# violent shaking during acceleration, 40-60 mph...what could this be?



## starlet3929 (Jan 22, 2007)

in the last two weeks i have spent near $1000 to have my car repaired and i am still no closer to finding out what is wrong with my car. i drive a 2001 vw turbo beetle. when i accelerate to 40 mph, the car starts shuddering violently. the shaking stops as soon as i take my foot off of the gas. also, there is a noticeable pull to the right. the shaking seems to be concentrated in the front of the car. 
thinking the alignment was off, i took the car to firestone. bought new tires, which i was in desperate need of. drove off, and the shaking was still present. then took the car to the vw dealership in town. these guys told me that the car was shaking because i needed to replace my engine coolant temperature sensor. this didn't sound right to me, but i had them replace it regardless because they implied replacing the sensor would stop the shaking. of course, it didn't, and i'm stuck. any suggestions? i thought engine mounts but i have a feeling it may be axle related. how can i tell?


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## 1.8T_Moe (Sep 19, 2004)

*Re: violent shaking during acceleration, 40-60 mph...what could this be? (starlet3929)*

Yeah check the engine/trans mounts first. Seems like the most likely thing that could be causing it. Since it stops when you let off the gas. Although it seems to me if it were the engine mounts, it would shake before you hit 40mph. If the mounts are all still good, then I don't know what else you should look at. Might want to make sure everything is tight, maybe something has come loose. 
Seems like a VW Dealer would've been able to figure it out easily. I have no clue what a temp sensor has to do with shaking and the car pulling to the right. That's the first I've ever heard of that. 
EDIT: How about braking, any problems/shaking when braking? Might have something wrong there.



_Modified by 1.8T_Moe at 12:30 PM 1-22-2007_


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## starlet3929 (Jan 22, 2007)

*Re: violent shaking during acceleration, 40-60 mph...what could this be? (1.8T_Moe)*

no real problems when braking. and the car does gradually increase in shaking intensity as i increase speed. 
as for the dealership, they lied. plain and simple. unfortunately, i don't really know enough about cars to have detected it before paying the money. however, i plan on going back up there wednesday to complain. they might have to call the cops on me lol. 
thanks for the advice, will check engine mounts.


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## 1.8T_Moe (Sep 19, 2004)

*Re: violent shaking during acceleration, 40-60 mph...what could this be? (starlet3929)*

Did the guys at the dealer even drive the car? Before and/or After? I'm guessing they didn't, but wondering if you knew. Plus, unless you had a Check Engine Light on, I don't know what would've led them to the temp sensor. Unless it threw a soft code that will show up if they scan it, but not trip the CEL. Hell, maybe they didn't even scan it, but that should be on the receipt if they did. The only temp sensor related problems I have ever heard of are over heating and/or cold start problems. And for that they did make a new "green top" sensor.
Given that their work didn't fix the problem, you may be able to bug them into giving you a refund.


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## starlet3929 (Jan 22, 2007)

*Re: violent shaking during acceleration, 40-60 mph...what could this be? (1.8T_Moe)*

they didn't drive it, i know for a fact. on my bill it says, "customer came in complaining that the check engine light was on...changed sensor, reset codes." i didn't say anything abou the light when i brought them my car. they simply ran the diagnostic and pulled up the engine code. they completely ignored my description of the problem, totally sheisty.
and get this: two days later the damn light came back on!! not only did they charge me for an unwanted sensor, they didn't even put the thing in right.
any chance this could be related to the catalytic converter?


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## 1.8T_Moe (Sep 19, 2004)

*Re: violent shaking during acceleration, 40-60 mph...what could this be? (starlet3929)*

Have the coilpacks on your car been replaced with the new ones? I'd guess by now they have been, but the older ones can cause all sorts of problems. Although the problems associated with them are worse, and usually start the flashing CEL.
If you go again, you should ask for a copy of the codes pulled when they scanned your car. The temp sensor is a no brainer install, so I doubt they screwed that up. But maybe there was another code there that could shine some light on the problem. Maybe something they thought was caused by the bad temp sensor, but was not.
I would think if it was a bad cat, they would've had a code for that. And given the replacement costs, they would've told you so they could try and make more money. There's also the possibility of a vacuum leak, very common on turbo cars and will cause problems running. But that's usually a loss of power, not really a lot of shaking, and a CEL.
When the shaking starts, can you still accelerate, or does it hesitate a lot? Like it's struggling to speed up. Like I said, try and get a copy of the codes they pulled. If it's something other than a bad motor mount causing the shaking, I'm pretty sure something that bad will throw a code. BTW how many miles are on the car and is it auto or manual?


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## Color-rado (Nov 17, 2005)

need to check your engine tranny mounts and also check the control arm bushings ball joints and also the CV's there could be one or more of the joints going bad...
good luck


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## J.Owen (May 31, 2001)

*Re: (Color-rado)*

does the car accelerate even with the shaking? reason i ask is: does it feel like the engine is studdering, or does it feel like something is lose in the suspension?


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## KatWoman (Oct 18, 2001)

*Re: violent shaking during acceleration, 40-60 mph...what could this be? (starlet3929)*

This happened to me but in a different car several years ago, and without the pulling to the right. It turned out to be the speed sensor, the wiring going into the end of it fried. If yours is an automatic, perhaps look into having the speed sensor checked.


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## starlet3929 (Jan 22, 2007)

*Re: violent shaking during acceleration, 40-60 mph...what could this be? (KatWoman)*

the car is an automatic, and yes, it shakes while accelerating. but i have nowhere near the power i am used to.
thanks for the pointers! i would be lost without some sort of guidance here.


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## J.Owen (May 31, 2001)

*Re: violent shaking during acceleration, 40-60 mph...what could this be? (starlet3929)*

i would think the dealer would have caught this, but if the car is stuttering under acceleration it could be a misfire as well. Does it happen more when it is damp or wet out?


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## OLD GHOST (Mar 7, 2003)

*Re: violent shaking during acceleration, 40-60 mph...what could this be? (bugasm99)*

check the axle. i had the same issue on my beetle. ended up being a bent axle.
dont ask me how it got this way..


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## starlet3929 (Jan 22, 2007)

*Re: violent shaking during acceleration, 40-60 mph...what could this be? (OLD GHOST)*

just got back from the dealership; asked them to take it out on the road and drive it. i watched the mechanic get in the car, drive it around to the back. from there, i guess they ran a diagnostic on it. then the head service advisor came out and said, "well, we drove your car and it's running fine; however, your catalytic converter needs to be replaced. it'll cost $780." they didn't even take it out on the road!!! what liars. still don't know what's wrong with the damn thing.
dealership = dealer****


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## pueblorrado v3.0 (Nov 22, 2006)

*Re: violent shaking during acceleration, 40-60 mph...what could this be? (starlet3929)*

wheel speed sensor faulting would set a code. and an independant shop would jump all over that, because ABS = money in the bank. catalytic converter is just absurd if it doesnt feel like an engine stutter. my money is on bent wheel or bent axle.


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## 1.8T_Moe (Sep 19, 2004)

*Re: violent shaking during acceleration, 40-60 mph...what could this be? (pueblorrado v3.0)*

Yup that dealership is retarded. Is there another VW dealership close by? I'd go somewhere else, but if you're like most, there isn't another dealership close. You should ask if you can have a mechanic ride along with you or something, since they obviously aren't going to drive it down the road on their own. I'm really surprised they didn't take it out. They probably assumed the CEL has something to do with your problem so they don't bother to take it up to 40mph.
As much as I hear they're horrible, you could give it a shot calling VWOA. Explain what's happening, and that both times you've gone to the dealer they didn't even take it out on the road, therefore not re-creating the problem you're explaining. If you're lucky they might call the dealership and tell them they need to take the car out to find the problem.


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## starlet3929 (Jan 22, 2007)

*Re: violent shaking during acceleration, 40-60 mph...what could this be? (1.8T_Moe)*

for the curious:
bent left axle and faulty breather hose. having them repaired as we speak. 
what. an. ordeal. it only took the new mechanic an hour to look at my car and tell me what was wrong with it. never again will i go to a dealership. lesson learned.
thanks to all 
jack


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## OLD GHOST (Mar 7, 2003)

*Re: violent shaking during acceleration, 40-60 mph...what could this be? (starlet3929)*

i win!








well glad you got it figured out.


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