1996 B4 WAGON RESTORATION

[nicolasimouss]

dear tdi club,

I have a mechanically sound b4 wagon that needs some of the typical love, and could use some recommendations on what to do, how to proceed with a thorough restoration. I want to bring this car up to an aesthetic standard inside and out that allows me to keep my job and my girlfriend, both of which are at stake!

I have the patience for the mechanical work that's necessary, next up are CV axles and timing belt, no sweat in this department.
However, the car is in desperate need of a complete electrical overhaul for which I have no patience at all,
the interior plastic trim pieces are super fragile and splintering, there's a long shallow swipe dent along most of the passenger side, clear coat is faded on the hood and roof, and I'm considering going from the current black to white, but the body is a totally rust free Cali car (I only drive this one in the summer).
tops of the doors leak on occasion, haven't checked moonroof weeps yet, might need new inner and/or outer door seals.
all things electronic, including instrument cluster, power windows, power locks, horn, dash and exterior lights work, but unreliably at best.
a fog lens is missing and a head light is cracked (found a replacement in a junk yard, hallelujah)
rear passenger door handle is inoperable, front passenger needs a special giggle.

I love driving this car, and I want to give it another life, but body and electrical related restorations beyond fixing a door latch or replacing ground cables are simply not my thing. is there a tried and true place I can bring it in to get most of the big ticket items taken care of? I'm hoping to throw in some sound damping behind the interior trim panels, and debating whether or not it's worth opening the whole dash myself to save $1500 and address the disintegrated foam paddles that no longer direct my cabin air circulation, assuming most of the dash connections will splinter to pieces before I get it back together.

long story short, who in my area (lower Hudson valley) can help me make this car look and feel new, and help me exorcise the electrical system?
Is it feasible to just throw $4-6K at this and wake up to a car that potential clients can ride in?

Any B4 Wagon interior/exterior restoration success stories, links, references etc. very much welcome.

Sincerely,
Nicolas

 

[Lug_Nut]

The upper door frames aren't all that rigid. Lower the glass all the way, open the door and pull the upper glass frame inward. The steel will bend enough to return to the as-built position.
The B4 TDI in the US were all GLS trim without fog lamps. Maybe a dealer install, more likely an owner's swap from a GLX.
Door handle issues are (were, not many left now) common. Bear in mind the right side handles use LEFT hand thread securing screws.

Don't expect any clients to ever be as enthused about being schlepped around in a 30 year old car as you presently are.

 

[tdi_in_va]

I have the patience for the mechanical work that's necessary, next up are CV axles and timing belt, no sweat in this department.

Don't forget intake manifold cleaning, and rebuilt fuel injectors. DLC520's are a great choice for a mostly stock engine.

However, the car is in desperate need of a complete electrical overhaul for which I have no patience at all,
the interior plastic trim pieces are super fragile and splintering, there's a long shallow swipe dent along most of the passenger side, clear coat is faded on the hood and roof, and I'm considering going from the current black to white, but the body is a totally rust free Cali car (I only drive this one in the summer).
tops of the doors leak on occasion, haven't checked moonroof weeps yet, might need new inner and/or outer door seals.
all things electronic, including instrument cluster, power windows, power locks, horn, dash and exterior lights work, but unreliably at best.
a fog lens is missing and a head light is cracked (found a replacement in a junk yard, hallelujah)
rear passenger door handle is inoperable, front passenger needs a special giggle.

Most mechanics hate doing this kind of work and won't touch it. Forget about taking the car to a mechanic shop for anything related to the body or interior. Same for intermittent electrical issues. The problem is, nowadays most body shops also hate doing this kind of work, and will only replace parts (assuming new replacements are available, which isn't the case for a B4V), and even then most body shops where I live only want to do insurance claim jobs.

What you're asking for is proper conservation / restoration work. There are places that specialize in this kind of work, but you will need to add a few more digits to your budget. The going rate to take a tired 30+ year old car and make it like new again is around $200k at these kinds of shops.

These cars are at the point where the only cost effective way to keep them presentable and reliable, is DIY.

 

[borninabus]

as someone who works in restoration, i can offer this:

"restoration" means different things to different people. what i would consider "restored" is probably well beyond the scope of what you have in mind. for example, would you consider the cost and expense of stripping every single screw, nut and bolt. having them recoated with the appropriate process and/or replacing anything not salvageable with the correct OE replacements? granted, this is a 30y/o car, not a 50+ y/o car and some of the hardware may be reusable as-is...but it will need to be cleaned.

that being said, your first hurdle is going to be a familiar one: parts. there are none. if a part is not up to standard, it will need to be replaced or restored itself--which can be difficult. that leads us into our next hurdle: who is going to spend the countless hours sourcing and/or restoring hard to find parts that may or may not be available anywhere in any condition? you? or are you willing to pay someone else to devote that time?

electrical work is not difficult--in concept. making it appear as factory and doing a job that will last like the factory wiring did is. very time consuming. which leads to the final hurdle: money. how much are you willing to spend on your restoration? our jobs can run well into the six figure range. they win awards wherever they go. we don't charge an astronomical labor rate. there is no "book time" for what we do. if i spend 1 hour on researching parts, methods, correctness or physically doing work, you're paying for it and that ads up--quick.

after digesting all this, you may come to realize that what you want is not a restoration, but some electrical work, a decent body & paint job and i'm assuming some upholstery work that probably should be performed (or at least managed) by a restoration shop or other competent specialist.

 

[thechoochlyman]

Unfortunately the only way to properly restore a B4 is to have a few parts cars that you can continually strip down for items when they break. I'd like to have my sedan repainted someday, but I'm planning on stripping it all down myself first. Everything on these is so finicky and fragile that I wouldn't trust even a good shop to do all the work without breaking a few things.

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

I have a new to me B4V that's been sitting for some time and needs a number of things. I bought it two years ago and am reluctant to start work on it for all the reasons described above, especially cost of having someone do the work. I also know the interior bits are fragile: My mechanic tried to pull some trim off my B4 Sedan to adjust the seat belt tensioners and stopped when he realized he was only going to break things.

I agree that parts cars are a good way to go, but those parts are going to be old, too.

 

[JordanTr]

Ugh. I’ve been in your shoes. Long story short, I bought a better B4V, sold the clapped one, did a bunch of the restoration stuff you’re describing on the new one, and then asked my girlfriend an important question (to which she said YES). I think she said yes because of the vehicular upgrade!

 

[JordanTr]

Further details to support your initial questions:
Blend door repairs can be done semi-easily without removing the whole dash. Check the DIYs and I believe I posted a link in my Stormy thread.
Same with doorhandle repairs… check the threads and you’ll get better with practice.
Does your engine have the oil pan cover, splash shield for under the engine and top engine cover in place? They all make a difference on quieting the cabin.
Check the ground hub on the drivers A pillar for corrosion etc. I had some electrical gremlins from that.

Also, you’re in California… why not daily this car all year round? They have great heaters… especially after blend door repairs with hvac tape.

 

[Starion_slider]

Honestly thats a B4…… you can fix all that stuff and then just plan on fixing it all again hahaha. As far as electrical problems the cluster needs rebuilt most likely. All the other problems are MOST liked free fixes if you just clean up all the grounds that are a commom issue. Door handles are pretty quick and easy to fix if you understand them. CV axles is very easy as long as everything comes apart. Hopefully last guy greased or never seized the hardware for you. The hardest part of the whole list is blend doors…..but you can pull center console and open up the box and reach your hand in there and slap hvac tape over the holes and it will be fine. Did mine 10yrs ago that way and checked it with my iphone on video inside the ductwork to ensure I got it all good. They are great cars but you WILL need to seek out parts and you WILL be working on it here and there. If you let it slip and 1 door handle breaks, then 2 then a window regulator strips, then something else happens is when people get overwhelmed and give up. The windows are kinda a PITA but once you figure them out they usually are good for a while. Have room to hoard parts new and used also because if you need something to get it going you cant just stop at orileys to pick up a part. They dont have it, cant get it and dont even list it. Good luck! I plan on running mine literally forever. I just keep fixing, patching, re painting, re building and driving 500 miles EVERY week and its been that way sonce I bought it in 2012.