TDI Lemon?

I would skip the BBB entirely. The only thing that will happen with the BBB is that you will file a complaint and IF the dealer and/or VWOA responds there will be a “Case Closed” mark on the chart. That’s it.

There is no way for me to make much of a guess about what’s going on other than wild stabs at the anti-theft system or (assuming the 2013 is wired the same) a possibility of an injector pump fuel shut-off solenoid acting up or an electrical glitch affecting that solenoid.

Getting closed mouth and saying little or nothing is common with all car makers; especially if there’s a hint of something going on that may lead to mediation or a lawsuit.

Playing Devil’s Advocate for a minute and from the dealer or VWOA perspective, some people make false claims about car problems for the sheer reason that they decided after a time they don’t like the car or the payments. This could be the way they’re looking at and please understand that I’m NOT accusing you of this at all nor do I even doubt your story.

I just bring this up because I’ve worked for dealers and chased phantoms with several cases leading to the car owners finally admitting there was no problem with the car at all; they just didn’t like the payments or even the seats so they were looking for a Lemon Law exit strategy.

Thanks for the info on BBB. I had heard from a friend-of-a-friend that the arbitration hearings can lead to decent/good results, but it’s not surprising to hear that this is sometimes not the case.

I understand that some people might try to abuse the lemon laws and try to get out of a vehicle—I’m certainly not one of them. Skepticism would be more appropriate if there were nothing to corroborate the incidents, but here there are prior year recalls (both in the US and elsewhere) for issues that cause identical symptoms. In some cases, VW had steadfastly maintained that there were no problems in a particular country (AU), right up to the point where they conceded that a recall was in fact necessary. I wonder how close they are to admitting having an issue with their '13 TDIs in the US—hope they own up to it soon, and not just for my sake!

When it comes to Recalls, none of the car makers will admit to any fault until they’re backed into a corner by the authorities, mass public outcry, or the bean counters start weighing Recall costs against potential lawsuit judgements.

Filiing with the BBB certainly won’t hurt and will add a bit more documentation. My understanding of CA Lemon Law is that it’s applicable throughout the term of the factory warranty.
The problem with dragging it out is that once it’s settled the car owner may likely get docked for the use of the car based on miles driven; much like pro-rating a tire or battery.

One would hate to see a dispute go on for several years and incur that financial penalty.

For what it’s worth, I worked for several VW dealers and had a good rapport with a couple of VWOA reps who came around every month. They were great guys for whom I had a lot of respect but one mantra was always present (and not a verbatim quote), “VWs do not suffer problems. Ever.”.

Thanks for the follow-up. Under CA law, the pro-rating stops at the date of the first incident, which for me was 6 weeks after purchase. I’m sure VWOA would fight this, but the law is pretty clear on this point.

Thanks also for the info on VW’s party line about the infallibility of VW vehicles. The VWOA folks sure do drink the Kool-Aid…

When a motor dies like that, it’s typically the crankshaft position sensor, but then the ECM won’t allow the motor to restart without a reset. The OBD will show a few codes and the check engine light should be ON.

At least the pro-rating stops. In defense of the dealer and VWOA, not all car problems are clear cut in the modern era as there are a multitude of problems that could be intermittent and no amount of diagnostics will uncover until there’s a hard, non-intermittent failure.

However, a problem is a problem and it’s up to them to either solve it or replace the car.
Best of luck on this issue.

That CEL (check engine light) is just a kid in class waving her hand trying to get you attention because she has the answer. You need to have the codes read. Some places will read them for FREE. Try Autozone or Advanced Auto Parts. Get the exact code (like P0123) not just their translation into English and post it back here.

@JosephEMeehan, we’ve had the codes read several times at the dealership—there are none. They checked the fuel filter and checked the tank for debris, but there appeared to be nothing wrong. VWOA’s take is that if they can’t identify the problem, there is no problem. Of course, this ridiculous reasoning doesn’t work so well for us, since we’re the ones putting our lives on the line.

Final Update: the arbitrator found in our favor, and VW will be forced to repurchase the vehicle, including sales tax and DMV fees. Thanks to everyone here for your input and support.

I hope you have much better luck with whatever you choose to replace the vehicle with.

“the arbitrator found in our favor, and VW will be forced to repurchase the vehicle, including sales tax and DMV fees”

As Shakespeare said, “All’s well that ends well”.
Congrats on a successful conclusion to your case!

Good deal that this has been resolved. Now the lingering question will be at what point that car ends up in someone’s hands with a washed title and clean Carfax report…

Thanks for getting back to us. What will you buy now?