I have a 2000 VW Jetta which I acquired in 2004. Recently, when I shift up, while accelerating, it shudders. The check engine light flashes for awhile, then stays on for a couple days. The first time this happened, I took it to my local mechanic who told me an air valve came loose and was bouncing off the spark plugs, so he replaced both the spark plugs and the valve. The next time it happened, I called my mechanic and he told me to put a couple containers of drygas in the tank. This resolved the problem for a few days. The next time it happened, my mechanic replaced one of the air filters (I’m not sure which one), but that didn’t do anything either.
At this point, every two or three days my car goes through a routine of shuddering while accelerating (upon starting up the car), the check engine light flashes, then stays on, then goes off after a couple days. Nothing my mechanic has done so far has seemed to do anything.
Any suggestions on what might be happening? Thanks for any help.
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. [b] Get the exact code (like P0123) not just their translation into English[/b] and post it back here.