I have a 2001 VW Jetta with a 2.0 liter engine. After the "check engine" light came on, I took it to the local VW dealership here in Southern California. They ran some diagnostics and told me that the ignition coil has cracked and needs to be replaced.
I did some research and found out that approximately 530,000 Volkswagens and Audis from 2001 through 2003 are subject to a recall due to defective ignition coils. The same problem as with my car. The trouble is that my specific model is not part of the recall list -- yet. My car is out of warranty by 2 months and has 32,000 miles on it. The best the dealer could offer is a 50% off the total invoice which came to $184.
I was pissed, as I don't want to pay anything to replace ignition coil which is obviously defective. I called VW Corporate but they refused to reimburse $184 I paid to the dealer. I am still pissed and don't know how I can get my money back from VW. At this point it is a matter of principal -- I should not have to pay for a defective part, which is part of a large recall (even if my specific model has not yet made the recall list).
Can anyone recommend what I should do? Who do I deal with at Corporate to make them reimburse me?
Here is a link to the Volkswagen ignition coil recall bulletin: