ZipiTDi
Veteran Member
My daughter's A4 '05 Jetta TDi GLS, w/~145K miles, is having trouble going into reverse until the fluids are warmed up; it has to idle for 5 mins or more when cold, depending on the ambient outdoor temp. Hate polluting the air like that, certainly not in our garage, so only parking it outside for the past year.
Called a lot of mechanics last year for advice; most said to replace the tranny. One mechanic we've used on and off said it could be the clutch, which is a lot cheaper to fix. Cost to replace tranny - min. of $3.5K, high end ~$6K. My daughter didn't have that much scratch in the bank, and still doesn't; has no credit cards either.
Cost to replace clutch - ~$500 w/ labor? Parts for a clutch are much cheaper. No idea how long it takes in labor costs though.
I called an old friend who had the same model Jetta for a long time, before he gave it to his nephew to tinker with. He said, "Try my cheaper fix first. Replace the tranny fluid (just a drain, not a full flush), replace the tranny fluid filter and the gasket too - it's a kit; drive 100 miles, and do it again. Cheap, but only a temporary fix." She had it done once last summer, and it helped a bit, but then she lost her apartment (she was broke) and moved back home. So, she forgot to do it the 2nd time, and the issue is still there.
The annual emissions test date for the Jetta is this Friday - 5/25/18. She needs the car to pass emissions in order to look for work. She needs reverse gear to be operational too. Since my daughter is still broke and living with me while she job hunts, I'm going to pay for a few things - the e-test, oil change service, fuel and cabin filters, and a couple of tranny kits, so she can keep going to job interviews, etc.. Getting the supplies from Cascade German (a.k.a. Bora) this time.
So, asking here, should I order 2 tranny kits, AND a clutch kit?
Not sure I can return anything she doesn't end up needing to Cascade German (I haven't called them yet). Just need to have the Jetta working for another few months while she and I try to find her a different car. The Jetta is pretty beat up; not sure it's worth replacing the tranny at this point. I'd rather sell the car for the $1K we might get for it, or donate it to a charity to auction it off, and take a tax break, only I don't need the tax break. But, we aren't quite ready to do away with it yet.
Called a lot of mechanics last year for advice; most said to replace the tranny. One mechanic we've used on and off said it could be the clutch, which is a lot cheaper to fix. Cost to replace tranny - min. of $3.5K, high end ~$6K. My daughter didn't have that much scratch in the bank, and still doesn't; has no credit cards either.
Cost to replace clutch - ~$500 w/ labor? Parts for a clutch are much cheaper. No idea how long it takes in labor costs though.
I called an old friend who had the same model Jetta for a long time, before he gave it to his nephew to tinker with. He said, "Try my cheaper fix first. Replace the tranny fluid (just a drain, not a full flush), replace the tranny fluid filter and the gasket too - it's a kit; drive 100 miles, and do it again. Cheap, but only a temporary fix." She had it done once last summer, and it helped a bit, but then she lost her apartment (she was broke) and moved back home. So, she forgot to do it the 2nd time, and the issue is still there.
The annual emissions test date for the Jetta is this Friday - 5/25/18. She needs the car to pass emissions in order to look for work. She needs reverse gear to be operational too. Since my daughter is still broke and living with me while she job hunts, I'm going to pay for a few things - the e-test, oil change service, fuel and cabin filters, and a couple of tranny kits, so she can keep going to job interviews, etc.. Getting the supplies from Cascade German (a.k.a. Bora) this time.
So, asking here, should I order 2 tranny kits, AND a clutch kit?
Not sure I can return anything she doesn't end up needing to Cascade German (I haven't called them yet). Just need to have the Jetta working for another few months while she and I try to find her a different car. The Jetta is pretty beat up; not sure it's worth replacing the tranny at this point. I'd rather sell the car for the $1K we might get for it, or donate it to a charity to auction it off, and take a tax break, only I don't need the tax break. But, we aren't quite ready to do away with it yet.
