The ABS and traction control lights lit up on the dash of my '03 VW GTI with 135,000 miles. The dealership said the car needs a new ABS Control Computer at $2K. When I picked up the car, they said it could possibly only be the front wheel speed sensor, which costs $500 to replace. Apparently these repairs can only be done by VW-certified mechanics. Question: As sophisticated as German car engines are, why can’t the diagnostic machine pinpoint the actual problem? I could spend $500 on the sensor and find the light never goes out. Then I am in $2.5K on a car that is only valued at $3.2K.
“I could spend $500 on the sensor and find the light never goes out.”
You have run into an all too common problem with diagnostic machines. The machines are only as good as the mechanic operating them. Thousands of catalytic converters and O2 sensors have been replaced because of fault codes generated by the CEL system on newer vehicles. After the replacement…the owners find out they are out the money and the original problem remains. The key to the problem is having a competent mechanic that can troubleshoot the system and find the real cause of the fault. Until that happens…parts will just be thrown at the problem in hopes of finally clearing it up. That’s very bad for the customer because you are paying out the nose for the incompetence of the person trying to fix your vehicle.
Or you could be sensible and look at the ModuleMaster web site . They rebuild ABS modules … I have one on my car and it works fine after 6 years .
They have instructions on how to remove the module on their website and they charge around $200 for the work . Yes you can drive the car without the module while they fix your module .
Apparently these repairs can only be done by VW-certified mechanics.
I doubt that. Any independent shop that specializes in Euro imports can handle this. And if the dealer could not even identify the prob as either a wheel sensor or ABS computer I would not take it back to that dealer.