My '04 needs 3k in mechanic work...

[PinkBug4289]

*begin rant*

I've had my 2004 Turbo S beetle for 2.5years now. I had to replace the clutch within the first year around 90k miles. Now my barbie has 108k miles and things slowly breaking.
I just spent $602 on the timing belt and serpetine belt.
I need a new alternator as well as a new cable that connects the battery to the alternator. (because of this if my car sits for more than 12hrs it will not start) The dealer quoted me at $992. This has been a problem for some time but I kept putting off going into a mechanic. This could have been fixed 6months ago if I had the money.
I also need new front tires,an alignment and new boots on the front. Also my radio is fried and broken, and my passenger side running light got sheared off and broken back when I first got my beetle...not my fault! A gas pump jumped out at me one day! TRUE STORY!

*sigh* If my car was a horse now would be the time to shoot it! I only have about 14months left on my loan. Everyone is telling me to trade it in for a newer more reliable car. But the truth is I REFUSE to let someone have my Pink beetle! I'll push it off a cliff or watch it get "stolen" before I sell it to some other girl to drive. Call me selfish but it is MY ICON! People in my town know me. Every where I go people tell me how much they love my car and I LOVE making people smile when they see me going down the road. After owning a pink beetle I can't just go and buy a silver SUV and be happy.

So I'm biting the bullet and shelling out the money to fix my car.It will cost about 3k to fix everything and the balance on my loan is only $3700. After it is paid off it will be my "pleasure" car as I NEED an SUV that can haul things including my 2 great danes(they barely fit in it now and one is only 9months old and going to grow a lot more)

Just wanted to vent about all this crap. I just hate when things start to break and need replacing on cars and with a VW it's NEVER cheap!
*end rant*

[psaboic]

Do you know someone who can do the work for you? Also, where are you getting y our parts from? The price for the alternator seems VERY high. Have you looked online for parts. Places like rockauto.com, and germanautoparts.com have really good prices. If you are going to go to the dealer for work, you are going to get charged an arm and a leg, especially if you go to St. Charles VW. I know as I used to live in Wentzville

[psaboic]

Just checked Rock Auto and they have several of your alternator in stock for around $250

[Smileybug]

Most of that would be expected on any car, not just the NB. Nothing seems to be out of the ordinary of expected maintainence at that mileage/age.

I'd try to find a local indy VW/Audi shop rather than the dealer. That's why its all so expensive.

[MyOtherRidesAVette]

Originally Posted by Smileybug

Most of that would be expected on any car, not just the NB. Nothing seems to be out of the ordinary of expected maintainence at that mileage/age.

I'd try to find a local indy VW/Audi shop rather than the dealer. That's why its all so expensive.

Ditto! Check with Stlbug, he's in St Louis and should be able to put you onto a local reputable shop. Or he might be willing to help with some of the work.

The alternator/new cable thing, sounds like they are replacing the wiring harness at that price, wrong way to do it. Bypass the harness with a new custom fabricated cable (heavier gauge wire and correct connectors, about $30).

Cassette radios all over eBay, but someone on here should have one from an aftermarket swap. ± $50 is what you should be paying. No market for the cassette head, it might be a good time to upgrade to a cd player.

$620 for a TB & WP, reasonable price if they also changed the serpentine belt and both tensioners (below any Dealer price I have seen).

Tires, www.tirerack.com and then go to NTB, they are an installer for tire rack, but will match the pricing from their own stock. Bad tires, winter coming, not a good match. They may also be able to do the boots and alignment.

Sounds as if you have really neglected this TS. The TB and WP at 100k? You were living on borrowed time, lucky you didn't loose one and trash the engine. Once you get her back in shape, stay on top of things. Many things left undone, only cost more as time goes on. I know you love your Bug, but this is not a car to own if you can't afford to properly maintain her, premium gas, regular oil changes, etc.

MORAV

[Zann]

Originally Posted by MyOtherRidesAVette

Many things left undone, only cost more as time goes on.
MORAV

Are you the wise old man at the top of the mountain or what?

[MyOtherRidesAVette]

Originally Posted by Zann

Are you the wise old man at the top of the mountain or what?

Wise? Probably. Old? No doubt. Top of the mountain? Still trying to reach the summit! Just don't get the concept of waiting until a vehicle completely breaks down to repair it. The "if it ain't COMPLETELY broke, don't fix it!", or the "it must have fixed itself!"

[h_2_o]

go over to tdiclub.com and look through their trusted mechanics list by state and see if there is anyone closer than your dealer. The stealership is taking advantage of you and a trusted mechanic could probably do what you need for a ton less cash.

[digitalputty]

Good luck in getting your Pink Beetle fixed. It is a PITA to keep them going sometimes. Especially since they do cost a pretty penny (or a silver coin) to do so. My 2003 Beetle has only electrical issues right now ... and of course, the normal cosmetic things that occur.

Again, good luck! I hope you can get it fixed and keep your icon!

[Smileybug]

Here is the list of TDI Club's trusted mechanics: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1.../edit?hl=en_US

They do trustworthy work on TDIs but many will also work on the gassers too. Looks like you have one in your town...Oilhammer is a name I've heard a lot of in the TDI world so if he'll do work on gassers, I'd go with him hands down.

[Oh Randi]

Originally Posted by MyOtherRidesAVette

Ditto! Check with Stlbug, he's in St Louis and should be able to put you onto a local reputable shop. Or he might be willing to help with some of the work.

The alternator/new cable thing, sounds like they are replacing the wiring harness at that price, wrong way to do it. Bypass the harness with a new custom fabricated cable (heavier gauge wire and correct connectors, about $30).

Cassette radios all over eBay, but someone on here should have one from an aftermarket swap. ± $50 is what you should be paying. No market for the cassette head, it might be a good time to upgrade to a cd player.

$620 for a TB & WP, reasonable price if they also changed the serpentine belt and both tensioners (below any Dealer price I have seen).

Tires, www.tirerack.com and then go to NTB, they are an installer for tire rack, but will match the pricing from their own stock. Bad tires, winter coming, not a good match. They may also be able to do the boots and alignment.

Sounds as if you have really neglected this TS. The TB and WP at 100k? You were living on borrowed time, lucky you didn't loose one and trash the engine. Once you get her back in shape, stay on top of things. Many things left undone, only cost more as time goes on. I know you love your Bug, but this is not a car to own if you can't afford to properly maintain her, premium gas, regular oil changes, etc.

MORAV

This is all excellent advice. You (and your wallet) will be so much happier if you stop going to the dealership. (we call them stealerships on here for a reason!) Independent VW/Audi shops are the way to go. I bet you could get all the work done for a quarter of what the dealership wants from you. Learning to do things yourself helps a lot too. Don't give up on your car yet.. 80-100k is a tough time for these cars, it seems like everything breaks all at once. There are a lot of knowledgeable people on here that can help you, it never hurts to ask on here before spending buttloads of money on things you don't need. A good step is to buy the VAG-COM software. It's a little pricey, but so worth every penny. You can read the codes yourself (versus paying the dealership $80 to scan it) and post the codes on here. Chances are, someone has gone through it and has advice on a solution. Gotta love VW people.

[Stlbug]

I would not replace the altinator just yet. You say that the car wont start after 12hrs? I would first question the health of the battery first. Sounds like the battery is discharging while the car sits. The battery could be shot, or you have a draw in the car somewhere. You cannot properly test the altinator in the car without a good fully charged battery. Altinators make power they don't take it. Buy the way, is the battery light on ? Has this car been plug in and checked for stored codes? Don"t be hasty, I think a few more test are needed before you sink alot of money in what could be a non problem.