Tuesday, May 6, 2008
My VW Beetle and its 120,000 mile checkup
I'm afraid to answer the phone. Left my car at the VW dealer on Sunday for routine maintenance. We left a list of 'while it's there' check this and that and sure enough - all those odd noises and hesitations are things that need attention. The guy keeps calling and asking "should we fix it?" One time he said "well, those 4 items are low cost fixes at less than $150. each." Buddy, I can add. Today he called - "you are going to need a new starter soon". Ouch! A new timing belt and new tires - plus the unexpected ..... okay little car keep on running and getting 46 mpg. I'm not replacing you anytime soon.
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4 comments:
The key word in your entry was "dealership"...that always spells expensive...they have an agressive budget to meet. I think there should third-party consultant that people can hire to take care of the negotiating and deciding what REALLY needs to be done on the car and if you can get it done cheaper somewhere else. This consultant would also know the most reliable repair shops in the area...I would pay someone to handle this...great job idea. What do you think? They would work for me...not the repair shop or dealership.
Why are you taking it to a dealer? Can you take it to another place? ouch! boy those german made cars really start getting expensive :)
Parts availability was the reason we took the car to the VW dealer. The diesel starter had to be shipped from Florida. The only item that isn't a typical replacement for a car that age is the electrical harness for the headlight. It's just that we waited so long before checking out those strange noises.
I hope in the near future, the number of private garages that know how to repair VW Diesels will increase. I really enjoyed my Jetta, especially the part about only needing to visit the gas station every few weeks. =)
Just look at the bright side Mom...after this visit to the dealership...your car will be good-to-go with low expenses for another 60k.
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