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car fun time, this time
Oct. 16th, 2007 10:06 amSo for a couple of weeks I've been feeling like my car is underperforming in ways that do not please me. Specifically, he's been a little sluggish, particularly in lower gears -- the RPMs are getting higher than I'm used to, but that power doesn't seem to be transferring much. Rev, rev, rev. Almost as if the -- those of you who know from cars can probably already tell where this is going -- clutch were still in, even when it's not. Fun!
This was the diagnosis when I called the dealer and spoke to a very nice young woman who said it was not at all surprising that a clutch would need fixing after 106,000 miles. She estimated the complete repair at $1400, which would include replacing the flywheel, a $160 item that she (and others I consulted afterward) seemed to think it was worth replacing rather than bothering to grind down and so on. I am also contemplating the 120K Major Service, since I didn't have the Major Service at 80K. This is $620 of belts and hoses, and it's been a while and it's about to be winter. (And the driver's-side washer fluid sprayer doesn't work. That will shortly be not-at-all acceptable.)
The station down on the corner, whose mechanics I trust, estimated $800-900 -- and, when pressed for details, estimated $300-400 for parts and $590 for labor, which to me looks more like $900-1000 -- and says they'll have a better idea once they get it in front of them and can actually see what needs doing. Specifically this guy said he couldn't know until he opens it up whether it will need the flywheel replaced, so the parts estimate is hard to pin down just now, which tracks with what Dealership Girl said. The station another block further away, whose mechanics I've dealt with less but with whom I have had no complaints, estimates $528 for labor and $250 for parts, and insists this is unlikely to change much just because he has the car in front of him. He did not mention the flywheel, so I'm going to go ahead and guess it could go up to as much as $400 in parts at that station.
At the dealership, I could take the car in, go out with a loaner or free rental, and come back to $2000 of repairs that I'd know were VW-endorsed and guaranteed ... but, dudes, $2000. At either of the other places, I could take the car in for the clutch replacement, tell them to take a look at whatever other belts and hoses needed looking at and fix the washer fluid sprayer, and probably be out ... what, $1100 plus the (trivial) cost of a rental (because I cannot be without a car for a whole day that isn't a Sunday until probably the first weekend in November).
I think I'm going to take the middle solution, the station at the bottom of my hill, because I know them better than the other station. That's after I double check that the time my brother had a front window fall down inside the door, it wasn't the same window I had earlier had fall down inside the door and had those guys repair. (I don't think it was. I think mine was the driver's side and his was the passenger side, making it VW's fault entirely. But I have the service records, so I'll look and see.) I don't think I've quite drunk enough Kool-Aid to decide that I must always have all repairs done at the dealership. Right?
Off to investigate rental car prices. The fun never stops.
This was the diagnosis when I called the dealer and spoke to a very nice young woman who said it was not at all surprising that a clutch would need fixing after 106,000 miles. She estimated the complete repair at $1400, which would include replacing the flywheel, a $160 item that she (and others I consulted afterward) seemed to think it was worth replacing rather than bothering to grind down and so on. I am also contemplating the 120K Major Service, since I didn't have the Major Service at 80K. This is $620 of belts and hoses, and it's been a while and it's about to be winter. (And the driver's-side washer fluid sprayer doesn't work. That will shortly be not-at-all acceptable.)
The station down on the corner, whose mechanics I trust, estimated $800-900 -- and, when pressed for details, estimated $300-400 for parts and $590 for labor, which to me looks more like $900-1000 -- and says they'll have a better idea once they get it in front of them and can actually see what needs doing. Specifically this guy said he couldn't know until he opens it up whether it will need the flywheel replaced, so the parts estimate is hard to pin down just now, which tracks with what Dealership Girl said. The station another block further away, whose mechanics I've dealt with less but with whom I have had no complaints, estimates $528 for labor and $250 for parts, and insists this is unlikely to change much just because he has the car in front of him. He did not mention the flywheel, so I'm going to go ahead and guess it could go up to as much as $400 in parts at that station.
At the dealership, I could take the car in, go out with a loaner or free rental, and come back to $2000 of repairs that I'd know were VW-endorsed and guaranteed ... but, dudes, $2000. At either of the other places, I could take the car in for the clutch replacement, tell them to take a look at whatever other belts and hoses needed looking at and fix the washer fluid sprayer, and probably be out ... what, $1100 plus the (trivial) cost of a rental (because I cannot be without a car for a whole day that isn't a Sunday until probably the first weekend in November).
I think I'm going to take the middle solution, the station at the bottom of my hill, because I know them better than the other station. That's after I double check that the time my brother had a front window fall down inside the door, it wasn't the same window I had earlier had fall down inside the door and had those guys repair. (I don't think it was. I think mine was the driver's side and his was the passenger side, making it VW's fault entirely. But I have the service records, so I'll look and see.) I don't think I've quite drunk enough Kool-Aid to decide that I must always have all repairs done at the dealership. Right?
Off to investigate rental car prices. The fun never stops.
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