Bit of advice please...

[LisaK 0]

My head gasket decided to fail a couple of weeks ago chucking oil in my water and making pistons 1 and 2 look a tad steamed. I took it to my garage (that I normally use and are normally OK) on Sunday 1st June and they said they'd have a look at it Monday or Tuesday definitely and they'd give me a call. I waited til Friday and still no call so I called them and asked what was going on. They told me the head had definitely gone and they had ordered the parts to replace it and I would have my car back at some point during the next week. I ended up getting my car the next Friday so they had the car 10 days in total and apparently only worked on it for 3 of those days which to me takes the piss - it's not like I have another car to use!!

 

They fixed the head, cleaned out all the coolant hoses as best they could, cleaned up the rocker cover, etc, for me as well (saves me doing it, ha!) and I got the car back with a fluctuating/hunting idle and major hesitancy and kangarooing! Even when the head was on it's way out, the idle would NEVER hunt and the engine would never feel like it's being choked. I drove the car home with it like this and gave the ISV a bit of a clean out which didn't make a difference. I got back in my car at night and noticed the ABS light is staying constantly on (I'd only had an MOT a week before it went in to the garage so it wouldn't have passed if the ABS fault light was on) so that's another problem that has suddenly arisen. My oil temperature is non-existant so it seems they have failed to plug the sensor for that back in and no.1 HT lead wasn't on the plug properly! Also (which wound me up the most but is the smallest thing), they asked me to keep an eye on the water as there may still be a bit of oil in the system and to try and get it out when I can - they did the poxy tank cap on so flipping tight that I busted the sodding cap handle trying to prise it off with an adjustable spanner!!!! I'm not a feeble female but there really is NO need to do it up that tight!!! :bad-words:

 

My car never had any of the above faults before they had the car for two weeks and took the engine apart. I've had a bit of advice from friends and family and they all agree with me that I shouldn't have to pay for the above repairs because of that fact. If they find that the ISV is busted, should I have to pay for a new one? I don't think I should as I didn't have any of the usual ISV symptoms before they had the car. I'd only driven about 150miles as they told me to "see how it goes", i.e the hunting idle, but they were unaware of the other problems so I called them today. I've now got to take ANOTHER day off work on Friday so they can attempt to sort out my car!!

 

Oh and this plug behind the block... what's it for as I remember something being plugged in there before but can't for the life of me find the female connector for it! Not the oil temp sensor is it?

 

[Jim Bowen 1]

i was just going to say my expansion cap is a right git to get off, even when i've only done it up a little bit, really annoys me.

 

last time i was at side of the road i had to find sticks and bits of rock to get it undone, i keep meaning to grease the threads

 

not much help i know, but am glad its not just me that hates that cap

[Jim Bowen 1]

i wouldn't pay for it until its fixed properly, i've had this before and it ends up getting to the point where i'm sick of the garage and they sick of the car, i start to worry they don't really care once they get things back that aren't right.

 

depends how well you know garage, wouldn't be good to upset them

[davidwort 0]

looks like the idle throttle position switch, so your idle circuit/control won't be in operation, which figures given what you say about the idle. The connector/wiring should be dangling down there somewhere.

[LisaK 0]

Ahhh excellent, so maybe it won't be the ISV itself then *crosses fingers*

 

Any idea where the oil temp sender is if it's not the plug at the back?

[LisaK 0]

i wouldn't pay for it until its fixed properly, i've had this before and it ends up getting to the point where i'm sick of the garage and they sick of the car, i start to worry they don't really care once they get things back that aren't right.

 

depends how well you know garage, wouldn't be good to upset them

I've always taken my cars there ever since I started driving .. so that's 6 years!

I've already paid them for the original repairs as it was a fair amount of money. They said they'll put whatever they can right, I just hope they don't expect to be paid for it!

[davidwort 0]

it's a small sender just around the back of the head on the RHS of the engine, usually has a flat round connection point that a female connector slides onto sideways. Not to be confused with the water temp ones which are on the end of the head around the water outlet.

[Walesy 0]

So basically, all you had was a head gasket change? and your cars come back with these numerous faults after being worked on for 3 days?? - did they charge you 3 days labour just for the gasket change? :eek:

 

Maybe that connector in the pic is something to do with the ABS? Have a look to see if there are any spare wires coming from your pump :shrug:

 

I'm sure someone here will know, or have a look on ETKA to see what it is but it's bound to have some baring on at least one of your problems!

[belfastfumanchu 0]

I know the G60 engine is totally diff to the 1.8 16v, but thats the exact same area as the oil temp sensor is on mine although its a diff shape. Funnily enough they left it off after my head gasket was changed too!

 

If I were you (and if I could afford it) I'd cut my losses with these guys and go to someone recomended from the forum here to get these probs fixed. Theyre obviously a sloppy bunch of wasters who only care about the money and not worrying about their reputation.

[LisaK 0]

Strictly Dubs is recommended by a few people and only about 25miles from me but is in the middle of nowhere. I was tempted to take it there but seeing as the head had well and truly gone, I didn't think it'd be advisable to drive much more than a couple of miles (to the garage I normally go to).

 

So basically, all you had was a head gasket change? and your cars come back with these numerous faults after being worked on for 3 days?? - did they charge you 3 days labour just for the gasket change? :eek:

 

Maybe that connector in the pic is something to do with the ABS? Have a look to see if there are any spare wires coming from your pump :shrug:

 

I'm sure someone here will know, or have a look on ETKA to see what it is but it's bound to have some baring on at least one of your problems!

I was charged 13hrs labour and I can't see how they worked on it for 3 days either but I suppose they had to find an excuse to why they kept the car for 10days!!!

[ProdigalSon 1]

davidwort is correct :salute: the 3 pin connector with the missing female is definitely the throttle position switches (idle and wide open throttle microswitches), without these the idle will be ropey as :ignore: :lol:

 

The connector you're looking for will have blue/black, blue/red , and white/brown wires, and should be dangling down from the loom that comes through the scuttle panel by the two heater matrix coolant hoses.

 

The oil temp sender is located on front of the engine, in the middle of the oil sandwich plate (that the oil filter screws into from below) - the single wire should be green/black. The other single wire connector there is for the oil pressure switch (just slightly above and behind the temp sender), and is yellow. Don't worry about a third loose one-wire connector there, it's not used unless you have aircon or somesuch - can be ignored :wink:

 

Hope that helps, seems like the garage are taking the mickey and/or don't have a clue :roll: :bad-words:

[Supercharged 2]

Hmmm - it's a big job doing the head on a G60 and i'd say 13 hours is probably right especially as it had 'gone' so there'd be a fair amount of cleaning to be done...

 

What is worrying tho is that sensor isn't connected so I have no idea how they will have set up the timing, idle and CO levels without the ISV working (the ISV is switched by the throttle close switch)

 

The spade connector for the oil temp could have just dropped off tbh but with the ABS light on as well makes me think they didn't do much testing before it left the workshop - this could just be an earth or maybe they knocked one of the connectors on the suspension turrets off while working - worth checking!

 

I'd be taking it back to them, getting them to sort it and also do another oil and coolant change while it's in...

[dirtytorque 0]

Don't worry about a third loose one-wire connector there, it's not used unless you have aircon or somesuch - can be ignored :wink:

 

its for an oil pressure sender I think.

I think it was an optional extra to have voltage and oil pressure guages in the centre console.

:offtopic:

 

end of useless interlude.

:wave:

[Toad 0]

Go and poo through their letterbox.

[Supercharged 2]

Thats not the answer to everything Mr Toad...

 

I have a feeling Lisa hasn't told the garage who she works for yet...

[Toad 0]

Thats not the answer to everything Mr Toad...

 

I have a feeling Lisa hasn't told the garage who she works for yet...

 

Poo + letter box = 100% successful resolution.

[LisaK 0]

They have barbed wire around the gate to their yard and the letterbox is on the gate. I don't fancy ripping myself another a-hole particularly!

 

I phoned the garage this morning and told them I wasnt happy. I didn't want to leave it much longer as they could quite easily say the problems arose after X amount of miles. If I can find the idle sender thingy then Ill plug that back in myself, same with the oil temp sender. It's the ABS that needs to be looked at really as I can't fix that myself and also to tune everything up.

 

And no, they don't know who I work for... not many people believe me when I tell them anyway :lol:

[dirtytorque 0]

 

And no, they don't know who I work for... not many people believe me when I tell them anyway :lol:

 

 

why,what do you do?

[LisaK 0]

I'm a Customs officer but I don't normally work at a port..

 

The connector you're looking for will have blue/black, blue/red , and white/brown wires, and should be dangling down from the loom that comes through the scuttle panel by the two heater matrix coolant hoses.

 

The oil temp sender is located on front of the engine, in the middle of the oil sandwich plate (that the oil filter screws into from below) - the single wire should be green/black. The other single wire connector there is for the oil pressure switch (just slightly above and behind the temp sender), and is yellow.

I managed to find the connector for the idle position switches and plugged that back in so thank you :) Did that make a blind bit of difference to the ropey idle though? Did it f*ck!! :? poxy car. I also found the oil temp sender and it was burnt out, I guess when the head gasket finally gave up, so that got replaced and is now working fine :)

 

The C went back to the garage and they set the timing... back to standard timing apparently and my engine is far from standard. It was on 16deg before but they changed the timing belt, etc. when they changed the head so they didn't know if they had moved it or what (!!!). I can't blame them too much though as I was unaware of the timing originally. It hasn't improved anything, hasn't made anything worse - the revs still rise up to between 1.5k and 2k when cold, it still stutters like mad at lowish revs (below 3k), still hesistates, the idle still hunts a bit and the engine just feels like it's being choked nearly all of the time. It's got the point where I'm having trouble getting the clutch bite because the damn idle is all over the place and I'm getting highly f**ked off having to drive the poxy thing just 40miles every day.

 

Oh and you know what my mechanic said to me after I got the car back the last time? "I don't know much about these digifant engines" .... NO SH*T!!!

 

Does anyone near me know anything about these engines because I'm not taking it back to my garage after the amount of time they had my car and I don't want to run the risk of taking it to somewhere I don't know and they end up f*cking it up more than it already is!

[ProdigalSon 1]

Does anyone near me know anything about these engines because I'm not taking it back to my garage after the amount of time they had my car and I don't want to run the risk of taking it to somewhere I don't know and they end up f*cking it up more than it already is!

I'm sure there are independent VW specialists near you, although I'll leave it for others to confirm and recommend as I don't know of any down there.

 

Have you got a copy of the Bentley factory repair guide? At very least you could leave it in the car in an obvious way when dropping it off for maintenance work :wink: Anyhow, hope you get this sorted soon and for little outlay - G60s are wonderful engines when they are running right, and it is a crying shame what's happened to yours :sad:

[Supercharged 2]

Hi Lisa, JOHN AUSTIN has definetly had experience of G60's, engine rebuilds etc and there is another place in Colchester called TCM Autoelectric I think who are meant to be very good with G60's

 

John Austin - just off the A12 at Marks Tey (A120) Telephone: 01206 211483 (VW/Audi specialist)

 

I'd give them a call if they are near as it probably just needs a timing and CO setup but otherwise I would just take a day off and head down to G-werks, get the charger cheked at the same time and the engine setup on the wideband.- - good time of year to spin down there!

[LisaK 0]

I'm in south Essex so dropping the car off to Colchester could prove a royal pain in the arse. I thought about the G-Werks option just yesterday as the charger needs a service/rebuild in 5k miles. I'll have to live with it playing up til August and take it down there. After my experiences with my local, normally spot-on garage I just dont trust my C with someone that has never worked on a G60 engine before. I know Darren had previously worked on the G when Stevemac owned her and Ive heard nothing but praise about their work so looks like G-werks it is!

 

If anyone sees or hears a badly revving, bucking and kangarooing met. black G60 until then, don't forget to wave!