Nobody's perfect even Voxy..

I've seen an old VW ad in VWCP just a couple of days ago and it made me remember all the time Voxy had let me down.  To be honest with everyone –Voxy has already failed me 3 times since I got her – first was when I took her out for a spin a couple of days after I got her – read about it here. Second time was after she was repainted (see the start of the voxy project here) – the culprit that time was a faulty ignition coil. After everything was checked and the mechanic assured me that everything was as it should be – I didn’t expect anything to go wrong. The feeling of security that your bug won’t let you down no matter what is a nice one to have. Fortunately, I experienced that for several months and man was it great! We went to places and I was so proud of her. The smiles and stares we get from the people we pass by are priceless. But nothing lasts forever….

As indicated by the vintage ad - VW's are very reliable cars but not indestructible and should be taken cared off. Previously neglected VWs like Voxy needs extra care and attention for all her past wounds to fully heal. :)

I had a very important meeting the other day and I decided to take Voxy along. I usually prefer my very trusty Lancer when I go out on important trips since she has never let me down. But that day was different. The sun was shining and the birds were chirping so I decided to take Voxy instead – I figured it would be a nice 20 km drive for both of us – an opportunity to bond more. :)

 

My fiancé and I had to drop by Pacita (a 6km drive from where I live) to meet with some suppliers. It was a hot day but Voxy’s aircon more than compensated for the heat. We were relaxed inside listening to some tunes while we were stuck in the mid day traffic. And that’s when it all started – the engine died as the traffic lights went green. I started her up again and dismissed the problem thinking I just made a mistake with the clutch pedal. After several minutes – the engine died again but this time – I was not able to start her back up.  I decided to push Voxy in a nearby mall and since we were already near the supplier’s office – I decided to leave Voxy to “cool’ down and reflect while we talked with the supplier. TIP: It is advisable to keep some old rags in the trunk – the car gets hot while under the sun and it may burn your hands (mine almost got burnt :()

After 30 minutes – I tried to start her up but had no success in doing so – not wanting to miss our meeting in Alabang – we decided to commute back home and take the Lancer instead.  At around 3:30 – we went back to Pacita and tried to troubleshoot the problem.

 

Here are some basic troubleshooting tips that I did:

1.    Check if you have fuel in the tank
2.    Check if the coil is hot – there is a possibility that it is broken and has overheated.
3.    Checked the contact point to see if there is still a gap or if it has already given up.

Since Voxy had already rested for a couple of hours – I ruled out the overheating problem. Gas isn’t a problem either since I loaded her up before we went to Pacita. I suspected the contact point as the culprit so I decided to replace it with a spare I had in my tool box.

It would have been nice to say that she started after that but she didn’t. I decided to call in reinforcements –

To be continued on my next post…

 

 Find out How AAP saved the day and the other troubleshooting steps I’ve missed.