Molgrips car #4 – A New Hope

If you had taken your car to an expert in the first place you’d be biffing around in your car moaning how much it had cost.

Yeah or they might’ve found the actual issue….

So if you spend £6000 fixing it will it be worth the same in 2 years time as the £9000 car?

Uh not sure what you are on about, but I don’t know what difference it makes what my cars are worth, since I don’t intend to change them.

Yeah or they might’ve found the actual issue….

Bingo.

The quality remains long after the price is forgotten.

I don’t know what difference it makes what my cars are worth

I think the issue is that why spend more than the cost of a direct replacement fixing your car?

If it would cost,say, £3k to buy an exact year/model version of your car there’s no point spending £8k fixing the one you have. Simple economics would suggest you could throw away your current car, spend £3k on a direct replacement and you’ve saved yourself money?

Spending £9k would give you a car that would last longer(one assumes) than your existing car as it would be newer. So you might get 8 years use out of a new £9k car and only 3 more out of your current car. Again, economy of spending £8k on fixing it is doubtful?

Anyway, nothing I can say will stop the piano falling off a cliff momentum that is behind your quest for a repair at any price so I’ll shut up now.

If it would cost,say, £3k to buy an exact year/model version of your car there’s no point spending £8k fixing the one you have.

Well obviously. The original comment was not entirely serious.

Anyway, nothing I can say will stop the piano falling off a cliff momentum that is behind your quest for a repair at any price

I think you have the wrong idea. I’m not GOING to spend £8k on it am I? I may spend the £1k on a new ecu, giving me a better car than if I spent £1k on a new car.

Are you going to throw the old one away then as it seemingly has zero residual value?

This has to be the longest car saga on here. Tune in next year for the 900th gripping episode….. 🙂

I think you have the wrong idea. I’m not GOING to spend £8k on it am I? I may spend the £1k on a new ecu, giving me a better car than if I spent £1k on a new car.

AGRRRRRRRRGGGHHHH

If you’re going to spend a Grand, you sell/trade your non fully functioning car for £2000 and put that Grand to make it £3000 purchase price

WHY do you keep forgetting that your half working car DOES have a value?

Could you not contact several car breakers , or go via Ebay as there are alot of B6 Passats listed as breaking.
Ask if any of them will sell you an ECU on sale or return ? I dont know if the Engine Mapping ECU is coded to the gearbox ECU . If it isnt and its a direct swap out , like for like then what have you got to lose?
Offer , say £60 to return for the hassle factor ,or if it works keep it.
B6 Passats are tumbling in value and one with PD engine and manual box will not be a huge outlay. I would seriously consider one as a replacement for my B5.5.

I think the moral of the story here is – Don’t buy a Passat. A car so apparently complex that no one has the faintest idea how to fix it if the electrics go wrong.

And if you do have a Passat, sell it.

Seriously, what was so wrong with cars previously that required this level of technology? It’s nonsense.

Seriously, what was so wrong with cars previously that required this level of technology? It’s nonsense.

It’s not the technology, it’s the monkeys with the tools and a half-witted owner that’s to blame.

Cant go wrong with a vw. Buy an audi or a skoda, bullet proof.

Cant go wrong with a vw.

If only you’d told molgrips earlier. You could have saved him all this grief.

Seriously, what was so wrong with cars previously that required this level of technology? It’s nonsense.

Nothing, apart from ever more complex laws regarding safety, emissions, fuel economy, etc, etc…

Nothing, apart from ever more complex laws regarding safety, emissions, fuel economy, etc, etc…

The electronics in cars have nothing to do with safety though. There are plenty of pretty ‘agricultural’ cars still kicking about that don’t have this level of technical complexity. Safety laws don’t require traction control or fuel economy meters etc etc etc.

I go back to my original point – it’s nonsense.

b r

It’s not the technology, it’s the monkeys with the tools and a half-witted owner that’s to blame.

It’s the monkey with the tools that caused the problem. However, the car now is in a seemingly undiagnosable state. And that’s to do with a level of system complexity that is far, far beyond what’s required.

When it gets to a point that problems cannot be resolved without firing several thousands of pounds at it and *hoping* that it’s one of those things that was wrong (without knowing if it will be), A. The car is essentially a super expensive disposable item, and B. It’s such a technological failure that maybe we should step back and ask ourselves what exactly the point of it all is (car complexity I mean, I don’t mean we should all contemplate the meaning of life!) 😀

b r…

Maybe a bit harsh calling Molgrips half witted, but he does seem to be ignoring the obvious – that the best solution is an advert in autotrader selling the thing or…investing in a can of petrol and a box of matches for it.

Maybe a bit harsh calling Molgrips half witted

Tough love never did anyone any harm 🙂

Tough love never did anyone any harm

😀 😀 😀

So the ECU is shot?

Repairs are only a few hundred not thousand.

Ok I didn’t read it all but looks like a mare.

For £1000 I’ll torch the car, and kill Molgrips.

If nobody wants to spend the money, I’ll leave the car as it is and kill Molgrips for free.

Northwind – you may be evil, but you made me laugh out loud. 😈

For £1000 I’ll torch the car, and kill Molgrips.

If nobody wants to spend the money, I’ll leave the car as it is and kill Molgrips for free.

Slight thread hijack: does anyone know how to fix a laptop keyboard that’s had coffee sprayed all over it?

I’m in for £50, but don’t expect PPG !

For £1000 I’ll torch the car, and kill Molgrips.

<Checks the childrens piggy banks> I’ve got £7.38, happy to PPG.

The south Wales association of auto electricians have just emailed and are prepared to make up any shortfall.

Moly has gone quiet?

I’m on my phone, too difficult to type out a long wordy response.. I’ve got one planned out though don’t worry 🙂

This made me chuckle

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/cartrackworldcom

Is it an android phone 😉

Just to clear a few things up then, and re-iterate:

1) None of this is VW’s fault. The problem was caused by water ingress into a non-VW third party component, from a gap cauesd by a non-VW third party impact to the rear of the car. Nothing spontaneously failed.

2) Any other modern car would be the same – petrol or diesel. They all operate a similar electronic network setup internally connecting control modules and devices. The £1000 price tag for a brand new ECU was direct from VW, I don’t expect any other manufacturer would charge any less tbh.

Update ?

I’ll take a guess of…

Car still broke.

Mobile electrician still won’t refund.

VW Dealers still hold all the cards

Mole still convinced a wonky Passat is better than buying a different one.

C’mon Moly, let’s have the latest…. There’s more tension here than waiting to see Al’s latest carbon cutlery creations… Maybe. 🙂

The car was gound burnt out in brechfa forest.
The end

still queuing with his caravan to overtake a tractor somewhere in germany ?

Just bumping this up to the front page again in case molgrips missed it.

To busy to do anything for a while.

you don’t have 1 minute in a 40 hour working week to pick up the phone ?

I think you are being unfair there weeksy. In four weeks, molgrips has managed to send one text message.

It takes longer than that to summon up the will for a fight. For me at least.

TBH, I’m with you on that and sometimes it’s not worth the added stress so I prefer just to get on with my life 8)