New (to me) Golf, complete with issues

UhOh said:

That's the main reason why I don't think I'd ever have a car repainted a different color- there are too many nooks and crannies where the old color would show up.

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When I worked in a body shop many years ago, we did a few color change jobs on old air cooled Beetles. It was pretty easy to strip them down and color "most" everything. Not on these more modern cars unless you have lots of time and money!

Making progress. The shop ended up digging a bit deeper into it than expected


They found some minor rust on the pinch welds that are covered by the door gaskets, so they pulled the doors to repair it.



The hatch had a bit of rust on the bottom and on the right side. And it's getting new glass, along with a new windshield.

Hood and fenders (not shown) are painted. Doors will be in the next day or two.


They think they're going to paint the rest of the car on Friday. I'll probably get it back for reassembly late next week.

Looking good! Do you have a good relationship with that shop? Seems like a lot of body shops really do not want to do that type of work, they just want to deal with insurance claimed collision damage, which sucks.

The shop I deal with does great work, and I have had them do things for me for 20+ years, but every time I ask or do something along these lines, I always get the wince or the eye roll.

They've done a fair amount of work for me, and they know Chris Hill at Kraftwerke. They've never complained about this type of work, which I've found a bit surprising.

They're the collision repair shop for a local Porsche/Audi dealer, and know VW products. Not the least expensive, but as you say, finding a good shop to do this kind of work isn't easy to come by.

The glass shop is letting me order OE rear glass from the dealer. I'd much prefer that to aftermarket. They are getting me an OE windshield, which is covered by comprehensive insurance.

OMG, you've come off the rails...you're going to have more in it than buying out the lease on the new 2-door.

The important thing is not to keep track.

IndigoBlueWagon said:

The important thing is not to keep track.

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Just don't be like me and put Excel spreadsheets of car costs together!

Looking good so far! Any plans for the interior (seats, etc)?

No spreadsheet. No file of receipts, even. I used to think that if I ever sold my wagon it would hurt not to have a service history. Now I don't worry about it.

Regarding the interior, I've had the door cards recovered. I may pull the seats and carpet and clean it, but the interior is in good shape. I have the GLI Recaros that were in the front of my wagon, so I could put those in. Might just have it detailed and spend a little time with it first.

It does have a circa 2004 VW factory Nav unit in it. I think I'll pull that. Maps are still available, but I can't feature using it. I'm a big fan of Waze when I need navi.

I tried to use the VW nav unit that tomo had in his B5 that he sold to Bill, after 15 frustrating minutes, I gave up and just plugged my tomtom in. It was that bad.

So if that is the version it has in there now, I'd ditch it too. Newer nav systems in Volkswagens are better, but they are still not as good as some others, and I still find them distracting and clunky to have in a car that you drive often that you do not need it most of the time.

I guess I need to order seat foam before they sell out (hopefully not too late). 420,000 miles on my 2003 garage queen has got my seat foam full of metal objects that poke my butt and back.

I can't get a horn button for 2004 Dodge. Now that is frustrating not having a horn and no parts support.

I've saved up $2800 to do a similar job to my car. I haven't had it quoted yet. I hope that I'm in the ballpark though.

Not around here, you wouldn't be. I honestly haven't asked what this will cost, but the initial quote, which was without the additional rust repair and door removal, was a lot more than $2,800. My mechanic prepped the car, removing the door panels, gaskets, bumpers, lights, etc., and the glass shop removed and will replace the windshield (insurance) and rear window (not insurance).

I suspect labor rates here are pretty high compared to where you are, so you might be able to get close, depending on how much bodywork your car needs. Mine needed the rockers repaired and some dents taken out of the roof, but that was about it. I provided new fenders because it's cheaper to replace than repair.

IndigoBlueWagon said:

Not around here, you wouldn't be. I honestly haven't asked what this will cost, but the initial quote, which was without the additional rust repair and door removal, was a lot more than $2,800.

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Yeah, bodywork here is VERY expensive these days. I went to one of the two local autobody shops that does Volkswagen's warranty work to see what it would cost to have my '03 Golf painted. They quoted me about $4500 bucks. He said maybe $4200-$4300, but to be prepared for it to be in the area of $4500 plus or minus. Then there's 15% ($675) tax on top of that.

This is for a car that ISN'T rusty. Rocker panels are solid and like new. The car is a bit faded in spots and full of scratches. There are a couple little nicks and tiny rust spots...door edges, etc. Several little dings. By the time you start removing door handles and window trims, etc...there's a ton of work in there.

I got a quote for my Beetle at $3500 + tax from a Maaco shop. That would easily be $4500 + tax anywhere else. It's not really rusty either, not anymore at least...lol.

It's a tough call for me. I've put hundreds of hours into these cars and thousands in parts to make them ride nice and be reliable. As much as I'd like them to have nice new paint jobs, it would be a tough pill for me to swallow. I'm going to just keep touching them up for the time being and if I'm feeling a little more flush next year I'll revisit paint.

Your Golf is going to look great when it's done Peter. I'm sure you'll be quite pleased with it.

I have always been of the mantra that anything you can do to preserve the original finish is best. But a lot of us who purchased cars [well] used, we are faced with having to look at all the neglect the previous owner(s) inflicted.

And yes, it IS a tough call. My 1991 Jetta looks BETTER than my 2000 Golf, because I have taken care of it since new, and took whatever steps necessary to keep it that way... and that adds up to a LOT of "steps" as I typically park in a secluded portion of a parking lot whenever possible to avoid door dings, etc.

But if you really want the car to look nice if it has endured some harsh time. environment, or neglect, then you pretty much have to "buck up". This is why it pains me to see so many cars, often much younger, that are so beat up. One of my son's home health care nurse has a 2011 Cruze, and there isn't a straight panel on it. It is trashed. Beat up inside and out. It is almost like one would have to TRY to beat a car up that bad, and she can't even tell you how/where/when/why most of the dents even happened. Fortunately, here care of little humans is much better than her care of little cars. And she wants to buy my orange Beetle. No thanks, I couldn't bear to see that happen.

Even my wagon has suffered from its 14 years and 330K miles on this earth. I've had the front clip painted twice, the rockers repaired, and the tailgate replaced. Fenders have been replaced (one twice) as well. And it's only been in one minor accident. It still looks good, but when I wash it I notice small things, like the sandblasting on the fronts of the rear wheel wells, a little clear coat lifting on one door, and a very few door dings. Most people wouldn't even notice. And this is a car that's almost always garaged, both day and night. I joke that it's only outside when it's moving. But we're in a harsh climate and it's been well used.

I'd much prefer to keep the original finish on cars. I had to have the front clip on my wagon painted a second time because the first repaint didn't stand up as well to winter as the original finish. Now I have a clear bra on it and it helps a lot. The Golf is getting one as soon as the paint cures.

The way I look at it is when I'm done I'll have less in the '99.5 than my '12 would have depreciated by now. And I prefer to drive the '99.5. Sounds like a good deal to me.

Around here (south Texas), if you want a complete repaint of an older car with a straight, rust-free body, you can find a large number of independent shops that will do a decent two stage job for $2,000 - $2,500. This is because labor is cheap and the right shop will not have much overhead and probably not work on insurance jobs. Keep in mind that good quality base coat and clear coat runs several hundred dollars per gallon combined so it's easy to have $500 - $700 in just materials cost (primer, sealer, base, clear, activator, etc).

I know an Hispanic fellow that runs such a shop near us and primarily does body and paint work on large RV's but will take a fender or nose clip repaint or a complete job if there is not too much in the way of repair work. He takes cash for those small jobs. His work is very good and he has a pretty steady business. But this is south Texas and not Boston or St. Louis.

With respect to older cars, keeping the original finish is very desirable these days, especially in the collector classic market as it's getting harder to find "collectibles" that have survived in near original condition.

My 2003 Jetta resurrection project is coming along nicely and she's running strong now that I have found all the vacuum and boost leaks, etc. The body on the car, having spent 9/10's of its life in northeastern Wisconsin, is pretty good and fairly rust free. I replaced the front fenders due to the common issue and the balance of the body appears to be rust free, even the rocker panels. It could use a complete paint job as it has several dings and scratches and now two nicely painted fenders, but I am not going to go that route with 300K miles on the car and also the clear coat shows no evidence of oxidation and peeling. I'll call it a 10 footer for attractiveness though (it photographs well).

Peter, we are looking forward to seeing this red Golf with it's new finish! It should be a beauty and hopefully, not a garage queen!

Not going to be a garage queen. Already have snow tires for it!

Of course you do, but really: only one set?

Making progress





They're sanding and re-painting the leading edge of the right rear wheel well, guess they weren't happy with the finish.

Glass people may install front and rear windows tomorrow. Fenders and mirrors are painted. Probably sometime next week it'll go back to Kraftwerke for re-assembly.

Paint work is done. Going to collect the car today and take it to Kraftwerke for re-assembly. Got a few parts to bring along.

Picked up the car and it's back at Kraftwerke.


Body shop guy said Flash read is very close to Porsche's Guards Red. He also said to 3M cover the door sills so they don't get scratched.

Looks so nice that I'd hate to have it see the salt and brine of winter....

Part of why I decided to invest in an A4 instead of another A3 or B4 is their comparatively good rust resistance. My wagon is two winters post-rust repair and shows absolutely no signs of deterioration. Same shop did the work. So I'm hoping for a similar experience here.

And someone (I think it was john.jackson) recommended having the door jams painted. I wasn't worried about that, but because they fixed some rust under the door gaskets and removed the doors they did paint the jams. They look awesome.

It looks great. I'm glad the headlight "eyebrows" match the rest of the car.

I saw it in person today. It. Is. Beautiful. Sending good vibes to chill for the reassembly.


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Another update: The car is finally reassembled, went to the detailer last Thursday. I picked it up today but it went straight back to Kraftwerke for some odds and ends before I (hopefully) bring it home next weekend. Here it is when it arrived at the detailer.


I didn't take any after pics yet because the hood wouldn't latch and the rear emblem isn't on. But suffice to say it looks even more red, and the clear bra is a great addition, albeit not inexpensive. 3M now has a new material called xpel which is easier to keep clean. The bra is an extravagance, but it saves the worry about the freshly painted nose getting sandblasted. My detailer was impressed with the paint job, and I know him well enough that if he wasn't he would say so.

Reassembly required some parts I didn't expect, including new rear window tracks, a core support, exhaust system, A/C condenser, radiator, power steering line, dogbone mount, and a lot of fasteners. With Mr. Chill I actually bought a totaled '02 wagon because it was cheaper than buying a new glove box and door, and the radio from the wagon will probably replace the Nav in the Golf.

I got the RC3 AFN updated, and the ECU is ready to replace the loaner that's in there now. Tires are on the cleaned up Avus 1s. Windshield cracked and had to be replaced a second time. Poor install the first time. And I dropped of a new driver's door window regulator and ABS sensors with the car today.

More pictures when I get it back.

Peter: Very nice! As with any restoration, there are always parts one didn't think of when the car is coming together. There also may be more surprises for your red Golf before it's parked with the fleet.

Today, I messed with the rear brake calipers on my 03 as the parking brake was not releasing one one side. Seems like the two year old rear calipers are starting to rust along the shaft the parking brake mechanism pivots on. Removing the cable and associated levers exposes a rubber seal that apparently is not doing its job keeping moisture out. I managed to get a small screwdriver blade past the seal and shot the area up with PB Blaster. That immediately resulted in a stream of rust running out. Now the levers retract as designed, but I can clearly say this is another periodic maintenance point to address on these MKIV's.

You're right. Along with the ABS sensor fault we saw one for the ABS pump. I hope that's not an issue, but I actually have a spare in my garage. I deleted the ABS in my 2-door Golf for track use.

That's surprising about the rear calipers. I wonder if they're remans. I actually still have the original rear calipers on my wagon after 14 winters. I had to replace the carriers because the pins kept sticking, but the calipers were good.

IndigoBlueWagon said:

That's surprising about the rear calipers. I wonder if they're remans. I actually still have the original rear calipers on my wagon after 14 winters. I had to replace the carriers because the pins kept sticking, but the calipers were good.

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I found the receipt and the PO bought them at Autozone in July 2014. Searching threads here, that parking brake release issue is fairly common to the MKIV rear calipers (lots of threads on it). Here's a typical thread:

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=455938&highlight=parking+brake

I agree it happens, my son's '02 needed new calipers this year. But they were original. I think the Autozone calipers were remans. Or not Lucas, who makes them for TRW and ultimately VW.