Category Archives: Maintenance
250,000 Miles: A GTI Health Update
A quarter-million miles or 400,000 kilometers! I didn’t think I’d share this milestone since I only recently shared my “Lunar Landing“ hoax. But this is too big of a milestone to not share! I was on the road participating in … Continue reading
Keeping Cool: Both the Engine and Myself
I shared in February that I was watching what I suspected to be an oil migration problem. I was finding a sludge in my coolant reservoir. It was not obviously oil, but it certainly was something that didn’t belong there! … Continue reading
Lunar Lunacy; Plus, Small Problems
I’ve shared common milestones in the past: Every 10,000 miles to the 100,000-mile mark, 150,000 miles, and 200,000 miles. I even shared a metric milestone at 300,000 kilometers or 186,335 miles. Coincidentally, the speed of light is 300,000 kilometers per … Continue reading
Fuel Tank Suction Pump Recall
Over 261,000 Golf, GTI, Jetta, GLI, Sportwagen, Alltrack, and A3 owners received a notice in February 2024 about a possible fire hazard. The notice read, “The suction jet pump inside the fuel tank is designed to purge fuel from the … Continue reading
“Reverse Rake” Spacers by EMD Auto
I’ve moved most of my ham radio content to its own website. Still, those of you who’ve been here for a while know that I’m carrying a bit of extra weight in the car, probably an additional 200-300 lbs (300-500 … Continue reading
Daughter’s Car is Fixed!
My daughter’s car is fixed and on the road! The repair happened before my daughter came home for Thanksgiving, which gave me time to take the car for a few test drives and to shoot a video (link below). In … Continue reading
Deep Discharge – Get Restarted Fast!
Own a car for long enough and you’ll eventually find yourself with a weak starter battery. If the battery is just old, then maybe it will turn-on all of your accessories, but lack the grunt to turn the starter motor. … Continue reading
Coast to Coast: Fault Diagnosis and Lessons Learned
This report is LONG overdue! I had drafted it, then forgot about it. Oops! What follows is my recollection of a engine fault that my GTI suffered while pulling a trailer on its first Coast-to-Coast trip. I have a series … Continue reading
Replacing the Manual Transmission Oil
I had a Mk3 Jetta TDI for 445,000 miles. I practiced 100,000-mile manual transmission drains, with the exception of one shorter interval during a differential upgrade. I decided to use the same drain interval on my GTI. Volkswagen does not … Continue reading