VW to cover maintenance costs for sludge-damaged engines
10-01-10, 07:35 AM
#1
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VW to cover maintenance costs for sludge-damaged engines
http://www.autoweek.com/article/2010...NEWS/100929873
Volkswagen AG has agreed to pay maintenance costs under a proposed settlement in a class-action lawsuit over sludge-damaged engines in 479,768 VW and Audi models.
Judge Joseph Tauro of the U.S. District Court in Boston gave conditional approval of the settlement last week. A hearing to approve the final settlement is scheduled for March 11, 2011.
According to court documents, the settlement affects 1997-2004 Audi A4 models and 1998-2004 VW Passat models with 1.8-liter turbocharged engines.
The engines were prone to oil sludge from coking deposits even when maintained according to the automaker's recommended maintenance intervals and oil-quality specifications, court documents show.
“Each plaintiff claims that his or her vehicle was damaged or will suffer future damages as a result of the alleged sludge and coking problems,” court records show.
The multi-state suit was consolidated in Massachusetts in 2006 according to lawyers representing car owners. The suit also claims VW and Audi failed to honor an 8-year unlimited warranty extension issued in 2004 by denying claims brought by vehicle owners with sludge-related engine failures.
VW and Audi have agreed to “cover 100 percent of the maintenance costs for owners/lessees with proper documentation of required oil changes, and 50 percent for those without proper documentation,” plaintiff lawyers said in a statement today.
The settlement also provides owners and lessees eligibility for a 10-year/120,000-mile enhanced oil sludge warranty, according to a statement issued from lawyers Peter McNulty, Kirk Tresemer, and Russell Henkin, who represent the vehicle owners.
All class members who currently own or lease the covered vehicles will also receive revised oil-maintenance recommendations.
A Volkswagen AG spokeswoman said the two sides are still finalizing the settlement.
“The terms haven't been worked out--the exact compensation or remediation is not yet finalized,” the spokeswoman said.
VW said letters will be sent out to owners around Dec. 20, and the final amount of the settlement will be determined by the number and size of claims paid.
VW began notifying owners of the problem in August 2004 after receiving consumer complaints. The automaker's remedies ranged from extending warranties to covering repair costs, including complete engine replacement.
Sludge buildup can cause engine performance to deteriorate, and in extreme cases, engines to lock up.
Read more: http://www.autoweek.com/article/2010...#ixzz117N5vWhx
Judge Joseph Tauro of the U.S. District Court in Boston gave conditional approval of the settlement last week. A hearing to approve the final settlement is scheduled for March 11, 2011.
According to court documents, the settlement affects 1997-2004 Audi A4 models and 1998-2004 VW Passat models with 1.8-liter turbocharged engines.
The engines were prone to oil sludge from coking deposits even when maintained according to the automaker's recommended maintenance intervals and oil-quality specifications, court documents show.
“Each plaintiff claims that his or her vehicle was damaged or will suffer future damages as a result of the alleged sludge and coking problems,” court records show.
The multi-state suit was consolidated in Massachusetts in 2006 according to lawyers representing car owners. The suit also claims VW and Audi failed to honor an 8-year unlimited warranty extension issued in 2004 by denying claims brought by vehicle owners with sludge-related engine failures.
VW and Audi have agreed to “cover 100 percent of the maintenance costs for owners/lessees with proper documentation of required oil changes, and 50 percent for those without proper documentation,” plaintiff lawyers said in a statement today.
The settlement also provides owners and lessees eligibility for a 10-year/120,000-mile enhanced oil sludge warranty, according to a statement issued from lawyers Peter McNulty, Kirk Tresemer, and Russell Henkin, who represent the vehicle owners.
All class members who currently own or lease the covered vehicles will also receive revised oil-maintenance recommendations.
A Volkswagen AG spokeswoman said the two sides are still finalizing the settlement.
“The terms haven't been worked out--the exact compensation or remediation is not yet finalized,” the spokeswoman said.
VW said letters will be sent out to owners around Dec. 20, and the final amount of the settlement will be determined by the number and size of claims paid.
VW began notifying owners of the problem in August 2004 after receiving consumer complaints. The automaker's remedies ranged from extending warranties to covering repair costs, including complete engine replacement.
Sludge buildup can cause engine performance to deteriorate, and in extreme cases, engines to lock up.
Read more: http://www.autoweek.com/article/2010...#ixzz117N5vWhx
10-01-10, 09:03 AM
#4
Lexus Fanatic
The article doesn't say, but a good idea for turbos is not to go over 3000 miles, regardless of driving conditions. That is also the case, of course, for N/A engines in "severe" driving conditions...which covers a lot of the type of driving we do today.
10-01-10, 09:54 AM
#5
Out of Warranty
My knowledge of turbo technology is a long way from up to date - I thought that post-oiling, and/or water cooling the turbo bearings was going to be the way out of the oil coking problem. Did the industry give up on putting a turbo in every garage, or did they dedicate the turbo to enthusiast-owners who would not object to frequent oil changes?
10-01-10, 12:04 PM
#7
Lexus Fanatic
Intercoolers, water-cooled turbo-housings, idle-downs after a hard run, and pre-oiling, of course, have all helped the oil-coking problem (plus well-designed wastegates that don't allow excess boost/heat to build up), but the main factor has probably been the increasing popularity of synthetic oil. Even if the other factors let you down, and the turbo temperatures DO build up in spite of them, synthetic oil can stay in a liquid, lubricating state, without losing its viscosity, at a far higher temperatures than even the best of Turbo-Approved petroleum/dino oils, which would bake and turn to carbon. That's why synthetic is now widely recommended (or required) by most automakers today for turbo vehicles.
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10-01-10, 12:06 PM
#8
Lexus Fanatic
5K may be stretching it, especially if she regularly winds the turbo up. Does she use synthetic oil?.....my guess is yes if the oil changes are done at an Audi shop, although VW shops probably use the same oil and factory-filters as Audi shops do.
Last edited by mmarshall; 10-01-10 at 12:13 PM.
10-01-10, 04:45 PM
#9
Lexus Fanatic
btw, I do know somebody that had the head gasket fail at 65K miles.
Last edited by IS-SV; 10-01-10 at 05:12 PM.
10-01-10, 05:01 PM
#10
On my hood it says recommended oil change interval is every 12k. I use to do it every 3k then bumped it to 4k. Every time it passes the 4k mark, there is a light that comes on in my tach that according to the manual means "low oil/add oil", not the red one that is near the battery. This consistently happens. I always fill with synthetic using 6 qts.
10-02-10, 12:15 AM
#12
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On my hood it says recommended oil change interval is every 12k. I use to do it every 3k then bumped it to 4k. Every time it passes the 4k mark, there is a light that comes on in my tach that according to the manual means "low oil/add oil", not the red one that is near the battery. This consistently happens. I always fill with synthetic using 6 qts.
10-02-10, 02:55 AM
#13
Lexus Test Driver
I had a 1999 VW 1.8T and a 2003 Audi 1.8T. Both engines required oil changes at 5k miles and both were done under free maintenance at the dealer. Never had any problems but I also drove easy. I did however get a letter in the mail after I sold my A4 that there was some class action lawsuit for leaky sunroofs- which I did have. But the dealer fixed it under warranty at the time. Interestingly, during the lengthly time I spent in the Audi A4 forums, no one complained of sludge problems. I don't think it was that widespread.
German cars- drive and handle great, but not built as reliable as our Lexi.
German cars- drive and handle great, but not built as reliable as our Lexi.
10-02-10, 04:25 AM
#14
Recovering Lexus Addict
My knowledge of turbo technology is a long way from up to date - I thought that post-oiling, and/or water cooling the turbo bearings was going to be the way out of the oil coking problem. Did the industry give up on putting a turbo in every garage, or did they dedicate the turbo to enthusiast-owners who would not object to frequent oil changes?
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