VW dealer Q&A session: has this guy lost his mind?

[gr8gatzby]

while at the dealer the other day, i bombarded the service manager with questions about maintenance of my recently acquired '00 VR6 Jetta. a few points:

Q: how often do i need to service the tranny?
A: never. don't touch it until it breaks. opening up the tranny is like breaking the seal on a watch. these transmissions go forever untouched. i own a mercedes, of which i have never, nor plan to, service the transmission.

Q: why can't turn my headlights off?
A: because you can't.

Q: what about my K&N filter?
A: it'll kill the mass air flow sensor every 6 months or so.

Q: what about my spark plugs?
A: special tool required to remove them, change every 100k or so.

[Tacuvito]

I've heard that comment about the transmission. I didn't know about the spark plugs. Man I am glad I read this thread ,I was thinking of buying an aftermarket air intake.

[Dr.Gonzo]

OK hmmmmm. I myself have A Turn2 CAI, Neuspeed Cat back exhaust, lightened fly wheel, pullies, brospeed header, Schrick Variable intake manifold, Techtonics 264/260 cams, A GIAC chip, and a ND clutch.
Never I mean never have I ever had a problem with my MAF. Get regular check ups and tune ups when they are supposed to be done and you have no problems.

[gr8gatzby]

gonzo that's good to hear...i wish i understood 90% of what you said you put in your VR6. i'd like to add some beef to mine, can you help a newbie out? where can i buy, how hard to install, and how much are all those goodies you mentioned....

[Tacuvito]

Man, I found a Brospeed Header for $545 and it was on special! The stock header only costs $167. For one Brospeed I can buy the stock header and pay the service to have it installed. The Dr. must be loaded with money or else he is single to drop so much into his ride. I have a family to support so I can't afford half the stuff he has. Sounds like a very serious ride. Kudos to you Dr Gonzo.
Tacuvito.

[termitesgraffix]

headlights.. you have daytime running lights.. all if not most new cars have them. it is a safety and curtusy thing. no they don't turn off, but they are also not using as much energy and are dimmer than the nighttime running lights. if you ever notice the switch at night or when you turn the switch on they are usually brighter...

tranny service i have been told often is about 150K to 200K depending on usage and whatnot. but with most newer cars... that is about the life of the car so.. i guess that is what they meen by never. my 84 rabbit has over 200K on it already on the original engine... and still ticking.. beat that new cars.

K&N ?? hmm read the box that it came in. those guys spent millions testing and making sure that their product works beautifully. it even says that they work with ALL manufacturers waranties. so if this is true, then i am sure they won't mess up your MAF. i meen that is a big deal right? why would the car companies agree to keep the waranties with this product installed, if they know it is gonna cost them money to keep replacing MAFs during the waraty period?

yes the spark plugs need a special tool to come out becuase of the angle. it is a $30 or so dollar tool with two knuckles on it. whoo hoo... well worth the cost and easy to use yourself. don't ever go to a dealer unless you are going for waranty issues that they are paying for. find a local VW/audi/porche enthusiast shop and talk to them.

GOOD LUCK

[Dr.Gonzo]

Do you want to put more power into your VR6 Jetta? If so there are a couple of ways to go about it. One is to go the expensive N/A (naturally aspirated) way. You can get after market cams. From Schrick, Cat, DSR, Techtonics, or Kent.
You can get Chips from Autotech, Neuspeed, Techtonics, AMS, or GIAC
Exhaust can come from almost anywhere. Techtonics, Borla, Milteck, Magnaflow, Neuspeed, or Supersprint. There may be more but can't think of them off of the top of my head.
Headers shown to only help in forced induction.
Super Sprint and Bosal both make headers.
throttle bodies aren't really worht it if you have an OBDII car then you can't get an after market throttle body anyway.
You can also get lightened fly wheel also and pullies,

[Dr.Gonzo]

The pullies and flywheel combined will give you around 5-8hp at the wheels but your car will rev soo much faster in 1st and 2nd gear.
You can also get bigger valve cylinder heads. The VR6 intake and exhuast vavles are really small and when you get a big valve head you get quite a bit of horse power from them.
To get that hp to the wheels you can get an after market clutch N/D makes them, ACT, SACHS Racing clutch, or Clutch Masters.
To help with that you can get after market motor mounts from Turn2 or KCD. I know there's another company that makes motor mounts I just can't think of it right now.
For Handling.
Also you can get lowering spring, coil overs, and sports/racing shocks. Every sort of sway bar upper and lower.

Another way to get power is expensive at first but cheaper in the long run over N/A
A super charger or a turbo
AMS and VF engineering making the super chargers
Kinetics, HPA, ATP, and EIP all make turbos for the VR6.
Any more question refer to my thread on modifying the Jetta.

[73Thing]

I'm not even going to touch some of the other posts here, I"ll just answer your questions. FWIW, don't believe everything you read. Thank me later.

1. I'm going to assume you only have 2 pedals (I'm sorry) if they recommend to never service. The automatic trannies are sealed units and require no maintenance. Lifetime fill. That's a good thing, because everything inside is super expensive, including the fluid. Rarely do we ever rebuild them, because it is cheaper to replace. They aren't bad trannies, definitely better than prior years, but if you think your going to build that engine up and expect your stock automatic to hold it, you are wrong. Sell the car, and buy something with 3 pedals if that is your wishes.

However, if you do have 3 pedals, change the fluid out at least every 60K miles.

2. As previously stated, you have daytime running lights. They are a safety feature. Do you know more about safety than Vw? I doubt it. Leave em alone. There are ways to do it, but why?

3. K&N. Geesh, this is a topic. The MAF issue has nothing to do with modifications. I don't know how that got so grossly misconstrued. THe problem is that idiots like to put too much oil on their K&N filters when cleaning. This excess oil kills MAF's. And if you think Vw is gonna pay to put a new MAF on your car when they see you have a K&N installed, you are sadly mistaken.

4. A special tool is required, albeit not needed, to replace the plugs. Another special tool comes in very handy to pull the wires. Once again, not necessary but dam nice to have. Change them every 40K, and use OEM plugs. The wires will last over 100K miles if you take care of them. The coilpack will die long before that.

Enjoy

[gr8gatzby]

thanks for the reply. mine is a manual, so how much will a 60k tranny service cost? regarding the plugs, should i replace even though the car is behaving dandy with no misfires? and where can i purchase the the wire pull tool....

thanks again.