Temecula Auto Repair

We have run into several cases of 2004-2006 Volkswagen and Audi TDI that came in with a loud engine ticking noise and possibly with the Check Engine Light illuminated. It is unclear if lack of oil services or using improper oil is the cause of the camshaft and lifter failure. VW recommends engine oil VW spec 505.01. We find that it is most common for #1 and #4 intake lobes and lifters to fail first. We have not seen any information to explain this occurrence or proof that lack of oil services can cause or increase the likely hood of this occurring. On the vehicle shown, it was #1 intake camshaft lobe and lifter that failed first and had the most damage. Because of the specialty tools required and very technical nature of this repair it is not recommended that this repair be performed by anyone that is not a skilled and trained VW | Volkswagen Technician. If you think you may be experiencing this problem, the sooner you can get it inspected the less damage will occur. If you live anywhe ... read more

When it comes to repairing oil leaks on your VW | Volkswagen, it is very important that you go to a repair facility that really know how to repair your VW. As you can see in the pictures below, it takes a well trained technician with years of experience to properly service your Volkswagen. In this series of pictures we show the steps to replacing an oil filter stand gasket. The entire front of the vehicle has to be removed. To remove the front of the vehicle the air conditioning system has to be evacuated. The cooling system has to be drained and he radiator hoses have to be disconnected. May sensor and electrical connectors also have to disconnec ... read more

Perform Transmission Fluid Service By ‘Severe Duty’ Change Intervalby AutoCarePro Team - Nov 18, 2014 Improved lubricants have allowed service intervals to extend for many vehicles with automatic transmissions, utilizing “lifetime fluids.” In the past, service recommendations for automatic transmissions were based on time/mileage tied to requirements of new vehicle warranties (2-3 years or 30,000 miles). Lifetime fluid recommendations are now 5-10 years or the life of the vehicle (100,000 miles) unless the vehicle is subjected to “severe duty.” The question that often comes up next: When is it appropriate to perform a fluid service? Taken directly from OEM owners’ manuals, “severe duty” has historically been defined as: • Operation o ... read more

I answered the phone at the shop a few days ago and concerned voice came over the phone asking "how much is a alternator on a 2010 Volkswagen Jetta TDI. As I always do, I asked "why do you think you need an alternator?". The caller explained that the vehilce had been to the dealership for a 80,000 mile service and a few days later the battery light came on and the car died. He towed it back to the dealership and they "tested" it for $149 and said it needed an alternator. They quoted him over $1200 for the repair. I thought this was strange for a Volkswagen with 80,000 miles on it, but quoted him a price. It was less than half of the dealership. I told him to have it towed in, but we need to test it ourselves before we condem the alternator. We performed our Charging System Test and found that the power distribution bar (see picture) had burnt and by jumping it we got the al ... read more

We recently got a 2011 VW GTI 2.0T in the shop. It was diagnosed to have a leaking head gasket at another shop. We would not condemn the head gasket until we could see exactly where the coolant was leaking from. We recommended to the client that the intake manifold be removed (as it would have to be removed anyway to replace the head gasket) and a pressure test be performed with the intake manifold out of the way. As you can see from the video, it was not a leaking head gasket, but a leaking water pump. *** I did incorrectly state in the video that this Volkswagen had an electric water pump. It does not, this VW GTI has a belt driven water pump as you can see in the picture. *** When the intake manifold was removed it was clear that the plastic housing of the water pump was leaking, not the head gasket. As you can imagine, our client was very relieved that it was a water pump repair rather than a head gasket replacement... If you are looking for a VW | Volkswagen Service and Rep ... read more