NHTSA Complaint #10413798 — 2006 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA

THE ENGINE IN OUR 2006 TDI DSG BEGAN TO EXHIBIT ROUGH IDLING. AT A CERTAIN POINT IT BECAME EVIDENT SOMETHING WAS WRONG. THE VEHICLE HAS ALWAYS BEEN SERVICED BY A VW DEALERSHIP AT THE SPECIFIED INTERVALS (I CALL THEM THE $400 OIL CHANGES). I COULD HEAR WHAT SOUNDED LIKE AN INTAKE VALVE POPPING AND COULD FEEL A PULSATION IN THE TURBO INTAKE HOSE. I CHECKED ON SOME OF THE FORUMS AND WAS SHOCKED TO LEARN OF THE EARLY CAMSHAFT FAILURE PROBLEM COMMON TO THE PD ENGINES. IT SEEMS THAT VW NARROWED UP THE INTAKE AND EXHAUST CAM LOBES BY ABOUT 30% TO MAKE ROOM FOR THE INJECTOR LOBE, AND TRIED TO COMPENSATE FOR THIS INADEQUATE DESIGN BY MANDATING "SPECIAL" OIL (WHICH I CAN ONLY HOPE OUR DEALER USED EACH TIME THE OIL WAS CHANGED). IT TURNS OUT THOUGH, THAT A CRITICAL CAN WEAR ADDITIVE IN THIS OIL, ZDDP, IN SUFFICIENT QUANTITIES CAN CAUSE EARLY FAILURE OF THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER (AN ITEM WHICH HAS A LONGER WARRANTY PERIOD THAN THE ENGINE). IT SEEMS THAT THE ZDDP ONLY EXISTS IN SUFFICIENT QUANTITY IN VW "SPECIAL" OIL TO GET THROUGH THE ENGINE WARRANTY PERIOD, WHILE AT THE SAME TIME PROTECTING THE CONVERTER FROM WARRANTY FAILURE. I BOUGHT AN AFTER MARKET CAM KIT AND INSTALLED IT MYSELF, SAVING NEARLY $3000 IN THE PROCESS. SINCE THEN WE'VE PUT ANOTHER 60K MILES, USING MOBIL TD TRUCK 5W40 OIL... SO FAR SO GOOD. I THINK THIS WHOLE SITUATION IS DISGRACEFUL AT BEST AND VW SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL PD CAMSHAFT FAILURES TO A PERIOD SIGNIFICANTLY LONGER THAN THE 80,000 KM WARRANTY. THE PRIMARY REASON WE PAID 32K FOR A COMPACT SEDAN WAS THE REPUTED LONGEVITY OF THE DIESEL ENGINE. THIS FAILURE, ALONG WITH THE DUAL MASS FLYWHEEL FIASCO HAS MADE OUR PURCHASE OF THIS SILVER COLORED LEMON ANYTHING BUT A GOOD INVESTMENT. UNTIL VW FACES UP TO THEIR MORAL RESPONSIBILITIES IN THIS MATTER I WOULD CAUTION ANYONE CONSIDERING THIS MAKE OF VEHICLE. *KB