[Closed] Molgrips' car #6 - it's over

Well hats off to you for fixing it and sticking with. Too many people treat cars like white goods. They're tools, but tools still need looking after.
I was going to ask what VAG group car it was having missed episodes 1-5 but see it's a Passat.

[i]They're tools, but tools still need looking after.[/i]

molgrips and his broom after a spot of 'looking after'

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molgrips - Member

If a buyer asked me if there were any problems, could I say no with a straight face? I dunno. Would you buy it, knowing its story?

Drives nice, no problems.

Why do they need to know the story ?

Maybe, After another few thousand miles of good running.. but then again if it's sound why bother?

molgrips - Member

Maybe, After another few thousand miles of good running.. but then again if it's sound why bother?

Because we've been here before "yeah it's all sorted now" and it's still costing hundreds upon hundreds after that, time and time again.. Just get rid. It's not like it's an Enzo your old man raced in the 70's in and there's a massive emotional attachement.

Or did your Mrs give birth to one of the Mollys in the back seat or something?

Hah.. after all this effort there is definitely an emotional attachment!

I'm not getting rid, there's just no point. If I think it's going to die I can't sell it, if I don't then I don't need to.

So you'll keep it forever?

just offload it to an auction, or PX with a dealer
if it's essentially worthless other than a banger that may fail at any time, then a few quid in the pocket to get rid is a few quid towards a replacement.
I'd have binned it ages ago though.

I enjoy driving all too much, which is why I drive a Passat. Think about it.

So driving a car such as a Passat is the only way to control your animal urges not to go for the 5 car overtake? A self enforced neutering of the urge to make progress? Understand now, and how that must make watching the actions of those selfish t**ssers indulging in the antisocial behaviour of actually wanting to get somewhere (by overtaking safely) even harder to swallow.

What happens on the next fault? It becomes your permanent driveway folly? Winters coming- the tester of all mechanical parts. Get rid!

the antisocial behaviour of actually wanting to get somewhere

I get somewhere, I always get where I'm going. It just takes slightly longer, that's all, and is much safer and nicer to other road users.

What happens on the next fault?

Depends what it is, and if it can be fixed. The next fault will be dealt with as if it were the first.

99% of the car has not been affected - you do realise cars are collections of objects, not one single object. Most of them are not related.

LoL at Northwind! how is the turbo now?

As for bangernomics, if you aren't reliant on the car, can still get around when its borked and can tolerate the times it lets you down (which probably means your mainly doing short/local journeys in it...or you've paid for a good breakdown and recovery service), then it can be very cheap motoring, particularly if you have the space, tools and ability to do repairs yourself. But running a DSG boxed banger...really? they have never been, and still aren't, well renown reliable items and they are basically 'repair by replacement' at considerable cost. There are some cars I'd choose not to run as a banger, and a DSG box is one of them.

I fear for the future banger driver...and by knock on I fear the cost to all of us as bangers disappear. With modern cars being ever more complex, repair by replacement and everything controlled by electronics...when they show faults they aren't going to be repairable. I read recently of someone rejecting a brand new octavia after a couple of months of constant faults. The dealer diagnosed a fault somewhere on the CANBUS that was causing it, and were unable to repair it. If man dealers are forced to accept a rejection as they can't fix it on a brand new car, god help the future owner as it nears banger status.

But running a DSG boxed banger...really?

It's not a banger! It's an 06 plate Passat with 2 owners, FSH and 100k miles.

they have never been, and still aren't, well renown reliable items and they are basically 'repair by replacement' at considerable cost.

Er.. I just repaired mine for 80 €

neilnevill - Member

LoL at Northwind! how is the turbo now?

Very well thank you! Few thousand miles on, had a wee wobble when the MAF went on strike but otherwise going very well. And hasn't been parked in a river or produced a cloud for AGES so I'm calling it a win.

TBH it seems a little weaker and a little less economic than before it blew up but that's probably just what happens if you fit a £150 turbo from ebay instead of a £1200 turbo from garrett. Mustn't grumble.

Till the dmf or clutch goes, then I'll grumble like you would not believe. I've been practicing.

When I changed the turbo in my previous Passat (which was a genuine banger) it couldn't manage as much boost, despite being an exact match. Although it was off a van I think because the actuator arm was a different shape.

A self enforced neutering of the urge to make progress? Understand now, and how that must make watching the actions of those selfish t**ssers indulging in the antisocial behaviour of actually wanting to get somewhere (by overtaking safely)

How is overtaking* an illustration of 'enjoying driving'? Dishwater is more interesting.

*safely on a nice long straight bit of road, not pulling a dummy up the outside, switching to the inside, out braking your opponent and barely holding the back end inline in an 800bhp F1 car.

PS I do overtake safely.

I think maybe I should get one of those dashboard cams and record when I overtake, to prove it.

oops, sorry if I offended Moley, I'd agree an )6 plate doesn't fit into 'banger' category, for me at least.

well done on the repair. 100k you say? still on the original box? maybe they are better than I thought, I still think you're on a slippery slope with that DSG though.

PS I do overtake safely.

I don't, I just waft along to my destination in [s]luxury[/s][i]poverty spec + a smidgen focus[/i].

I don't think 100k is a long time for the gearbox. The gears themselves are no worse than a manual box, the issues people have had are with the mechatronics, ie the sensors and valves.

Although when I've been searching most of the posts of people complaining on forums seem to be from a fair few years ago, and they were early models so things might've improved.

We'll see!

neilnevill - Member \
I fear for the future banger driver...and by knock on I fear the cost to all of us as bangers disappear. With modern cars being ever more complex, repair by replacement and everything controlled by electronics...when they show faults they aren't going to be repairable.

Scrappage scheme ruined bangernomics for me - most of the simple euro diesels and unbreakable Japanese tat just disappeared.

I was hoping to putter into the future on a never ending raft of cheap Fiats, Bluebirds and Sunnys.

Glad it's fixed.
Don't get too attached.

🙂

think the clutches aren't so....bullet proof either, especially the dry clutch versions, however I don't intend to be a doom monger, so let me congratulate you for repairing your DSG, may it give many more years of trouble free service.

It's a myth that electronics make things harder to fix. In general, ECUs are very reliable. The stuff that fails is MAFs, cam/crankshaft position sensors, temperature sensors etc, and the computer tells you what's wrong.

I'd say invest in a code reader or diagnostic tool, and stick with whatever system you've got. Having bought a VCDS now and worked with it, I'll probably stay with VAG in future since that's where my knowledge is.

Definitely an argument against modern diesel bangernomics, where the extras are more risky - but then perhaps the price will end up being driven so low it'll be worth it again.

think the clutches aren't so....bullet proof either, especially the dry clutch versions

Yeah I tried to research the clutch lifetime/replacement costs, but I saw very little talk about this, whereas there was loads about mechatronics units. Which would tend to suggest the clutches aren't too bad - but I dunno.

molgrips - Member

It's a myth that electronics make things harder to fix. In general, ECUs are very reliable. The stuff that fails is MAFs, cam/crankshaft position sensors, temperature sensors etc, and the computer tells you what's wrong.

In theory. In practice a sensor can fail but not throw a fault, like my MAF. (and ironically work worse than it would have, if it had just died completely)

Or it can fail and throw a completely unhelpful fault code, like the crank sensor in my focus (which also showed how electronics can be a total bollocks- when it reported the fault, it cut the engine out instantly, taking out the power steering and brake servo.)

Yeah that can happen, but it's usually a good start.

On the other hand, half the sensors in my car can fail and the car uses a fallback value to keep driving. I know this works, I unplugged half of them trying to diagnose my issues 🙂

Yah, I quite liked that a faulty sensor made mine drive worse than no sensor at all 😆

I just miss spannering on the motorbike, you could diagnose anything by feeling it, smelling it, listening to it, poking it with a multimeter or a screwdriver. Or a hammer, sometimes.

Mind you, the diagnostic software does look pretty fast and furious.

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vcds you say....you're not anywhere sooth london are you? I want to tweak a few settings on my new octavia 😀

Happy to help anyone within range with my VCDS. I get to London occasionally, but not imminently. Unless you want to meet me at Heathrow on some Tuesday afternoon where I will be...

No I'm not in a rush, thanks for the offer though. since I just want to do little adjustments like turn on tear drop wipe and both rear fog lights a trip to heathrow is not called for. If you ever happen to be near crystal palace/streatham however I will provide 24 pack of beer/few bottles of wine/bottle of (cheap 😉 ) scotch for your troubles.

I suspect I'll get my own vcds soon anyway....me with a brand new octy and brother with a 3 year old jetta....think it might get used a bit.