VAG oil sludge problems

[John Larson]

Lifted from autoextremists' 09/01 issue. (www.autoextremist.com)
 The bad news just keeps coming for Volkswagen - this time it's an oil
sludge problem with 1.8-liter turbo four-cylinder engines in 1998 to 2004
Passats and 1997 Audi A4s. VW has contacted 425,000 owners to let them know
that they are extending warranty coverage (to a fully-transferable,
eight-year, unlimited mileage warranty) due to certain problems relating to
oil sludge. One wonders when these car companies are going to wake up. After
pounding it into consumers' heads that you can basically drive these new
cars with little or no maintenance, guess what? People aren't changing their
oil as much, if at all. And then, lo and behold, bad things happen. The
lessons continue to be learned slowly - and painfully - by the auto
industry, apparently.