1998 Volkswagen Golf mechanic problem

TIFFANY.SCHEER

MEMBER
1998 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF
4 CYL
FWD
MANUAL
102,000 MILES

I put money down on my car in april of 08, the reverse needed to be fixed and so the dealer pulled the transmission and sent it to a machine shop. I didnt receive my car until july 08! Then appx. 2 1/2 months later in mid october more transmission problems occurred. 5th and 3rd gear went bad, and so I took the car to a different garage, however he just pulled the transmission and took it to a machine shop to get rebuilt. Lo and behold the SAME shop it was at before! Well this time it took them (for some reason) 8 wks to repair my car. I finally got it back 2 days after christmas, over 700 dollars later. Well only 3 WEEKS later my transmission went AGAIN! So I had the car towed back to that shop so he could make it right. He called and informed me that 5th gear went bad and that metal had somehow jammed itself into 2nd gear and that needed to be repaired now as well. AND HE QUOTED ME PRICES AND WANTED ME TO PAY FOR THIS! I refuse, and he refused to fix it. So now my car sits in his garage and we're going to court over the matter. He said the problem the car has now is different then what it was before. I dont believe him. He said he replaced the input shaft bearings and whats wrong now has nothing to do w that. Is this a true statement? Isnt thats what holds my gears in place? Should he be responsible to fix this and should it have taken him as long as it did? Please respond asap as this matter is pending in court. Thank you!

8 Replies

JAMES W.

MECHANIC
2,394 POSTS

I'm sorry to say it, but we get horror stories like your all the time. First question, the "dealer" you originally bought the car from, was it a VW dealer? Did you get any kind of a warranty from any of these people? Please advise.

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Thursday, March 12th, 2009 AT 1:21 AM

TIFFANY.SCHEER

MEMBER
4 POSTS

No not a vw dealer, and no, no warrenty from any of these people. However isnt there always a 30day warranty legally no matter what?

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Thursday, March 12th, 2009 AT 10:49 AM

JAMES W.

MECHANIC
2,394 POSTS

The implied 30 day warranty depends on what state you're in. You may want to check with your local Better Bussiness Bureau, and see if they can tell you anything. Let me know. Also, the JC's may know something.

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Thursday, March 12th, 2009 AT 11:57 PM

TIFFANY.SCHEER

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4 POSTS

I dont know what jc's are. Also, do u have an answer for my 1st original question? Please respond promptly

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Friday, March 13th, 2009 AT 6:20 PM

JAMES W.

MECHANIC
2,394 POSTS

Let me put it to you this way. If your car had come into my shop, the repairs would have gone one of two ways. !- We wouldn't have just replaced the inputshaft bearings. It would have been a complete rebuild with a 1 year warranty, or we wouldn't have touched it. 2- we would have replaced the trans with a used unit with a 30 day warranty. With a used unit, we would have carefully checked it out before installation because--- the salvage yard would replace the transmission, but we would have to do the labor for free. Checking out a used part, of any kind, is just a shops way of covering their tail. Nobody likes to work for free.
Personal opinion; If the transaxle had been repaired, as it should have been, the first time you wouldn't be where you're at right now. Basically all you got was a patch job, the shop gambled that it work for a while, but it didn't.
Reading between the lines, you bought the car from "Super Joes" corner used car lot. If something goes wrong with the car in the VERY near future, they promise to make it RIGHT with you. Most times you have an implied 30 day warranty. Depending on the state you're in. Anyway, and I have delt with these situations many times before, when they take the car in for repairs they don't want to spend a dime more than they have to, to get the car back on the road and you, the buyer, out of their hair. So, basically, all you get is a patch job.
If this issue, indeed goes to court, you have a good chance of gaining compensation for your loses. Keep in mind, I'm saying this based ONLY on the imformation you have posted. I may not have all the facts. Also, most judges don't care for used car dealers, they have to listen to stories like yours, all the time. Good Luck.