|
|
For sale is a 1996 VW Passat TDI. We have owned this car since 1996 and it has been a wonderful car - drop dead reliable and as miserly with fuel as you would expect. Until...
I was driving to work one morning and the AC wasn't working properly as it always had before. The compressor was engaged but producing very little cold air. I should have turned it off until I could investigate, but absentmindedly left it on. A few miles later, the compressor failed, blew up, actually, a failure of the sort I've never even heard of.
Let's back up a little. The car is overall in very good condition, with a few exceptions. As I've said, we've owned this car since 1996 and until the aforementioned unpleasantness, it was an outstanding car, its record unmarred by a single "failure to proceed" in over a decade's worth of daily driver duties. It has been from Delaware to Florida to Louisiana to Ontario without a hiccup. It has never been wrecked; never been serviced at Wal*Mart; and never been fed vegetable oil, biodiesel that didn't come from a pump at a real gas station (and then not a whole lot and only B10), leftover chinese food, or whatever else the mighty TDI will run on. The paint is all original except for a part of the trunklid which was repainted and a dent filled in after a deer jumped the fence next to which the car was parked and landed on the trunk. It has a new (~10k miles ago) Sachs clutch. Everything worked except the outside passenger door handle, which was growing reluctant to work and the glass fell out of the passenger side wing mirror shortly before the big bang; I was in the process of tracking down a replacement.Okay, but how does it run? Very well, in fact. The engine was not damaged at all in the explosion. It starts, runs, and makes the car move exactly as it should. While the car does technically drive, I haven't run it for more than about 30 seconds or driven it more than ten feet as there's no cooling system right now. You'll need to bring a trailer.
How about some pictures of the car and carnage?
Front view. You can't really see the rock chips in the picture, but they are there.
I took the badges off because I got tired of trying (and failing) to neatly wax around them.
Only one VW logo remains on the hubcaps.
The interior is in very nice shape. Slight wear on the piping on the set bolster, but that's it uphostery-wise Parking brake lever vynil worn, and the shifter boot is showing its age as well.
Back seat looks good, too. Should have shampooed the floormats before taking pictures.
Odometer shows 142,780 miles. Carfax probably says the odometer has been tampered with. It has; it was replaced under warranty when the LCD unit failed at 71,005 miles. Total mileage on the car is 213,785.
Trunk and CD changer.
The Monroney.
The original US-spec headlights were awful and the lenses went opaque after a few years, so they were replaced with OE Hella E-code lights with glass lenses. No Pacific Rim knockoffs here! The difference is night and day.
Sadly, the passenger side was broken when the compressor blew up.
VIN plate.
A few views of the undercarriage. The oil is from the compressor puncturing the filter and not an ongoing leak. Don't worry - I turned the engine off immediately when it went bang. It didn't pump itself dry and the engine wasn't damaged from a lack of lubrication.
Now for the carnage I promised:
Engine bay. You can see that the parts of the AC compressor that didn't remove themselves have been removed. Also note the damaged alternator bracket.
The alternator just sort of sits there quietly. That's the compressor pulley down there.
Frame rail where the front of the compressor hit it.
The remains of the compressor and a few other sundries.
Alright, enough with the photo essay. What the heck happened here? Good question. As I've said, one day the AC wasn't producing much in the way of cold air, even though the compressor was engaging. Then it went BOOM as if a shotgun had been fired. Working theory is that refigerant was entering the compressor but not getting out for some reason. I guess there should be a high pressure cutoff safety switch in there somewhere, but also guess that it had failed along the way. So the compressor kept compressing until it liquid locked and blew itself apart under pressure. Other theories are welcome, if you have any.
So what does the car need? In order to function as a car without AC, you will need:
- Radiator
- Radiator fan
- Alternator bracket
- Headlight
- Possibly a few other small bits.
- You'll also want to put new tires on it as I was about to do before the tragedy.
If that's all it needs, why haven't I fixed it myself? I've got a lot on my plate already and don't have time to devote to fixing it. I've gotten my money's worth out of the car several times over already, and, well, twelve years is a long time to drive the same car. I've also moved since the incident and can ride my bike to work now, and having the gas guzzler Mercedes as my only car makes more sense than it did when I was commuting 40 miles a day.
Alternatively, I've noticed that there aren't enough TDI-powered Westys and Sciroccos in the world and this is your chance to do something about it. Besides, cars are bringing record money as scrap steel these days.
That's about it. I forgot to photograph a paint problem on the roof. There's a spot where the clearcoat is going bad. It was scratched by a flying roofing shingle on a very windy day and has slowly spread since then. Maybe six square inches. If you're the lucky winning bidder, I require a $200 deposit within 48 hours of the auction's end. Full payment and pick up must take place within two weeks. Buyer will be presented with a clear West Virginia title, bill of sale, keys, and my best wishes. If you have any questions, please email me. I'll even give you my phone number if you don't sound like a crackpot or a Nigerian. The car is available for viewing and inspection almost any time. Thank you and good luck!
|