume 70 Insider Pictures of Automotive Service

HOLY COW!
mk1 VR6 Cabby I didn’t realize that it has been over 3 months since the last volume of Shop Shots! That is just insane. Well let me tell you guys about what has been going on around the Humble Mechanic garage lately.

At the shop
We are short handed at work. That can make for a nice pay check, but always makes for more work. Not just more cars, more nick-knack type stuff too. I also feel like VW is in the middle of a strange transition period. We are doing much more maintenance than before. The cars are getting better, but when they break it seems to be in really crazy ways. I will probably save more of my thoughts for another time. It just “feels” different.

At the house
We do a ton of spring planting in the garden. Those of you that have been around a while may remember my wife and I moved about a year and a half ago. We bought a house with a much bigger garage and 3.6 acres. That means plenty of yard work and tons of planting. We planted about 15 trees this spring. Along with the trees we planted lots of support plants too. Let’s just say we are on track to build a food oasis.

Project “Luv A Dub”
A few weeks ago I had my first real break down in the Cabby. It turned out the main engine connector came loose and shut the car down. I also feel like the torque of the engine is a little much for the engine mounts. I ordered a 4th mount from my boys at Euro-wise. Once that comes in I will start driving it a little more.

Okay, enough yapping, let’s get to the Shop Shots!

Poor exhaust repairI always love a great DIY repair. There are times when you can hodgepodge parts together to fix a problem. I am a big fan of that. I did plenty of that type of thing on the Cabby. This is the exact opposite of a good DIY. This is a nightmare.

You are looking at about 1 foot of exhaust on a Jetta. In this one foot section, you can see:

  • 4 clamps
  • 2 attempts at hangers
  • a bolt through a hanger that shouldn’t be there
  • some type of plastic “sealing” the exhaust

As you can see this is not a factory repair. If this car was in for state inspection, it would fail!

Turbo Carbon build up

If you drive a 2.0t VW, you may have heard of this issue. Carbon building up on the back of the intake valves. This is actually an issue on almost all gas engines with direct injection. The issue usually shows itself as a check engine light, or as misfires when the engine is cold.

There are a few theories floating around about what is causing this. One that makes the most sense is from the folks at B.G.(they make oil and fuel treatments). They say it is due to a small amount of fuel left unburnt when the engine is shut off. This can settle on the intake valves when they are open. That varnish catches small deposits of oil as it comes through the intake runner.

That is probably the most sound theory I have heard. We have tried a few different methods to clean the valves. Sadly the best way is to clean it by hand. Some shops use a modified walnut blaster. Other shops soak and scrape each valve by hand. Either way, it is a messy and expensive job. The next time I have the chance, I will snap a “post cleaning” picture for you guys.

VW transmission problemsThis is one of those things you see happen to a car and think “how in the world did that happen?” This is a small hole in a transmission. You would not see this hole with the transmission installed in the car. Something on the inside of the transmission broke. That break caused inside parts of the transmission to become outside parts.

I don’t think the tech working on it found the exact failure. Some parts have what is called a “core charge”. That means we have to send the part replace back to VW. Often times we do not disassemble core parts. VW can be strict about what they will and will not take back.

That wraps up another volume of Shop Shots. I know that it has been on a big time hiatus, and for that I am sorry. When the blog was young, I committed to do a blog post 5 days a week. I don’t think that I can keep that level of posting up. But I have recommitted to putting content out for you guys. If you have any topics you want us to talk about, please use the contact me form and let me know!

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