common BMW 745 coolant leak
April 15, 2010
BMW 745 series has developed a common coolant leak coming from a water pipe seal located under the intake manifold. Cooland will start leaking from a hole in front of timing cover located next to water pump (passenger side).
Replacing this tube seal requires intensive labor time and parts which makes it an expensive repair between 7,000 to 9000 dollars and could take between 1 to 2 weeks to do it.
There is an aftermarket replacing part. which is a collapsible cooling pipe made of a good material and makes this repair much less expensive and can be done in one day.
I have post some pictures for you of our last coolant pipe repair.
PORSCHE CAYENNE COOLANT LEAK PROBLEM
April 15, 2010
PORSCHE CAYENNE ENGINES ARE ENCOUNTER A COOLANT LEAK PROBLEM. THIS APPLIES TO ALL CAYENNE S, CAYENNE TURBO AND CAYENNE TURBO S BUILD FROM 2003 TO 2006.
THIS COOLAND PROBLEM IS LOCATED UNDER THE INTAKE MANIFOLD OF THE ENGINE WERE THE FACTORY COOLING PIPES MADE OUT OF PLASTIC STARS TO LEAK.
PORSCHE HAS COME OUT WITH A NEW SET OF PIPES MADE FROM ALUMINUN. INTENSE LABOR IS NEED IT FOR THIS PARTICULAR UPGRADE THAT REQUEIRS FEW OTHER HOSES, BUSHING, BRACKET, GASKET AND MANY CASES REQUIRES TO REPLACED THE STARTER MOTOR.
Common PORSCHE 911 Problems – Engine Repair
April 14, 2010
Some early Porsche 3.4 liter engine (996) made from 1998 to early 2001 has developed some engine problems.
One of the biggest problems are cracked cylinder heads. the head can crack from the bolted faced across to a core plug. This leads to oil forcing its way into the water jacket. So look out for signs of contamination in the coolant.
Cylinder liners can also crack due to cylinder block’s torsional rigidity by driving the engine to extremes. Nine out of ten, it”s one of the center cylinders-two or five-and its always the lower edge that fails. The 996 engines are quite different to those on earlier 911s with individual cylinder liners.
All 996 engines have an intermediate shaft that runs the length of the block and is chain driven from the crankshaft. This, in turn, drives the twin camshafts on each bank of cylinders. At the end of this is a sprocket which turns on a bearing. The sprocket is retained by a small stud that can break, causing the bearing to fail. At first, this manifest itself as a noisy rattle, with turns into a death rattle as the cam chains come off, leading to further internal damage.
…so, lets go back to basic. maintenance of your vehicle is the key here. We are not trying to scare you or saying this cars are junk, it is just another car with some common problems. at the end there is not a perfect car out there.
Here are some pictures of our last cracked cylinder head replacement for your better understanding.
AUDI REPAIR PROBLEM A4 2.0 TFSI ENGINE PROBLEM
February 11, 2010
Since 2005 Audi came out with a new engine-fuel system design call TFSI. Audi is the first manufacture in the world to combined direct petrol injection with turbocharging.
In the FSI technology fuel is injected directly to the combustion chamber. The injector located on the admission side in the cylinder head, is served by a high pressure pump driven by the camshaft and a pressure reservoir shared by all the cylinders.
Excessive wear of the intake cam lobe that drives the high pressure fuel pump limits the maximun pump piston lift, causing the fuel rail pressure fluctuations. The wear on the cam lobe also leads to wear in the base of the high pressure fuel pump cam follower causing the check engine light to come on setting fuel system codes.
Audi has improved the hardness of the intake camshaft lobe for the high pressure fuel pump. In many cases the cam had to be replaced in conjunction with the pump and follower.
This is also one of the reason why we do recommended to replaced the oil more often ( every 5000 miles) This particular car only had 57,000 miles.
I had attached a picture of a 2006 Audi A4 Wagon for more information.
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European Auto Repair Maintenance | Porsche Boxster Air Bag Light On
January 11, 2010
If you encounter an air bag light been on in your instrument cluster chances are that the most frequent problem with this system are the contacts in your seat belt buckles that detects and records if the seat belt are been worn if the air bags deploys. To solve this problem you have to replaced the seat belt buckles. We advised to retrieve fault codes in order to confirm this matter.
It’s very important that you have this repair so when you need the system is there for you to protect you. If the air bag light is on means that the system is disable and would not work in case of accident.
Audi Dealer Repair Testimonial – Not a positive one | Walnut Creek, CA
December 17, 2009
COSTUMER TESTIMONIAL (DEALER EXPERIENCE)
Sometimes the dealers can get one over on you. It has happened to me.
My 2003 Audi A4 1.8T brokedown on the freeway one day. The oil light came on and seconds later the on-board computer shut the engine down in the middle of freeway traffic. I was stuck and that can be a very dangerous thing.
I immediately had the car towed to the local dealership. Upon inspection I was told that the engine needed to be rebuilt or replaced. I questioned this based on the car only having 75,000 miles and being recalled to replace incorrect oil being put into the vehicle when I first purchased the car. It just didn’t seem to make any sense how the engine could just go like that.
What happened was the vehicle requires synthetic oil in the engine and that’s the type of oil I put in the car when I brought it from the dealership with 10,000 miles. So the damage had already started unknowingly to me. A mistake that I didn’t make.
Audi then stated that they would extend the warranty to eight years due to sludge. Well this did not happen. They stated that I was responsible for the damage because I did not get an oil change at 40,000 miles.
My oil was changed at 45,000 miles. I think they would have seen something that may cause future damage at this point or at least at my 60,000 mile oil change. Nothing was mentioned.
Audi is stating that they are not responsible for a known problem with the engine and still want to charge me $13,000 to replace the engine. I cannot believe after paying $35,000 for the car that they will not stand behind their product and the known issue. This is reprehensible in my eyes.
They started the problem by putting the wrong oil in the car and don’t you think that the oil light should come on before the engine is completely damaged? When the computer shut the car down I was in the middle of rush hour traffic. This could have endangered lives with the power steering going out. Extremely dangerous.
European Auto Repair Maintenance | AUDI – A4 1.8 Turbo Engine Oil Light
December 10, 2009
European Auto Repair Maintenance
AUDI A4 1.8 TURBO ENGINE. OIL LIGHT
If the low oil pressure light comes on while you’re driving it’s probably due to known oil sludge problems. In some cases the light will come on and then the engine will shut itself down to prevent from further damage.
Build up and causes the oil pump pick up strainer to become clogged. This causes, in many cases, extensive engine damage as well as it can create problems with your turbo charger. This particular problem applies to all 1.8 engines build from 1998 to 2005 in part due to extended oil intervals recommended by the factory.
We at German Sport we do recommended to use fully synthetic Mobile 1 oil (5w-40) to protect your engine and we recommend that your oil is replaced in 5000 miles intervals.
German Sport European Auto Shop Question | Do you offer a shuttle service?
December 3, 2009
Do you offer a shuttle service?
Yes we do have a shuttle service. We offer rides to our customers home. Our shuttle service is limited to our customers that live within a 5 miles radius or our location. We’re located at 1400 Autocenter Drive in Walnut Creek, CA.
If you live far away and still want to bring in your vehcicle you can also take BART. We’re located 1/2 mile away from Walnut Creek and the Pleasant Hill bart stations. If you have your vehucle towed to our location we’ll give you a ride to BART and pick you up when you car is ready.
German Sport Parts and Service
1400 Autocenter DR
Walnut creek, ca 94597
Phone # 925.934.6665
European Auto Repair Tip | Mercedes Benz – Catalytic Converter Manufacturer’s Warranty
November 24, 2009
European Auto Repair Maintenance Tips
MERCEDES BENZ CATALYTIC CONVERTER WARRANTY
Many Mercedes Benz owners that run into problems with their catalytic converter know that it can be a very expensive job. But did you know that your catalytic converter may be covered by the manufacturer’s warranty up to 80,000 miles?
If you experience a rattle under you car, especially under warm engine conditions, it maybe your catalytic converter going bad. This problem is pretty common and the manufacturer is replacing this unit for free because they’re required to do so under federal law.
Your vehicle identification number (VIN) is needed in order to find out if your catalytic converter is covered by the manufacturer.
If you mention this article we’ll glady help you to figure out if this applies to you vehicle….give us a call!!
Announcing the European Auto Repair News column in Walnut Creek, CA!
November 24, 2009
Welcome to the CityScoop column for European Auto Repair News in Walnut Creek, CA. Check back soon for weekly updates.
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