If my calculator is working, that’s a little over 2 cents a mile for a new engine and you start over baring any transmission/electrical/etc. issues. Seems ok to me although it would be nice to know if its just valves or a hole in the piston. Either way, what are the options? Fix or trade.
I was also puzzled by the engine being condemned for zero compression on one cylinder. If compression was normal on the other three it would definitely indicate a valve problem. If the replacement engine is a long block including the cylinder head it might be VW policy to just replace instead of diagnose and repair. Sometimes that can be more cost effective for a manufacturer.
We’ve already made a decision, but I initially thought that replacement was a drastic step without some additional diagnostics. Compression was normal in other three cylinders (tech said 170 in 1, 170 in 3, 175 in 2, and 0 in 4) and they checked electrical and fuel systems. I’m curious; why would this suggest a valve issue rather than a piston, head gasket, or some other issue?
If a valve(s) is not sealing for any reason there will be zero compression in that cylinder.
another reason would be completely disintegrated piston, or torn piston rod, but I can not imagine it to express itself in mere vibration, likely it would result in severe damage
Would there be more than zero compression if, say, the piston rings were messed up, or if the head gasket had failed? Trying to understand why valve is more likely culprit than another issue.
I assume your decision was to have the engine replaced.
Been there lately? One thing that’s happened as VW has tried to go “upmarket” the last 10-12 years is that their prices have gone up as well. The local Chevy dealer may be $110/hour, the Cadillac dealer is $140, and Benz is $165. Where do you think VW will position themselves?
I’m in a smallish town of late, only one VW/Volvo dealer in the area, they know it and their service and pricing reflect that. I’ve never heard of a dealer parts department that doesn’t deliver locally until now.
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Broken valve spring = zero compression. It is more likely than other causes such as broken connecting rod, severely burned valve or hole burned in piston. Broken piston ring or head gasket failure would most likely result in erratic compression and failure to maintain compression.
how do you figure a broken valve spring is more likely than a severely burnt valve?
How do you figure a severely burnt valve is more likely than a broken valve spring? Much of our advice is based on personal experience. I have encountered one burned exhaust valve and four broken valve springs. Your experience far exceeds mine. You may have encountered more burned valves than broken valve springs.
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what is your decision? post 1 said they will replace motor but your question was whether 2400 was fair/excessive. post 2 and 3 asked about valve issue or spring issue and nothing about proceeding with repair. post 4 said you had made a decision. not whether you said yes or no
I’ll send an update when it’s all said and done. Thanks for your input.
I bought a used 1990 Ford Aerostar back in 1991 from a reputable used car dealer. It had an engine problem a year later due to a hairline crack in one of the cylinder heads. The Aerostar was still under factory warranty. When the Ford dealer stripped the heads off the engine, one cylinder wall was scored because of the coolant that had leaked into that cylinder. The engine was replaced. I was only charged $100 for fresh oil, coolant and new spark plugs. I thought this was an o.k.deal as the Aerostar was at the service point for these items. When the Aerostar was ready, I asked the service manager why they didn’t just hone the cylinder wall that was scored. He told me that Ford’s policy was to replace the engine under these conditions. I like that policy.
A future update will be nice, but why not say what the decision was?
We decided to have it replaced. The cost of this decision was the cost of the repair (labor), which we negotiated lower ($1900 vs $2400). The cost of not replacing the engine was the difference between the unrepaired and repaired value of the car. We based our decision on the assumption that this difference is more than the repair cost. Of course, this depends on many uncertainties, including the nature of the engine damage. Given the information available to us and due to practical constraints, this was our best decision.
However, it could have gone differently if, for example, one of the following had happened:
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If we had been liable for the cost of the engine (quote was about $5.5k + $2.4k for labor), then it may have been less costly to sell the car unrepaired.
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If we knew with confidence the nature of the damage, then I might have been able to find a mechanic to make repairs for less than the cost of replacing the engine at the dealer. In a quick search, I found the cost of replacing a valve spring significantly less than a long block swap.
There are non-financial tradeoffs to consider too, e.g., our personal effort, need for temporary vehicle, etc.
However unlikely, I did not want my candid discussion on this public forum to influence how the shop dealt with me.
You made the correct decision, in my opinion. Yes, if it was a valve issue you might have gotten away for somewhat less money, but you would have had a 100,000 mile repaired engine rather than a new engine, and that’s quite a substantial difference, worth far more than the difference between what you decided to pay and what you might have paid for a replaced head.
Perhaps VW will help you out with a loaner car? Couldn’t hurt to ask.
I also agree you made the right call, and congratulations on further lowering the cost of the repair
What I say next may lead to some disagreement . . .
Even though only one cylinder had 0 compression, the other numbers you gave seem quite marginal to me
I’ll repeat this again . . . and this isn’t meant to sound insulting to you or VW in general . . . I suggest you drive the car another 2-3 years and then start shopping for your next vehicle
I truly believe your car will become quite expensive to maintain, repair, etc., if you were to keep it another 5 years or longer. That is partly because it’s a VW, versus a Toyota or Honda, and also because you seem to rack up miles fairly quickly.