Soda spilled on Beetle auto shifter?

A spilled Pepsi was responsible for 3 Mile Island.

Or so they showed on SNL.

Switch to diet soda...

No, I am saying that AFTER the soda got into it it started sticking all the time. It started sticking about an hour after the spill.

No, I am saying that AFTER the soda got into it it started sticking all the time. It started sticking about an hour after the spill.

They claim they took the solenoid out to clean it. I know they took the center consol out to get to it. The rest of your reply hit the nail on the head in reguards to the VW dealer service dept. When I left the car with them they said they would have to check the brake light switch and then see if the solenoid needed to be replaced or just needed cleaning. They called at the end of the day and said the brake ligt switch was fine and the solenoid just needed cleaning. I asked how they cleaned it when I picked it up and they said it was taken out and cleaned and checked. If it really needs to be replaced then it needs to be replaced. I just wish they would have done it the first time instead of tacking on the 2nd hour of labor and a 2nd trip in there for me. I'm lucky Wendy's will pay for it but I don't like being gouged just the same!

Exactly. You never know when you have to pay for something you did. Why waste resources. They should have replaced it the first time. Cleaning something to make it work is really only a DYI job unless they guarantee the cleaning. It's cheaper for the DYI to clean something to make it work again. I have done it many times and you get better at it the next time around. Food for thought, if you have to have it worked on my someone else, always ask for the old part back. This guarantees they replace it and no monkey business was done. I also have gone one step further and marked secretly marked the part and have caught them in the act of lying if it was worked on, replaced or moved.

Yep. It's a never ending story. The best way to do business is the honest way and you don't have to do all of the sneaky stuff. They also keep old parts because the part they replaced sometimes didn't fix the problem.

Sorry to hear that your dealer's a scammer. That happens a lot and the manager is usually in on it for maximum profit. You have to find out what the book time is on this type of job. If it's only 1 hour and they did 2 hours of work, they can only charge you 1 hour. Of course if they did it in half the time, they are going to charge you 1 hour. You also want to find out the cost of the part.

I called VOA and told them what is going on and after 3 days of research and calling the dealer, they said there is nothing they can do and I can only resolve it with the dealer! I called the service manager back and now he says that they indeed NEVER took the console apart and recleaned it or did "another" visual inspection. He said there was a "miscommunication" between me and the service writer. He now says that the visual inspection was done when they first took it apart to clean it. I asked why they didn't tell me I needed a new solenoid then and he said that they they were trying to save me money! (What?) He said that they knew if it started sticking again I would then need a new solenoid! When I asked why they told me they would have to put my car back together before I could pick it up after I declined the new solenoid since they hadn't taken my car apart and he said that when they say that they mean taking the plastic off the seat, the paper off the floor and the number tags off the key and rear view mirror! (Do you believe that?) He then called me back about an hour later and offered to re-clean the solenoid for no charge and If I need a new solenoid, I would only have to pay "$184" for the part and no labor and I would be under no obligation to get the new solenoid. VOA must have got to him! I would only do this if I could stand there and watch them do everything because how could you trust them?

I only save old parts that are faulty. If I put a part on and it's not bad then I take if off at my loss.

That would be the logical thing to do. :)

Squeaky wheel. :) So did the cleaning fix it or did you get a new one?

I am still debating wheather to take their offer. Of course they say because of liability reasons they won't allow me to watch them clean it in the service bay. The way they have handled it so far, I just can't trust them. The shift only sticks on the first try after sitting over night. After that it works fine the rest of the day. I'll probably just wait until I have time to clean it myself.