engine problems

I bought a brand new 2003 Jetta 1.8T. I have maintained the car at the dealership in a timely fashion. About 4 months ago, I had a timing belt and tensioner pulley put on the car at a privately – owned shop close to my home and was charged about $650.00 for the job. Then about 3 weeks ago (on Super Bowl Sunday), I was driving to York, PA and the oil light came on and I pulled in to a convenience store and got 3 quarts to add. I then drove another 2 miles and the light was still on. The engine then began making a very loud noise, and I pulled over again and turned the car off. I talked with my dad, and he was able to come and look things over. My oil reservoir was full, and he recommended that I have the car towed to the dealership. They said that the car engine did not look like the proper one that should be in the car. As far as I knew, I had the original engine … but the dealership in York feels that it was a replacement engine. I have no knowledge of the engine ever being replaced. The dealership went on to tell me that the hoses that were on the car are not the ones that belong on the car, and that there was no code on the cylinder head cover. We were also told at the dealership that there is to be a code that’s supposed to be on the tab protruding from the cylinder head used to pull the engine out … but that code has been milled off.

My questions are: Could it be possible for the shop that put the timing belt on, to screw up putting the belt on the engine and possibly blowing up the engine … then putting a remanufactured engine in without my knowledge? Is there any way I could find out with the VIN number if the engine was switched without me knowing about it? Are there any parts in an engine (other than the cam and crank shafts) that are to have a VIN number or code stamped on them? Would the VW factory still have any record of any serial numbers or the such that would be “engraved” or stamped anywhere on my vehicle? Has anyone else ever had this happen to them?

Really, there is no telling what a shop is doing to your vehicle after you've left it with them, even the dealership. I would never try to trust any of them people. If it was the same motor and that is near where your oil pump is on the engine I would think that he may have screwed up something there when changing out the timing chain. But like you say now the dealership is saying none of your hoses match, no numbers where they are supposed to be, they maybe just trying to jack up a nice price tag themselves, who knows.

Just let that be for future reference to you to never trust these people, always be very familiar with the inside of your engine compartment before dropping the vehicle off for repairs. Even make marks that ONLY you know about on certain areas, block, head, etc. etc. Know how your hoses look and what kind of clamps are used.

Also too you never know neither what these places don't do when you drop them off for repairs, that they are supposed to.

Seen it too often spark plugs not changed where the shop was paid to do so because of an area hard to get to. But me not even having a shop was able to do so when changing out plugs for people, who had it last done at a shop, but found some with all but one or two plugs in hard to reach areas a different brand.

Always tell a shop that is swapping out something for maintenance or repairs that you want to keep the old part(s) (whatever it is they are changing) that they take out. Helps to reassure that the work was done. If it's something that they need to keep for core which is why you are getting the job for that price then tell them that you want to see the old one when they get done with it. Make it clear to them that you are the one paying them and you are in charge. The more interested in all of that you seem the less likely for you to get screwed when dealing with that. You can also tell a shop that you are bringing in a vehicle for diagnosis that you are bringing it in for a SECOND opinion and estimated costs of repairs, that stops them from wanting to make up a lot of things that are wrong with your vehicle so they can't rip you off, they will just think you would instead go back to the first guy. If they then ask what the first shop told you tell them you don't want that shops opinion again, you want his.

Hope that helps in dealing with that in the future and I hope that someone else can come back with a reply to let you know if there is a way to know if you have the same original motor, I have no clue about that.

Please get back soon and let us know what you found out. I was really interested in this post. Would be nice to know who is pulling your chain, the shop who was supposed to pull your chain, or the dealership.

It was a local repair shop here in Harrisburg, PA call C & P Automotive.

So is that what the problem was? They messed up your original motor and swapped it out?

Yes, that is what is suspected. Do you know of anywhere on the engine where a VIN number or other important code would be inscribed to confirm things (such as on the crank shaft, cam, or engine block)?

I have a small work around without needing numbers off anything that might help.

Is there anything that was done to the vehicle before you took it into the shop that was supposed change your timing chain. Example oil change, tune up, etc etc. that the shop didn't do also that you might still have a receipt for.

Like maybe you might have gotten your oil changed and have it on receipt somewhere and it shows the brand of filter that was used, but you realize that you have a different brand on the motor now, spark plugs or anything. If you do notice something is different, then call up the original shop, don't ask him if he has done this also for you because he may get suspicious, just tell him you are the same customer that came in for the timing chain, tell him your name and the kind of vehicle. Ask him if he can do a tune up(if that's what you found was different spark plugs than you should have), if he already has he will tell you he has already changed them out for you when he pulled your timing chain. But if he says okay that he can do it, that tells you that he has swapped out motors on you because you have different stuff on it since the last time you had them replaced and no explanation for it.

Probably wouldn't hold up in court but at least you would know for sure. Hopefully you may have hung on to some receipt where you last had something done that shows a different brand item than what is on the vehicle now.

Hopefully somebody else can come back with a better idea than I have on this so you can know 100 percent.