I have 99 problems and my Passat is all of them.

Kinja'd!!! "Herr Quattro - Has a 4-Motion" (spydermonkeywrench)
06/11/2016 at 18:42 • Filed to: I'm screwed

Kinja'd!!!1 Kinja'd!!! 5

This is really just a rant post, but I’m just so frustrated. My beautiful Passat is due for so much maintence, but I’m to poor to pay for them.

I don’t want to go to my parents for money at all, as it’s not there car (anymore), and I can’t bitch about how screwed I feel because it’ll sound like I’m asking for money.

And while I’ve been applying to jobs (it started out as close to home jobs, and now I’m applying anywhere) I’m still broke (I have ~$30 to my name, and I’m not exaggerating).

I can’t put another tank of gas in my car, and it doesn’t look like I will be able to for a while. Not only do I not have the money to pay for gas, two weeks ago I put it into the side of the garage because I’m an idiot, and I dented the front driver side fender. Another $150 + Paint.

Additionally, my car just hit 100,000 miles. If I remember correctly, the last oil change was at 95,000 miles, so it’s due. But i can’t afford any of this! And while I know it’s anal, I’ve been wanting to send out an oil sample to be analyzed, but that’s a pipe dream at this point.

NOT ONLY THAT, BUT I’m 90% sure my tiptropic transmission is starting to go. It occasionally (mostly during winter, but it did it a week ago) hardships into first, and then it just hard shifted into second as well. No idea why: Forums give a host of reasons of talk that I don’t understand. This is great because I want to convert it to a manual. This is bad because I don’t have anywhere near the skill to tackle that, nor the money. And my parents don’t care enough, so in my mind most likely they’ll probably offer to buy me a car and sell the Passat, except Im way to dumbly in love with my Passat, for me to able let it go.

Finally, the transmission-driveshaft gasket (I think- I’m not 100% sure) is leaking. Slowly, not enough to leave drips, but enough that its starting to leave a thick cake around the housing. Maybe it’s low fluid, but it was just topped off ~5,000 miles ago for something else. This could lead to the hardshifting, but it’s not constant, and I don’t know how fasts it’s actually leaking.

I understand that VWs of that era are notoriously unreliable, but my family has been pretty lucky so far. It’s a lot of small problems that are all arising at once, and I want to keep my 100k miles Passat pristine. While I put my fender in the wall, and I can buy $110 aftermarket fender, I want the $130-$150 OEM fender because I want the very best. And because I have no concept of money and I’m dumb.

I don’t want this car to die, I love it to much as I grew up as a gear head in that car (ironic I know, but it’s so much fun for a 170hp 2tonn chunk of ‘boring beigemobile’).

Perhaps I’m fretting the small things, and letting that overwhelm me, but I can barely afford gas, much less $1000k of maintence. Not to mention that I’m already $650 in debt with my parents for a brake service + front axle, and another $150 for a cracked iphone screen.

At this point, I’m considering throwing a blanket over it for the summer, storing it, and having my parents drive me to work so I can get the funds to fix it and fix it right before the lack of maintence causes it to actually break.

I really don't know what to do anymore, but I'm way to dumb to not sell it. It'd crush me more then it being broken.

Overall: My 12 year old Passat is having tiny maintence issues, and I’m to broke to fix them, and I don’t have the skill to fix them, so I’d have to get a shop to fix them, which means more $$$.


DISCUSSION (5)


Kinja'd!!! Svend > Herr Quattro - Has a 4-Motion
06/11/2016 at 18:54

Kinja'd!!!0

Shit man, I hope things turn around and you get some good news very very soon mate.


Kinja'd!!! Steve in Manhattan > Herr Quattro - Has a 4-Motion
06/11/2016 at 19:01

Kinja'd!!!0

I hate to pile on, but have you done the front suspension yet? Ball joints and all that?


Kinja'd!!! Herr Quattro - Has a 4-Motion > Steve in Manhattan
06/11/2016 at 19:43

Kinja'd!!!0

No...

The shocks seem like they’ll need replacing as well, but I hope they hold on long enough for me to save up and get KW V3 coilovers for it


Kinja'd!!! Steve in Manhattan > Herr Quattro - Has a 4-Motion
06/11/2016 at 19:51

Kinja'd!!!1

The Car Talk guys talked all the time about how much the ball joint and whatever else kits cost. Most manufacturers use four - I think VW/Audi uses 16. But if it ain’t broke ....


Kinja'd!!! E90M3 > Herr Quattro - Has a 4-Motion
06/11/2016 at 21:50

Kinja'd!!!0

I’d get your parents to help you out with the maintenance, it’ll be cheaper in the long run. As an unemployed person with an M3, I sympathize, I dread to think about having to fix that car right now, but then again it does put a smile on my face every single time I drive it.