2013 Central Florida VW-TDI Club, headquartered in Ocala, Florida Mr. Chris Mendola, Club President

Central Florida TDI ClubDecember 16, 2013

Our TDIGTG: Get-ToGether held on SATURDAY, NOV. 2nd, 2013,

just a few days after Halloween, was certainly time well spent. Our focus was on tricks our members have found that work well in maintaining and repairing their TDIs. What started out as a series of slow recollections of past tasks soon catapulted into a staccato of techniques our members have used to save money, time, & effort while reducing swollen knuckles and an occasional inappropriate word or two.

I certainly wish I had better note-taking skills as my colleagues blasted out comments faster than a salesman in a used car lot. Was this venture worth the time spent? You betcha! As just one ind iv idua l I le f t w i th two techniques that will save me several hours of arm-twisting with a wrench as I repair the door lock on my Jetta (broken by myself while trying to do a fix a day before leaving on a must-leave-tomorrow scheduled trip). If you missed this GTG Ill do my best to recollect (continued next page)

Saturday, November 2, 2013 TDI-GTG

Trick n Treat a Success(photos below) Discussionsfocused on tricks members use in repair & maintenanceof their TDIs, plus plenty of input on resources, tools, procedures, etc. Chris discussed his recent visit to, and tour of, Gunther VW in south Florida (see this issue).

2013 Central Florida VW-TDI Club, headquartered in Ocala, Florida Mr. Chris Mendola, Club President

concepts & techniques presented by club members, but my notes certainly c a n t d o j u s t i c e t o t h e recommendations made by club members. Here are a few brief notes about some of the s t ra teg ies, techniques, & tricks discussed: Vacuum hoses dont always leak when youre in your own town, let alone your driveway. One member found leaks occurring in the stiff plastic hose that attaches to the brakes vacuum booster. This tubing is similar to electrical shrink tubing, though much more substantial. Replace the tubing with rubber hose & clamps, and use a 90 copper elbow and short end of copper tubing soldered on each end of the elbow. Thisll save you over $50 if the components on each end of the original tubing are still operative. Another fix over cracked ends of the same original tubing is to use electrical shrink-wrap tubing thats used on the ends of battery cables. Such shrink tubing has a sealer inside that fill the cracks to prevent leakage, but the original also cracks at the bend, which is necessary to allow for engine flexure at motor mounts. Your TDI diesel pump (certain models) is pumping fuel to the injectors but not pulling from the fuel tank. Installation of a lift pump in the tank may be all thats required to do a fix for this problem. Check with aftermarket suppliers for this part (e.g Kermit & ECS mentioned). TDI forums are another source for info on these pumps.

Broken glove box latch: AARodriquez (search online) sells a repair kit with super magnets. At less than $30 its a good fix when compared with $100 for a used glove box door w/ a used latch (if you can find one!).

Save money by rotating your own tires unless your tire source provides this free. While youre moving your tires check for other needs that are hidden behind the wheels (e.g. brakes pads, CV boots, etc.).

Do you change your own oil? Many of us do because were more accurate than some technicians at quick lubes shops. One member says he uses a vacuum pump to pull oil up via tubing through the oil-fill funnel tube (where the dipstick resides). He reports getting more oil out that way compared to merely removing the oil plug. Others installed the Fumoto oil pan drain valve that eliminates the need to remove the drain plug, which can lead to stripped threads when improper ly re- ins ta l led and/or tightened. Flick the positive-lock lever & the oil drains out (a bit slower than when the plug is removed).

The fold-down rear seat latches in Gol fs are l ike the T-shaped emergency hood latch pull knob as they can become inoperative if the knob pulls loose from the inner workings. This can be repaired using a cotter pin or other pin-type device to serve as an axle for either lever.

Need to replace your radiator? This is most easily done by removing the front end. Sound scary? I thought that

2013 Central Florida VW-TDI Club, headquartered in Ocala, Florida Mr. Chris Mendola, Club President

Not broken studs, but tasty spuds!

It can never be said that our GTGs arent a culinary success and Sally outdid herself again with a different focus this meeting.

Our luncheon featured large baked potatoes with a slew of toppings: homemade pulled pork, chili, sauteed fresh mushrooms, butter, sour cream, shredded cheese, bacon bits, along with steamed broccoli, & cheddar snack mix. Beverages included lemonade (always a favorite), iced tea, root beer, diet Coke, & orange soda. Dessert was another new recipe: spicy gingerbread twigs a homemade, labor-intensive, crunchy gingersnap stick covered with colored granular sugar. This recipe has two bake cycles with a race in between bakings to get the hot & quickly hardening dough cut into thin strips before the dough cools hard. Then placement back into the oven for the final bake to drive out moisture so the twigs are crunchy, spicy sweet. Yum.

Spicy gingerbread twigs minus the cayenne pepper that Sally thought a bit too much the first time around.

too until several members mentioned the few clips & screws that need to be removed to gain access to the radiator from the front of the car rather than from between the radiator & the engine. A search online may give specifics on this procedure. (Im hoping to avoid this!)

R e p e a t e d l y g e t t i n g o n t h e accelerator from a standing start may cause problems with your turbo. A surging back & forth of the wastegate actuator may occur c a u s i n g s t r e s s e s o n t h e turbochargers shaft. These repeated oscillating forces along the shaft could lead to turbo failure. This doesnt mean all turbo failures occur due to acceleration as there are many other contributors including incorrectly rebuilt or faulty parts. As a precaution, wait for your car to get beyond 2,000 RPM before pressing the go pedal to accelerate.

As our club expands in both members and activities, we are expanding our communication system to meet our burgeoning needs. We will soon be posting our club newsletters and announcement information on our new website. Go to www.thriftytravel.info and click on the VW-TDI Club tab on the far right of the screen (tablets & phones may appear differently.) More information will be forthcoming when the websi te is launched. This expanded service comes as a response to your overwhelming requests. Were glad we can further meet your needs.

Chris Mendola, Club President

Outstanding VW Dealers in FloridaGunther VW Coconut Creek, south FloridaAs much as we sometimes make make remarks about dealerships, those of us who have broken down on the road are readily happy, if not elated, to see the blue & white VW dealership sign. Though our clubs members pride themselves on their wrench-twisting skills, we all soon realize that when we are without our tools, manuals, etc. were stuck. There are many great VW dealers that can come to owners assistance. Yours truly and wife Sally spent a few hours touring Americas largest VW dealership Gunther VW in Coconut Creek (north of Ft. Lauderdale), courtesy of Pete Raissis, Gunthers very able shop foreman. Pete is one of the nations most renowned VW-Audi repair gurus. If youre in south Florida stop by Gunther and pay a visit to both the sales & service departments. Youll be very impressed! Gunther VWs sales lobby is like no other.

Volkswagen of Ocala Ocala, north-central FloridaWe recently decided to purchase a new 2014 VW Sportwagen TDI, of course. Though our current TDI wagon has only 220,000 miles on it we felt we needed to ensure more trouble-free miles during our extended travels. Where to buy was the next question. We priced new 2013 and 2014 models at three dealerships and received great prices from two of them: Gunther VW in Coconut Creek and VW of Ocala. Our final decision was influenced by price and distance to service. Additionally, the honesty and personal involvement of our salesman, Rick Hammond at VW of Ocala, was another plus. Ricks knowledge of his product was exceeded by his honesty and his desire to see us in a 2014 VW Sportwagen at the price we were willing to pay. We got what we wanted and more. I would definitely recommend Rick to Central Florida VW customers. L>R: Rick Hammond, Chris, & Clay Morrison, Sales Manager @ VW of Ocala, Florida, Hwy 200, west of I-75.

2013 Central Florida VW-TDI Club, headquartered in Ocala, Florida Mr. Chris Mendola, Club President