The gas cap light went on, then later the check engine light on my 2006 VW New Beetle. The dealer tells me I have a cracked evap canister and the local mechanic said it’s a broken purge valve. Who should I believe?
The who GUARANTEES that their repair will cure the problem or your money back…
The dealer is offering to take the car apart (again, they claim) to show me that the evap canister is broken, but it’s not under warranty because it’s supposedly damaged by impact to the bumper. Cost for replacing it is $1,000. However, the local mechanic told me that the purge valve is broken and if I let him replace it for $25 parts and whatever labor is, that should do it. If it’s a broken purge valve, it should be under warranty and I wouldn’t have to pay for the repair if I can convince the dealer that that’s the problem.
Who do you trust? What’s your history with each?
I’ve been going to the dealer since I bought the car in 2006 because it’s under warranty, but I’ve been taken the other family cars to the local mechanic. I’m leaning toward having the dealer take the car apart (at no cost to me) just to satisfy my curiosity on how this canister got broken or if it’s even broken, but I feel pressure by the local mechanic. He seems very sure that the canister is not damaged and that the check engine light came on because of the purge valve.
I’d opt for the $25 fix first. If it works, you didn’t pay $1000. If it doesn’t, it will seem like nothing compared the the $1000 bill.
If the local mechanic is very sure of this, get him to put his money where his mouth is. See if he will promise to refund your bill if his fix does not fix the problem.
If the 25 dollar fix works great, if not 25bucks is a good gamble, 1k or 1.025k for total fix if needed is not that great a risk, besides if is the cannister they may be cheaper on that fix.
$25 is just for the valve. There’s labor cost too, plus the $160 incurred so far for diagnosing the problem. I was hoping that the canister is not broken, then I can get the dealer to repair the valve under warranty and maybe even pay the $160 bill. By the way, does anyone know where is the evaporator canister in the New Beelte? The bumper has some spider web cracks on it, but no major visible damage, so I can’t imagine how I cracked this canister.