Hey everyone

Took the Octavia vRS CR TDI in for a major service and cambelt at a very respectable independant german specialist garage the other day. They did a great job and went out of their way to show me all the old parts that had come off the car off their own back.

The only criticism I have is what the technician seems to have done when working on the engine. There are yellow paint marks (similiar to a paint pen) on several screws and bolts. From what I have read this is so that they know they have been torqued to the correct spec and they can tell if they have moved by a quick visual check. The thing is though alot of these screws/bolts aren't even critical, for example they had marked the four screws that hold the airbox lid on :think:

Has anyone else experienced this? or is anyone on here a mechanic who can shed some light?

It probably wouldn't bother most people but I am quite fussy and don't like yellow paint all over my engine bay which I keep very clean to go with the rest of the car!

Finally does anyone have any suggestions on what I can use to clean it off without damaging the plastics (ie engine cover). The usual things such as paint thinner, acetone, brake cleaner etc come to mind.

Thanks

Edited 18 December, 201213 yr by SW_VRS_2012

If you are unhappy & not prepared to have those marks on your engine then get them to have them removed and the Vehicle returned to you as they got it.

There is no reason for you to use trial & error to find the way of removing the Markings.

If the marks are so obvious,

they should be telling a customer how the vehicle/engine will be returned to them.

*I have seen so many engines with the Technicians marking, where it becomes obvious that the time was spent making it look like work was done properly, rather than actually doing it.*

(for a quick check, open the Air Box and see now if there is a new filter in there

That is if you were charged for a new filter, or were they just checking if replacement was required?.)

Personally i like clean engines, but then they are engines & have a bonnet closed over them to hide them.

But if i was to entrust a detailed engine for work, i would have a hairy if it came back de-faced.

george

Annoying isn't it! There's a local place that has done the same thing to my motorbike which I am very picky about!

That was in bloody pink!

It's not that I don't trust the garage has done the work, I have complete confidence in them and as I said, they had all the old parts lined up on display for me when I went in to collect it.

It was just annoying the look under the bonnet and find dabs of yellow paint in several places on my nice clean black engine bay!

I have to go back to the garage anyway to get some paperwork I fogot so I may tell them in a subtle way, along the lines of "oh by the way that yellow paint in the engine bay, how do I get that off cos i'l annoy that hell out of me?". Hopefully they'll respond "oh we'l sort that for you, sorry about that".

They are a good garage and are very customer orientated. Just I've never had it done on any cars I've taken to other garages in the past. Who knows, it may a sign of a goof skillful technician with a methodical thorough approach to things. But even if it is, I don't like it!

P.S.DanHam did you manage to remove yours and if so what with?

Edited 18 December, 201213 yr by SW_VRS_2012

I never mentioned mine, I think I managed to get mine off with one of those bug / tar remover sponges.

They are paint pens, we use thinners when we write on granite with it but you should be able to scratch it off with your mail, it comes off pretty easy

I got my cambelt changed about 12 months ago at a VW specialist near me, they wrote the current mileage across the cambelt cover in paint pen. That was rather annoying but it came off quite easily with some brake cleaner.

Changed missus' cambelt on her Ibiza PD130 earlier this year, to find paint markings on and around the cam sprocket! Needless to say they obviously didn't use locking tools and/or vagcom to check the timing. Car ran so much better after I'd aligned it up properly and used the locking tools. cowboys!

I thought paint markings usually meant parts had come from a scrappers? I noticed my boost controller has green paint mark on it and when I bough a used door lock they put a green paint mark on it too. Although I doubt they'd reuse old screws etc.???

Quick update.

Contacted the garage and asked them. They said it was a procedure they did so that 1) it helps them with any future warranty claims 2) they know everything has been put back together correctly and hasn't moved/come loose and 3) if there is more than one person working on the car nothing gets overlooked/missed.

They advised that a plastics thinner is needed to safely remove so as not to damage any plastics. They willingly offered to remove them for me if I bring the car in after the new year. Much happier now. :yes:

Edited 25 December, 201213 yr by SW_VRS_2012