Bad luck or bad dealer service?

So my check engine light comes on. Soon as I can (few days later) I take it in to VW dealer #1. Dealer #1 service dude says it's an IMRC motor fault. Says they don't know what to do about it, says it's not a part that tends to fail in my car (2009 GTI manual), says it's not a problem that will strand me or ruin the car if left unattended. Says he'll clear the fault but he expects the CEL to light again. The invoice says "will need more diag" under "corrective action." Puzzled, I leave with a $60 oil change.

Sure enough, CEL is lit again by the time I get home. A week later it's suddenly really uneven at idle, making the whole car vibrate, and the idle RPMs are wandering aimlessly from 800 to 1800. The next day (that would be today) while idling the CEL starts to flash.

I call VW dealer #2, who says if the CEL is flashing I need to pull over now, don't drive it, tow it in immediately. So I do.

Forum searches suggest I'm not the first to experience this. Misfiring, maybe the coil pack needs replacement. I'll have a diagnosis from dealer #2 tomorrow afternoon. The main message from dealer #2 is that it was a mistake to have brought my car into dealer #1's service department, which seems reasonable.

So a couple of questions come to mind while I await further info from dealer #2, as I'm no expert on anything beyond how to drive my beloved GTI.

1) Is there a correlation between an IMRC motor fault and my subsequent malfunction?

2) What attitude or action is justified on my part with respect to VW dealer #1, beyond steering clear of them in the future?

Never heard of anything going bad with an IMRC motor but a flashing cel can be coilpacks,and rough idle can be carbon build up on intake valves. Dont ever go back to dealer #1. They did little to nothing to mediate the problem. Let alone refer you to another dealer who may know what the problem is. And you never clear a fault code until your car has gone through the maintenance. That whole bit of "lets clear it and hope it doesnt come back" is truly unprofessional.

my friend had the exact thing happen to him



turned out to be the intake mani too. they replaced it and it fixed the issue. thats the second time thats happened to him. his is an 09 too

UGFast89 said:

Never heard of anything going bad with an IMRC motor but a flashing cel can be coilpacks,and rough idle can be carbon build up on intake valves. Dont ever go back to dealer #1. They did little to nothing to mediate the problem. Let alone refer you to another dealer who may know what the problem is. And you never clear a fault code until your car has gone through the maintenance. That whole bit of "lets clear it and hope it doesnt come back" is truly unprofessional.

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the tsi is known to have a bad mani

Well if we're posting pictures... :thumbup:

You need a new intake manifold, and if the first dealer didn't know that I highly suggest never returning.

Did they tell you the actual code? I assume it was P2015.

Atleast they didn't try and force anything on you. Give them credit for that.

Oh and how many miles did you have? I also have an 09

Intake manifold is correct. Looks like $50 warranty deductible is the extent of the damage. I have 35000 miles on my 09. Hoping to get it back tonight or tomorrow morning.

B6 Passat said:

Did they tell you the actual code?

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Nope.

spblat said:

Intake manifold is correct. Looks like $50 warranty deductible is the extent of the damage. I have 35000 miles on my 09. Hoping to get it back tonight or tomorrow morning.


Nope.

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50$ deductible on a car under 36k miles? Ooo its the years isn't? -_- I hate how they changed their warranties.

Wasn't there a recall or something or tsb in them that would cover it?

I think the recall only applied to FSIs IIRC...

Went in after receiving a letter from VWoA, not a CEL, and the dealership fought it left and right.

RevoGLI said:

I think the recall only applied to FSIs IIRC...

Went in after receiving a letter from VWoA, not a CEL, and the dealership fought it left and right.

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:iono:

my friend is on his second intake mani and he only has 65k on it. i know it was done under warranty but idk if it was recalled. if not, it should be

If mine would fail/ will fail, I'd get an aftermarket one.

You should be covered 100%, I had my intake manifold replaced at 48k. They told me I would have to pay diagnostic fee if that wasn't it, but I had scanned it already and knew what it was. That first tech was an idiot.

weird, well i guess its no weirder then me getting my mechatronic unit replaced and told they would only replace the lost fluid... not do a complete fluid change (like almost everyone else i've seen get on here) -_-"

zrickety said:

You should be covered 100%, I had my intake manifold replaced at 48k. They told me I would have to pay diagnostic fee if that wasn't it, but I had scanned it already and knew what it was. That first tech was an idiot.

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This is how it worked out. No charge. Happy camper here.