# fuel line recall



## kungfoojesus (Jan 10, 2005)

How many people here actually have a hole in their fuel lines? My 2009 (manual transaxle) rabbit was in for warranty work last week and to my surprise, actually needed the recall performed!!! They removed a tab from the washer fluid reservoir but did not replace the fuel line. From what I understand, there is a revised fuel line that is shorter and sheathed with additional foam (VW always over does it) as well. My fuel line has a hole in it down to the metallic inner material, but was not replaced.

Should they have replaced my fuel line? It is my understanding that these lines are protected to prevent wear and tear as well as corrosion. I'm a mechanical engineer and well versed in the risks of corrosion, especially in an engine bay environment. Why did the technicians feel it unnecesary to replace my fuel line if it is compromised down to the inner wall?

Did anyone else with a manual (automatics don't bother responding because I already know the answer) have this problem? My car should have had a revised fuel line in it to begin with but somehow got overlooked at assembly apparently. Am I the only one around here that actually managed to rub a hole in my fuel line? If not, did your dealership replace the fuel line and to what extent was the original line damaged?

Thank you for any help in fighting the dealership. They don't seem to believe this is an issue yet they want to sell me $400 "fuel injector cleaner packages" every time I'm there. Hah.


Yes, I know I can just put some goo on the hole and call it a day but that is not the point. I loaned this car to my fiance the day after a federally mandated recall was performed. This matter, in my opinion, should have been taken more seriously. If I were driving my family along 100k miles from now, what is to say that fuel line wouldn't fail and leave us stranded or possibly "combust" during a wreck due to corrosion. I am very upset this recall wasn't taken seriously and want to know if I am over reacting or this is common place. A recall means it is potentially lethal or proven lethal, this is the difference between recall and TSB. The ENGINEERS at VW fixed this problem with an updated fuel line, per the recall letter. It states that "if deemed necessary" it should be replaced. What does this mean? It does not seem that I have much room to argue they endangered my family but I feel this way none the less.

If everyone else reports back that their fuel lines have happy little holes in them then I'll just glob some glue on there and call it a day. Just to be clear, again we're talking about MANUAL transaxle 2.5 rabbits that have had the fuel line recall performed at a dealership! If your automatic actually managed to rub a hole in the fuel line your VW has ISSUES.


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## dhenry (Feb 10, 2009)

i know that when i checked my 2009 rabbit, there was no washer fluid tab present. i got a letter in the mail, but when i called to double check they said it didnt apply to mine.

im sure if you go to the dealership and explain the situation, they should cover it under recall if it does apply to your car.


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## kungfoojesus (Jan 10, 2005)

The recall has been performed on my vehicle, the oddball 2009 w/dated parts on it anyway. Makes me wonder about the rest of the car now.

The tab was removed by the dealership, per the recall. However, my fuel line was not replaced even though it is worn down to the metal inner wall. This is a problem in my mind. I am searching for folks that have had the actual recall performed to find out of this is common place. My initial feeling is they should have replaced the extensively damaged fuel line. 

Unfortunately, the recall letter does not define the damage required for replacement. Nor does it say it must be leaking for replacement. It simply states that it must be replaced if deemed necessary. I want to know if I'm the only one that walked away from this recall with the old fuel line, as if its not common place I will pursue this. If everyone has holes and old fuel lines post recall, meh I'll just patch it and let the dealership keep their stupid coveted 12" fuel line.

Nickbeezy, did you even read my post? The whole problem is the "if it does apply to my car" statement. This is so vague I don't understand what it means. If there is ANY damage to a fuel line period, this seems to warrant replacement to me as a trained M.E. P.E. I don't understand what is going on in the tech's heads when they think. This is a 5 minute fix and easily avoided liability for the stealership 100k miles from now. If for no other reason, to avoid the customer complaints, 12" fuel line and 5 minutes of a tech's time versus potentially losing a customer(s).

Why wouldn't a stealership do everything in their power to avoid future complications within the terms of a federally mandated recall? My fiance is a lawyer and doesn't seem to understand it either as I explained how simple the fix is. She told me, fix it for nothing other than good business ethics and proper morals in her opinion, were she advising the stealership in this matter, to avoid liability in any way shape or form considering the cost to benefit analysis as an M.B.A. as well.

Again, my goal here is to obtain information of others with post recall, repaired, vehicles. I want to know if this is common place for dealerships to leave the worn fuel line in vehicles that have damaged them per the recall's details and stipulations. ie: plastic tab present, worn through or damaged fuel line. I can go to any shop and get the "yes we want your money it needs to be replaced" response. What I want to know is if other dealerships have been forthright or negligent in this repair. If all vw's techs agree it doesn't need to be replaced, I'll shut up. If my dealership is the only one that pulled this we are going to hold them liable.


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## 845ryders (Oct 31, 2010)

kungfoojesus said:


> The recall has been performed on my vehicle, the oddball 2009 w/dated parts on it anyway. Makes me wonder about the rest of the car now.
> 
> The tab was removed by the dealership, per the recall. However, my fuel line was not replaced even though it is worn down to the metal inner wall. This is a problem in my mind. I am searching for folks that have had the actual recall performed to find out of this is common place. My initial feeling is they should have replaced the extensively damaged fuel line.
> 
> ...


i had the recall done on my 07 jetta. but the tab was like 6 inches from my line. never touched.


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## VR6bangin (Mar 26, 2009)

i would get ahold of a copy of the accual recall, they are public record and you should, by law i think, be able to get a copy for free at a dealership. i would read over that to see what the criteria for the recall is and what they are suppose to replace. however i would have them replace the fuel line even if it isnt covered under the recall, last thing you want is low fuel pressure + a flamible fluid leaking in your engine bay :what:

ps: never do that injection cleaner, it doesent work, total scam, only real way to clean fuel injectors is to put them in a sonic puls fuel injector cleaner which is a machine that you accualy remove the injectors from the head, put them pintle down in a solution, conect a wiring conecter, attach a solvent line to the fuel port, and it pulses the solenoid causing the pintle to open and close rapidly for 15 mins as it flows a cleaning solution through the injector, they usualy have a flow tester setup attached to them also to make sure they are clean and functioning properly once theyve been cleaned. saddly most dealerships/shops dont have this machien considering it cost around 10k and it would take years for it to pay itself off let alone make profit


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## kevin splits (Aug 23, 2010)

they wont replace the line. the dealer wouldnt replace mine. they said its not mentioned in the recall so id have to pay for new fuel line and labor to have it installed i think the estimate was $300, therefore i filled it with liquid nylon/kevlar sh** and sleeved it with dei line wrap:thumbup:

oh and they also tried to charge me to cut a tab off:laugh: so i pulled out my knife and cut it off!lol


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## crow86 (Jan 8, 2009)

Took mine in to the dealership to have them take care of it. I told them as soon as I walked in that I had looked at the fuel line before I showed up and that the line was worn and it'll need replaced. They took it in and cut off the tab and replaced the fuel line as well. No we didn't need to replace it crap from them.


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## kevin splits (Aug 23, 2010)

nice:thumbup: our 2 dealers out here know all of our cars and give us sh** anytime we bring it in. i was surprised they didnt say,"well because your car is lowered it caused the fuel line to rub up against the tab we cant fix it" because thats what the dealers out here do.lol:beer: i personally didnt care just wanted the recall info on file so it cant be used against me later. im going to be replacing it all with braided stainless and an fittings soon anywayz.


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## TylerO28 (Jul 7, 2008)

I just deleted the filler neck! And upgraded all of my mounts!


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## inspectahpete023 (Aug 30, 2008)

I have a 2007 Jetta 2.5L has 51k and i went in for CEL i had a faulty Purge Valve, they replaced that and said i had a recall on the fuel line, It said on my paper they just removed the tab off the fuel line, how can you check and see if your fuel line needs to be replaced?


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## HIBB 304 (Nov 8, 2008)

Look for wear on the fuel line.


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## noodlesmkv (Mar 22, 2011)

I checked mine and it had a huge gouge in the line, took it to the dealer, they replaced the line and cut off the tab. No problems getting a new line. 

This is what is written in the letter to avoid any confusion at the dealer. 

What Will Volkswagen Do? 
In order to identify and correct this defect, dealers will inspect and, as necessary, replace the affected under hood fuel line in your vehicle. As a preventative measure, a plastic tab on the windshield washer fluid reservoir will be removed.


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## bermankahns (Mar 24, 2011)

ok, so this actually pisses me off. i'm a vw tech and i do these recalls daily. i've only had to replace 3 lines, but the recall absolutely says if the fuel line shows signs of wear or chafing to replace the line. i'm not actually allowed to show you the recall bulletin, but i will tell you section "C" is the fuel line inspection and section "D" deals with replacing the fuel line. i can tell you these recalls dont pay very well at all and the tech was just trying to get out of doing the fuel line. if you go back to the dealer and complain to the service manager and tell him to have the tech that did the recall prove that he didn't need to replace the line according to the recall. if that doesn't work call Volkswagen of America and complain. i'm almost sure that it will be taken care of.


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## bermankahns (Mar 24, 2011)

inspectahpete023 said:


> I have a 2007 Jetta 2.5L has 51k and i went in for CEL i had a faulty Purge Valve, they replaced that and said i had a recall on the fuel line, It said on my paper they just removed the tab off the fuel line, how can you check and see if your fuel line needs to be replaced?


 if you look at the washer filler, on the right side of the neck you'll be able to see where they cut the tab. look at the black hoses next to that. if it looks like they were rubbing, they are supposed to be replaced.


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## kungfoojesus (Jan 10, 2005)

bermankahns said:


> if you look at the washer filler, on the right side of the neck you'll be able to see where they cut the tab. look at the black hoses next to that. if it looks like they were rubbing, they are supposed to be replaced.


 
We actually got a copy of that letter. We replaced the line at a VW/audi shop and payed out the nose for the part/labor. We are now taking the stealership to small claims court to seek compensation. They absolutely refused to replace the line even when I took it up there in person and showed it to them. We are also sueing for losses and attorney fees since my wife is an attorney and sent them letters about the matter, and is now taking them to court. Hopefully they'll get the point when we're done with them. It isn't right for them to pocket the $$$ for a recall and just clip a tab off some reservoir but ignore the rest of the repair as deemed by engineers of VW. They have no right to make this call on their own and were not instructed to do so by VW either. By ignorning the recall instructions for the fuel line they turned a not so profitable job into a highly profitable one, at the expense of safety to my family and in violation of federal law. Not cool. 

We're truly sorry if the tech loses his job over this but as an M.E. PE. I must say this is pure bull that a tech thinks he has the right to go against the instructions of an engineer over him, just to turn a quick buck. We've dealt with similar problems as this at the small engineering firm I work for now designing fasteners including those for safety harnesses. You reap what you sow. 

If your recall was performed incorrectly I urge you to seek compensation. These dealerships are not following the law and should be held responsible for risking people's lives. The word "safe" should not be used by dealerships as a marketing gimmick, but as a genuine concern for those and the families of that are being protected under federal law. Unfortunately this is not how I feel dealerships operate. I'm not some gun ho self righteous jerk. I just believe in the law and those that it protects should have the right to safe passenger vehicles per its stipulations. 

Maybe its time for me to break down and just buy a Mercedes... definitely worth the peace of mind when we have kids! j/k


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