Timeline of the 96 passat transmission problems

[badvdub at gmail.com (Parker Wulf)]

We are still fighting vw on this, what do you guys/gals think?

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Rebecca Munsch <ram.designs@gmail.com>
Date: Apr 14, 2006 7:50 AM
Subject: Revised Timeline
To: Parker Wulf <badvdub@gmail.com>

August 9, 2005:    Car didn't start in the morning. I was in Bloomington.
Towed the car to a garage in Bloomington. When we got to the garage the car
started for the mechanics. They looked at the car and said that they thought
the Transmission Multifunction Switch needed to be replaced. Car started the
rest of the day.

August 10, 2005:    Went to leave for work in the morning and the car
started. Tried to leave for lunch and the car wouldn't start (noon). Car
still didn't start at 5pm. Tried again at 6pm and it started. Started for
the rest of the night every time we tried to start the car.

August 11, 2005:    Car didn't start in the morning (7am) when ready to
leave for work. Tried to start the car every 15 minutes until 10am, wouldn't
start. Car started finally at 7pm that evening.

* For the next week car started occasionally.
* Every time that the car didn't start the dashboard read that the car was
in either DRIVE or REVERSE
and on occasion wouldn't have to press on brake to get car out of PARK and
NEUTRAL.

August 13, 2005:     Replaced Transmission Multifunction Switch. Car still
wouldn't start.

August 17, 2005:     Brought car to Nisswa Automotive. (See sheet for work
done)

August 19, 2005:     Got car back. Car started all evening.

August 20, 2005:     Car started all day. Check engine light came on in the
afternoon. Car ran all day, even though the car stayed in DRIVE all day.

August 21, 2005:    Car started all day.

August 22, 2005:    Car didn't start in the morning. Started car at 6pm.
Called Nisswa Automotive said they didn't think there was much he could do
and suggested bringing the car to a VW dealership. (He also said that he did
not splice any wires.)

August 23-31, 2005:    Drove car to the St. Cloud VW dealership (Eich
Motors).
* Said there was a short in the wiring harness connecting to Transmission
Multifunction Switch. Checked wires no shorts. Said wire harness was spliced
and they rewired transmission wiring harness.
* Said it was the Transmission Control Module. Replaced part and car still
wouldn't start.

Sept. 1, 2005:    Eich Motors told me they had no loaner cars to give me and
that I would have to pay $30/day for a rental car.

Sept. 5-9, 2005:    Got the car to start. Said there were some bad relays
and some problems with the wiring connecting to Instrument Cluster. Said
that the Instrument Cluster needed to be replaced to prevent the problem
from happening again.

    Once they got the Instrument Cluster they put in car. I was told that I
would get my car back on Sept. 12, 2005. Drove down to St. Cloud in the
afternoon on the 12th. When we got there found out something else was wrong
with the car. The car was jumping gears between 1st and 2nd gear. (There
were no problems shifting when the car was brought to Eich Motors, only
starting problems.) Said they would look at car again and get back to me.
Got a loaner car that afternoon, Sept. 12, 2005.

    I got a call later that week and was told that they could not find the
problem and that a VW of America Tech was coming to look at the car from
Chicago.

    I received a call the week of Sept. 19, 2005 saying that the VW of
America Tech had just left and concluded that the transmission needed to be
replaced. I was told that the VW of America Tech took the transmission out
of the car, took it apart and put it back together and when doing this found
that the gears were bad.

    I found a rebuilt used transmission from a friend in Canada the week of
Sept. 26, 2005. And started the process to get it to Minnesota.

Nov. 7, 2005:    Brought used transmission to Eich Motors. Found out that
Eich Motors had lost my original instrument cluster. (The used one they
provided had no core charge.)

Nov. 10, 2005:    I received a call saying that the transmission that I got
was bad and that they needed the loaner car back by the end of the week.

Nov. 11, 2005:    I brought the loaner car back to Eich Motors. They said
that the instrument cluster that they had put in the car was bad and that a
new one was coming and would be replaced at no charge.

    * Got my car back a realized that the daytime running lights no longer
worked. The rebuilt transmission had the exact same problem, the jumping of
the gears. Also the car was draining new batteries until they went bad.

Nov. 12, 2005:    I brought my car to Mills GM. They said that there was a
problem with a computer talking to the transmission and that a VW dealership
could find the problem.

Nov. 14, 2005:    Brought car to Auto Imports. They said it was the ECM that
needed to be replaced. Once replaced problem still occurred.

Nov. 21, 2005:    Received another call from Auto Imports and was told that
the problem was in the wiring to the transmission.

Dec. 1, 2005:    I filed a complaint with the Attorney General against Eich
Motors.

Dec. 21, 2005:    Received letter from Eich Motors responding to my previous
letter. In letter stated that my instrument cluster was now in the shop and
that they were sorry for the amount of time it took to receive.

February 2006:    I brought my original transmission that was in the car to
Gray Wolf Transmission. I was told that it sounded like the engine could not
talk to the transmission because of the wiring and that this transmission
was never taken apart due to the lock tight bolt threads and permanent
gasket markings.

After over $2000 the car is in worse condition then it was August 9, 2005.
The car is undriveable, unsafe and they lost my original instrument cluster.
Since the used one they replaced had no core charge they had no right to
trash my property.



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ReBeCcA


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Parker Wulf  badvdub@gmail.com
Pequot Lakes, MN
1988 Scirocco 16v 1.8 black(new project)
1987 Scirocco 16v 2.0 red(soon to donate parts to the 88)
1987 Scirocco 16v 1.8 red(part car)