To sell or fix?

So the mechanics who did a TB change on my car messed up and now my head is toast (valves at least).

I'm not sure if it worth putting a new head on even if the bottom end checks out to be good.

I have a 2002 Jetta 5 speed with approximately 300,000 miles on the car.
It is in rough shape inside and out. it would now just be for local commute.
it has a new 11mm IP and new sprint 520 injectors and nozzles and a new 100,000 miles TB.

how much does a used complete head cost?

If this was you guys, would you be looking for another car or try to fix it?

If I did throw in the towel on this car, how much round-about could I get for the IP (brand new from idparts with receipt about 100 miles on it) and brand new injector bodies and nozzles from kermatdi (mounted and calibrated by them, also with receipt less than 1 mile on them).

Apparently the rest of the car is only worth $100 to my local scrapyard.

Where in Arkansas are you

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fort smith, ar

Depends on the source and condition of the head as to the cost.
Local salvage yards might have better pricing...
Used and rebuilt
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=434593
New
https://www.cascadegerman.com/product/038103351b-amc/

https://www.kermatdi.com/i-1297-com...html#!year=2003||make=VOLKSWAGEN||model=JETTA

https://www.idparts.com/complete-cylinder-head-a4-alh-p-697.html

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I've done 1 head swap, paid like 72 bux for a complete head...another couple hundred bux for gaskets and fluids and it ran great.

I don't know how the salvage yards up there look but south of me is slim pickings.

If it's paid for, I'd say it's worth fixing, patience will save you loads of money.

From my point of view, fix it...if you need assistance I'm down in South Arkansas, my TDIs don't mind the drive.

If you wanna sell it...I'm down in South Arkansas and will come up to pick it up easy peesy.

Pm me if you wanna exchange phone numbers...also franko6 is not too far from you and is a pretty good source for head rebuilding.

Google Frank's TDI...

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I'd have it fixed...
http://www.forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=434593

I pay for work like this... I do not look at the value of the vehicle, I look at how many car payments and full coverage insurance I can/have saved...

Are the mechanics who did the timing belt job not willing to do any type of reimbursement? Their work did cost you a head at minimum.

Nero Morg said:

Are the mechanics who did the timing belt job not willing to do any type of reimbursement? Their work did cost you a head at minimum.

Click to expand...

I would say so as well i mean they did touch it. some compensation should be required to balance things out. jakeg even if repaired properly keep in mind its a 2002 jetta wich eventually you will need to get rid of some way or other selling /trading in.? a vehicle that old i would look at something newer. many times its Just not worth the agrevation one goes through of keeping something that old road worthy.

#1
Always pay with a major credit card, you could have disputed the charges and got all your $$ back, you should press this and even file in civil court for small claims.

#2
your car in its current condition is worth about $500 non running, not $100, scrap yards pay much more than $100 for any car, usually $350 if you take it to them.
My adivce if you want to scrap it, pull the IP, alternator, nozzles, glow plugs, intake manifold, EGR setup, and anything else worth selling that is in good shape, sell the wheels and door glass on ebay with the rest of what you pull, interior good bits are window regulators, side mirrors, headlights, tail lights, and air bags. basically pull all you can off it that will fit onto a typical storage shelf and scrap the rest. You should recover about $1,000 for all those parts, if not more. Scrap the car for $200 and put that $ into a used TDI or whatever.

the other option is to DIY the head swap and buy one from frank and put it as an investment as your $ your putting into it is a total loss unless you drive it for another 150K

The only reason not to fix a Mk4 is because you’re bored of it, it’s rusty, or it got in an accident.

They’re so cheap and easy to work on, and parts are readily available, why not fix it?

The only reason not to fix a Mk4 is because you’re bored of it, it’s rusty, or it got in an accident.

They’re so cheap and easy to work on, and parts are readily available, why not fix it?

Mike_04GolfTDI said:

The only reason not to fix a Mk4 is because you’re bored of it, it’s rusty, or it got in an accident.

They’re so cheap and easy to work on, and parts are readily available, why not fix it?

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I second this. Plenty of vendors out there with quality parts. All it takes is time and the know how. Lots of that knowledge can be found here.

Because financially you dont put $ into something that is not worth the value of twice put into it. If the car is recked the insurance will total the car and your out your $.
Yea, great car good move to fix it but it's a dumb move financially. If you have $ to put into it as a love or hobby and are fine with the risk of losing your investment, then go for it.

If it can be proved that the mechanic that did the TB caused the damage, then they ought to be paying to fix it (though I'd say in this case, it should be "get it fixed by someone who knows what they're doing and have the mechanic who screwed up pay the bill").

Mongler's advice is "intellectually sound/rational". That said, many of us here on this board are "car guys" to one degree or another, how often does rationality factor into some of the things we do to/with our cars (especially Mongler himself, who's transplanting his 98 Jetta's engine into a Porsche of some sort)?

What you do with this thing is ultimately up to you - we can give advice, but it's nobody's decision but your own.

Mongler does have a great point indeed, and the argument about operating cost is another Pandora's box...the most valuable point is one made about the very long term ownership. In your situation I'd be salvage yard head and roll the dice...worse case you're not out that much and don't have to try to pull off a Frank's head and a new IP to sell separately in hopes you recoup half your money.

Good or bad reality, depreciation is pretty much bottomed out on these cars but I don't think they'll increase in resell in my lifetime

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Mongler98 said:

Because financially you dont put $ into something that is not worth the value of twice put into it. If the car is recked the insurance will total the car and your out your $.
Yea, great car good move to fix it but it's a dumb move financially. If you have $ to put into it as a love or hobby and are fine with the risk of losing your investment, then go for it.

Click to expand...

What if someone has sky high insurance due to state laws like Michigan residents? (Lifetime medical coverage if on road accident)

Liability on my 05 costs $50/mo, full coverage costs $180/mo. Everyone assumes people have full coverage. In fact, I dropped full coverage years ago and the savings has "bought" me another car already.

Scrap is $20 a ton right now, so keep it, but for more reasons than money.

It is in rough shape inside and out. it would now just be for local commute.

This statement says that you need to consider how much you drive locally and whether or not you would be better off buying something that's getting better mileage for shorter trips, or if you're driving far enough to actually save money.

Where you are in Arkansas I'd assume not. Then you have to figure out if you want to put more into it being that.
Due to your asking, you're in the fence and not a die hard like many commenting here.

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What was the verdict?

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Five years ago I bought a new OE long block for my Wagon and paid to have it installed. The car was running on the old engine but had significant blowby, even though I'd had both top and bottom ends refreshed about 10K miles earlier, at considerable expense. In those two repairs I probably spent over $8,000, including the engine purchase. Car was probably worth a fraction of that.

110K miles later I've thought many times about how happy I am that I had that work done. Odds are any newer car I could have purchased (new or used) would have cost that much in depreciation and/or repairs in that 110K miles, and my Wagon is probably worth as much if not more than 5 years ago with a worn engine. So the repairs were a bargain, based on cost per mile. The deciding factor on replacing the engine was that the rest of the car was in great shape, including just having received about $4K in rust repair, courtesy of VW's warranty.

Basing what to spend on repairs on the value of the vehicle is, in my opinion, false logic. It's more sensible to compare the expense to what it would cost to drive another car instead. What's an average new car payment? What does insurance and property tax cost on a new or newer car? Sales tax? There a lots of ways that keeping what you have and fixing it makes sense. Remember, a car is an expense, not an investment.

I'm glad you weighed in IBW, I like those points, I have spent money on mine for a similar reason, long term ownership...title in hand is one of my favorite phrases

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