Volkswagen Repair: VW Jetta Oil Light, wolfsburg jetta, oil sludge

Question
Rocky,

We own a 2003 Wolfsburg Jetta. We live just outside Boston.

At 63,000 miles the oil light went on while we were traveling. We stopped our trip and took the car to the closest VW dealer (Philadelphia) who changed the oil pump for $1200. That dealer said if that has we bought the car from them they were confident that they would have convinced VW to pay for the repair even though it was 3,000 miles beyond the 60,000 warranty. At 70,000 the oil light went on again and we took it to our local VW dealer. They have just told my wife that after $1,000 in “diagnostic work” they have concluded that the problem is with the engine… “it will not hold oil pressure”. They said the damage could have been done when the oil pump was changed. They want the $1000 for the “diagnostic work” and say it will cost $5000 to replace the engine. They suggested to my wife that it may not be worth replacing the engine but would be willing to forgive the $1000 and give us something for the old car as a trade for a new VW.

I am trying to educate myself before speaking with them tomorrow. Scanning the web tonight I have come across a large number of postings regarding oil pressure, oil sludge, etc. problems people have had with VW’s…  particularly 1.8 Turbos.

Any advice on what I should do?

Thanks,
Frank


Answer
Oh boy, Frank!  While I can sympathize with you, and your plight, I can only say that most car dealers make most of their money from their service department, and no brand is any different than any other in that regard.  They ALL have a service department.  It is true that there are some idiosyncratic oil, sludge, pressure, etc. problems with the 1.8T engine.  Passat's are the most notorious because of their weight, however, since it is not required to use full synthetic oil in the beetles, and jetta's people use a blend, or brand name "mineral refined" oil, and are OK.  The biggest difference is in the interval of oil, and filter changes.  To use a mineral refined, or even a blend in a 1.8T you MUST change the oil and filter about every 1000 miles to ensure no oiling problems.  No, that's not a typo...I said 1000, one thousand miles.  Otherwise, use a full synthetic, and get it changed every 2500, to 3000 miles.  That will ensure that the engine lasts a long time.  There are several things that happen in the turbocharged Volkswagen engines.  They all use a variable valve timing that has a solenoid which is fed oil from the oil pump, and if they don't get enough they start to sound like a diesel engine at idle.  They also have a device peculiar to Volkswagen, and Audi called a "suction jet pump."  Once they oil begins to get "old" it breaks down, and forms a sludge, or even a very abrasive "coffee ground" appearing material, that is almost exclusively carbon.  Once these "coffee grounds" get into the oiling system they first, clog the suction jet pump, increasing the crankcase pressure...bad thing, and then they clog the filter screen at the bottom of the cam chain tensioning solenoid...very BAD thing.  As soon as the latter happens it is time to flush the oiling system, and start changing the oil about every 100, to 150 miles to get the last of the crud out, and clean the internal parts.  A new oil pump is OK, but only as good as the entire internal components of the engine are still covered with "goo" they pickup screen clogs again in 3500, to 10,000 miles, and the oil pump, and engine are useless again.  So, if it were me, and since I know what to do, I would change the oil pump, change the cam tensioner screen, and the cam tensioner seal, as well as the timing chain cover gasket, and little "half moons," and then I would replace the "suction jet pump," and the 3 way crankcase breather hose, and as I was doing all of this, I would inspect, and clean EVERYTHING to ELIMINATE any "coffee grounds."  When I was finished doing all of this, I would convert to a PURE SYNTHETIC oil product, and use nothing but Volkswagen oil filters, because they seal the best between the filter, and the cooler, and I would not drive more than 500 miles before I did a complete oil flush, and oil, and filter change, and then I would start doing oil changes at 100, to 150 mile intervals until the oil came out as clean as it went in.  Then, and only then would I go back to a 2500 mile interval between full synthetic oil, and filter changes.  It is possible to save such an engine as yours, but it labor intensive, and therefore VERY expensive, as you have already found out.  Unfortunately, unless you OVER-maintain your 1.8T engine, you will not enjoy it for a very long time.  They are a masterpiece of engineering, but they also have to live in the real world, and not in a computer simulation where there aren't any mud puddles, sand dunes, or dust storms.  Having been a Volkswagen only technician for over 3 years now, I have seen at least a dozen cars that are at or immanently near failure, and I've seen 100, or more that are going to suffer the same fate because nobody ever bothered to explain to the owner what is bound to happen if the same habits are continued regarding oil changes.  Keep the oil clean in turbocharged engines, or supercharged engines, and they will last a long time.  The last item is this if you check your oil, and it is starting to smell like fuel...CHANGE IT!!! Right then, and there if possible.  The additional combustion pressures push unburned air/fuel mixture into the crankcase, and contaminate the engine oil sump.  Once that happens the pick up screen on the oil pump begins to fill with "coffee grounds," and the "suction jet pump" gets clogged, which increases crankcase pressure, and reduces efficiency, and begins the worst all over again.