Was: oil & distributor? Now A4 platform flaws

[roccit_53 at scirocco.cs.uoguelph.ca (C Boyko)]

Add wheel bearings according to the tech I spoke with, they have crappy
seals. I've done one, but my 99 has 180 000 kms on it. And the water pump?
It's become a standard part of the timing belt change in these parts, even
though it's lifespan comes smack in between belts one and two on normal
belts. This is for a TDI mind you, but the bad MAFs transcend fuelling
options (did one). Do the early A4 gassers have a bad main power relay?
The TDIs sure do, and glow plug relays and rails are also common failures.
I still enjoy the car though, but it'll be ugly (electrically) in its old
age.
Cathy

> Wouldn't rust be a factor with the impeller blades? And weight? Plastic
> can take a lot of heat and I would think stainless steel would be the only
> other option in that area, which is considerably heavier (and more
> expensive).
>
> As for all the problems you listed, it was kind of amusing as my
> girlfriends 00 jetta has had almost all of them.
>
> O2 sensor failure x5
> recall on window regulator
> MAF replaced
> Engine temp sender seemingly useless (car once overheated even though
> gauge never moved from halfway)
> light bulbs (various shorts in brake lights/rear parking lights)
>
> Other problems (common?):
> antennae short
> driver mirror defroster never has worked
> camshaft sensor bugs out now and then
> CD player gets hot and skips after playing a CD or 2
> about 6 other error codes VAGCOM spit at me which I forgot
>
> Dan
>
> David Utley <fahrvegnugen@cox.net> wrote:
>
> Okay. Every factory water pump I have seen has a plastic impeller. As far
> as I can figure, there are only two reasons why you would do this, and
> they are inter-related. One is cost, the other is cost. These two factors
> together, greatly affect longevity. We are presently seeing 1.8T water
> pumps fail, often. The 2.0 was a more common problem until recently. The
> 1.8Ts seem to fail because of the shape of the impeller, there are forces
> that want to pull it off the shaft. But back to the point- why in the hell
> would you put plastic in a high heat area? You KNOW it would HAVE to fail
> at a higher rate than the steel impellers. BTW, the factory manufacturers
> make steel impellers, but those are aftermarket (WTF?)...
>
>
> You ever heard of planned-obsolesence? It breaks, buy a part to fix it, or
> buy another car... VW has a crappy reputation right now, because they
> build certain key parts (window regulators, mass air flow sensors, engine
> temperature senders, light bulb sockets, door lock actuators, water
> outlets, and New Beetle radios) that do not hold out for any time at
> all...