I purchased a 99 Passat recently. 2.8L V6 5 speed. 49K miles. The car ran great, I loved it. Since it was close to 50K miles, I decided to get maintenance done, and took it to Stevens Creek Volkswagen, in Santa Clara, CA.
They kept my car for 2 days, and now after spending more than $1000, it feels so broken.
Before the service:
- No warning lights on and the engine idle speed was stable.
- Shifting was smooth and I could "feel" plenty of power.
- The only problems I reported were a) broken headlamp and b) coolant temp. gauge not working
After the service:
- The check engine light is ON
- The engine idle speed is very unstable. Especially when I stop at a light, the idle goes up and down between 1100 and 600, before settling down to about 800.
- Shifting doesn't seem as smooth now.
- The coolant temp. gauge works, but there's a flashing red coolant temp. warning (after driving for about 10 mins. in the morning, it starts flashing and there's a loud beep). The gauge however stays at around 190 (half way) and I don't see any heat or leakage anywhere.
While they kept my car for the 40K mile service, they called and said few items need to be replaced, like the Serpentine Belt and Valve cover gasket. I OK'ed. Then they called and said they are seeing some "fault codes" from the Throttle body, and need to perform additional diagnostics ($120). I OK'ed that too. Then they called and said the TB needs to be replaced (estimate: $850) but didn't have the parts in stock. The 40K mile service + additional repairs costed me abuot $1100.
Did anyone else experience similar issues with Stevens Creek VW ? I am so damn frustrated with them right now... they took my perfectly fine car, made me pay more than a grand, and returned it broken...
Thanks,