Engine Block Crack: Repair After 110,000 km

Hello.
I drive a Passat Variant TDI PD with a 115 hp ATJ engine.
My engine block, specifically the cylinder block, has a 3 cm crack right in the middle, with a mileage of 110,000 km.
He lost coolant there.
I had it glued, and I've been driving with the glued crack for 10,000 km.

I contacted VW, and they replied that...
Only up to 100,000 km and only for vehicles with a complete service history.
Otherwise, that's their bad luck.
I'm glad I was able to do all the maintenance myself, except for the timing belt, so I didn't have to charge you any extra money.
And the joke is, they're asking 7000 euros for a new engine, including tax and labor. For that price, I could buy a used Passat! Oh my!
How can that be? A material defect, my bad luck. Well, I've come to terms with it.
I'm just not sure if the glued area will come off.
but doesn't that indicate the quality and customer satisfaction of Volkswagen?
What do you think?
greetings
chris

I'm not sure if Volkswagen can be blamed for the error, as it could very well be the case.
that your engine block is a component supplied by a third-party vendor.
It's possible that it's a material defect, or a flaw that occurred during the casting process.

Hopefully, the crack won't get any bigger...





I've experienced something similar before; Volkswagen isn't very accommodating.
They just want your money.

However, I am not aware of any cases where an engine was replaced free of charge under warranty for such defects after exceeding the maximum mileage specified by the manufacturer. This is not just a problem with VW; I have also encountered similar cases with Peugeot, for example.

Hmm, I don't think I would be satisfied with that answer! After all, a ticket doesn't just cost one euro and fifty cents!

My experiences with goodwill gestures! With my current Ibiza GT TDI, after the 2-year warranty expired, a window lifter broke. One workshop said they would do nothing more. After 2 years, I inquired at a second Seat dealership, and they said the problem was known, a goodwill gesture was possible, and it would be replaced free of charge!

In another Opel Astra 1.6, I experienced a timing belt failure in 1998. The workshop said there was nothing they could do, as the car was 3 years old. However, after I sent a letter to Autobild's customer service department, the dealership called and said they would replace the cylinder head free of charge.

I think there's still something that can be done, at least involving Volkswagen!

Okay, I also wrote to Autobild.
They meant the same thing that VW said.
Over 100,000 km, but only if it has a complete service history.
But guess what?
I'm glad I did the oil changes and other maintenance myself.
what I've saved in money there.
For example, a head gasket replacement or timing belt change at a VW dealership costs around 600 euros for the repair.
At VW in Belgrade, 280 euros with genuine parts.
They noticed the crack.
Not VW in Germany.
They had completely removed the bumper, radiator, etc., and in the process, they discovered...
I then took pictures with my digital camera, and they provided the service including the materials and reassembled everything, which took about 4 hours.
and they charged me 63 euros.
and they had instructions from Volkswagen Germany.
Drivers who cannot provide a service record booklet may have repair services denied.
They waived the rule for my sake.
It's quite rude for such a large car brand.
I must add that there is a lack of understanding.
Well, Volkswagen has only recently had to pay millions in fines again due to anti-competitive practices within the EU.
like Daimler and others are involved.
I hope things will only get better with the new EU guidelines.
at least the repairs will become cheaper.
greetings
chris

As someone who has already exceeded the 100,000 km mark, I can say that I wouldn't let that happen again.

If, as in your case, the mileage is not documented by VW, then you have to use a method of 'tachometer tuning' to ensure a mileage reading of less than 100 kilometers.


Then you shouldn't have glued it, because that wasn't done by VW, and therefore it can never be 'professionally' done.

However, it is possible that the engine will continue to run for a long time even with the glued crack.



Is there pressure at this point, or does it just leak a little when the crack is open?
If there's no oil pressure and it doesn't seize, you're in good shape.

So, if things proceed as expected and Volkswagen doesn't take any action, don't panic, just keep driving.

Cracks in engine blocks used to be a more common problem, but they should rarely occur today.
The block is certainly a component supplied by a third party, but as a car manufacturer, VW is responsible.

Sure, here's the translation:

"One more time, slowly, for someone as clueless as me."

"Your engine block is cracked by 3 cm, and you didn't notice. Only a VW workshop in Belgrade noticed it when they were randomly disassembling the front of the car (as far as I understand, that's correct). Okay, it lost water. How am I supposed to imagine this? Can you post a picture? Three centimeters is a significant crack, almost 5% of the total engine length. Did nothing else leak out?"
That can only be due to a material defect.

Please describe it to me again... I'm having some very strange ideas about what it looks like. I'm only familiar with tiny head gasket cracks! But I've seen something like this on the block before!

Matthias.

"Yes, that's exactly it. Only cold water is coming out, nothing else. There's no oil leak or pressure issue."
I have many photos of it, but how can I post the photo here?
I can post the best of the photos once I know how.
Best regards.

I can also send you a general photo and a photo of just the crack via email if posting here doesn't work. That would be an alternative.
Okay, so it definitely loses only about 1 cm of coolant from the reservoir after approximately 1500 km.
I thought it might be a head gasket issue, so I wanted to have it repaired at a workshop in Belgrade for 280 euros.
"But they called and said I should come and see for myself, otherwise I wouldn't believe it."
And that's how it was.
Another workshop would have simply replaced the seal and charged him, and he would have continued to lose coolant.
The crack is located precisely on the side of the engine block, in the middle, on the gray cast iron, and it's shaped like a crescent moon.
greetings
chris