Hello, I recently had to have my sister’s 2013 VW Tiguan S waterpump/thermostat housing replaced because it was kicking a code saying “open thermostat “ and I didn’t have the time to take off all the parts to get to it. So we hired a mechanic to do the job and when she got the car back, it stalled on the way home. Went back to the mechanic and thankfully someone was there and hooked it back to the computer and it gave the code for that mass air flow sensor, which never registered before. So one of the techs took it off and cleaned it and reset the codes. Which worked till she got home and the check engine light came on only this time it’s not stalling, only tough ride with hiccups. She brought it back to mechanic and it was confirmed that the mass air flow sensor code was tripped again. They offered to replace at part cost only, no labor charge, which I found puzzling that if they were not at fault, why would they offer and not charge full price. I personally believe that they are responsible or did something to mess up the mass sensor. My question is, in anyone’s professional opinion, is there something they could have done during the repair that would have messed up the mass air flow sensor, or is it the most coincidental situation I have ever heard of? I will talk to the supervisor tomorrow, any insight/advise would be greatly appreciated. On a side note, can I get the aftermarket part from autozone or should I get the oem from vw? Thank you in advance
It depends if they had to remove the intake system or perhaps they had to disconnect some harnesses to get to the thermostat and water pump. Disconnecting harnesses without disconnecting the battery may cause electrical problems. I would make them pay for it since they touched your car last. Whoever touched anything on your car should be responsible in my opinion. I would get an OEM replacement. Funny how they said they wouldn't charge labor lol...as if it's a huge job to replace the dang thing.
I know at this point I will change it for her and not let them touch her car ever again if they don’t stand behind there work. It’s an easy job but the autozone Has a limited lifetime warranty and is about $110 where I believe the OEM part on this is somewhere around $300
@downtofish239
Ok, as long as it looks identical to the OEM one then it should be fine. Sometimes VW just takes one manufactured by a popular brand and puts their own stamping on it (like say Bosch, Denso, Delphi, etc.). Good luck.
Thank you 👍