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Comments
-Craig
I went to 2 different "German/Foreign car" garages to get an estimate for he timing belt and spark plugs. The first one I went to was close by and I passed it frequently. I went there and I said I just wanted an estimate. The head mechanic comes over to my car and he starts touching it, almost fidgeting with things, like the rubber molding on my window or the wiper blades. Just sort of quickly touching things. I thought this was weird and I don't like it when people touch my car unless they are working on it. Especially with greasy hands. So we spoke for a few minutes and then he asked me to open the hood. I thought this was kind of weird too. This is a garage that specializes in German cars. I figured if he knew the year of the car and the engine size, that he could use that for the estimate. I open the hood and he proceeds to touch more things. Then he pulls out my oil dipstick, looks at the gauge and puts it back in! What the F*ck did he do that for!? And he drips oils on the motor cover and never wipes it off. Needless to say, I politely thanked him for his time, took a business card, and high tailed it out of there. I almost felt violated. There were hand prints all over my car. After I left, I went right to the car wash. It was the strangest encounter with any mechanic I ever had.
2nd garage
I noticed another smaller "German/Porche" car place in a town nearby that I rarely go through. I stopped there for an estimate hoping for a better, less fidgety, mechanic. This place was small and seemed to only have 1 or 2 mechanics. The guy was civil, but not overly friendly. He couldn't stop what he was doing long enough to give me a round about figure, so I left him with my name and number so he could call me with the estimate. He never called. I guess he was that busy. Or maybe because I'm a female, he blew me off.
Both places were less then tidy.
I haven't had any luck yet finding anyone normal enough that I would let touch my car. I don't want to go to an STS or Goodyear.
I live in central NJ. Does anyone know a good trustworthy mechanic around here? Even in PA. I'll be spending over $500 and I want to know it's done right.
VW ships to San Diego as well as East coast - depending on the region it is to be sold. If you ask a dealer, they will tell you that they can pull cars from a Western OR Eastern region - whichever one they belong to. Cheaper to have a ship take the extra distance than to rail it in from the East to West coast I guess...
The Taft Hartly act is only good for 80 days from Judicial approval, and can only be enacted by the President if an appointed counsel finds that the work stoppage will harm the economy, among other things.
The issue to the current port situation is that of Technology. The port owners (shipping lines) want to modernize the equipment to allow the ports to handle more cargo without an increase in headcount. The Union does not want this, and wants any new technical positions under Union control.
Most other ports in the world are faster, and more efficient than the West Coast ports which handles almost all of its transactions via handwritten paperwork - instead of computerized barcodes. E.G. Weighing cargo in a West Coast Port takes 2.5 hours, compared to other ports (like Shanghai) which takes only 30 minutes.
The Union is pretty much screwed at this point because if a deal isn't struck by the end of the 80 day waiting period, they are forced by law to accept the last best offer offered to them by the Port Association (under Federal mediation).
The last act was invoked by Jimmy Carter in the 1970s, and that was struck down by a Federal Judge.
FYI...
Why not go to a dealer to replace a timing belt?
I had my second replaced couple years ago at a local VW dealer in TX. Timing belt + 4 factory spark plugs were less then 400$.
Passat is not an item of personal hygiene, so I wouldn't worry too much if somebody touches it, though. I wonder how you feel when the birds do their stuff on your car?
Remember the movie "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles"? With John Candy and Steve Martin. Remember the guy who picked them up and gave them a ride in the back of his pick-up truck? Well that's who the first mechanic reminded me of.
At $70+ an hour for labor, I think the VW dealer is the most expensive. I just feel they may rush through the job because they are always so busy doing warranty work. I may consider it if I don't find someone else.
I'm not "worried" about someone touching my car, but if you had a clean car and some greasy mechanic starts putting his hands all over it creating smudges and streaks everywhere, you wouldn't care? I think you might. Especially if you just spent $10 at the car wash.
My point is, that although I don't care so much about keeping the car spotless, I do think it's irritating when someone disrespects your property. The birds can't help where they drop and it's my fault if I don't keep it in the garage, but a human should know how to treat someone else's things.
"Yes, well...this model requires the Funkel Flange to be removed when you do the timing belts. Normally, that is fine, but if the Flange has hardened it might be brittle and break. I usually advise that you expect to replace the Funkel Flange as well, a $156 part. I also recommend we lube the transaxle shaft and case to improve your engine's life and fuel mileage."
I smell a dead fish floating somewhere in that story.
Best advice I can give you. Keep looking. I have found a few good places for my cars...it can be done. Check their certifications, ask to see parts that are replaced until you trust them.
My favorite saying at a new shop:
"I don't want to start a bad relationship, but you have to earn my trust and business. If you do, I will happily be a loyal customer and recommend you to friends and strangers alike. If you can't, this will be the last time you work on my car."
You may want to ask a few people if the opportunity presents itself. If you have the time.
Based on your experience so far, I don't recommend that you take on this challenge, but it's up to you.
Just FYI, most Goodyear/Quicklube places are reasonable in price and you leave behind the aggravation of going to the Car parts place and having to dispose of the oil. If you decide to go to a Quicklube type place, ask for an oil change only. It should be between $15 and $25. Some places automatically perform other misc. checks where they will top off other fluids, check your belts and grease the front end. Then they jack up the price to $40 or better. They may call it a "Full service" oil change and they won't ask if you want it, they just do it. Also, having a garage lift your car, they may spot potential problems, like leaking fluid or worn bushings.
If you want to try it, the following is a link that guides you in doing an oil change. Be sure to read it all. Especially the part on putting oil on the gasket of the new filter.
http://www.doityourself.com/auto/howtochangeautooil.htm
I have a '99, so I'm guessing it's similar. There is a large hard plastic cover that attaches to the underneath of the car. It's like a brush guard for the underside of the car. I believe it covers over the oil pan and blocks access to the filter. You have to detach it. I'm not sure how, but I know mine fell down and I had to have a garage use wire to put it back in place.
I believe the V6 takes 5.7 quarts of oil, so buy 6 quarts.
Good Luck
While I'm at it, I may as well pose an interrelated question (on the ignorant side this time). If you increase an engine's performance via chip, exhaust, etc., does this lower the rpm it needs to turn at a given road speed?? Or is rpm simply a function of gearing?
Sorry for all the questions, but thanks for any help y'all can provide!!
Seems like it depends on how quick I turn the steering wheel when entering the turn. Anyone has seen this problem?
Wagonmeister
On an off note, VW sales seem to be in the tank these days - news came out that they are shutting down their Wolfsburg plant for a week or two after the new year.
wagonmeister - thanks for the Geography lesson - I was starting to wonder if they really did assemble the cars on a barge!
It isn't that I see the VWs as over-priced, but many Japanese (and Korean) cars are offering a much better value when compared to VW. For the European enthusiasts, this doesn't matter, but for the average Joe who wants a stylish car that will last...VWs made in third world countries lacks the appeal of a more luxurious equipped, or more value-loaded (cheaper) model from another company that makes their cars in the US or Japan.
I like VW, but they keep losing in the value department as compared to competing models...the only cache they retain is the German engineering...which falls under questionable scrutiny as they continue to push more and more of their American offerings to Mexico and Brazil.
At this point, the only affordable VW I would consider is a Passat, to at least get the German-made car that I am paying for. I was very sad to learn that they had moved even the Golf production to South America.
Of course, the Passat starts at a hefty price-tag for the poor folk (myself currently included) and if I wanted to spend $25k on a car, a number of cars offer similar or better packages...
VW is losing sales because they haven't done much to register excitement in the last two years. Adding the 1.8T to soo many models has helped, but they never threw one into the Cabriolet (which I would have considered) and the Beetle just doesn't move me.
I an interested in seeing what the Jetta V will look like, but it may come a bit late for me...as I hope to have new wheels early in 2003. Currently considering a VW Passat (CPO?) or a Mazda 6.
Also, I don't see how VW sales are going down anytime soon. VWs are currently the best selling German cars in the US, and the Jetta is close to the top 10 best selling cars in the US.
http://www.detnews.com/2002/autosinsider/0210/05/a01-602354.htm
Company-wide sales were down 4.2% during 2Q '02(ending Jul 31), but VW's second quarter profits were up 24%. The slump was attributed to the weakening economy in Europe and America.
http://www.detnews.com/2002/autosinsider/0208/01/b04-549930.htm
Our very own Edmunds site noted that Volkswagen of America won ALG's "Industry Brand Residual Value Award" (http://www.edmunds.com/advice/specialreports/articles/70532/article.html), so we may safely assume that VW's demand and appeal in the U.S. market is in great shape.
"Residual value performance has long been considered the best way to analyze the health of an automotive manufacturer's vehicles," said John Blair, CEO of ALG. He added that the awards will "provide consumers and industry professionals with a clear set of vehicle depreciation benchmarks and provide a yardstick for automotive brands to measure themselves."
I want to eventually upgrade my suspension and tires on my '99 V6 Passat. Basically, I want to stiffen up the car so it doesn't bottom out so easily. I also want cornering obliging tires. I know this car has a lot more potential if given the right parts.
Has anyone modified their suspension or found more aggressive tires they like? My intention is to turn out some more performance in the car and take some of the "family" out of the "family sedan" category this car falls into, and put some "sport" into the car instead. Take a fairly low profile car coupled with a drag coefficient of only 0.27, and I'm sure the car has more to offer, but I want to make some adjustments first.
Thanks
Various things can be made stiffer on a car.
Take note, however, that this will kinda void your warrantly.
Personally, I think the car is perfect enough as it is - as merckx mentioned, it does have the right blend of stiffness and ride for a family car - but that is just my opinion.
http://www.myvwlemon.com
Bimmer - all manufacturers have lemons, even Honda and Toyota....
I'm also a bit concerned by the rear pillar, which feels like it's significantly blocking my view into the blind spot when I look back prior to lane changes. I'm pretty tall, and maybe that's the reason.
The Passat has a nice feel, and I think I'd be pretty happy with it if I can handle these two concerns - but an Accord LX-V6 seems like somewhat more car for about the same money, so I'm wavering back and forth.
Don't get me wrong, I love my car the way it is, but where I live, the roads are fairly smooth and twisting. Some are quite bumpy too. I enjoy driving down the back roads at a good clip. I have found certain spots where I would bottom out ever so slightly.
I would most likely not go to the dealer for any parts for suspension type upgrades or tires. I have always gone aftermarket for a couple of reasons. One is choice and the other is price. Also, I rely on word of mouth help decide what to buy, so I will do a little research on some of the sites mentioned in the replies.
Thanks again
The lag only appears at the low end of the RPM scale, so if you shift it just right, your lag can only be noticeable when you start the car.