2002 Passat owner seeking advice

[Houch]

Hello all,
I'm a 2002 Passat owner. Until about two weeks ago, I was the proud owner of a fully functional vehicle. But then while on a long distance drive, the dreaded CHECK OIL PRESSURE came on. I got my car towed to a nearby dealer. They checked it out and said I had engine sludge / oil pump problem. The service people told me that there was serious damage and that I needed a completely new engine.

But, in order for warranty to cover that, I would have to provide them with all my oil change receipts. After the legwork, I got them records of 8 out of the 9 oil changes I had performed on my Passat. The car has 62,000 miles on it. Evidently, this wasn't proof enough for the Volkswagen corporate people, and they said they wouldn't cover it. (This isn't too complain about the company, just giving you my situation...)

So, after all was said and told, the service people told me I needed a whole new engine assembly and a reworked oil system, pretty much. The tally for that work including parts and labor would be $11,000.

I paid $27,000 for this vehicle in May 2002. I'm really just trying to figure out whether it's worth paying that much to have the work done. First off, is that a fair price for the work being done? Should I try to find an independent mechanic to give me a better price? Is it worth pouring that kinda money into a nearly four-year-old car.

Even if I get a new engine, I also have worries about the engine failure in the future. I'm definitely going to use synthetic oil and have my oil changed every 5,000 miles to the mile this time around. But I'm more skeptical of these engines now.

On the other hand, I'm almost wondering what I could get salvaging the car and just purchasing a different new or used vehicle with that money. Is that an avenue to consider?

Thanks for reading this. Take care.

[veedubmechanic]

#1 if the car still runs and the oil light is not on i would say trade it in at another vw dealer asap.

#2 if it doesnt run, its bogus price because my shop has done many many of these engine jobs and the most expensive was about 7k with new turbo. labor to put in a new engine warraty time is 11hrs. customer pay would be 20hrs MAX and thats giving alot extra. parts are about 4500-5000 unless you add a new 1200 turbo. if there is no bottom end bearing damage (main caps/rod bearings than all you need is a cyl head -1800.00, oil pump 250, timing belt kit 250.00, pcv lines 500.00. long blocks are 3500.00 i believe

#3 if you dont have oil changes for ever 5k miles than your SOL. vw says max time between oil changes is 5k miles. if you have oil changes at 6k, 8k, 4k, 6k, 6k its too bad... you should have changed your oil at or before the reccomended 5k interval (5k is still too much for normal oil 5k is ok for synthetic oil)