Volkswagen Problems

This could be caused by any number of things. The engine might be struggling to run smoothly at low revs or small throttle openings, or you might have a fuel supply problem. Perhaps the engine’s idle speed is simply set too low. You might even have a broken or loose exhaust mount that is allowing the exhaust system to flail about at low revs when the engine harmonics set up the vibration to create a harmonic reaction. A broken or worn engine mount can also account for odd vibrations at different engine speeds.

But I’m also wondering if perhaps the problem is not with the engine at all, but something in the transmission. The good news is that your car used a conventional torque-converter automatic rather than the more problematic dual-clutch unit that some VWs used.

In any case, this sounds very much like a warranty problem, so take it back to the dealership and give Volkswagen a fair crack at making it right.

The reason for deleting a temperature gauge is the same as for any other time a manufacturer deletes equipment; to save money. While your Crafter doesn’t have a temperature gauge per se, it will have a warning light that will illuminate if the temperature starts to rise above normal. At which point, the onus is on you to stop and find the problem, or risk blowing the engine up. The problem with these light is that the damage is sometimes already done by the time the light flickers on, while an actual gauge might have given you more warning that there was a problem.

Car makers get away with this sort of thing these days because cooling systems are quite reliable and don’t tend to give problems. Which is absolutely no comfort to anybody who has had a catastrophic engine melt-down.

Fitting an aftermarket temperature gauge in the old days was simple because there was no computer control of the car and its driveline. You simply found a convenient, threaded spot in the cylinder head or block and screwed a temperature gauge sender into it, mounted the gauge in the cabin where you could see it easily and job done. That doesn’t apply nowadays as to mount the sender, you’d probably need to disconnect some other intrinsic sensor that the computer relies on to make the car work properly.

But there is a modern solution. You can now buy a virtual gauge cluster that plugs into the on-board diagnostics port on modern cars. From that data, the cluster can determine all sorts of things (including engine temperature) and display that info on a small screen you mount in the cabin. You’ll also be able to display a heap of other information, including transmission temperature, air-fuel ratio and plenty more.

Even though your car has no clutch pedal, its transmission is what’s called a DSG, or dual-clutch, which means it’s actually a conventional manual gearbox where a computer controls the clutch operation. That’s why it drives like an automatic yet still has a clutch assembly, part of which is the clutch pressure plate, or multiple plates in the VW’s case.

Replacing this will require the transmission to be removed, so it’s not a small or simple job. Which also means it won’t be cheap, either. The problem is that digging into a DSG transmission often reveals wear in other areas, and you might find it needs more than just a clutch late at the mileage you’ve covered.

A VW or transmission specialist should be able to do an electronic analysis of the transmission and its general health to help you make an informed decision on which way to go.

The last decade of dual-cab four-wheel-drive utes have emerged as the tow-vehicles of choice, and you see them everywhere filling roles exactly like the one you have planned. Popular models include the Ford Ranger you’ve nominated, Toyota HiLux, Mazda BT-50, VW Amarok, Mitsubishi Triton, Nissan Navara and Isuzu D-Max. But there are also cheaper alternatives including makes like the South-Korean made Ssangyong and various Chinese brands like LDV and Great Wall.

Just make sure you know exactly how much you need to tow before making a decision as some of the cheaper models don’t have the same outright towing capacity and even if they do, some of them don’t have the engine performance to make towing as easy as it should be. For parts availability, the Toyota would be king in really remote areas, but any of the major brands are pretty well covered in Australia.

Meantime, don’t rule out ute-based wagons such as the Ford Everest, Isuzu MU-X, Mitsubishi Pajero Sport and Toyota Fortuna. These offer better ride comfort when unladen thanks to more sophisticated rear suspensions and most have as much or almost as much towing capacity as their ute brethren.

If you’ve tried conventional parts stores and online sellers and done no good, the next step is to try a Volkswagen specialist. These are dotted around the country with a handful in each capital city. These shops tend to stock rarer, harder to find bits and pieces and often have suppliers around the world whose aim it is to keep old cars like air-cooled VWs on the road. Even if the part you need is no longer available, a good specialist will possibly know what equivalent part number from another make and model will do the job.

If all that fails, there are also specialist cable makers who can produce one-off cables to order, provided you can supply either the correct specifications or, even better, the old, broken cable to use as a template for a new one.

It sounds like you’re chasing a problem that is a bit elusive. If your initial suspicions were that the centre bearing was worn, what makes you think the rear universal joint is now the problem? You could spend a lot of time and money replacing things that, ultimately, don’t fix the problem.

The best advice is to take the car to a transmission specialist who will be able to diagnose what’s really going on and replace or repair those things. Even if the universal joint is worn out, replacing it can be a bit tricky as you have to maintain the driveshaft’s original alignment to avoid introducing new imbalance dramas into the equation. It’s not, therefore, as straight-forward as it looks on paper.

But don’t rule out a damaged, bent or unbalanced driveshaft as this can also cause the sort of symptoms that a worn universal joint can contribute.

First suspicion would be that the fuel injectors need either reconditioning or replacing. Rough running, hard starting and excess black smoke are all classic symptoms of worn injectors. That said, the modern turbo-diesel is a pretty complex animal, and you could also have a problem with the emissions system (EGR valve) or maybe a build-up of soot and oil in the intake system (which could also affect any number of sensors around the engine).

Don’t forget the basics, either; something as simple as a dirty air-filter element can also cause problems just like the ones you’re having.

While some cars are known lemons and should be avoided at all costs, the vast majority of cars and utes are okay as second-hand buys provided they’ve been serviced and maintained properly. And that goes for all makes and models, not just the VW Amarok. The point being that a well-maintained Amarok might be fine with 200,000km on board, while a neglected one will be junk by the time it has covered half that distance.

That said, the current crop of modern turbo-diesel dual-cab utes are mostly tuned pretty highly which means that by 200,000km or so, many of them will be showing a bit of wear. This might be most apparent in the intake system, the turbocharger, emission systems, transmissions and many other hard-working parts. Again, it all depends on how they’ve been maintained and how they’ve been used. I’d be budgeting for at least some repairs on an Amarok with that many kilometres under its belt. At which point, of course, it all comes down to the purchase price.

The answer to this question depends entirely on one thing: Are you trading the vehicle in on a new car or selling it privately?

If it’s the former, then the trade-in value won’t be too much different regardless of whether it’s had its 100,000km service or not. Dealerships can service a car for a lot less money than they charge you to do it. But if you’re selling privately, the car will be a lot more attractive to a private buyer if the cost of this major service has already been taken care of.

It’s always worth contacting a carmaker’s customer service division in a case like this. I agree that 136,000km is far from a reasonable expected lifespan for a modern more vehicle of any sort. But exactly how Volkswagen Australia will view the matter will depend on the car’s service history and how it was used.

You might have some luck and perhaps financial assistance in getting the Amarok fixed, but VW could also point at the age of the vehicle and the fact that it’s way out of warranty. But, again, if you don’t ask, you’ll never know. Don’t bother pursuing this at a dealership level, either, go straight to head office.