My van intermittently won't start. I've had the battery replaced, the starter replaced, the starter REreplaced by a loyal and good family mechanic that's been in business for forty plus years. I get power...windows, doors, lights on dash all work but van just doesn't turn over. There's just a click. It happens with no rhyme or reason. Most of the time engine/starter will engage after several attempts. I got stranded once and had to be towed, and I'm terrified it'll happen again with my kids.
No codes register at our mechanics where he could replicate the problem and we were told to take it to the dealership. The dealership replaced an ignition recall, but that didn't do anything for my current problem. (Let me note that the issues associated with recall...losing power...dying while driving...engine cutting off while driving etc NEVER happened to me in the four years we've owned the van)...and I knew from online reading that repairing the recall wouldn't solve my particular problem. After reading MANY similar online complaints about failure to start, dealership acted like I was naive about my complaint and offered zero help because complaint couldn't be replicated to get a code. No one in service department even acknowledged that there is a large forum of identical complaints online.
Dealership suggested it was probably a battery or starter...which is very frustrating because I already have replaced the battery and starter...TWICE on the starter...by a family mechanic that we've used for years. Dealership warned me about "family mechanics" and their lack of expertise and knowledge of VW's...very frustrating..because I learned the VW service guy himself had only been on the job for two weeks.. Dealership sent me on my way with a washed van, and a "let us know if it happens again so we can replicate it," smile. That was Saturday. Today is Monday, and my van has failed to start on initial try three times since then. I will note that it has successfully started 14 times with the initial try over the last three days.
I want to know what is the answer.
What do I need to fix?
It was suggested by the dealership I replace the wiring harness with new positive and negative cables to the battery to the tune of $920, but they couldn't tell me that it would fix the problem. Seems like VW would know about this problem. Why am I sitting here doing research to fix my vehicle? And if the problem exists for others, shouldn't it be a recall issue? I called and registered my complaint with VW, but again, they didn't acknowledge that others had identical problems.
Any help or suggestions...other than replacing the neutral safety switch...which one online person with the same problem said fixed the problem for his van...except for that because the dealership made me feel foolish for mentioning the neutral safety switch...any other help would be very much appreciated.
My van intermittently won't start. I've had the battery replaced, the starter replaced, the starter REreplaced by a loyal and good family mechanic that's been in business for forty plus years. I get power...windows, doors, lights on dash all work but van just doesn't turn over. There's just a click. It happens with no rhyme or reason. Most of the time engine/starter will engage after several attempts. I got stranded once and had to be towed, and I'm terrified it'll happen again with my kids.
No codes register at our mechanics where he could replicate the problem and we were told to take it to the dealership. The dealership replaced an ignition recall, but that didn't do anything for my current problem. (Let me note that the issues associated with recall...losing power...dying while driving...engine cutting off while driving etc NEVER happened to me in the four years we've owned the van)...and I knew from online reading that repairing the recall wouldn't solve my particular problem. After reading MANY similar online complaints about failure to start, dealership acted like I was naive about my complaint and offered zero help because complaint couldn't be replicated to get a code. No one in service department even acknowledged that there is a large forum of identical complaints online.
Dealership suggested it was probably a battery or starter...which is very frustrating because I already have replaced the battery and starter...TWICE on the starter...by a family mechanic that we've used for years. Dealership warned me about "family mechanics" and their lack of expertise and knowledge of VW's...very frustrating..because I learned the VW service guy himself had only been on the job for two weeks.. Dealership sent me on my way with a washed van, and a "let us know if it happens again so we can replicate it," smile. That was Saturday. Today is Monday, and my van has failed to start on initial try three times since then. I will note that it has successfully started 14 times with the initial try over the last three days.
I want to know what is the answer. What do I need to fix?
It was suggested by the dealership I replace the wiring harness with new positive and negative cables to the battery to the tune of $920, but they couldn't tell me that it would fix the problem. Seems like VW would know about this problem. Why am I sitting here doing research to fix my vehicle? And if the problem exists for others, shouldn't it be a recall issue? I called and registered my complaint with VW, but again, they didn't acknowledge that others had identical problems.
Any help or suggestions...other than replacing the neutral safety switch...which one online person with the same problem said fixed the problem for his van...except for that because the dealership made me feel foolish for mentioning the neutral safety switch...any other help would be very much appreciated.
- Karen D., Blue Springs, MO, US