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View Full Version : Another Fun VW Repair Story



hockeybronx
07-12-2005, 01:19 PM
Okay, so the other day I'm driving with my sister and she goes to roll the window up (automatic windows). About 3 quarters of the way up we hear a big crack, and her switch wont work anymore. So I give it a minute then try again from my side. The window moves up a bit, then all of a sudden it drops down super quick and falls into the door. I didn't know what the hell was going on.

I took the door apart and began trying to find out the problem. Thanks to a friends vast car experience we found the problem: two PLASTIC clips that ride on the sliding arms of the door and connect to the METAL clips that attach to the actual window. The plastic clips were absolutely destroyed. The metal clips from the window had torn these plastic ones apart.

So I go to Southcentre Volkswagen in hopes to get a couple new plastic clips, but it turns out they only sell the entire inner panel assembly. So basically I had to pay $180.00 for a whole new metal panel, tracks, and a few other things. On this new assembly now the PLASTIC clips are now fortunately metal which was a good move. I can't believe the old ones would be plastic, or that they lasted this long through Calgary weather of hot/cold.

Everything is good to go now. It was fun to tear the door apart and see how everything works with automatic windows, and also to see how oddly the Germans like to connect their parts together, and how many strange ways they use to insulate the inner matte door panels.

Final comments about the project:
- At least I know what I'm doing when the drivers side breaks:nut:
- It's so ironic that they can't just sell individual parts (such as the plastic clips that will be the first to break) instead of the whole metal panel
- $180.00 isn't so bad because I just got a $95.00 GST cheque from the government:thumbsup:
- I now need a new tint job since I scratched up my tint pretty good when fidgeting with various tools/parts.

knees scrapin'
07-12-2005, 01:38 PM
Should have bougth the stuff off ebay.

hockeybronx
07-12-2005, 01:40 PM
Originally posted by knees scrapin'
Should have bougth the stuff off ebay.

Yeah it would have been cheaper but it was really a time thing. If I couldn't have bought it from the dealership that day I probably would have looked elsewhere. But in my family it just doesn't slide when I need to borrow a car because I can't drive my own so I needed to get it done on the ASAP.:dunno:

Akagi Redsuns
07-12-2005, 02:53 PM
At least this didn't happen during winter and -30C outside.

Klobi-1-Kinobi
07-12-2005, 04:33 PM
Sorry to hear. Are these not a recall yet. If not, they should be.

hockeybronx
07-12-2005, 05:18 PM
Originally posted by Akagi Redsuns
At least this didn't happen during winter and -30C outside.

Yeah I agree with you for sure there, I guess I should count my blessings. I'm surprised it didn't happen in the winter though, that is when those plastic clips would be most susceptible to breaking.


Originally posted by Klobi-1-Kinobi
Sorry to hear. Are these not a recall yet. If not, they should be.

No there's nothing I could have done. It was just surprising to hear the Parts people at Southcentre Fine Cars tell me I was lucky that they have lasted this long.

At least the replacement panel I put in had metal clips on it.

Seanith
07-12-2005, 07:04 PM
Thats pretty hurt you had to buy the whole thing. I guess VW replaces things instead of fixing them :thumbsdow

A2VR6
07-13-2005, 12:18 AM
Ahh... the famous window regulator problem. It plagues almost every newer VW, mine went in my 2000 Passat, took them like 6 hours to figured the thing out but luckily it was still under warrenty. It is really stupid they make em outta plastic but i guess thats where some money is saved.

bennyhanna
07-13-2005, 10:13 AM
You paid $180 for that

FYI

VW has a Recall out for all VW's from 1999-2001's that came from the factory with those plastic clips

Same thing happened to me,
I called the dealership, they told me to bring my car in, and they swapped Both drivers and passenger side window regulators
all for free. My car was also out of warranty.

Best thing to do, would be to contact VW canada customer care, and explain the issue to them, chances are they will tell you to bring the car in, and have the dealership replace them, they should also give you a reimbursment form

Mr. Burns
07-13-2005, 10:14 AM
This happened to me, so I rolled to northland VW and they replaced the clips free of charge. I was back on the raod in 20 minutes.

hockeybronx
07-13-2005, 04:08 PM
Originally posted by bennyhanna
You paid $180 for that

FYI

VW has a Recall out for all VW's from 1999-2001's that came from the factory with those plastic clips

Same thing happened to me,
I called the dealership, they told me to bring my car in, and they swapped Both drivers and passenger side window regulators
all for free. My car was also out of warranty.

Best thing to do, would be to contact VW canada customer care, and explain the issue to them, chances are they will tell you to bring the car in, and have the dealership replace them, they should also give you a reimbursment form



Originally posted by mrburnsvw
This happened to me, so I rolled to northland VW and they replaced the clips free of charge. I was back on the raod in 20 minutes.

Oh man that's total B.S, I'm going to call the dealership right now and see what I can do. I bet it's too late, and it pisses me off that the parts guy wouldn't mention that then but we'll see what happens when I call.

cloud1314
07-13-2005, 08:12 PM
yeah there was a technical bulletin for this
window regulator repair kit
group 64-02-04
the service advisor/warranty admin will tell u.

Kona9
07-13-2005, 08:38 PM
Originally posted by Akagi Redsuns
At least this didn't happen during winter and -30C outside.

Not funny...it did happen to me in my civic this past winter. Fawk it was cold that night.

Akagi Redsuns
07-14-2005, 09:10 AM
Originally posted by Kona9


Not funny...it did happen to me in my civic this past winter. Fawk it was cold that night.

Unfornuately I was being serious as it happened to someone I know in the winter. Apparently a common MKIV failure. Even worse is that the next week he got stranded because of a failed coil-pack.

Akagi Redsuns
07-14-2005, 09:13 AM
Originally posted by cloud1314
yeah there was a technical bulletin for this
window regulator repair kit
group 64-02-04
the service advisor/warranty admin will tell u.

Too bad TSBs only applies to cars within the warranty period (usually says that in the 1st line). Looking at hockeybronx's car tagline, it's 1999.5....I think back then VW offered a whopping 2 year warranty. While it's not a "safety" item per say, this really should have been a recall on a faulty design.

Good luck with getting reimbursed.

bennyhanna
07-14-2005, 09:56 AM
Originally posted by Akagi Redsuns


Too bad TSBs only applies to cars within the warranty period (usually says that in the 1st line). Looking at hockeybronx's car tagline, it's 1999.5....I think back then VW offered a whopping 2 year warranty. While it's not a "safety" item per say, this really should have been a recall on a faulty design.

Good luck with getting reimbursed.

TSB does not apply to cars ONLY under warranty

I had mine done 2 years after my warranty was over

Akagi Redsuns
07-14-2005, 10:26 AM
Originally posted by bennyhanna


TSB does not apply to cars ONLY under warranty

I had mine done 2 years after my warranty was over

Yes you are right, TSB applies to all cars that it lists regardless if it's under warranty or not , that is correct.

Getting it done for free is to supposed to be done for cars that still have the Bumper-to-Bumper warranty. Exceptions are usually made of course depending on the dealer and if they want to take that extra step.

I was wrong about the 1st line though as I have been reading a lot of Toyota's TSBs, I forgot that on VW's TSBs it lists it at the last page on how to code the work done if the car is still under warranty.

Mind you this is what I was told from the dealer and from reading the TSBs themselves it seems to jive. Dealers are known to be inaccurate so I could be wrong and they wanted to charge me for TSB work and then write it off for free and pocket the profits. I wouldn't put that past them.