2000 Volkswagen Jetta Problem

KMIMI6882

MEMBER
2000 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA
4 CYL
FWD
AUTOMATIC
135,000 MILES

I tried starting my car this morning and it made a screeching noise and the battery light was on. Later in the afternoon I went home to drive the car to the mechanic and it took all of my energy to turn the steering wheel. It's not driveable so I have to tow it to the mechanic tomorrow. Any idea what may be wrong with it? I live in the Northeast and it's been snowing almost every week since Christmas.

Wednesday, February 4th, 2009 AT 4:49 PM

3 Replies

BLUELIGHTNIN6

MECHANIC
16,542 POSTS

Hello
Thanks for the donation.

Suspect faulty drive belt. If belt became loose or broke it will not be able to run the alternator. This will cause the battery light to illuminate. If same belt is used for the power steering pump, this would also be the reason for hard steering (no power steering).

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Wednesday, February 4th, 2009 AT 9:26 PM

KMIMI6882

MEMBER
2 POSTS

I think you're right. I tried to bring my car to the mechanic later on in the day and the power steering was totally not working. I coudn't even turn my wheel. Approximately how much does it cost to fix this kind of a problem?

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Thursday, February 5th, 2009 AT 3:32 PM

BLUELIGHTNIN6

MECHANIC
16,542 POSTS

Looks like your power steering is equipped with a separate belt then the alternator. Without the alternator there was still no power to drive the power steering pump though which is still probably the reason for hard steering. An estimate for replacing alternator belt on your vehicle is below. Keep in mind that the estimate could be higher or lower than actual cost depending on your location of repairs and brand of parts you choose.