Post # 1
Member
130 posts
Blushing bee
Well the quote from the auto-shop just came in…it’ll be $1700 to fix just the windows in my car. I say “just the windows” because there’s a miriad of things wrong with my car and it’s up for inspection at the end of the month.
They said it would be $450 to fix my broken windshield wiper, $60 to fix my headlight (forget that, I’m totally doing this one myself), another $1000 to fix the grill…and I didn’t even ask them to fix my punctured flat tire, but I’m sure it’ll cost me another $100+. And then the mechanic started talking about my transmission!!!! I just told him to shut-it. I just can’t even handle it.
The cost is so astronomical that I had to ask my parents for help. So now it’s definite. We’re FOR SURE not going to get my ring by our anniversary on the 27th. I’m going to have to pay my parents back, so who knows when we’ll be able to pay off my ring. We were SO CLOSE!!!
I’m so upset. I HATE CARS.
Post # 3
Member
5423 posts
Bee Keeper
wait wait wait, where did you take it? i used to work at a dealer in willow grove and even we didnt charge 450 for a windshield
Post # 4
Member
223 posts
Helper bee
I’d get a second quote. Those prices seem REALLY high. I know this sucks, but maybe get your dad or Fiance to take it to another garage…people still seem to rip off girls when it comes to stuff like this!
Post # 5
Member
130 posts
Blushing bee
I gave it to my dad to take it to the shop, because I agree with @Khumble:, shops totally rip girls off.
@MASPA: My dad insisted on taking it to a dealer and I don’t completely disagree. Beetles are really hard cars to work on because they’re so compact. To do anything to the car, you basically have to take it apart. We’ve had really bad experiences taking my last Beetle to places other than the dealer. One shop took my car apart and couldn’t figure out how to put it back together. We had to take it-in pieces-to the dealer anyway. The shop paid for the transport and the costs and everything, but it was still a MAJOR hassle.
Post # 6
Member
4546 posts
Honey bee
I agree with the other Bees, some of those prices seem REALLY high! Get another quote. $450 for a broken windshield WIPER?!?! My Mother-In-Law had hers replaced for $20!
Also, do you know anyone who can do some of the work? Any little bit helps!
I agree with you, cars suck when they need repairs.
Post # 7
Member
5423 posts
Bee Keeper
oohhh you have a vw, yea they can suck…
is your wiper motor bad? and which vw quoted you?
Post # 8
Member
7431 posts
Busy Beekeeper
Those prices are way too high, I agree that shops always try to rip girls off. I would only get what is necessary fixed (what exactly is wrong with your grill to warrant a $1000 repair???). I am so glad I will never have to deal with any other mechanic besides my husband or Father-In-Law
Post # 8
Member
130 posts
Blushing bee
@Treasure43: I’m just going to have the dealer do the windows. It’s not the wiper blade that needs replacing, its like the whole mechanism that moves the blade, apparently. But since the car doesnt need to be taken apart for the wiper, I’m going to have someone else do it. Maybe a Pep-Boys or maybe just do it myself? I’ll just get the part from the dealer. But all this stuff needs to be done by the end of the month so I can pass inspection!!!!
The grill is purely asthetic, but it busted under the weight of a heavy snow. Like, just cracked in half and dangled off the car. I taped it back up, but I really did want it fixed. It needs to be completely replaced, so I need to purchase a new grill. And beetles have little lights in the grill, so those need to be replaced and wired-which, says the mechanic, is why it costs so much.
Post # 9
Member
5423 posts
Bee Keeper
so its your wiper motor and your window motor or just your glass? I know a place that fixed a shattered window in less than 3 hours without an appointment on bustleton ave
Post # 10
Member
405 posts
Helper bee
- Wedding: September 2011 - Mackinaw Valley Vineyard; Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts
@MissIcecream: That majorly sucks, about the car and the ring. As a fellow Beetle owner I understand how expensive it can be to get anything fixed on them and how some places won’t even help you (I’ve seriously been told to go elsewhere for an oil change).
Is there another VW dealer in your area you could check out? When I moved for grad school the dealer in my new town was way cheaper than my hometown. Same service, but way cheaper. Just a thought. Good luck and hope things start improving soon!
Post # 11
Member
130 posts
Blushing bee
@MASPA: It’s the motor. The glass is fine, the windows just won’t go up. They’re stuck in the door. You can hear the motor going, but they don’t move.
Post # 12
Member
204 posts
Helper bee
i have a diesel beetle, and the transmission went out in it last month, we took it to the VW dealer, $4300! i about pee’d myself. but we found a transmission shop that specialized in VW TRANSMISSIONS! they did it for $1950, granted it’s rebuilt, but it sure beats paying $4300. and you can also get a grill that doesn’t have lights. my Fiance ran over a small dirt mound trying to make a u-turn, and ripped it out. we bought one from VW for $230, bought a can of spray paint from auto-zone and installed it ourselves. i don’t know what year your beetle is, but ours is a 2002 and the grill is just a clip-in. 🙂 and try pep-boy’s for your windshield wipers, and the window’s, they are pretty reasonable. 🙂
Post # 13
Member
7431 posts
Busy Beekeeper
@MissIcecream: So moral of the story, never purchase a Beetle. Got it!! Sorry you are going through this, I would just wait to do the grill til you can afford it
Post # 14
Member
5423 posts
Bee Keeper
thats really unfortunate. german cars.
Post # 15
Member
204 posts
Helper bee
OH, OH! we also had to replace the “mass air-flow sensor” because it was acting up, and we thought it was the transmission. so we kept taking it back to the shop, only to find out that if the sensor goes bad, people think it’s their transmission when it isn’t.
