Oil Sludge Lawsuit
I live in Maryland and unfortunately an owner of a Passat 1.8. I my stop engine low oil pressure light came on and went off a few seconds later. I took it the dealer…song and dance… I pay $1100 for a new oil pump not covered by warranty because I didn’t have all the necessary oil changes. The car has 30K miles. A week later oil light comes on again. Back in the shop, need a new engine. I do some internet research and learn of the long history of oil sludge. I was never told about oil sludge when I leased the car, I was never advised by the dealer during my service, I was never offer synthetic.
Fortunately, I am an attorney and I am filing suit against VW and the dealers involved. Is anyone on this list in Maryland? Has anyone on this list had oil sludge despite doing the routine maintenance. I would be interested in hearing some feed back.
P.S. While I was at the dealer, two other customers were there for the same problem. I am going to pursue their claims as well.
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vabeachautohaus Said,
March 16, 2006 @ 9:23 am
Oil Sludge Lawsuit – When I worked at the dealer Vw sent a letter to all dealers that they were requiring all 1.8 turbos to use synthetic oil.However all the customers were never notified so if your oil was changed by someone other than the dealer you probably never knew this and as my customers have stated there is nothing in the owners manual requiring synthetic oil and I have not found it either.The problem is the engine does not run as hot as it should to burn off the moisture in the oil and they do not know why.
alankelman Said,
April 2, 2006 @ 6:59 am
jetta lawsuit – I am a Fla. attorney who may have a second family jetta with a sludge problem. I’ve just begun to look into this. Pls. keep me posted as to what ever is relevant.
Alan Kelman
561-703-2768
TRACEYLB Said,
April 21, 2006 @ 4:46 am
PASSAT HELL – I LIVE IN CALIFORNIA AND HAVE A 2003 PASSAT. WHAT A NIGHTMARE! I HAD A SLUDGE PROBLEM AT 21,000 MILES EVEN THOUGH I HAD SERVICE DONE AT 6500 AND 13500 MILES. MY CAR HAS 36,000 MILES, AND THE OIL PUMP AND THE TURBO HAVE TO BE REPLACED. THE SERVICE REP IN MY AREA TOLD ME THAT VW HAS HAD MANY 2003 PASSATS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM, BUT WILL NOT COVER UNDER WARRENTY BECAUSE SERVICE WAS NOT DONE EXACTLY WHEN THE MANUAL SAYS TO GET IT DONE. HEARD OF ANY PROBLEMS LIKE THIS? IF SO, LET ME KNOW.
colovwsucks Said,
May 5, 2006 @ 10:01 am
Oil Sludge 2004 Passat in Colorado – I have a 2004 VW Passat that VW of America is not willing to honor warranty on because I am missing one oil receipt. when I took the car in to the dealer and told them about the warning light they did not even look at the car they just said it is oil sludge and immediately started questioning me about oil receipts. I have less than 30,000 miles on the car and they are giving me an estimate of over $3000 dollars without even popping the hood. VW of America is screwing every VW owner out there and not owning up to the fact that they put defective engines in their cars. I am a single mother and now left with no transportation to get my kids to school or myself to work and have no way of coming up with 3 grand to fix the damn car. My car still drives but I am scared to even drive it because I don’t want to cause more damage. I am taking it into an import shop today to have them give me a honest opinion because I refuse to give any VW dealer a dime to work on my car. I also wrote VW SludgeMobile on the back window..and made flyers and put them on every Passat I can find telling them to get rid of their car immediately and I tell everyone I know about how VW is the worst company around. I hope you all sue the crap out of this company and WIN BIG.. Best of Luck to you..
297 Said,
May 6, 2006 @ 2:45 am
Oil Sludge Lawsuit – 1. The check engine light DOES NOT mean oil sludge. Frankly, I don’t think oil sludge triggers a solid CEL (a VW/Audi tech on here would know better). A blinking CEL means imminent engine failure, shut car off NOW. An EPC light would be more indicative of sludge death.
2. The car needs to be scanned by a VAG tool. This can be done either by another VW dealership or by an indie shop with the right equipment (a generic OBDII scan tool is okay, but a VAG DTC tool is better). There are also enthusiasts that own PC software that emulates the VAG tool, and you could potentially have them scan your car for a beer or pizza.
3. What model is your Passat? The sludge issue is only for the 1.8T and it is easily avoided by putting in the newer bigger oil filter. If you had your service performed recently then this newer bigger oil filter was already put in.
In other words, I don’t think you have sludge (if your car is driving normally and the only thing wrong is a solid yellow MIL/CEL light), I think your dealership is sketchy and you should either find another VW dealership with a better rep or an indie shop you trust.
A solid MIL/CEL light means one or more sensors detected a value that was not within range. This usually has to do with emissions more than anything else. An engine failure is usually indicated by a blinking MIL/CEL or the EPC light. If either occurs stop the car and shut it down immediately.
297 Said,
May 6, 2006 @ 2:46 am
Oil Sludge Lawsuit – By the way, did you contact VWoA or were you talking specifically about the dealership you visited?
297 Said,
May 8, 2006 @ 5:04 am
Oil Sludge Lawsuit – The larger oil filter apparently prevents sludge build up in the longitudunal 1.8T. The smaller oil filter was not the cause (you described the cause) but the larger oil filter helps. I wouldn’t know the chemistry or physics concerned, but if you pushed me I’d say either the excess moisture is collected more effectively in the larger filter or the sludge is trapped in a filter that can collect more of it by virtue of being larger.
vabeachautohaus Said,
May 8, 2006 @ 5:35 am
Oil Sludge Lawsuit – I agree on using a larger oil filter it is the only one I install here.switching to synthetic oil has been the only fix for this engine.If the oil filter clogs then the bypass valve recirculates the engine oil without filtering it at all through the oil filter bypass valve in the filter housing.Synthetic oils have none of the parafin wax issues as regular oil does and will go longer in between oil changes than a regular oil will.Alot of the recycled oil now being used has a heavy concentrations of parafin.
vabeachautohaus Said,
May 8, 2006 @ 12:35 pm
Oil Sludge Lawsuit – The oil warning light will come on and flash stop in the instrument cluster,you may not get the check engine light to come on.The oil filter as mentioned above is not the issue as I ever heard while working at the dealer the last 8 years.Vw as I stated in an earlier post sent all vw dealers a letter requiring them to use synthetic oil in the 1.8 turbo engine because of oil sludge concerns,but customers never recieved the same letter.While at Vw school in Baltimore the engine has a sludging problem because the engine does not run hot enough to burn off excess moisture in the oil.Also you may want to question the oil used is it recycled oil?.The usual problem is the oil light flashes on due to low oil pressuer because the oil pump pick up tube becomes clogged.If there has been no engine damage due to driving with no oil pressure then have the engine manually de-sludged and the oil pump replaced.I do it all the time here you just have to first make sure the engine is ok.I f you records are up to date on services even when performed somewhere else then it is Vw’s problem.
IrishRed24 Said,
May 10, 2006 @ 2:16 am
same here… – we have been without our 2001 passat for 8 weeks now as we work on our receipts. has anyone gotten this taken care of w/o their receipts? we had our oil changed by a friend that we thought was a licensed mechanic…and in needing receipts we found out he ISN’T…they are quoting us $5200 to fix the engine. i need my car back…does anyone have a SOLUTION???
ladyvain Said,
May 10, 2006 @ 9:05 am
jetta w/ oil sludge – I have 2001 VW 1.8T jetta and i had the same problem. My oil light came on and took it to the service shop and they said it was oil sludge, but they said it was known on the passats not the jettas. Well now my car is at the dealership because I need a whole new engine. I called VW of America and they said i had the 100,000 mile powertrain warrenty. So I was like “”cool”", today they’re telling me that I only had the 50,000 mile powertrain warrenty because i bought the car “”used”". I guess the dealership put in the system that i bought it used when my paperwork from the purchase says “”NEW”". Something just isn’t right and I’m getting aggrevated, because I’m doing w/out a car right now. They told me that i have to have my receipts, which i don’t have all of them, because the place i used to take the car to went out of business.
Irish Red: say you will call your lawyer. if you have a 100,000 powertrain warrenty, and you have most of your receipts, you should only pay a percentage, not the whole thing. They are trying to make money off you. That’s what they are trying to do w/ me.
vabeachautohaus Said,
May 11, 2006 @ 9:38 am
Oil Sludge Lawsuit – As I stated earlier,is the engine bad/.Just because the oil light comes this does not mean the engine is bad.Did they inspect the engine to see if there has been internall damage to the engine?.Probably not.These engines can be manually desludged and cleaned.Replace the oil pump and pick up tube.If the turbo is bad that will have to be replaced or rebuilt and the feed line will need to be replaced.
ladyvain Said,
May 12, 2006 @ 8:55 am
Oil Sludge Lawsuit – The engine is bad now. When I took it to get fixed because the oil light was on, they told me that there was oil sludge and that they cleaned it and changed the oil. My oil light kept coming on after that, i took it to get checked and they said that a PLASTIC piece off the cam chain adjuster broke off and some how clogged the oil pump, causing it not to get any oil into the engine, which caused two major damages to the engine, and now they are saying that i need a new engine. Earlier i said that the dealership must of put into the system that i bought the car used, when i actually bought it NEW. I faxed my copies of my paperwork to VWoA showing that I bought it new, they pretty much said that they are going to look into it and have their lawyers look into and that the dealership might not be selling VW’s anymore. That still doesn’t tell me anything if they are going to pay for the fix or not. I also found out that VWoA goes by what the dealership says. If they say you bought a used car, then VWoA will think you bought a used car unless you show them proof stating otherwise.
Post edited 05/12/06 8:57 AM by ladyvain
dogsrule Said,
May 31, 2006 @ 2:46 am
Lawsuit sounds about right! – I’m sorry that I actually have no words on the oil sludge problem (I actually happened to use synthetic from the start because I wanted to). I’m writing to applaud you for taking these jerks to court – I hope you’re good so you win and at the very least, you’ll create some awareness for people that they SHOULD NEVER BUY VW!
I have had so many problems with my ‘03 Jetta it’s ridiculous. Water pump went bad at 10K miles, trunk became hard to open at 12K miles and was a recurring problem until oh, one day they realized they had the STRUTS ON UPSIDE DOWN!!! Then the glove compartment latch broke at 50K miles, trunk latch just broke at 67K miles and I certainly can’t afford the $650 or so that it would take to fix the two. Thank goodness for industrial strength Velcro! Gas mileage has SUCKED from day One (now they tell me that the sticker gas mileage represents only conditions totally controlled (constant speed for 45 minutes, in a tunnel so there’s no air interference, etc) – SCANDALOUS!!!
Okay, will let you go…but THANK YOU for bringing these jerks to justice…hopefully!
YupOldBull Said,
May 31, 2006 @ 6:24 am
And….. – tell 2 family members…..
hafjell Said,
June 15, 2006 @ 10:13 am
Oil Sludge – 2005 Passat. 22k miles. Oil light comes so I drop at closet dealership in Greenwich,CT. As soon as I mention “oil pressure light” everyone takes the defensive and the inquisition begins as to when / where I’ve changed my oil and can I produce documentation to back it up. I was dumbfounded. They wouldn’t touch the car unless VOA called to confirm coverage under warranty or I agreed to pay. I called VOA…a machinelike voice kept repeating the same thing. If you have not changed your oil every 5000 miles our warranty will not cover repairs. After paying out $2,900. for repairs I’m now considering my next plan off attack (if there is one).
YupOldBull Said,
June 15, 2006 @ 10:50 am
Plan of Attack? – Bite the bullet….I spent 14 months of my life suing and winning with my oil burning 2.0 liter Jetta! (View my profile!) If it takes 14 months…..you don’t win! On the other hand…..if you make them bleed just a little…..and we have the conviction of hundreds of people to do that….then the bucket will fill up with blood.
Be sure to tell freinds, neighbors, and others. (I have turned a few away!)
I have a 10 year mad. This is just year 6.
Honest.
nleff Said,
June 28, 2006 @ 10:17 am
Oil Sludge Lawsuit – I am currently having the same problems.
I lease a 2003 VW Passat 1.8L Turbo with 27,000 miles.
The last oil change / service was at 23,666 miles.
Two weeks ago, the engine light came on and I stopped within a mile – off the Interstate – and filled in two bottles of oil. The engine failed within 20 miles and was towed to a local Dearlership. The VW Representative has rejected the Warranty replacemnet of the engine based on the fact that I should not even have driven 1 yard.
I am interested to join any law suit against VW
N LEFF
nleff@jfsa-cleveland.org
germano-silva Said,
July 18, 2006 @ 8:29 am
Oil Sludge Lawsuit – I just came from the VW dealer wher I bought my 2000 Jetta complaining about the same problem and they did not even wanted to try the oil consumption test and instead just told me that VW allows up to 1000 miles per QT. My Jetta has 99,000 miles and they told me to just add a qt of oil every 1000 miles after checking the oil level.
lvass Said,
July 18, 2006 @ 9:47 am
VW Jettat 1.8 turbo 2004 – My car is 2 years old and my oil pressure is low. I had to provie receipt that i had 10 oil changes done every 5,000 miles. I provided everything and VW still denied my claim. The engine is under warranty up to 60k and i have 55,000 miles on my car.
I’m also in Maryland. I’m also filing complaint with the Better business bureau
Please help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Post edited 07/18/06 9:49 PM by lvass
Chombi Said,
July 19, 2006 @ 4:14 am
Oil Sludge Lawsuit – They are most likely just crossing their fingers that if your engine eventually blows up, it would be at 60,001 miles, so they can tell you to pay 6000 bucks for a new engine or just “”kiss off and stick you now useless warranty papers up you know what.”"
Problem is, this is hard to prove, becuase under the law, a crime has not yet been committed………till that engine blows up withing 5000 miles.
Now if there’s a way to document that your engine is presently not running to official VW engineering specs, then you may have a chance.
kowboy Said,
July 24, 2006 @ 5:25 am
oil sludge – Oil sludge in my 2003 jetta just reported to me by my service rep. He says that because i missed my oil change, they have to do a chem flush and hope it works. Otherwise they may have to rip into the engine.
This chem flush will cost at least $350.
I feel i do not have any recourse.
kowboy in honolulu
cmiller90 Said,
July 25, 2006 @ 1:02 am
Passat Oil Issue – Tadel001: have you moved on this lawsuit yet? I have a 2004 VW Passat 1.8T Wagon, 53K…currently in the shop checking out the engine. I have done the system flush. Used Synthetic Oil. Changed my oil every 5K…but don’t have all my receipts. I am a former VW Employee who purchased the vehicle off an employee lease special…so I don’t qualify for anything because technically I purchased my car used…even tho I have been the only driver of the car. Oil pressure light on all the time now. Currently sitting at the shop. Please let me know if anyone is getting anywhere with this issue.
Post edited 07/25/06 1:03 PM by cmiller90
Post edited 07/25/06 1:04 PM by cmiller90
Post edited 07/25/06 1:13 PM by cmiller90
pmug Said,
July 25, 2006 @ 5:42 am
Lawsuit, me too (in Canada) – Hi, I am a legal clerk/researcher working for a litigation law firm, I too fell victim to the imfamous oil sludge build up scam, I had my oil changes done locally with recommended by VW oil,I got tagged last summer but since then found a VW mechanic who is making a good living because everyone hates VW service in our area.
He told me that the turb engine is too close to the motor and regular recommended by VW oil crystalizes in the heat and eventually in stop motor. He also asked if the dealership told me about synthetic oul? I have considered Small Claims Court and would love to hear how your suit is going.
thanks and good luck,
John
trosenb Said,
July 26, 2006 @ 4:37 am
oil sludge lawsuit – I recently paid 5K for oil sludge damage to my Audi 2001 A4 1.8T. Audi refused to honor existing warranty based on the fact that my oil changes were not performed at a certified auto repair center (although they were performed by a certified mechanic). It wouldn’t have mattered, would’ve happened if it was performed by a certified center because they would have used wrong oil and filter based on service manual requirements. I was never informed of the letter sent 2 months prior to the purchase of my car alerting Audi consumers of the oil sludge extended warranty, as well as any change in oil/filter requirements.
I have requested BBB to arbitrate this with no word back. Please let me know where you stand on this. Thanks
Post edited 07/26/06 4:38 PM by trosenb
elliot89 Said,
July 31, 2006 @ 3:47 am
OIl sludge – WE live in Ontario Canada, and have had to replace our engine in our 2001 VW passat. It died while we were on holidays. This happened after we took to our own delearship who said the car was find have a nice holiday. Next day while on he road the engine light came on, went into another VW dealership and they said the samething to us don’t worry about it go on your holiday.Well our nightmare started the next day, our car died in outside Albany. I won’t bore you with the details.Our car was serviced @ the dearlership but one time for a oil change. It looks like we did not get the 5,000 mile oil change.(didn’t see that in the book). We are afraid that because of this lack of oil changes we will be refuesed the hidden warranty. Have you heard of anyone else with a similar problem as us. My husband heard a customer complain the samething about his light and then dying while we were waiting for service. This is a face sludge and oil light coming on.We are very interested in how you have been doing and if you have any suggestions to help us. We are now collecting information to help us to recoop our $10,000.00 cost. Do you have any suggestions? Do you know of any websites to help us get more info to help us with our fight.
Wondering how your battle is going and wishing you good luck! Please e-mail to cynadams@sympatico.ca Thank you!
From one sludge to another sludge.
elliot89 Said,
July 31, 2006 @ 8:08 am
Oil Sludge Lawsuit – We also own a 2001 Passat and are from Toronto Canada. Our story is as similar as the dozens we have read on varius WEB sites over the last few weeks. We do have a few different wrinkles which may or may not be of interest to you. We had the oil check light (stop car, etc.) come on two different times in the last year and both times were when we had oil changes from independant stations. The first time we kept taking it back for them to fix and as it was intermittant they never could fix it for longer than a day or two so we took it back to the dealer. We were told that this sometimes happens as the quick lube places use cheap oil and filters and you need the proper filter and oil from VW. At the time I thought it was just a story to get you back to the dealer but, it worked and we didn’t see the light again. Until six months later when we forgot about the light and took it to another quick lube place the day before heading out on a trip to Cape Cod this summer. Well, you can guess what happened. The oil light came on again and after an hour of having them try to fix it we drove straight to the dealer. I actually had the same representative and he told me the same story, so we had them replace the oil filter and everything seemed fine. The next day we started out and 2 hours in the light came on so we stopped over in Kingston Ontario at the local dealer. After talking to them, explaining the situation and the sales representative contacting a mechanic (they were given the weekend off to go fishing) we were informed that these lights come on all the time and to not worry about it, go on vacation, have a good time and have it looked at it when you get back. Oh he also mentioned that if the car breaksdown on the highway we would want to kill him.
We were about 40 minutes from Albany N.Y. when the engine went on the highway. Do you know that tow trucks won’t take four people and cabs will not pick you up on the highway. Anyway, five hours later we were able to rent a car (which we had for three weeks while we waited to get our car back) from the airport, stay over in Albany and start out again for Cape Cod. It took four days for the dealer to finally look at the car and give us the news that we needed a new engine. The final cost was $8,500.00 US which translated into $ 10,000 Canadian, which seems to be the highest amount that I have read so far, so I guess we win! I’m sure we were taken advantage of as out of towners which would happen to anyone stuck in our situation.
When we picked up the car we were also told that the oil pump failed and that the fine screen on the oil pump was blocked and the engine was starved of oil even though there was plenty of oil in the car.
When we arrived home (three weeks later with the car) I had some high pitched squeels coming from the engine which cost another $ 375.00 to fix. I guess They didn’t replace the complete engine, so time will tell what will go next. Anyway, I had the opportunity to talk to a mechanic and he informed me about a hidden extended warranty which was sent to all Passat owners (we never recieved it) and is good for 185,000 KM, I’m not sure what it is in miles. If anyone has it could they scan it and send me a copy?
kf
blastbgnu Said,
July 31, 2006 @ 9:01 am
2001 Passat: Not such a wise decision – DRIVING HOME TO PA FROM THE MD VW DEALERSHIP! That’s when my oil pump blew. Soooo dependable! What a car! I had to pay for towing, storage, and the oil pump replacement up front until my warranty was transferred over–AND they didn’t cover towing, storage, or get me another car. All this my first day!
What a way to start out, huh?
Since then, 3 of my windows have fell in, 2 at the same time (during record rains and floods) from these piece of crap white-plastic window clips: Recalled on EVERY MODEL EXCEPT THE PASSAT!
Why? It’s the same part #, same generic VW problem, same excuse for the dealership to make $$$$ off of us. But Jettas get more attention, because every Daddy’s little GIRL owns one. Oh, and one shattered inside the door, so i’m really at a loss.
Anyone think i have a good reason not to like VW now?
Anybody know of how to find the new metal clips, or go about getting these fixed by VOA?
297 Said,
August 2, 2006 @ 1:48 am
Oil Sludge Lawsuit – Getting them fixed at the dealership is easy enough. You can also just call the dealership PARTS department and get the part numbers from them, then order on 1stvwparts.com or worldimpex.com. The window regulator issue was rare on Passats, hence the lack of warranty — BUT some Passat owners have managed to get a warranty coverage out of the dealership; mileage varies, obviously, and usually means you found a nice dealership (the biggest failing of VWoA to my mind is customer service at the dealership).
YupOldBull Said,
August 2, 2006 @ 6:01 am
No…..No…..No! – The biggest failing was poor design…..poor parts….and then poor service.
Give it up Paul……Wanna bet the state(s) attorney general(s) getting involved in the next year?
A real winning combination. Read my profile. (again)
And if you want….read through a few of these. 3,000 people are wrong?
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/automotive/vw_jetta_window.html
http://www.cars-that-suck.com/stories.html#200411
http://www.myvwlemon.com/
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/automotive/vw_jetta_window.html
http://www.forbes.com/columnists/columnists/2004/04/13/cz_jf_0413flint.html
http://www.detnews.com/2005/autosinsider/0501/06/C03-52029.htm
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/automotive/automan_oil.html
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/automotive/vw_jetta.html
http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2004-05-11-vw_x.htm
http://www.thecarconnection.com/index.asp?article=7086&sid=175&n=156
http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/0/51b9e9efe0d25b3d85256b3e00634d10?OpenDocument
http://www.lemonlaw.com/
http://www.lemonlawclaims.com/Volkswagenoilconsumption.htm
http://www.accidentreconstruction.com/news/dec03/120903b.asp
https://www.lawyersandsettlements.com/case/vw
http://cbs2chicago.com/investigations/
http://www.autoweek.com/news.cms?newsId=101755
http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2005-06-29-power-dependability-chart.htm
http://www.boughtalemon.com/
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/recalls04/vw_recall.html
http://www.drizzten.com/blargchives/000205.html
http://www.forbes.com/columnists/columnists/2004/10/26/cz_jf_1026flint.html
http://montecorethetiger.com/2002/08/27/volkswagen-vw-sucks/
http://money.cnn.com/2004/11/08/pf/autos/cr_auto_reliability/index.htm
http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2005-06-29-power-dependability-chart.htm
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13186768/
Compare this last one to any VW……
http://www.toyoland.com/club/viewall.php
YupOldBull Said,
August 2, 2006 @ 6:01 am
- Removed due to being a duplicate of the above reply.
Edited by paultakeda on 08/13/06 at 3:49 PM
sd Said,
August 3, 2006 @ 9:48 am
same passat 1.8T story everywhere – If the stop engine light comes on, you are done. It’s new engine time, period. I was under the impression that a new car kicks a$$ and the worries are for the suckers that buy used and role the dice, not so, caveat emptor. I paid a premium for the “new car experience” and the paying is not over by a long shot. I had my 2004 passat towed in after the stop engine light appeared. They said “nothing was wrong with the car and had no idea (after receiving information specific to this make and model’s sludge problem) what could be wrong. They may have been able to save the motor then, but I doubt it. It is dust and I can’t begin to imagine the cost of a new engine. If you have one of these engines either change the oil like you’ve never imagined or simply purge, they will undoubtedly lose value and be tagged as damaged goods. Live and learn.
297 Said,
August 3, 2006 @ 12:54 pm
Oil Sludge Lawsuit – We can rank the problems differently if you want, I was citing what I considered the biggest, as in, the number one. There are certainly two, three, etc., but number one, in my opinion, is poor customer service.
Many of the complaints people have concerning their car are little things that should be solved without fuss or even without notice during a regular service because the dealership is involved in keeping the customer happy. This is what gets other brand dealerships such high praise. And when there are major problems, such as your own car, VWoA should have taken extra steps to keep you happy — even if it means taking back the car and giving you some sort of compensation, losing you as a current customer in the hopes that you might come back at a future date to give a new model another try because the company did its best to retain you. They didn’t do this, you are justifiably dissatisfied, and that is why number one is customer service.
Post edited 08/03/06 10:35 AM by paultakeda
297 Said,
August 4, 2006 @ 12:53 pm
Oil Sludge Lawsuit – Has anyone tried the dealership again? It’d be interesting to see if this is just PR (it might be, this is over a year ago).
elliot89 Said,
August 6, 2006 @ 1:17 am
solution – I’m in a similar problem with ym 2001 passat. I found the letter from VW on the web and it says 5,000km or every 6 months. I also read that as of last Feb the VW was being more slack on the oil changes. We are now getting our info together befoe we see the service manager. If you get the limon aid book it tells you how to negotiate with dealerships. If you are not satified with the sevice manager then you call a meeting with the service manager and the owner of the dealership. We feel that the key to this is not to give up. Again we have not met with the dealership yet. I’ve tried to cut and paste from a pdf file but it won’t let me. You need to see the extended warranty before you go back at them. You also might find a cheaper vw engine somewhere if all fails. Hope things work out for you.
bfritzga Said,
August 7, 2006 @ 3:45 am
Lawsuit Filed? – Unfortuantely, I live in Georgia and cannot participate in your lawsuit. Do you know of a current law suit in Georgia. All you have to do is replace the names of your story (and the hundreds of others) and mine is identical. Have you made any headway? Interested in anyones comments or feedback.
297 Said,
August 7, 2006 @ 7:59 am
Oil Sludge Lawsuit – This site is due for a major overhaul and one of the new features planned is a section for class action lawsuits, recall and warranty notices, and so on (began coding last night, in fact). Should be easier to search that then go through the threads on a forum-style site. And yes, I’m fixing the search feature — no idea how it broke, but the new one’s from scratch and should be more robust.
pungo15 Said,
November 4, 2006 @ 9:18 am
2002 – I have a 2002 Passat. The Stop engine/oil lights came on. My daughter was driving the car and she immediatley pulled off the road and turned the engine off. The VW service department told us to get an oil change and bring it in if the light doesn’t go off. The light went off. 2-weeks later I wanted to take the car to the east coast. I live in Minnesota. We called the VW service department and asked them if we needed to be concerned with the lights coming on a few weeks earlier. They said don’t worry about it. It should be fine. I drove it and got to New Jersey before the light came on again.
I can go on and on, but I’ll just say the engine is blown and VW won’t fix it because I do my own oil changes. I also am the second owner and I never recieved notification from VW about using synthetic oil. We are pretty upset that the service department told us twice it would be fine to drive the car across the country, when most VW service departments know there is an oil sludge problem.
I want to join any unified fight against VW. I don’t care if the car sits in NJ for a year. I am willing to wait until VW takes responsibility.
Please contact me if you live in Minnesota and have a problem with sludge or know of any others I can join with against VW.
oilsludgemn@hotmail.com
Edited by pungo15 on 11/04/06 at 9:23 PM
janatee Said,
November 10, 2006 @ 2:59 am
looking to get into a lawsuit – My VW story is the same- 2002 Passat – oil light – claimed sludge problem – wouldn’t honor warranty – wanted $9000 dollars to repair car. I let it be repoed after I paid on a car in the shop for 6 months. I should have read the handwriting on the wall when the axle fell out after I had only had the car for 6 weeks. We’re in Texas and our lender is willing to sue the dealer and/or VW but they want to know that we have an attorney involved, even in a class action lawsuit. Anyone in Texas in a lawsuit (or in any other state where the nature of the suit could include us)?
shane304 Said,
February 16, 2011 @ 2:29 pm
I know this post is several years old, but as an on going problem, I am sure people are still finding this page as I have.
I have (2) VW’s 1 is a 1998 Passat and the other is a 2001 Jetta Wolfsburg. Both of these cars have the same engine. Both of these cars have a OIL SLUDGE problem. I have read 100’s of posts from people that “think” they know what they are talking about! Sludge is not exactly caused from not changing the oil!!!!!!! I have owned many vehicles! Some had the same oil for over 5 years! Never once saw ANY sludge! The sludge in these VW’s is caused by WATER mixing with the oil! The engines are flawed in the design! Breather tube and too small of oil filters is the main cause! VW’s claims by changing those two parts, your problem will magicly disappear! HAAAA!!!!! What if I have 2 pistons in peices sitting in my oil pan? Burned crank, mangled belt, chain, crank, tensioner, (2) bent/broken valves ect. What a mess!
IF ANYONE IS FILING A CLASS ACTION SUIT FOR THE 2001 JETTA 1.8 WOLFSBURG, COUNT ME IN!
304-285-8506
I imagine a few more years down the road I will get a settlement notice for my Jetta as I have on my Passat! Has anyone had any problems filing the claims on the passat? I was told you only need your last (2) oil change receipts to get a 50% refund. 100% refund if you have all of them!
Someone please update the Jetta lawsuit status.
VW still claims that the Jetta does not have a sludge problem! What a joke!