Passat (B5) :: Engine Suddenly Died When Go To Change Lanes
Jul 29, 2006
So here's the scenario: Driving home. Traffic is pretty heavy, I'm not traveling more than 20 MPH. When I go to change lanes the engine suddenly dies; I have no more power and can barely steer the car off the highway. I had enough momentum to roll to the shoulder. Try to restart the car, but all I hear is a high-pitched whine.
Get towed to the dealer. The mechanic took a look and said the timing belt snapped and bent the valves. But he also thinks there might be additional damage to the engine. We're gonna get a better assessment of what's going on on Monday when the service department's boss comes back from vacation.
My question is: if the car is indeed dead, can I expect to get anything from VW? Will they reimburse me the value of the car towards a new car? Should I see how much to get the car fixed? (They say a new engine might be needed.)
Specifics on the car: 1999 Passat, 1.8 turbo, a little over 86k miles. Car is in great condition, aside from what just happened.
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2000 Silverado ... 5.3 ... 260k miles ...
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