QuestionMy check engine light came on and I had it put on the computer. I was told I need to replace the camshaft position sensor and the O2 sensor needs to be replaced. If I shut the car off, and try to restart it, it cranks over very slowly and then starts. My husband wants to know if he can do the job himself. Would the computer automatically reset itself? I was given a price from the dealership for these sensors at $280 & $211. That's expensive. Are these dealership items only?
Please help!
Sonia
AnswerHi Sonia;
Those sound like the parts prices without labor included. So, the cost will be astronomically more in the final analysis. Your husband can do the Oxygen sensor easily if it either of the #2 sensors...ie., the "post catalyst sensors." The other ones are right next to the engine, at the exhaust manifold, and require special tools to get to. They also require a little more thatn just general automotive knowledge to prepare to replace. The car should be on a hoist, so it can be raised, and lowered at will, and the panel underneath the car that extends from wheel well to wheel well needs to be removed first. Then, all of the electrical connectors for the individual oxygen sensors need to be located, on the bulkhead, behind the engine, and the space is VERY limited. I would call back the dealer, and ask how much the job will cost including labor, and then save up the money to get it done there. If there is a German car specialty repair outlet in your town, do a quick check at the better business bureau, and consider them too. If your husband is handy with a soldering iron, he might be able to salvage the connector off of the factory sensor, and you could locate an after market sensor with just the wires, and no specific brand connector, and combine the two. I would od a little further investigation to get the pricing down, especially on the parts. Then, as I said earlier, if there is a German car specialist in town with a good reputation have them do the parts replacement for an agreed to price up front. You will save hundreds doing it this way. Especially if your budget is tight. The camshaft position sensor is a job that only a certified, and qualified technician should undertake. They have little tiny oil holes in the bottoms with screens to keep out debris, and if the "O-ring" moves during the installation....the "O-ring" that seals this tiny opening.....you will wind up with an oil leak from the engine that cannot be cured unless the whole process is repeated, more carefully, again.....and perhaps again, until the oil passage is sealed. This is all I want to say publicly about this job. I will send a follow up comment to you through this forum, but it will be directed to your e-mail. I don't know your e-mail, and don't need to, I'll just send a follow up comment to you personally, a little later. I need to sign off for now, and catch up later. Thanks for your indulgence.
Well, it seems that anything I say through this forum is "public domain." I will not be able to be as candid as I would like, but I will say that many dealers, and for that matter many repair garages have a policy whereby they will warrant, or guarantee the work they do, and the parts they use for a certain prespecified period of time. I would deal only with shops that provide that type of service, if I were you. For the most part, the technicians all know pretty much the same stuff, and they "network," so if needed they can ask a buddy for information they might not have personally been exposed to. The one thing that you may pay a little more for at the "German" car specialist's are the parts. The reason, they will buy those parts from the Volkswagen dealer, at a small discount, and due to their own overhead may have to charge more than if you had started at the dealer. Finally, on your V6, the cam tensioners are on both sides of the engine. Drivers side is up front, and easy to get to. On the passengers side of the engine the cam tensioner is right up against the bulkhead/firewall, and is a real challenge to get to. At the dealer, they will charge the same for either side, but, at an independent, you may have to pay a little more for the labor to do the passenger side cam tensioner seal, and tensioner replacement. I will finally draw this whole disertation to a conclusion by saying one thing..."Change your oil more often!" The debris that is causing the problem is directly a result of oil changes not being done often enough. I'm not saying you are at fault, or to blame. I'm saying the maintainence schedule published in all o0f the Volkswagen literature is WRONG, and they will never admit it. They have all the horsepower, and we little peons have none. Anyway, that's the one thing I didn't want all over the internet. My personal opinion is that the required maintainence should be done far more often that it is, and if you haven't done the transmission service because the fluid is supposed to last "a lifetime...", think again!!!!!!!!!! That is all. I won't editorialize any more. It will be expensive, but it can be done if you just use a little extra care so as not to get taken advantage of. This was a good start. Good luck, Sonia. I hope I helped in some small measure.
