scirocco 16v woes

[ydrogs at gmail.com (Gordy Stedman)]

Sucks to hear about your tensioner stud falling out :(  I would think
that if the tensioner stud came loose because they did not tighten it
correctly then they should replace it for free.  Also if they over tightened
it and stripped the threads out then it is their fault.  But proving either
one is nearly impossible.

2.0l 16v heads are sometimes easier to come by and have nearly the same
characteristics of a 1.8L 16v head in stock form (
http://vancouver.craigslist.org/pts/326599961.html).  I would think you
could have gotten an entire used 16V engine for $400 (just an example this
guy had the entire engine for $150
http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=3156178) and just a head for $100
to $200.  Is he doing any work on the replacement head like an angle grind
on the valves seats or porting?  Is he putting new parts into the head like
valves, valve springs, valve guides etc?

I do not use mechanics so I do not know if that is a fair price but if you
do not do the work yourself then you are at their mercy.  I would keep your
old head if he is going to only give you $50 for it.  Can keep it around and
build it up when you get money and the time or just have it for spare parts.



On 5/16/07, Andrew McCausland <ajmccaus@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> Wow, what a week it's been. I got the rear brake calipers, distributor,
> timing belt and tensioner, oil seals, v-belts, and cooling hoses replaced
> last week and the car ran amazingly! For about 15km that is. On Monday I
> took it out for a spin and ironically the very problem that I thought I
> was
> avoiding by replacing my timing belt annihilated my cylinder head. The
> timing belt tensioner stud somehow dethreaded itself out of the cylinder
> head, thus causing the timing belt to come loose and thus ending the
> 417,000
> km life of my intake valves. I called my mechanic and he confirmed this.
> Gratefully he offered to fix the problem without charging me labour, and
> he
> was able to get a used head with 180,000km on it for $450. He gave me a
> $50
> credit for my old head, and told me it would have cost about $800 to
> rebuild
> it. This means I seem to be getting it fixed for about $600 including the
> head, the gaskets and misc parts. However questions still burn in my mind:
> Am I getting a good deal here? Why did he not see that the tensioner stud
> was loose when he replaced the belt? Is a $50 credit for a head with bent
> valves good or should I rebuild it or sell it elsewhere?
>
> Thanks all for lending an eye to my woes. Sorry about the pics, I'm still
> working on it. My wife and I just bought a new house so we've been busy
> with
> that for the last few weeks!
>
> --
> Andrew McCausland, B.Sc.


-- 
Gordy
MK1 x 5