New to the Amarok club… not sure if it’s as cool as I thought!

[TooRhumDub]

Hi everyone,

new to the forum and the Amarok owners club…

i have to admit that to this day I am still navigating through mixed feelings about the experience of owning the big rock.

let me give you a little background:

we live in the country, I mean real back country in remote NSW Australia, in the mountains with one of the most testing road and weather conditions the country offers. From scorching summers with drought to freezing nights in winter, tropical-like downpours that can see our yearly rainfall fluctuate between 200mm to 1500mm. A constant morning condensation that will seize your handbrakes overnight… The “driveway” or “the road” as we and our neighbours call it is the final 8km stretch that takes us home, after you’ve done 45km of corrugated unsealed council road that separates the people who live in the scrubs to the townies… It will take you through pot holes, dust, mud, hard and sharp rock terrains, steep hills, multiple creek crossings that can be as high as a 1,20m deep during a flood.

Every car that goes through this is seriously tested. For us it’s a weekly trip. For some it’s the adventure on the holidays…
Up until now we have been using an old hilux (91) and it’s done amazing considering the amount of stuff it has carried in and out whilst we were building our house. Before moving permanently in my wife eventually swapped her Tiguan that couldn’t even dream of passing the dirt road section, for an a Nissan X-trail hoping that it would be good enough to take her and the kids to and from town for the weekly trip. It became quite clear after a while that the limitation of the light 4wd weren’t going to last us too long and there is only so much you can do about modifying or upgrading them. On a side note : with a short wheel base and the light weight the Xtrail is actually performing quite well… only the tyres and clearance are the real issue….
So after much consideration of budget, comfort of riding and toughness we agreed to seek an Amarok to become the new family car, because it’ll have the comfort, a good towing capacity and plenty of space in the back that can accommodate room for a dog, drawers, etc…

after much looking around we settled on a 2015 Amarok that had 2 owners, the last being a very nice gentlemen owning a fully equipped garage and a vintage mustang doing all the services himself i felt in confidence when I test drove it. The car was in a tidy condition, with 240000k’s full service history. The seller had just dealt with a serpentine and tensioner issue costing him a hefty bill, so I felt like the engine was entering his second life, and we were willing to fork out some money for the necessary upgrades and the usual parts that seems to fail these particular crawlers.

we brought it back went through “the road” fine, and I thought "when this thing is going to be rigged up properly the road is going to be a breeze now… score!"

but…

the second day my wife takes it out and comes back an hour later, with a long face. Power steering is gone, battery light is flashing on the dash… I think probably a belt, no dramas, just bad luck and always a pain in the ass for us because getting anything takes time. I found the belt at the bottom resting on the jail bar plate, and realised that the tensioner pulley had just disappeared! Went back to my wife’s track to try to locate it but it just vanished! I called the ex owner and he agreed to foot the bill, so I was almost not too angry at the situation. But the new car buzz went out really fast! In the mean time I knew the car needed a lift kit - it’s a standard for our location - so I took advantage of Easter sales and went on to book a fitting for 2inch lift kit in town the following week, got my pulley and belt in time and after some tinkering I actually managed to reinstall the tensioner ( surprised to see a plastic pulley btw ) amd the belt and got the car going. My wife takes it to the mechanic for lift kit day. On the way down the abs light comes up. She continues. She drops the car off walks out and the mechanic was unable to move the car from there. Right rear piston had seized and as he opens up the all break assembly just fell off.
he can get the part quickly and carry on with the suspension job. I also got him to replace all filters and the engine oil whilst at it to be starting a fresh history of our own.

car comes back after a few days but then a few minutes from home on the way the coolant light flashes. Low coolant level. I top up, and next day again and again it is loosing coolant at a fairly alarming rate. I have noticed the leak but haven’t had a chance to attend it yet. I have been reading about the EGR pump failing also so I am thinking replacing that in the process.

all of this to say, MF when does the bleeding stop with these?

I haven’t even got to install all the bits ( catch can, additional fuel filter, snorkel, breather… ) that I need to be on top of things here and I am already spending time dealing with stuff like this… half of me wants to sell it and go back to Toyota.

is it just the normal for that many k’s or am I just unlucky? I hear some people driving theirs up to 350000-400000 without troubles… maybe is just that people are used to see their mechanic often? Or am just waking up from the dream world where the hilux would always go on without a winge, even with a split chassis, a stuffed carby or a dodge pitman arm those thing just roll on and no beep, no squeal….


is anybody out there using Amaroks for what they look like to be designed satisfied ? Ie not in the city or highways…

thanks for welcoming me ��

[Lucas_R]

Hi and welcome. Sorry to hear that you have had a bad initial experience with your Amarok. But any modern 2nd hand car thats 8-9yrs old with 240,000kms is always going to need some money spent on it to keep it humming along. Unfortunately its not the 80's or 90's anymore when cars were built to last with minimal maintenance. All modern cars are designed to last for the warranty period and then start fall to pieces basically - so be prepared to spend money to keep it running. I'd say the previous owner was aware that the car needed some work and decided to sell it. Did you have the car inspected by a mechanic or at least a mechanically competent person before you purchased it?

Are we talking about a 4 cylinder or V6 Amarok?

Literally everything on modern cars (not just VW, all brands, even Toyota) is made of plastic as it allows the manufacturer to make complex shapes while keeping weight and costs down. The downside for the owner of the car is that these plastic parts become brittle over time and with heat cycles and then they crack and leak or fail completely - requiring you to periodically replace parts that in years gone by you would very rarely ever have any issues with on an older car.

With the failed tensioner and belt, it sounds like the previous owner either installed it incorrectly or didn't tighten the bolt holding the tensioner in, seeing that it had been replaced just before you bought it and it fell off on day 2 of your ownership.

I would have a mechanic go over the entire car with a fine tooth comb and give you a list of what needs immediate attention and what needs attention over the next 12-18 months. Then you can work through the list as your budget allows.

I hope the experience gets better for you.

[lloydus67]

Sorry to hear about your problems, a second hand car that has been home serviced is unfortunately a lottery.
When the serpentine belt snaps, it’s for a reason, often the alternator or ac pulley is the issue. Too long a serpentine belt replacement can also cause the problem. Check all your pulleys. When you replace the tensioner pulley, the bolt is a one time use and needs to be replaced or it will shear off.
The belt is probably stretching, use a Conti or genuine 6PK1553 or other brand 6PK1550. Avoid DAYCO belts at any cost.
replace or confirm that they have been replaced idler, tensioner, ac, alternator pulleys and make sure power steering pump pulley or any other pulley you won’t replace are free from previous belt’s leftovers.

Coolant leak on a 4 cylinder is likely to be the EGR cooler. Deleting it and the dpf can save you many long term issues, but requires a tune as well.
Last of all but possibly most important, the timing belt on the 4 cylinder is due every 120000klms, so yours is due again, I’m pretty sure it’s recommended to change the water pump at the same time.
I hope that this helps.
Lloyd


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