On Nov 29, 2007, at 12:05 AM, syncro.carboncow wrote:

> I would disagree. Good for a couple of
> years? They often go 15+ in our vanagons
> before failure!

Well maybe I had a string of bad ones.  I owned my Jetta for about 10
years, and in that time I replaced the ECU sensor at least three
times and the gauge sensor twice.  The failure modes were very low
reading on the dash gauge even with the engine fully warm, or very
hard starting of a cold engine but a warm engine would start easily.
In my PERSONAL experience the sensors are a definite weak point.

> Again I've talked to the sources and
> although the failure of a new sensor is
> not impossible it is uncommon.

I missed that part of the thread; I agree if the sensor has recently
been replaced it's POSSIBLE, but not likely, that the new one has
already failed.

Allan