Need to vent....

tphoyt

Lieutenant Junior Grade
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I think I just had a small stroke. I can’t even imagine how you must feel about this.
 

BWR1953

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Jan 23, 2009
Messages
6,050
So go to pick up the car today. They again tell me the symptoms don't match up. I ask if they tried to put gas in like I asked. No. Start to drive home with 15 miles left in the tank. Pull over and try to put gas in. This is . 15 gallons later. I can't even.
View attachment 399562
Yow! 😲

Is there maybe a TV station in your area that investigates this kind of stuff? Like "10 on your side" or something? Man. 😬😵‍💫
 

aspeck

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Those guys are idiots. You really need to talk to a different dealership.
 

Lou C

Supreme Mariner
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Nov 10, 2002
Messages
12,236
So go to pick up the car today. They again tell me the symptoms don't match up. I ask if they tried to put gas in like I asked. No. Start to drive home with 15 miles left in the tank. Pull over and try to put gas in. This is . 15 gallons later. I can't even.
View attachment 399562
if you can send that vid, or a screenshot to NHTSA
also try a local new channel that does consumer protection stuff
they are incompetent fools
Better yet
fill up a couple five gallon cans
drive back to the dealer
have the shop manager come out
put gas in....let it happen just like your vid....
leave the car there, say it's too unsafe for you to let your wife drive it
THEN call the news lol.
 

FLATHEAD

Captain
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Dec 29, 2002
Messages
3,064
Holy crow! Cant believe they let you drive away with that. I suspect they knew full well what would happen if you tried to put gas in.
 

nola mike

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Apr 22, 2009
Messages
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I dropped it back off at the dealership and showed them the video. Waiting to hear their response. Good thought about the news. I'm waiting for a resolution before I start posting reviews.
 

briangcc

Commander
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Jul 10, 2012
Messages
2,193
Our local CBS station has a "Call 4 Action" where you give the channel the story and they run it. Usually has decent results. Might be something similar in your area.
 

tphoyt

Lieutenant Junior Grade
Joined
Jun 10, 2010
Messages
1,047
A buddy of mine felt like he got raked over the coals at a transmission shop in Fl. His farther set up a sting operation where they brought in a previously inspected car that had nothing wrong with it and they told him he needed $2,300 in repairs.
And this was in the 80’s. It made the news and the placed closed up a few months later.
 

nola mike

Vice Admiral
Joined
Apr 22, 2009
Messages
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OUCH! Oh boy, it sucks to be one of your vehicles right now! So sorry. What happened?
Dude working on the house next door backed into me when I was parked. My kids heard more expletives in 5 minutes than in their lives up till that point. Then my kid found a note after I was reviewing camera footage. Still going to be an expensive huge pita (now down to just the truck, at least I got that working a few weeks ago) but could have been worse.
 

aspeck

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Messages
18,687
Dude working on the house next door backed into me when I was parked. My kids heard more expletives in 5 minutes than in their lives up till that point. Then my kid found a note after I was reviewing camera footage. Still going to be an expensive huge pita (now down to just the truck, at least I got that working a few weeks ago) but could have been worse.
At least it wasn't your fault and the guy owned up to it. That takes a big headache out of the equation. Just trying to look at the bright side. It is still a rough situation. We have 4 vehicles for 3 drivers and one is in the body shop and the other needs a state inspection and we are stuck trying to figure out when we can trade off vehicles for the second to be out of service for a day. If I had an extra vehicle right now I would loan it to you ...
 

nola mike

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Apr 22, 2009
Messages
5,238
Now down to the '97 ranger for 2 adults, 2 kids and a dog. Math doesn't work. Have a road trip planned for next week, if I do it it's going to take a lot of duct tape on that mirror...
 

Scott06

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Apr 20, 2014
Messages
6,044
Now down to the '97 ranger for 2 adults, 2 kids and a dog. Math doesn't work. Have a road trip planned for next week, if I do it it's going to take a lot of duct tape on that mirror...
I drove nothing but german cars years ago - Jetta , GTI, then I bought a Fox which was such a POS on multiple levels that I took my grandmothers Bonneville (with a klassy maroon velour interior) when she moved into a nursing home... trans died in that at 60k bought a Camry.

On our 2nd camry and highlander plus a sienna 596k miles basically devoid of issues besides brakes tires oil and exhaust. Just gave my daughter my 07 camry with 252 k on it. Did driveaxles and struts at 227 k so it would be fresh for a couple years.

My wife's mini is the same chit gearing up to do the timing chain and valve seals at 100 k because it rattles and uses 2 qts in 5 k OC interval. They look nice and have a good road feel but the quality isnt there vs Japanese stuff. At least my Camry was made in the US...
 

Scott06

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93. had a issue in ignition system where it would loose spark and buck sort of run. usually on long highway trips. It would eat coils, cap (arc welding inside), rotor and wires. of course this was intermittent.

Finally gave it to a independent VW guy and asked him if he would drive it as if it were his car. Two weeks later he call says it acted up, put it on a oscilloscope and it needs a new coil spark kV is weak. I said coil is a new bosch one receipt is in glove box.... he says must be the Hall Effect sender or ignition module. hall effect sendor not available says he can fix it or get distributor and ign module from junk yard... So $100 at junk yard never had the issue again, but tis took me plus 3-4 different mechanics and two tows to diagnose. Then the AC compressor died (80k miles) and I bailed.

I loved my GTI but I was done with VW after that. Two co workers at last job had the TDIs, kept them after the emissions work around scandal, had fuel pumps die and spread plastic bits through entire fuel system $5k to repair.
 

nola mike

Vice Admiral
Joined
Apr 22, 2009
Messages
5,238
I drove nothing but german cars years ago - Jetta , GTI, then I bought a Fox which was such a POS on multiple levels that I took my grandmothers Bonneville (with a klassy maroon velour interior) when she moved into a nursing home... trans died in that at 60k bought a Camry.

On our 2nd camry and highlander plus a sienna 596k miles basically devoid of issues besides brakes tires oil and exhaust. Just gave my daughter my 07 camry with 252 k on it. Did driveaxles and struts at 227 k so it would be fresh for a couple years.

My wife's mini is the same chit gearing up to do the timing chain and valve seals at 100 k because it rattles and uses 2 qts in 5 k OC interval. They look nice and have a good road feel but the quality isnt there vs Japanese stuff. At least my Camry was made in the US...
Just dropped the mini off at the body shop ($2300) this AM. The truck hit 230k as we pulled into the lot. Or 70k more than the other 2 cars combined. To be fair though, we've had both cars since 2019. Aside from the mini's recent woes both cars have been perfect.
 

Scott06

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Apr 20, 2014
Messages
6,044
Just dropped the mini off at the body shop ($2300) this AM. The truck hit 230k as we pulled into the lot. Or 70k more than the other 2 cars combined. To be fair though, we've had both cars since 2019. Aside from the mini's recent woes both cars have been perfect.
you are lucky with the mini I have done more work on the mini to get from 72 k to 106 k than my camry from 49 k to 227 k
 

Scott Danforth

Grumpy Vintage Moderator still playing with boats
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Jul 23, 2011
Messages
48,297
93. had a issue in ignition system where it would loose spark and buck sort of run. usually on long highway trips. It would eat coils, cap (arc welding inside), rotor and wires. of course this was intermittent.

Finally gave it to a independent VW guy and asked him if he would drive it as if it were his car. Two weeks later he call says it acted up, put it on a oscilloscope and it needs a new coil spark kV is weak. I said coil is a new bosch one receipt is in glove box.... he says must be the Hall Effect sender or ignition module. hall effect sendor not available says he can fix it or get distributor and ign module from junk yard... So $100 at junk yard never had the issue again, but tis took me plus 3-4 different mechanics and two tows to diagnose. Then the AC compressor died (80k miles) and I bailed.

I loved my GTI but I was done with VW after that. Two co workers at last job had the TDIs, kept them after the emissions work around scandal, had fuel pumps die and spread plastic bits through entire fuel system $5k to repair.
I had a 1993 as well. The 88-93 were Brazilian made. Basically the old 1.8 VW 2-valve motor with the old Audi 4000 transmission in an old tooled Audi Fox body. Good daily in town, sucked on the highway if you had to pass as there was not much power

Bought mine for $400 with a parts car, drove it 60,000 and sold it for $1200 and scrapped the parts car for another $500
 
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