August of 2018 our van began driving rough and overheated. Took it in and the code read EGR valve. EGR valve was replaced, but did not resolve the rough driving as the van was seeming to want to shut off. Took it back to the mechanic who spent all day on it but decided it must be something electrical and referred us to another local shop who is the only one in our area who deals with electrical problems. The second shop replaced the EGR valve again but then decided the computer was the problem. They disconnected the EGR valve and told us it would be okay to drive it until a new computer came in.
The van broke down the next day and had to be towed back into the shop. That was Sep 1, 2018. It is still awaiting repair now 11 months later. It remained at our local shop for 9 months. They first ordered a "pre-programmed" computer off of eBay, which took them approximately 4 months. That computer fried within hours of driving and we managed to creep it back to the shop with it dying completely in their parking lot.
Several more months passed by as they ordered a new computer through the VW dealership that is 1.5 hours away. They towed the van to the dealership and installed the computer there but were told by the dealership that they did not have the code needed to program it. They contacted another dealership that said they could program it, and towed it another hour north to the second dealership. Upon arrival they found out this dealership also did not have the code to program the computer. They hauled it 2.5 hours back to their shop in our county. They then found some guru mechanic 1.5 hours west of us who said he may be able to program it, so they hauled it to him only to find he too could not program the computer.
More months pass by. They then haul it back to the first VW dealership where they had purchased the computer as they had now told them that yes they could program it. It was then left at that VW dealership after having been in their possession for 9 months. Unfortunately it has now been sitting at that VW dealership untouched for 9 weeks and counting as they are awaiting an e-mail reply for the code and apparently permission from VW to program the computer which they claim is a Chrysler part. Funny that the same dealer also owns a Chrysler dealership in the same town. We've now been without our family vehicle for almost a full year. Apparently no one can pick up a phone and get a code and permission.
Instead we wait on an e-mail that may never come. With a family of 6, and our only other vehicle being a truck, we've suffered greatly. We've contacted everyone we can think of at VW and the story always ends up the same. Yeah they are waiting on a code, we know. Absolute nightmare. The never ending story. Plus we have no idea how much we owe thus far with our local mechanic, and have asked multiple times to settle up but we're told to just wait and we'll figure it all up once it is repaired.
August of 2018 our van began driving rough and overheated. Took it in and the code read EGR valve. EGR valve was replaced, but did not resolve the rough driving as the van was seeming to want to shut off. Took it back to the mechanic who spent all day on it but decided it must be something electrical and referred us to another local shop who is the only one in our area who deals with electrical problems. The second shop replaced the EGR valve again but then decided the computer was the problem. They disconnected the EGR valve and told us it would be okay to drive it until a new computer came in.
The van broke down the next day and had to be towed back into the shop. That was Sep 1, 2018. It is still awaiting repair now 11 months later. It remained at our local shop for 9 months. They first ordered a "pre-programmed" computer off of eBay, which took them approximately 4 months. That computer fried within hours of driving and we managed to creep it back to the shop with it dying completely in their parking lot.
Several more months passed by as they ordered a new computer through the VW dealership that is 1.5 hours away. They towed the van to the dealership and installed the computer there but were told by the dealership that they did not have the code needed to program it. They contacted another dealership that said they could program it, and towed it another hour north to the second dealership. Upon arrival they found out this dealership also did not have the code to program the computer. They hauled it 2.5 hours back to their shop in our county. They then found some guru mechanic 1.5 hours west of us who said he may be able to program it, so they hauled it to him only to find he too could not program the computer.
More months pass by. They then haul it back to the first VW dealership where they had purchased the computer as they had now told them that yes they could program it. It was then left at that VW dealership after having been in their possession for 9 months. Unfortunately it has now been sitting at that VW dealership untouched for 9 weeks and counting as they are awaiting an e-mail reply for the code and apparently permission from VW to program the computer which they claim is a Chrysler part. Funny that the same dealer also owns a Chrysler dealership in the same town. We've now been without our family vehicle for almost a full year. Apparently no one can pick up a phone and get a code and permission.
Instead we wait on an e-mail that may never come. With a family of 6, and our only other vehicle being a truck, we've suffered greatly. We've contacted everyone we can think of at VW and the story always ends up the same. Yeah they are waiting on a code, we know. Absolute nightmare. The never ending story. Plus we have no idea how much we owe thus far with our local mechanic, and have asked multiple times to settle up but we're told to just wait and we'll figure it all up once it is repaired.
- Rick T., Milan, GA, US