Rear Calipers - What to do?

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

>
> Cathy - what did the dealer charge for the reman?  Any warranty?  I
> may check with the VW dealer, but the nearest one is an hour's drive
> away. Ahhh, ain't it great living in small towns!

Yep. And nope. I don't have a dealer anymore either, well, they are but
they aren't franchised, figure that out. Anyway, what did I pay? Too much
likely, I knew they were going to be a lot, and was sick of swapping them.
In my book, labour counts for something too. I'd have to look at the bill,
but it would be closer to $200 than $100.
>
> Regarding the replacements I've had -the two rear right calipers that
> both seized and leaked the same way (at e-brake) were bought at
> Canadian Tire - with a one year warranty, which is expired - I'm
> guessing/assuming there's a problem with their brand for two in a row
> to have the same problem.  I don't know where the left caliper came
> from, but the shop only offered a 90 day warranty on their work -
> this was done in January.  I'm hoping I can get that caliper replaced
> under warranty, and just pay for the labour.  The original calipers
> lasted 17 years - the most recent, a few months.  Something's not
> right.
>
> This car has spent more time being repaired than being driven.  Which
> would be ok if I did the work myself, but costs way too much $$$ the
> way it is with no tools or place to work on it.
>
> A quick unrelated question to my frustration with the calipers - how
> likely is an intermittent loss of spark to be caused by a weak coil?
> I just replaced the coil on my Red Beast because it tested weak (Ohms
> about 3x what they were supposed to be by the Bentley).
>
> I'd posted about this problem awhile back, never really resolved it,
> haven't been driving the car as a result.  Someone had asked in that
> thread whether the tach dropped to zero when it lost spark - answer
> is yes, which I didn't know at the time.

If the tach is dropping to zero, then something on "that side" of the coil
has a shaky connection (likely). The green wire on the terminal is the
important one for the car to run, there's a multiple spade connector
screwed in to the coil, it may be loose or corroded. (undo the battery,
unscrew it and sand like a  mad fool...)
Check to see that it's a snug fit, there will also be a red/black wire on
that same connector that is for the tach signal. This connector often is
too loose, and slips off easily. Also, check that the actual metal
connectors in that pug aren't pushed part way out of the plug.  If you have
a new coil, that plug may be the culprit.

>
> Also, the car has somehow managed to kill 2 new batteries in the span
> of three months in the past past year - luckily the replacements were
> free under warranty - what could theoretically cause this, other than
> a string of bad luck?  Related to the loss of spark problem?

I've had terrible luck with CTC batteries, they die a lot, so if it's a CTC
one, just get used to exchanging them. I'll buy a redtop for the 16V next
time it has a dead one, I've been very impressed with the one in my bug.
>
> This car is a beast.  A picky, problematic, lazy beast.
>
> But hey, at least it's fun to drive - when it feels like it!

They know that to, nobody in their right mind would put up with their
nonsense if there wasn't some reward for the trouble!

GL, and don't give up. You may just be realyy close to a long spell of
reliability!
Cathy
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