prn31's Biscay Blue MY10.5 R36 Wagon

[kamold]

A vcds scan will reveal all...

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[fluckaduck]

With the bluetooth module, have a look underneath the driver side seat. Mine is located there.

[prn31]

An update.
So prior to going back to the selling dealer to sort the OPS problems, I bought a RVC from Vincent who did a VCDS scan in preparation for coding the camera (a story in itself – outlined in another thread.) It revealed that a front parking sensor had shorted out. It also confirmed that I had a factory 9W7 BT that was installed by the dealer behind the climatronics and not under the drivers seat. Apparently that saves the dealer from forking out for aBT cover….
Speaking of covers, I replaced the amplifier cover ($2 under the passenger seat. Mine had lost a couple of Clips” and had rattled completely off and was loose. We put some foam around the new one to prevent it from rattling. But there is still a rattle – I think the centre console is the culprit.While we were at it I replaced the plastic undertray which was loose and broken off in one section. This cost a not unreasonable $350 to replace.
Anyway the dealer replaced one of the front sensors only to discover it was a wiring problem. However because they had to paint the sensor they also did a touch up on the drivers door.
The dealer also gave me a replacement logbook stamped by the original selling VW dealer, who upon requested provided me with copies of service invoices as well. Looks like the car may have sat around for a while but an inspection (by Volks Muller) confirmed that the kms on my car to be genuine, which is a relief.
As mentioned elsewhere, Greg at Volks Muller fitted the RVC and what a painful job that was. As mentioned above, he also did an inspection and ran a VAS scan – no errors detected. The only issue was that the A/C wasn’tcooling. Greg said to turn the A/C on and off whilst holding over 2000rpm and that might reactivate the system. It seemed to work, but it will be worth getting the system checked over and regassed.
I’ve replaced the Bridgestone RE050As which were badly worn on the inside rears – down to the belt on the left. It turned out to be too much negative camber – 2 degrees! I put on a set of Michelin PS3 from Jax Castle Hill for $169ea, which was a great price. It truly has transformed the R36 – the ride is now tolerable and it just feels a lot smoother to drive.
On the weekend we packed up the family for a weekend in Dubbo (Alfa Romeo Club run) and the R36 performed faultlessly. I got to play with the Adaptive Cruise Control and Front Assist and it was a fantastic system. When we were in the club run convoy with a car always in front, I didn’t need to do a thing! Only once did the ACC warning system activated, which turned off the cruise control. Still you do need to be careful because if the car in front disappears then the ACC may accelerate you too much – not a good thing for intersections…

[prn31]

It has been a while since I last updated this thread – life gets in the way! A lot has happened to my R36 so I might do this update in a series of not-too long posts, covering the parking sensor issue, my air conditioning maladies and discovering the history of my own car.

Firstly the parking sensors. Not long after the dealer ‘fixed’ the problem with a new front parking sensor the problem reappeared. A VCDS scan showed that there was a sensor (not the new one) shorting out. It was evident that the front bar would need to come off.

I decided to take it to my trusty panelbeater for this repair. He took the front bar off and it soon became evident what had happened. My R36 had been involved in a minor front end collision and the repair had been very poor. Things like brackets hadn’t been straightened properly and there was minor damage on washer bottle and similar, plus my replacement sensor was not OEM, despite what the dealer had told me… But it was the wiring loom that was the main problem. A lot of the wiring had been damaged and had been spliced back together – it was a mess.

The only solution was to replace the front wiring loom. Not cheap at about $450 retail, but the only way to fix the problem properly. Having said that I did have intermittent issues since the repair, but then the bar had to be removed when I had the air conditioning repaired (see following post to come) and now it is perfect.

It just goes to show that when you buy second hand you don't know what misdemeanours have been covered up by previous owners or dealers...

[sports racer]

Sometime there's something to be said for driving 25 year old cars - no sensors, fix it by the side of the road with sticky tape and chewing gum, know what every creak and rattle relates to.

I miss those days.

[prn31]

I bought my car in the middle of winter (last year) and forgot to check whether the air conditioning worked.

I found later that it didn’t and went back to the dealer to get this sorted. I was within the statutory three months/5,000 km so the dealer reluctantly agreed. I left the car at the dealer and picked it up a few days later with the air conditioning working. I didn’t ask for and wasn’t offered any paperwork, I was just happy that it was sorted.

Six months later it was still working – though it was never that cold – but it was very noisy. I had my VW specialist check it out and he diagnosed a faulty compressor. In time I got a quote to replace the compressor and re-gas the system - $1,135.

I then started chasing the dealer to rectify this. Their phone number had been disconnected and later found out that their dealership had been resumed by the West Connex. I contacted Dept of Fair Trading who advised that they were still licenced so I made a formal complaint but FairTrading were unable to contact them. My only course of action was to take it to the NSW Civil & Administrative Tribunal (NCAT).

In the meantime I stopped using the air conditioning in my Passat. With winter coming on this wasn’t too much of an imposition. If I needed to demist the windscreen, I still could but I didn’t push my luck.

In my first submission to NCAT I didn’t quite get the name of the dealer’s company correct, which meant he didn’t turn up. I got a lecture from the Member about this and the evidence I was to present. Because I hadn’t had the air conditioning problem rectified it was actually conjecture as to what the real problem was. I had to resubmit the application and come back in a month.

In the meantime I went to my VW specialist to replace the compressor. Yes, the dealer had put a new compressor in as stated, but when we pulled the line there was evidence of metal swarf. This was bad news. Not only would the compressor need to be replaced, but also the compressor and TX valve. They gave me a quote of $3,300 and said they would need two days. Bugger.

I got another quote from my trusted auto electrician/airconditioning specialist for about $2,730 and they said it could be done in one (long) day.

I took both quotes to my second NCAT hearing and the dealer did turn up – father and son. We were sent into a room to mediate but neither of us would budge so they set a date for a final hearing where both sides would put their submission to the presiding member. By this time I had upped my claim from $1,135 to $2,730 and I finally received the invoice from the dealer’smobile mechanic. There was discussion about this mechanic doing the rectification – but thankfully this didn’t come to pass (see below.)

The NCAT Member prescribing at out hearing made it clear he didn’t want to hear our case – he wanted us to negotiate a settlement. So we did – I received an order for $1,135. It may not have covered the cost, but it was better than nothing, which if I had lost the case would have been the result.

So to the repair by my air conditioning specialist. It would appear that the mobile mechanic either didn’t see or didn’t care whether there was metal swarf in the system and he hadn’t used R134 gas – they think it was bbq gas or similar. The cost was about $100 under the quote, it was done in a day and I have a sticker in the bonnet that certified what had been done and the date – that certainly hadn’t been done by the mobile mechanic!

It has been a long and expensive journey, but finally I have air conditioning that really works.

[Domatron]

I also bought a 2nd hand R36 wagon last year. Was told by the previous owner (private sale) that it hadn't been in any accidents. A month later I found that the tailgate leaked when I went to the car wash. After a bit of ****ing around with a VW dealer I went to a few panel beaters and they all pointed out how the tailgate had been removed and the rear glass had been replaced. But because of private sale no warranty to fall back on. Fortunately that is the only serious issue that I have experienced. The rest have been minor and easily fixed.


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[pandas]

Did you ever end up getting your driver's side bolster repaired? Would be interested in seeing some before and after shots.

Would love to see other members inputs on where and roughly how much it cost to do

[prn31]

Did you ever end up getting your driver's side bolster repaired? Would be interested in seeing some before and after shots.

Would love to see other members inputs on where and roughly how much it cost to do

This was about the only thing that the dealer did a satisfactory job on...

From memory they told me the trim rectification cost for the bolster was $270 - probably trade price.

[prn31]

I also bought a 2nd hand R36 wagon last year. Was told by the previous owner (private sale) that it hadn't been in any accidents. A month later I found that the tailgate leaked when I went to the car wash. After a bit of ****ing around with a VW dealer I went to a few panel beaters and they all pointed out how the tailgate had been removed and the rear glass had been replaced. But because of private sale no warranty to fall back on. Fortunately that is the only serious issue that I have experienced. The rest have been minor and easily fixed.


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The problem is the vendor may not know that it has been in an accident - it may have been a previous owner.

Unfortunately the quality of repairs is not always great. In order to provide a competitive quote or make a bigger margin on the job corners are cut, especially when you can't see the result.

With a private seller I try and get an independent inspection but it isn't always possible with a dealer. A PPSR Certificate will usually highlight any repair work performed under insurance. I didn't do this until after I bought the car because the dealer has to guarantee title and thus I thought such a certificate wasn't necessary. I was wrong.