NHTSA Complaint #10180859 — 2003 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT

AT 40K MILES THE LOW OIL PRESSURE INDICATOR LIGHT CAME ON, AT DEALERSHIP THE TECHNICIAN "COULD NOT DUPLICATE CONCERN." AT 42K MILES THE CAR STOPPED WORKING WHILE ON THE FREEWAY. ONCE TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP, THE TECH TRIED TO IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM. AGAIN, IN THE INVOICE WAS NOTED THAT HE REMOVED THE OIL CAP AND NOTED "A LOT OF BURNED OIL ON UNDER-SIDE OF CAP AND ON OIL DEFLECTOR TRAY." YET, THAT WAS NOT PURSUED AS THE TECHNICIAN NOTES ON THE FOLLOWING LINE THAT "CHECKED FURTHER AND FOUND NO FUEL DELIVERY." OIL CHANGE WAS ALSO DONE ON THE CAR W/ A NEW OIL FILTER AND CAR WAS RETURNED. AT 50K MILES LOW OIL PRESSURE INDICATOR LIGHT AGAIN CAME ON. STATED IN INVOICE THAT "DID NOT PERFORM DIAGNOSTIC." TECHNICIAN NOTES IN INVOICE, BASED ON A VISUAL INSPECTION THROUGH OIL CAP YET, THERE APPEARS TO BE OIL SLUDGE BUILD UP. NO DIAGNOSTICS WERE RAN AND NO MENTION OF OIL SLUDGE BEING A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH THE 1.8L TURBO ENGINE IN THE 2003 PASSAT. AT 52K MILES, THE LOW OIL PRESSURE INDICATOR LIGHT YET AGAIN CAME ON, THIS TIME CAR WAS TAKEN TO INDEPENDENT SHOP. THEY RAN DIAGNOSTICS ON OIL PUMP, BASED ON LOW PRESSURE RESULTS, PUMP WAS REPLACED. 16K MILES LATER, LOW OIL PRESSURE INDICATOR LIGHT CAME ON, OIL PUMP IDENTIFIED AS PROBLEM AND REPLACED UNDER PART WARRANTY AT NO COST. ANOTHER 16K MILES LATER, THIS OIL PUMP ALSO FAILED. GARAGE REMOVED VALVE COVER REVEALING EXTENSIVE AMOUNTS OF BURNT OIL CARBON DEPOSITS THAT AS PER THEIR MECHANICS ARE ONLY POSSIBLE FROM A PETROLEUM BASED OIL. I SEEKED A SECOND OPINION ON THE ENGINE AND SECOND GARAGE CONFIRMED THAT DAMAGE SEEN WAS ONLY POSSIBLE FROM THE USE OF A PETROLEUM BASED OIL. VOLKSWAGEN CHANGED THEIR ENGINE OIL SPECIFICATIONS IN AUGUST OF 2004. WHEN I RECEIVED MY CAR IN NOVEMBER OF 2002 AND ALL OIL CHANGES PERFORMED ON THE CAR BY THE VW DEALERSHIP UNTIL AUGUST OF 2004 WERE DONE SO WITH PETROLEUM BASED OIL. THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM WAS CREATED FROM NOVEMBER 2002-AUGUST 2004, ALTHOUGH I WAS NOT AWARE OF IT UNTIL 1/5/2007. *NM