NHTSA Complaint #10154619 — 2002 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT

I RECEIVED A LETTER FROM VOLKSWAGEN (VW) OF AMERICA, DATED AUGUST 2004, DETAILING AN ENGINE MALFUNCTION BEING REPORTED BY SOME VW OWNERS. THE PROBLEM IS DESCRIBED AS "OIL SLUDGE." AS A RESULT THE LETTER STATES THAT MY WARRANTY ON THE 2002 VW PASSAT IS BEING EXTENDED TO 8 YEARS REGARDLESS OF MILEAGE. IT GOES ONTO STATE THAT, "VOLKSWAGEN WILL COVER NECESSARY ENGINE REPAIRS IF OIL "SLUDGE" CAUSES A MALFUNCTION IN YOUR ENGINE AND YOU CAN PROVIDE DOCUMENTATION OF OIL CHANGES ACCORDING TO THE MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE FOR YOUR VEHICLE." ON MARCH 18, 2006, I WAS RETURNING FROM A CONFERENCE IN WISCONSIN WHEN MY ENGINE LIGHT AND OIL LAMP APPEARED ON MY CAR. I HAD MY CAR TOWED TO HATFIELD VW. I WAS SHOCKED TO FIND OUT THAT VW WOULD NOT EVEN DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM UNTIL I COULD PRODUCE "DOCUMENTATION" OF OIL CHANGES. WHILE MY HUSBAND WAS OUTRAGED, I WAS CONFIDENT THAT ALL WOULD BE RESOLVED. MY HUSBAND CHANGES THE OIL IN BOTH OUR VEHICLES FROM PRODUCTS PURCHASED FROM AUTOZONE; HOWEVER, HE DID NOT REALIZE THAT I BEGAN KEEPING DOCUMENTED RECORDS ON MY COMPUTER AT HOME DETAILING THE DATE AND MILEAGE OF OUR OIL CHANGES. I BEGAN DOING THIS AS A RESULT OF THE AUGUST 2002 LETTER FROM VW. I SOON FOUND OUT FROM THE HATFIELD VW SERVICE DEPARTMENT THAT MY OIL CHANGE LOG WAS NOT SUFFICIENT "DOCUMENTATION." I SPENT THE NEXT 2-3 DAYS WORKING WITH CHASE BANK IN ORDER TO GET MY BANK STATEMENTS. I FOUND THE PURCHASES TO AUTOZONE, AND EACH CORROBORATED WITH THE LOG. I TOOK THEM TO THE HATFIELD REGIONAL MANAGER ON SATURDAY, MARCH 25, 2006. HE FELT CONFIDENT THAT THE MATTER WOULD BE RESOLVED. AS SOON AS WE GOT HOME, WE RECEIVED A CALL FROM THE HATFIELD SERVICE MANAGER STATING THAT THE DOCUMENTATION WAS INSUFFICIENT. THE SERVICE MANAGER TOLD US WE NEEDED ITEMIZED RECEIPTS. I WENT TO AUTOZONE THAT EVENING AND WAS ABLE TO REPRODUCE THE LAST OIL CHANGE RECEIPT. I WAS THEN INFORMED THAT I NEEDED A NEW ENGINE COSTING $4000-5000.00, YET THEY HAD NO DIAGNOSIS. *JB