Project A4

[Dave]

a molotov cocktail may make them see the light if they disagree on footing the labor. Seriously, if you order a fucking engine for a manual car, the mechanic should not have to inspect a crank to make sure that it didn't come from an automatic. Scotty, you have PM.

[Sijray21]

today the mechanic goes to mate engine to tranny, finds out the crank won't match up. i was sent an engine for an automatic car.

after email and phone contact specifying a 5 speed shortblock....and the engine being returned once, they sent me a motherfucking automatic engine.

now i'm furious, my mechanic wants to know who's paying for a day and a half of laboring, and the engine retailer wants all kinds of proof that i'm not making this up.

the fault lies with the engine supplier as long as the mechanic specifically asked for the 5-speed shortblock that you requested. If the mechanic didn't specify to the engine supplier that he needed a 5-speed engine then it lies with the mechanic to front the bill (at his own cost). I see no way that you're at fault...that's ridiculous. or have the mechanic pay for a manual crank or whatever he needs to make it to work.

I'm so sorry for the situation man...

[Feersty]

Damnit Scotty, that sucks.

[ScottyB]

thanks for the comments guys.

BJ/Rex - yes, audi's are retarded. specifically, mine, since late model 1.8T's can share the crank. i'd show you pictures, but i don't know how to get them off my phone....ha. what a mess.

my hope is that the engine supplier will step up and help me here. they are held to a pretty decent standard by the VW community (<!-- w --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.autohaas.com">www.autohaas.com</a><!-- w -->) so i'm not fearing the worst yet. i did not trade in a core -- i called them, said, "hey you got any AEB code 1.8Ts?" they said "yep" and i proceeded to order a manual shortblock. it went through shipping, got lost/dropped, returned, shipped again and went to the mechanic.

i have a feeling i'll get free shipping on a replacement and sending the other one back, but i can't see them agreeing to front a couple hundred for a day's labor. i'm really not looking forward to the conversation and i really don't want to pursue legal matters -- i don't have the time or resources.

the mechanic is pissed for spending so much time transferring basically the whole rest of the engine over to the "new" one. they aren't 1.8T experts but i'm kinda mad they didn't just glance at the crank and check if it was right. i guess it's not that easy.

[Jeff]

Scotty,
Are you planning on keeping this car after all this or are you conisdering selling and getting something different?

[ScottyB]

Scotty,
Are you planning on keeping this car after all this or are you conisdering selling and getting something different?

i better keep it after all this trouble! ha....

seriously though...everything i love about the car is offset by the deficiencies of my current living situation, the income i'm willing to spend in the face of bigger things (like a house), and they complexity of the car. some days i look at simple, "honest" cars like civics, focuses, and 240's and wonder if i'm missing out in a big way.

basically, when things run right, its great. when they don't, its hell.

[ScottyB]

taken at the shop this morning. things are actually looking kind of up, for reasons i'll go into later depending on how they turn out

auto crank


manual crank


end result: you can convert a manual crank over to an auto by machining the crank but you can't do vice versa without machining an adaptor, which would have to be custom turned and would be very trial by error.

[.RJ]

Why were they transferring stuff from one block to the other? Why not just use the whole short block 'as-is' and avoid all that work, or rebuild the old shortblock instead of buying another engine? Did they ever find out what was wrong with the old engine?

[ScottyB]

Why were they transferring stuff from one block to the other? Why not just use the whole short block 'as-is' and avoid all that work, or rebuild the old shortblock instead of buying another engine? Did they ever find out what was wrong with the old engine?

the conclusion with the old engine was spun bearings/extreme bearing wear on the low end due to problems with oil circulation. the crank and rod bearings were considered to be damaged and that it would cost as much for a new crank as it would for a new shortblock, which is true.

i was getting low on time (back then, not to mention now) so i opted for a new block instead of replacing all kinds of bearings and a new crank as the waiting time would (should) be less and there would be less guesswork. as you can see my plan has backfired or failed on nearly every level. if i knew then what i know now....

as of today the old engine was completely dissasembled and it was found that the crank was in much better shape than we thought (although the rod bearings are pretty haggard along with the oil pump). it may end up that i send the new engine back (and get a refund) and just rebuild the old one.

now i'm faced with the awful fact that i may end up rebuilding my engine -- what i wanted to do in the first place -- but i don't have the funds anymore to put in the heavy duty rods that would allow me to run the big turbo i'd like to in the future.

[CaptainHenreh]

That sir, is bullshit, which is why I will never own a VW.

EVER.

[.RJ]

That sir, is bullshit, which is why I will never own a VW.

EVER.

Quoted for posterity, because I think you're full of it

[CaptainHenreh]

That sir, is bullshit, which is why I will never own a VW.

EVER.

Quoted for posterity, because I think you're full of it

You wanna lay some money on it?

The only VW I'd even *consider* would be a Corrado, but I like my cars nice and notonfire.

Listen to me very carefully, Madison Motorsports: Rex Elsea will NEVER own a Volkswagen. I never have, and I never will.

[ScottyB]

Listen to me very carefully, Madison Motorsports: Rex Elsea will NEVER own a Volkswagen. I never have, and I never will.

i take it you've never heard an uncorked VR6? you probably have, but still....how can you resist that? you rewired and rebuilt a damn 1JZ, catching on fire is like a walk in the park.

[ScottyB]

meh....things are moving along i guess. Autohaas was pretty cool about working things out. i'm waiting on a few little parts to come in and she should be ready to roll soon. the guys at Lewis Motorwerks are probably so sick of me and my car at this point :lol:

[ScottyB]

i guess i should update my fantastic journey through major automotive repair.

i got the car back on monday night, approximately 4 and a half months, 5 rental cars, and 2 secondary cars since it was flatbedded to the shop the week before christmas. it was like getting into a time capsule. my pine branch twig was still hanging from the rear view mirror, dried up and no longer smelling like the holidays. i will tell you this -- it felt really good to drive it under it's own power again. it's like meeting an old friend.

the cost had bloated to far beyond my original budget. in the end i had to buy a long block because the auto-tranny block i was sent was trash. the machined recess for the intermediate shaft to sit in had been beat up in shipping and nobody found out (mechanic should have, if he knew his stuff) until the car was put together and started. it allowed the intermediate to make a terrible racket (think, deisel) upon startup. of course, since the entire engine had been put together at that point, the block was unreturnable since we had used it and could be blamed for improper assembly techniques, trying to return a different/damaged product instead of what i bought, etc. i have spoken with the engine supplier and am negotiating a refund of some kind.

if i don't sell the car, i will recoup some costs by selling my old cylinder head and some timing belt assembly parts.

all in all, i have learned a hard lesson and it sucks. jen has been very upset, i've been upset, and my parents have been upset (feeling guilty for passing on a "faulty" car even though i've tried to explain it was my fault) and my parents-in-law have been upset with worry that my "lemon" will quit on me in some downtown ghetto and i'll be in trouble. all i can say is this -- in the event you screw something up in a big way like i do, stick with WHO YOU KNOW. it's not the time to try someone that the locals say are "pretty good with *insert car brand here*" just because they are closer/cheaper. the other big lesson i learned is that in a big job like this, let the professionals do the professional work. i tried to source an engine and it turned into a mess. i should have let the mechanic do it himself, and allowed him to take the heat if something was wrong with it instead of me taking the blame and having to deal with it.

anyway. the car is utterly filthy, covered in grease and dust from a 1/3 of a year enduring shop life. it still billows smoke when hot at idle from the diesel still burning off inside the exhaust -- it's embarrassing. and as of the other day i've had a bit of an issue with my car dropping into a soft-limp mode (har har) where it's limiting itself to 10 psi instead of 14-16 due to some sensor whacking out...i'll be getting in touch with someone who has a diagnostic tool and see what we find. otherwise, it's quite happy to go down the interstate at fast speeds and the new engine is very quiet. i'll be treating her to a wash, oil change (i don't trust what the mechanics put in it), and some new diff/tranny fluid. maybe a vacuum.

jen's Xterra was patched up and returned to us on tuesday as well, so we got both our cars back in quick succession. it's almost like things are normal again!

i will be doing some general maintainance but i don't see myself putting any money into this car, unless necessary, for a long time, assuming i keep the car. maybe a year from now i'll find that it's still giving back to me what i've tried to give to it and my urge to make it into something special will be re-ignited. maybe come fall it will find a new owner. i think this thread may be at an end....only time will tell.

thanks for the help with everything throughout this, guys!

[Sijray21]

Glad the audi's back Dizzler!

Man, that was a hell of an ordeal .

[ScottyB]

Man, that was a hell of an ordeal .

when is it not my friend. where's that picture of you hurling that shock....

:lol:

[Feersty]

Sorry it has had to come to this Scotty. You of all people are deserving of the misfortune that this car has caused.

[.RJ]

You of all people should deserve misfortune such as this car has caused.

:?:

what the fxck?

[Feersty]

You of all people should deserve misfortune such as this car has caused.

:?:

what the fxck?

Strike that, reverse it.