Timing Belt

[c-moon]

I lost the timing belt on my 2000 1.8T while driving on the freeway. I was a couple hours from home, so I had to have it towed to the only shop that was open on a Sunday. They replaced the timing belt, but said there were more problems with the motor. (the head and valves were shot) They said that it would be too expensive to fix, and they started looking for a used motor to put in it. They came up with one for $3000. Does this sound right? I don't want to be taken advantage of. I don't know what to do at this point. I still owe money on the car; I can't really afford $3000 plus whatever they are going to charge me for the belt and labor. Is it better to just not fix it? Maybe try to sell it? I love my car, I just have no idea what to do. Any advise? Thanks!

[gforce1108]

Most likely, you only need the head, or have your head rebuilt. I've seen some broken valves wipe out pistons, but even that is repairable. Find someone that regularly deals with VWs if you can.

[raff]

Originally Posted by c-moon

I lost the timing belt on my 2000 1.8T while driving on the freeway. I was a couple hours from home, so I had to have it towed to the only shop that was open on a Sunday. They replaced the timing belt, but said there were more problems with the motor. (the head and valves were shot) They said that it would be too expensive to fix, and they started looking for a used motor to put in it. They came up with one for $3000. Does this sound right? I don't want to be taken advantage of. I don't know what to do at this point. I still owe money on the car; I can't really afford $3000 plus whatever they are going to charge me for the belt and labor. Is it better to just not fix it? Maybe try to sell it? I love my car, I just have no idea what to do. Any advise? Thanks!

If we knew your location, one of us might be able to recommend a repair facility.

[D2Beetle]

If you are mechanically capable you could do the repair work yourself, I did on my 2.0 when the head gasket blew. I was on a tight budget and worked on it when time permitted. It took me about eight months to do the work. The only thing that drove me crazy was getting the timing marks in the right place when I put it all back together.

[gforce1108]

Originally Posted by D2Beetle

If you are mechanically capable you could do the repair work yourself, I did on my 2.0 when the head gasket blew. I was on a tight budget and worked on it when time permitted. It took me about eight months to do the work. The only thing that drove me crazy was getting the timing marks in the right place when I put it all back together.

Good advice - especially since the place it was taken too obviously doesn't know anything about the 1.8T. They shouldn't have wasted time installing a new belt without pulling the head.

[D2Beetle]

Originally Posted by gforce1108

Good advice - especially since the place it was taken too obviously doesn't know anything about the 1.8T. They shouldn't have wasted time installing a new belt without pulling the head.

FYI - The link to my cylinder head rebuild. I did post (page 3) the cost of my efforts or at least the receipts that I could find, which should give you a ballpark cost.

[c-moon]

Thanks for your advice. We decided to pull it from that shop and tow it the hundred miles back to where we live. The shop that I normally take it to said they could fix it for a thousand dollars less (maybe more). The first shop was obviously trying to take advantage. At one point, a mechanic there offered to take the car off our hands for $500!