another used car story

[jeepster]

hi all, good site.

 

I bought my 55 reg passat in march, it came with a 3mth warranty. I bought it from a mercedes main dealer.

 

Within a couple of days i noticed black smoke coming from the cars exhaust. this isnt noticeable unless you are driving behind the car.

 

during the next 3 weeks i called the garage and left messages asking the salesman to make contact with me, in fact i called them so many times that the dealer has now appeared on my phone bill as a friends and family number.

 

eventually the workshop foreman called me and he agreed i could return the car and they would have a look at it.

 

i then took it to my main dealer and they put it on a diagnostic machine, they diagnosed a stuffed fuel pump and fuel injector.

 

i took it back to the supplying dealer and they took it to a vw agent near to them.(j66 vw)

 

they diagnosed a stuffed fuel pump, and the dealer i bought it from replaced the lift pump and the tandem pump as well as the fuel filter.

 

i got the car back and after another 750 miles it still smokes, so i am taking it back next week.

 

does anyone know -

1) does a dealer have to run a complete diagnostics check or can they select bits. I dont understand why my dealer diagnosed a bad injector but the other main dealer missed it.

 

2) black smoke is unburt fuel and white smoke is burnt oil, does that make sense? i get a puff of white smoke when the car starts from cold but black smoke when i acelerate ( even moderatley)

 

3) is it a health hazard to drive the car in this condition, you can taste the stuff in the car, the fumes are so bad that even after a 200 mile drive the bumper above the exhaust is covered in black soot.

 

4) what would you do in this situation, i have spoken to consumer direct and they arent much use.

 

5) the chap i bought the car from said he would supply 2 keys with the car and he has only supplied 1, how long should i give him to supply the spare key?

[raydetinu]

Black smoke, usually running rich ECU prob, does it run rough, lumpy tickover etc. burnt fuel but lots of it. if unburnt fuel gets into exhaust, cat light would come on and would cause damage to it.

Blue smoke, usually burnt oil, rings,valves etc.

white smoke, water vapour, usual when cold until exhaust heats up. if persists then head gasket?

I am assuming this is petrol car not diesel!

Anyway needs to be sorted, diognostics should show faults but some times you cure one then another pops up as it masks the original fault.

[jeepster]

hi, no its a 140 tdi passat (diesel).

main dealer near to us - TL darby diagnosed a faulty injector, they gave me a copy of the screen showing the error.

 

when i returned it to stratstone( the supplying dealer) they took it to a local vw dealer (jct 66) they diagnosed a faulty tandem pump and lift pump, so stratstone replaced the parts and flushed the tank and fuel pipes.

the car is still smoking 700 miles plus later. i have owned loads of diesels and have never had one smoke like this before.

[raydetinu]

Well they have not cured the problem then, take it back again!

may become a problem on emissions when due for MOT?

[jeepster]

hi, its going back on the 11th of june . i need a loan car and thats the earliest they can supply one, and will keep taking it back until it stops smoking.its just a pain in the **** when you pay good money for something then all that you get is hassle.

 

the guy i bought it from is a mercedes benz main dealer in wakefield, so god only knows where i would be if i got it from some back street trader.

 

i believe these places mess you about in the hope that the buyer will sell the car on through an auction or somewhere similar.

 

i have taken it for an emissions test today, so we will see what the outcome is.