Hi All
I have a 99 Passat 4WD. It needs the half moon gaskets and rear main seals replaced for the leaking oil bits (from what I can see)
It also needs new front disc and pads.
I can get the parts from US pretty cheap ... however its going to cost a fair bit getting it fixed here in Sydney.
So does anyone know a cheap mechanic (maybe someone looking for weekend work)
Or should I just sell it and be rid of my problems ???
Does anyone else know of any problems that may arise ???
Well, if you sell every car that you buy that needs new discs and pads and a bit of maintenance, you are going to buy and sell a lot of cars.
Why not fix it yourself?
why does it need new discs and pads ?you can get them machined ,and then put on new pads ,,,,,if you were to sell it you would have to tell the buyer whats wrong ,well you should especially if theres brake problems ,then you will loose a lot of the resale price ,,,,the seal your talking about is it in the engine or gearbox ? if its the gearbox rear seal you should be able to change it yourself pretty easy ,,,,,
The front disc can't be machined anymore. Its pretty much to the point of no return. Fitting these myself isn't really a problem.
However my mechanical knowledge is limited. I know where the real main seal is ... but I wouldn't know how to take the gearbox out.
As for the half moon gaskets ... they are behind the cams ... VW has a tool that makes it easy to change ... I can get it from the states ... VW Aus
(only asked one dealer) claims there is no such tool and to do the job they have to take the cams out and replace the seals that way. So again my
mechanical knowledge only goes so far.
If I get my mechanic (not a dealer) to fix it ... its gonna cost a couple of grand. His suggestion was I sell the car because one problem ususally
leads to another and another.
I kinda like the car ... but I am wary that if I keep it .. then its gonna put a hole in my bank account.
Is there anyone here that is willing to help out at a fraction of the cost ??
BTW - There were 18inch wheels that came with the car ... they are really scratched ... so I gotta get them repainted. Does anyone spray paint here ??
A good starting point is some sort of manual. Sometimes these can be found online.
I rebuilt my 1990 M5 engine after I saw what a supposed BMW specialist had done to it - he'd bodged a head gasket replacement. I searched out all
the information I could on the net, got a semi-retired mate who was trained as a Rolls Royce mechanic as an apprentice to help me (not that it
related much to the Bimmer - but he was more mechanically aware than me) - and followed the book. Another mate had his engine redone at the same time
- and that "expert" charged him $5k for labour (total $15k). Mine cost me all up $10k. His went wrong almost immediately and he has now spent
$25k. Mine's quicker too.
One tool incidentally, BMW wanted $400+GST for (shimming tool) - I made one for $30 and ten minutes on a bench grinder.
See if you can find a semi-retired person to help you. Where are you?
$400 plus for a tool ... isn't it ridiculous what the dealers do. What I can't understand is why so many people bring their cars back to a dealer
just for a general service.
I logged onto passatworld to get some feedback .. and it seems the guys in the US pay half the price for labour and parts. Thats from a dealer too ..
for an independant they pay even less. But then again I guess they have the population to sustain cheaper prices.
Unfortunately I don't know any semi retired or weekend mechanics ... if you (or whoever is reading this) can help me out that would be great.
I am located on the North Shore of Sydney. My email is lauchiyuen@gmail.com
yeah keep the car and try to get it fixed. at ;east u'll know what's been broken and what's ben fixed. u know your own car. but if u get a 2nd hand one it's an other hole different story. i know coz i fell for it. had a nice comfy 4x4 . was using so much petrol be the en that i thought i would b better off selling it. then i realized all i had to do is get the injectors cleaned
If I sell this i'll get something new .. or with 40K max .. something like a corolla or the likes 
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| Originally
posted by AIE73T something like a corolla or the likes |
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Originally
posted by matberry
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Try some of that engine oil 'stop leak' goop - you may be surprised
All VW's leak oil. Nothing to worry about...
If it stops leaking, it's time for a re-fill.
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| Originally
posted by Notch Nut All VW's leak oil. Nothing to worry about... If it stops leaking, it's time for a re-fill. |
if its leaking on the manifold wouldnt it be a tappit gasket thats leaking,there not hard too fix ,just take off the tappit cover give everything a clean and put on some aircraft sealant on both sides of the gasket ,an easy job ,,,,
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I'm not familiar with the passat engine, but uslally the half moons are obviously half moon shaped bits of rubber that fill up the holes left in the
top face of the head from where the cam bearings are machined out. Toyota use alloy ones, everyone else uses rubber. usually cam cover off, new half
moons and gasket, bit of sealant, and back together.
rear main isnt an issue unless it starts pouring out, but I dont think I've ever seen a car that bad.
try tighytening the cam cover bolts/nuts a little, that may seal up the leak enough to stop the smoking at the lights at least.
most tappit gaskets have them built in ,some dont but if you just take off the tappit cover you should be able to change them very easily ,,